Lithium sector destroyed overnight, page-47

Love those pipe-dreams about production increases from the potash sellers in South America that comes into vogue every two years. Had years upon years to "ramp up" brine by presumably staring at it so it evaporates faster and hoping it doesn't rain and they never manage it. Meantime as recently as six months ago one of those big 4 was looking to sell their lithium division because, as has always been the case, these aren't lithium miners, they are chemical fertiliser producers with some bonus lithium. Orecobre's notorious brine "ramp up" another case in point, years behind. SQM found better use of a stack of their money thousands of kays away in a JV with KDR, who own a hard rock deposit.

There is a reason why the hard rock miners have been able to begin to fill the shortages at mega capex expense against supposedly "low cost" brine. The potash salesmen are just trying to jawbone the heat out of the market, praying lower prices discourage more supply so there's a bigger slice for them. Understandable, but predictable.