Lithium’s Battery-Powered Growth ⚡

One of America’s biggest lithium companies, Lithium Americas, took off this week. Shares of the stock rose over 10% on Thursday. Today, $LAC was cleared to begin mining at Thacker Pass, and its planned output will make Lithium Americas one of the largest lithium miners in North America. 💰 💰

However, Lithium America’s price action had less to do with their approval and more to do with an upgrade from analyst Cowen. In its report, Cowen explained that lithium’s demand would exceed supply. For the unacquainted, that means lithium might see a shortage in the near future.

Lithium has become a crucial component in the battery technology that powers your phone, electric vehicles, and other technology. Increased prices could make lithium companies a killing. 📈 🚀

Lithium’s rising prices have already been observed in China, where the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate has risen 38.8% in the last month. The resource hasn’t posted a single down day since June. Its rise preceded the boost in Seaborne Asian lithium prices. However, in Europe and the U.S., lithium prices have stayed largely stable.” If Asia is any indication, that could easily change.

The Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF — which mostly invests in lithium & battery companies in China, the U.S., and South Korea — has risen 130% this year.

Breakfast Is Getting More Expensive

Some say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But unfortunately, the commodity markets are saying that prices to fill your bowls and cups each morning could be heading higher. 🥣

If we look at Finviz’s year-to-date performance chart for the major assets tracked by the futures markets, four of the top five gainers are agricultural commodities. Orange juice leads the pack, rising 84.53%, followed by sugar (+44.2%), Cocoa (+39.68%), and Oats (+30.10%). They’re only separated by the Nasdaq 100, which is up 36.91%.

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Crude Tops 90 As Inflation Ticks Up

Before we get into U.S. data, we need to discuss the European Central Bank’s (ECB) rate decision. The central bank surprised markets by raising rates another 25 bps to 4.00%, marking its tenth consecutive hike. 🔺

Unlike the U.S., Europe has not made as much progress in bringing down inflation, and its economy has not been as resilient. The region started raising rates later than the U.S. and experienced more direct impacts of the war in Ukraine, so it’s understandable that they’d be a bit behind the curve in making progress.

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The Market’s Next Show Stopper

While the U.S. economy continues to hold up relatively well, investors remain fearful about China and other international economies. So, one of the markets they’re watching for clues as to what might be ahead is copper futures. 🕵️‍♂️

We spoke about copper in May when investors viewed its selloff as a bearish economic diagnosis. And now, it’s back in the news for a similar reason. 📰

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Oil & Gas Sector Loses Its Energy

After a strong run throughout the summer, it’s been a rough two weeks for energy-related commodities and stocks. Today, an accelerating decline helped bring the sector back to the forefront of investors’ conversation. Let’s take a look at why. 👇

In very short-term fundamental news, gasoline inventories surprised to the upside today on weak demand. That caused the commodity to extend its recent selloff. But more importantly, we also saw heating oil and crude oil selloff in tandem after holding relatively strong during gasoline’s pullback.

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