Lithium stocks are among the biggest laggards on Wednesday after prices of the battery material traded in China plunged this week.
The front-month China lithium carbonate future (GFEX) fell 5 per cent to $US12,000 a tonne on Tuesday and is down 15 per cent over the past month.
Citi attributed the decline to rising inventories, with the latest data showing they have increased by around 70,000 tonnes since the start of the year.
“This high and rising low-shelf-life chemical inventories should see lithium prices fall another 15 to 20 per cent to $US10,000 a tonne on GFEX, and CME hydroxide prices drop to $US10,000 a tonne over the coming months,” said Citi analyst Shreyas Madabushi.
“Prices around these levels are expected to eventually lead to mine/converter closures and industry rationalisation.”
Shares in Liontown Resources were down 6.1 per cent to 84.5¢, Arcadium Lithium fell 4 per cent to $4.81, and Pilbara Minerals eased 0.8 per cent to $3.12.
