Australian lithium miners tumble after battery metal prices sink

IGO

15/10/2026 05:37

** Top lithium miners Mineral Resources MIN.AX , IGO  IGO.AX and PLS  PLS.AX slid 4.6% to 6.5%, pacing losses across
** Broader mining subindex .AXMM shed 4.1%, sharply underperforming an otherwise near-flat ASX 200 benchmark .AXJO
** The battery metal's prices have slipped 3.6% so far on the day and remain down 11.9% YTD, according to Trading Economics data
** Earlier this week, Chinese lithium carbonate futures sank to a near 10-month low, as a deal to curb hybrid vehicle exports to the European Union deepened concerns over demand prospects for the EV battery material
** Macquarie on Tuesday said market chatter around battery production cuts is stoking concerns over CY27 lithium demand, with prevailing bearish sentiment eclipsing signs of near-term market tightness
** YTD, MIN has proved the most resilient among lithium names, down 18.2% versus IGO's 34% and PLS's ~30% declines, while AXMM has gained 5.2% and AXJO remains broadly flat

 (Reporting by Kumar Tanishk in Bengaluru)
 ((Tanishk.Kumar@thomsonreuters.com; X: @thatstanishk http://www.x.com/thatstanishk;))