Lithium price slips again in China, dragging Albemarle and SQM shares lower before Wall Street opens
New York, February 6, 2026, 06:55 EST — Premarket
- China’s battery-grade lithium carbonate settled at 134,500 yuan per tonne, with SMM’s benchmark index dropping roughly 4% from the previous day
- Albemarle tumbled roughly 7% before the open; SQM slipped around 4%, while Lithium Americas plunged close to 9%
- Traders are eyeing Chinese New Year demand cues alongside Albemarle’s Feb. 11 earnings for clues on pricing
Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in China dropped once more on Friday, weighing on lithium-linked stocks in U.S. premarket trading as investors noted signs of cooling demand in the short term.
This is crucial since China’s spot market usually influences physical transactions and contract…
