Sto...ead today....

Sto...ead today. /the-shape-of-lithium-to-come-ken-brinsden-plays-free-jazz-on-next-10-years-of-lithium.

Lithium prices are at a new floor Lithium prices have pulled back in China as of late, but in the mid-US$30,000/t range for lithium hydroxide and carbonate, are a multitude higher than their lows a little over three years ago.
Brinsden says the desperation to secure tonnes by converters has inspired high cost operations to proliferate.
Similar to iron ore, Brinsden’s training ground at the helm of Atlas Iron, it means the cost curve will never be what it once was.
“The floor price [has been reached] in the sense that it’s materially stepped up from historical norms because the industry has gone through a pretty significant change in the last two or three years to support demand especially from China,” he said.
“Some really unusual products have come to market that are very, very expensive. Think of it this way… Is it realistic that the iron ore market would be just Yandi mine delivering to China at $27 a tonne? Of course not.
“To support demand into China, a whole heap of other stuff has come to market that’s nothing like $27 a tonne. So the iron ore price really struggles to fall below US$100/t.
“Well exactly the same phenomenon is underway in the lithium world. It’s no longer an industry with just Greenbushes or the Atacama. It’s everything else that’s come into the market to support demand at nothing like those costs of historical industry in the lithium world when it was a bit more boutique.
“And as a result pricing is going to be strong. That’s my personal view. And would I worry about US$35,000 a tonne? Absolutely not.”