Lithium-ion Rocks!

In this week’s Rock Stock recap, we (Howard, Matt, and Rodney) review one of the most consequential weeks for global critical minerals, lithium, EV demand, and commodity markets, and discuss what it means for investors, operators, and supply chains across mining, batteries, and electrification. Chapters (00:00) Intro (02:27) Project Vault And Policy Tools (04:27) Lithium, Batteries, Strategic Reserve (08:02) EV Market Review And 2026 Outlook (12:34) U.S. EV Demand And Auto Pullbacks (15:14) GM Supply Chain And Phosphate Gap (17:55) Commodity Selloff And Deleveraging (27:24) AI Buildout And Mining Opportunity (30:41) Lithium Earnings And Deal Updates (34:57) Wrap-Up (36:59) JD Vance (41:16) Marco Rubio (42:05) David Copley (42:23) Trump (42:40) Howard Lutnick (42:56) John Jovanovic (43:40) Doug Burgum (44:10) Robert Friedland   Podcast ft. Robert Friedland & Jeff Currie: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-kff6t-1a30bfa   We begin with the latest developments in U.S. and allied critical minerals policy, including Project Vault, permitting reform, and new trade frameworks aimed at stabilizing long-cycle investment in mining, processing, and downstream manufacturing. While policy momentum is increasing, we focus equally on the practical questions: where demand growth comes from and how markets actually clear. Matt then walks through a detailed electric vehicle (EV) market outlook by region. Europe and the rest of the world remain strong, while the U.S. market is slowing following tax credit changes, and China shows a clear second-half deceleration as subsidies fade. We discuss 2026 growth expectations and what these trends imply for lithium and battery materials demand. We also examine several important supply chain risks, including GM’s procurement strategy and the underappreciated phosphate/LFP bottleneck, which could become the next constraint after lithium and graphite. On the markets side, we break down the recent selloff in gold, copper, lithium, uranium, and Bitcoin, attributing much of the volatility to leveraged positioning and broad deleveraging, rather than a change in long-term fundamentals. Rodney adds perspective on macro conditions, the new Fed chair, debt markets, and the continued institutional preference for hard assets over paper assets. Finally, we cover copper fundamentals, inventories vs. price signals, lithium pricing levels, earnings season (including Albemarle), M&A headlines, and select developments across the battery metals and mining equities space. Our goal is to provide clear, grounded analysis of lithium, EVs, copper, mining stocks, and commodity markets without hype—focusing on what the data and market structure are actually telling us. Topics covered: • Critical minerals policy & supply chains • Lithium and battery materials outlook • EV sales trends: U.S., China, Europe • Phosphate/LFP risks • Commodity selloff & deleveraging • Copper inventories and fundamentals • Fed policy & macro backdrop • Lithium earnings and sector news If you follow lithium stocks, mining equities, battery metals, EV demand, or commodity investing, this weekly review will keep you up to date with the key drivers shaping the market.   Sponsors - Lithium Royalty Corp (TSX: LIRC) - diversified lithium royalty portfolio. (Website: https://www.lithiumroyaltycorp.com/ | X: https://x.com/Lithium_Royalty) - USCF Investments - commodity-focused ETFs (e.g., CPER copper, ZSB battery metals, USG gold, SDCI diversified commodities). (Website: https://www.uscfinvestments.com/ | X: https://x.com/USCFInvestments)   Links - Strategic Lithium Reserve (SLR) White Paper: https://blog.rkequity.com/2025/12/08/strategic-lithium-reserve/ - Read Matt's research blog: https://blog.rkequity.com/ - Sign up for the Lithium-Ion Bull newsletter/Matt's Blogs: https://rkequity.com/ Have a question? Drop us an email: rockstockchannel@rkequity.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rockstockchannel Podcast:   Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lithium-ion-rocks/id1457969172   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0KiMIZOPaDg8ENfPJMSINq X (Twitter):   Howard: https://x.com/LithiumIonBull   Rodney: https://x.com/RodneyHooper13   Matt: https://x.com/matt_fernley _________________________________________________ DISCLAIMER   NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH Howard, Matt and Rodney are not financial advisors nor broker-dealers, this video is for information purposes only and should not be considered investment or financial advice. Please do your own independent research and read the disclaimer at the end of the video or on RK Equity's website https://www.rkequity.com Intro and outro audio credit: Jamie Klein