🔋 Battery Metals Downturn Deepens

◼ Lithium Plunges to $15,800/ton (-43% YoY)

• Why: Australian/Chilean supply glut + European EV sales miss

• Impact: Albemarle cuts output 15% at Wodgina mine

◼ Cobalt Breaches $30,000 Support

• Indonesian HPAL output surges 35% + LFP dominance hits 70% market share

Consumer Win: EV battery costs drop $15/kWh – price cuts expected for Tesla Model 3 & BYD Seagull

🏭 Industrial Metals Rally

Market Signal: Global manufacturing PMI hits 51.3 – first expansion since Feb 2025

🚨 Tin's Historic Surge! 💥

◼ LME Tin Shatters Record at $48,000/ton

• Supply Crisis:
  ✓ Myanmar total mining ban (20% global supply)
  ✓ Indonesian export license freeze

• Demand Spike: Single AI data center uses 10x more solder than traditional

◼ Red Alert: Electronics manufacturers face production halts

✨ Silver: Solar's Secret Weapon

◼ Prices Jump 12.8% to $32.5/oz

• Solar Boom: TOPCon cell silver paste demand soars (+40% per GW)

• Tech Demand: AI server PCB usage up 30% YoY

• Deficit: 4,500-ton shortage projected for 2025 (18% of output)

Opportunity: Solar's silver share to leap from 25% → 35% by 2027

🔎 3 Looming Market Shifters

1. Climate Threat: El Niño endangers Chilean copper/Congo cobalt output

2. Policy Risk: Indonesia nickel-cobalt tax vote this week

3. Tech Disruption: CATL sodium-ion batteries enter mass production 2026

Investor Playbook:
✅ Short-Term: Tin alternatives (bismuth alloy suppliers)
✅ Long-Term: Silver solar plays (paste makers/SLV ETF)
⚠️ Caution: Hedge lithium/cobalt mining exposure

Sources: LME/COMEX live data, CRU Group, Silver Institute