Banter and general comments, page-26187

Allkem's merger with Livent is unlikely to be the last deal in the current M&A wave for
lithium stocks, Jefferies says. "With limited projects advanced enough to be able to
deliver production growth pre-2030, the number of dance partners available for those
standing on the sideline to conduct accretive M&A diminishes every day," analyst Mitch
Ryan says in a note. Jefferies says the Livent-Allkem combination makes strategic sense
and should be a strong tailwind for Allkem's stock. "The deal has potential to deliver
improved capital returns on accelerated timelines relative to those achieved
independently," says Jefferies. "That said, we see risk on a long-term basis around
project delivery." ([email protected]; @dwinningWSJ)