Since the discovery of lithium in the 1800 s, many uses of SoftBank have been discovered
White metal: lubricants, psychiatric medications, and even the title of one of grunge rock band Nirvana's most popular songs.
The most interesting use of lithium for investors is probably the emerging battery industry.
The demand for all-electric vehicles is growing, its batteries use more metal than hybrid cars, and the demand for lithium is growing.
In addition, the Renewable Energy Department will seek more lithium batteries to store solar cellsand wind-
Power generation.
Lithium is not traded on exchanges like oil, copper or other commodities such as corn, but investors can access the metal through exchanges
Trading Funds or trading directly with companies that produce or use batteries. Batteries.
When people buy electric cars from Tesla Motors (ticker: TSLA)
They're "really buying a battery with a car," co-
Founder and CEO of online brokerage theme investment, owner of Tesla Motors.
Tesla is making a lithium.
The ion battery plant in Nevada will produce electric vehicle batteries and fixed energy storage devices.
With the rise of electric vehicles, Motif put a basket of batteries together --
Related stocks including Tesla and lithium producersSQM)
Yabao company. (ALB)and FMC Corp. (FMC).
In addition to the demand in the electric vehicles and renewable energy sectors, the investment case for lithium also includes a surge in mobile phones and tablets that also require lithium batteries, Valia said.
Demand for lithium for battery applications is growing by about 10% per year, said Dmitry Silversteyn, a basic material analyst at Longbow Research, an independent stock Research firm in Ohio.
He said the total growth rate, including lubricants and medical applications, is about 3-5% per year.
This may not increase until demand for electric vehicles accelerates, which may come in 2017 --
Silversteyn says 2018Supply.
Silversteyn says the companies that produce lithium have enough metal to meet the world's demand for five to seven years, and more capacity can go online relatively quickly.
But the rapid growth of demand may lead to some shortages.
The market is tense for a long time.
Chile and Australia are the largest lithium in the world.
China and Argentina followed suit.
Bolivia also has a large amount of lithium, but it is controlled by the government. Pennsylvania-
According to FMC's forecast, lithium market revenue will reach $33 million to $43 million this year.
Last year, FMC's lithium business revenue was $23 million, down from $0. 238 billion last year.
Income is 3 billion.
In the past 12 months
30. income from Chilean lithium and its derivatives
The headquarters has a total of $0. 212 billion, or 12% per cent of total revenue.
The first nine months of 2015
Headquartered in alble le, which produces lithium from operations in Chile and Nevada and holds a 49% stake in an Australian mining company, sold nearly 0. 37 billion worth of total sales of $27 billion.
In terms of production, other more speculative projects include Western lithium, which is developing lithium projects in Argentina and Nevada, as well as pure energy minerals, which are developing a lithium project in Nevada, and signed a potential lithium supply agreement with Tesla on September.
Bad performance.
In the past year, lithium
Related stocks did not perform well.
Global X lithium ETF (LIT)
By tracking the Solactive Global Lithium Index, the company targeted the most liquid lithium battery producers, miners and refiners, down 21%.
Square meters, 34%, 3% and 40% of the Federation of Women of Yaobao and Cuba.
Silversteyn said that because these companies have diversified beyond lithium, their recent decline may be due to other problems in other parts of their business, noting that due to the potential demand for future electric vehicles, he believes the investment case for lithium is still intact.
Silversteyn said the decline was more likely due to concerns in the electronics industry, the broader consumer market and China.
A basket of battery stocks in Motif investment includes 12 stocks, which are weighted to battery manufacturers, but also to producers, industrial solutions companies and consumer app stocks.
The basket, which the company calls the subject, has fallen 20% in the past 12 months, while the S & P 500 index has fallen by about 8%.
One reason for the poor performance of lithium, Walia said, is its relationship with renewable energy, which is often inversely proportional to oil stocks.
As oil prices fall, the appeal of alternative energy as a competitor seems to have fallen.
The downside also includes slowing growth in China, saturation of the mobile device market in some areas and macroeconomic and benefits --
Interest rate uncertainty, he said.
Although there is no easy answer to whether the present is a good time to bargain --
Walia said that it makes sense for investors who think oil will rise to take a stand, that the recovery in China's economy will increase demand for mobile devices, and that electric vehicles will start to call lithium.
"This is not a bad way to recover," he said . ".
"But you have to be confident in a lot of things.
Matt Whitaker, a journalist specializing in natural resources reporting, has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Barron's and other international publications.
He reports from America, Europe and Asia.