Lithium equities dip globally as Chinese prices fall, Australian data‑centre NextDC rallies

Lithium‑related equities slipped on Tuesday, with the LIT ETF falling about 2.1% and major miners such as Albemarle and SQM posting losses of roughly 2% and 3% respectively. Spot lithium carbonate prices edged down only marginally, staying well above last year’s levels, while Chinese futures plunged 6.5% to 138,140 yuan per tonne – a 10% weekly decline and a 35% drop from the mid‑May peak.

The price slide reflects two fresh concerns: the restart of CATL’s large Jianxiawo lepidolite mine, which adds new supply to the market, and a forthcoming Chinese consumption tax on lithium‑ion batteries (2% from September, rising to 4%) that exempts sodium‑ion and solid‑state batteries until 2028. These factors have rattled investors despite strong demand from electric vehicles, which now account for roughly two‑thirds of lithium use.

In contrast, Australia’s tech sector found support as data‑centre operator NextDC lifted its contracted capacity by 73 MW to a total of 740 MW after new customer wins, helping the ASX‑200 technology segment rise about 4%.