Resumen de Lithium 2016: : Demand on the rise
Speaking during a panel discussion, Joe Lowry of Global Lithium LLC predicted "low teens to mid-teens pricing going forward" (at a range of $11-14/kg for lithium carbonate in the medium term); John Kansellitas of Lithium Americas Corp. said the company was modelling itself on prices settling at $7,500/tonne; Luis Suarez of Chile-based Li3 Energy Inc. said the company had always used a model of $5,000/tonne; while Jon Hykawy of Stormcrow Capital Ltd reckoned prices should decline back to "four digit levels" before long.
Following recent spikes, IM is tracking lithium contracts at levels of $15-20/kg for lithium carbonate (large quarterly contracts, min. 99-99.5% Li[subscript]2 CO[subscript]3, del. US) and $14-20/kg for lithium hydroxide (large quarterly contracts, 56.5-57.5%, packed in drums or bags, del. US).
Global Lithium's Lowry predicted a five-to-seven year period before supply meets demand in the market, while Galaxy's [Anthony Tse] emphasised that "it's a multi-year commitment to get a project online (...) from prefeasibility stage through to steady state production"
