During a meeting at the White House last month, Trump administration officials urged an Australian mining executive to sell his firm's interest in a major African lithium project to a US company an unusual session that offers a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the administration's deal-brokering as it pursues an ambitious and controversial policy on critical minerals. People familiar with the Jan. 21 meeting described it as an effort by the White House and US State Department to persuade Perth-based AVZ
It looks more like the past than the future. A vast chasm scooped out of a scarred landscape, this is a Cornwall the summer holidaymakers don't see: a former china clay pit near St Austell called Trelavour. I'm standing at the edge of the pit looking down with the man who says his plans for it will help the UK's transition to renewable energy and bring back year-round jobs and prosperity to a part of the country that badly needs both.
Helping, Deutsche Bank upgraded ALB to a buy rating with a $185 price target. Analysts at Baird also upgraded ALB to a buy with a price target of $210. "We are incrementally positive given the recent increase in lithium prices... and our view that demand strength stemming from stationary storage will continue to propel ALB higher," Baird analysts wrote, as noted by Seeking Alpha. Analysts at Truist also just upgraded ALB to a buy rating with a price target of $205.
While investors fixated on artificial intelligence throughout 2025, the battery supply chain quietly delivered exceptional returns, powering everything from electric vehicles to grid storage. A Supply Chain Play, Not Just an EV Bet Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (NYSEARCA:BATT) returned 66% year-to-date in 2025, nearly tripling the Nasdaq-100's 22% gain. This performance came from diversified exposure across the entire battery ecosystem: lithium miners, copper producers, battery component manufacturers, and select EV companies.
is being driven by robust demand growth and ongoing inventory reduction, alongside regulatory tightening, including the shutdown of a major Chinese lithium mine by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and new government measures aimed at preventing producers from selling lithium at unsustainably low prices. The increased recognition of lithium as a critical mineral, combined with Western concerns over China's control of global supply chains, is bolstering the sector outside of China.
Lithium is the foundation of the modern energy economy, powering electric vehicles, smartphones, and renewable infrastructure, and is critical for the nuclear energy revolution.
