How China Is Sparking a Battery Crisis
According to Reuters, Antimony now costs more than $60,000 per metric ton, which is more than quadruple its year-over-year price. In 2024, China produced 60% of the world's antimony supply, and several countries that mine the mineral process it in China. Beijing added antimony to its export control list last September, and companies now need a license for overseas deals. Additionally, China banned U.S. antimony exports in December, which remains in effect. China's global antimony exports are now a third of last year's.
U.S. companies are responding with gray market antimony purchases or buying at elevated prices from sellers who pre-accumulated stockpiles. Last week, China and the U.S. reached a deal on rare earth exports, which the automotive industry heavily relies on for magnets used in several vehicle parts, but antimony doesn't appear to have been discussed between the two countries. Like antimony, China has a monopoly on rare earths, but at a higher percentage than antimony, with 70% of mining and 90% of processing occurring domestically.
Steve Christensen, executive director of the U.S.-based Responsible Battery Coalition, labeled the antimony situation a national emergency and said Western countries have become "Overly reliant on a single geopolitical adversary for minerals foundational to both national defense and civilian life," Reuters reports. Christensen added: "For the U.S., the path forward must include onshoring processing capacity, scaling domestic recycling, and building strategic mineral alliances with trusted partners. Otherwise, this crisis will repeat itself again and again."
Clarios, a U.S.-based global leader in battery manufacturing, disclosed last month that it was considering locations for a critical minerals processing and recovery plant in the U.S. that would extract antimony, among other minerals. The facility would cost up to $1.9 billion, and Indiana, Texas, and Utah are emerging as potential locations. Antimony is listed by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a mineral critical to the U.S. economy and national security. The U.S. Antimony market size is expected to rise from $270 million in 2024 to $550 million by 2035, with a 6.82% growth rate, according to Market Research Future. Overall, antimony demand is around 230,000-240,000 tons a year, with lead-acid batteries accounting for about a third of that, Reuters reports using data from consultancy Project Blue.
Antimony remains essential in the automotive industry as more car manufacturers extend timelines for gas-powered vehicle production and use the critical mineral in the growing EV segment. Securing a stable supply of antimony and rare earths for magnets is vital in avoiding future bottlenecks from countries like China. If the U.S. doesn't diversify its antimony supply chains and help facilitate competition within the market, production costs could continue to increase at a time when car prices are already high, and segments like EVs could experience slowed growth.
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Air Canada to resume flights after government moves to end strike
By Rishabh Jaiswal (Reuters) -Air Canada plans to resume flights later on Sunday, a day after the government issued a directive to end a cabin crew strike that caused the suspension of around 700 daily flights, stranding more than 100,000 passengers. Thousands of Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday, for the first time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a new contract. The country's largest carrier said flights would restart on Sunday evening, but some would still be canceled over the next 7-10 days as the schedule stabilizes and returns to normal. It had started cancelling flights on Friday in anticipation of the stoppage. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered Air Canada to resume operations and all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to their duties by 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), the airline said in a statement. The CIRB was acting on a directive from the country's Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu as the government moved to end the strike and require binding arbitration to break a contract impasse, an action that Air Canada had previously sought from Prime Minister Mark Carney's minority Liberal government but unionized flight attendants fiercely opposed. The most contentious issue in the contract negotiations has been the union's demand for compensation for time spent on the ground between flights and when helping passengers board. Attendants are now largely paid only when their plane is moving. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) had pushed for a negotiated solution, saying binding arbitration would take pressure off the airline. Air Canada said on Sunday that the CIRB had ordered the terms of the collective agreement between the union and the airline that expired on March 31 be extended until a new agreement can be reached. The CUPE did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Associated Press
8 hours ago
- Associated Press
WAMCO DEADLINE: ROSEN, NATIONAL TRIAL LAWYERS, Encourages Western Asset Management Company, LLC Mutual Fund Investors with Losses in Excess of $100K to Secure Counsel Before Important Deadline in Securities Class Action
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 16, 2025) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the 'Western Asset US Core Bond Fund' mutual fund classes - Class I (ticker: 'WATFX'), Class A (ticker: 'WABAX'), Class C (ticker: 'WABCX'), Class FI (ticker: 'WAPIX'), Class IS (ticker: 'WACSX'), and Class R (ticker: 'WABRX') - and the 'Western Asset Core Plus Bond Fund' mutual fund classes - Class A (ticker: 'WAPAX'), Class C (ticker: 'WAPCX'), Class C1 (ticker: 'LWCPX'), Class FI (ticker: 'WACIX'), Class R (ticker: 'WAPRX'), Class I (ticker: 'WACPX'), Class IS (ticker: 'WAPSX') between January 1, 2021 and October 31, 2023, inclusive (the 'Class Period'), of the important September 5, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased WAMCO mutual funds during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the WAMCO class action, go to or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for more information. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 5, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants failed to warn investors that: (1) defendants favored certain WAMCO strategies, like Macro Opps, over other WAMCO strategies, like Core and Core Plus; (2) defendants disfavored certain WAMCO strategies, like Core and Core Plus; (3) any 'compliance policies and procedures' that WAMCO maintained 'to result in fair allocations of investment opportunities to clients' were either insufficient to ensure that Leech and his WAMCO Team fairly allocated trades among the strategies they managed or were expressly disregarded by defendants in order to allow the favoring of certain WAMCO strategies at the expense of other WAMCO strategies; (3) any 'oversight mechanisms' that WAMCO maintained were either insufficient to monitor Leech and his WAMCO Team or were expressly disregarded by defendants in order to allow the favoring of certain WAMCO strategies at the expense of other WAMCO strategies. As a result, defendants' actions operated as a fraud or deceit on the Class, artificially reducing the price of the 'Western Asset US Core strategy' mutual fund classes during the Class Period, damaging Class members. To join the WAMCO class action, go to or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for more information. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: on Twitter: or on Facebook: Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit
The Hill
8 hours ago
- The Hill
Trump tariffs: A grocery shopper's guide
President Trump's tariffs could raise the cost of some of the most popular imports in American grocery aisles, from coffee and olive oil to wine, matcha and spices. After the 'Liberation Day' tariffs kicked in worldwide in early August, businesses and consumers alike are watching closely for when — and how much — prices tick up. Inflation data released Tuesday did not show an overall increase in food prices, but economists say that's likely to change as businesses pass more costs on to consumers. Wholesale prices surged 0.9 percent last month, the biggest monthly jump since June 2022 and a sign that inflation may not be cooling off just yet. 'Many of us anticipated ahead of time that you might see some faster movement in groceries, partly because you can't stockpile stuff right in the same way,' said Martha Gimbel, the Budget Lab at Yale's executive director. 'You can't stockpile a year's worth of avocados. That being said, the price increases that we've seen in food so far are pretty muted, so we'll just have to see what happens,' she said. Here are six iconic imported grocery products that could be impacted by Trump's tariffs. Coffee Coffee prices were already up before a 50 percent tariff on Brazil, the top coffee importer to the U.S., went into effect last week. Coffee prices sharply rose 25 percent over the past three months, according to inflation data released Tuesday. Reuters reported Tuesday that Brazilian coffee exports have started seeing postponements to their U.S. shipments. How hard your morning habit gets hit varies between brand, shop and choice of bean. Nespresso pods, for instance, are entirely produced in Switzerland, which is subject to a 40 percent tariff. Colombia, the second-largest importer of coffee to the U.S., only pays Trump's 10 percent baseline duty. 'Some importers might shift sourcing toward countries with exemptions, but in many cases the increased costs will all be passed on to you, the coffee lover,' Todd Carmichael, the co-founder of La Colombe, wrote in The Washington Post earlier this week. 'Surely, coffee is too essential and too global to put at the center of a geopolitical chess match.' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Wednesday he would introduce a bill with bipartisan support to repeal tariffs on coffee. Olive oil Trump's tariffs have only added to the uncertainty facing olive oil producers, who are grappling with climate shocks. Extended droughts in Spain in 2022 slashed production, and other top production regions like Sicily and Greece have also confronted record-high temperatures. Allen Dushi, a co-founder of olive oil brand Graza, said the company has held off on increasing prices, adding that any uptick in import costs could take at least three to four months to reflect on grocery shelves. Many retailers or distributors require 60 to 90 days notice for a change, he said. The company uses Spanish olives, and production and bottling are all based in Spain. That limits the extent to which the company can keep stocks in the U.S., which would have to be finished bottles. 'We are not trying to stockpile inventory, because our priority number one is always the quality of what's inside the bottle,' Dushi said. 'That's not something we really compromise on.' Switching to American production wouldn't help, Dushi added; the company would still have to pay tariffs on Spanish olives, as American olive production doesn't meet the same standard. 'So as long as you're buying the oil, and importing the oil, you're going to be paying the tariff on that,' he said. Spain and Italy accounted for two-thirds of U.S. olive oil imports in 2024. Both are subject to the 15 percent tariff under the trade deal struck between the European Union and the U.S. in July. Other top producers are still subject to tariffs, such as Tunisia (25 percent), Turkey (15 percent) and Argentina (10 percent). Wine The July U.S.-E.U. trade deal was seen as a starting point. As negotiations have continued, the beverage industry and European officials have pushed for an exemption for wine and spirits, The Wall Street Journal reported. A group of nearly 60 associations representing wine, beer and liquor interests warned last week that the industry could face nearly $2 billion in lost sales and have to cut more than 25,000 jobs in the U.S. as a result of the tariff. The coalition, Toasts not Tariffs, pointed to products like cognac that have to be produced in a specific region and cannot be switched to a tariff-free alternative. Eric Foret is a wine buyer at Le French Wine Club, which operates several locations in New York City and Washington, D.C., alongside an online shop. He said that he had to increase his prices, although they were fairly gradual. 'It's a dollar here, a dollar there, a dollar here, a dollar there and then at the end, you spend ten dollars more on the bottle of wine, you don't even notice it,' he said. In addition to France, which accounted for more than one-third of U.S. wine imports last year, the EU tariff impacts shipments from Italy (33 percent of imports) and Spain (6 percent). Matcha A 15 percent tariff on Japan could impact the price of a matcha latte — already a pricey product before tax, tip and oat milk. While U.S. trade data does not specifically track matcha, Japan generally accounts for about half of American green tea imports by value each year, and Japanese origin is a selling point for many specialty matcha shops. The industry is also grappling with the impacts of record heat waves in Japan last summer that curbed harvests of tencha, the tea leaves dried and ground into matcha. Demand for the vibrant green beverage has also soared in recent years, driven by young enthusiasts and social media. David Cooper runs Spot of Tea, a Washington, D.C.-based shop with three locations selling matcha and other tea drinks. He considers himself lucky to have bought his 2025 stockpile before the tariffs and shortages hit. Now, however, 'we're looking at how much stock we have in our warehouse and then how much we're going through per month and doing the math and trying to push the suppliers to finalize the order as quickly as possible,' he said. 'It's definitely a little anxiety-inducing.' The uncertainty for the drink industry even extends to things like cups, Cooper said, which his shop sources from South Korea. 'I think on the day I was about to put the deposit down, Trump announced 25 percent tariffs for Korea. And so our supplier was basically, like, we cannot absorb all this cost,' he said. 'It's just so hard to tell at this point what percentage tariff is actually going to be applied.' Chocolate Switzerland, home to many famous chocolate brands, is facing a 39 percent duty, one of the highest in the world. Some of the country's larger manufacturers will be able to escape some tariff impacts because they already have production sites in the U.S. Lindt & Sprüngli, for example, produces the 'vast majority' of its products for the American market in New Hampshire, a company spokesperson said. That plant will still have to factor in tariff effects on raw materials like cocoa, imported from countries like Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Indonesia and Malaysia. Other companies, however, have made their brand on manufacturing in Switzerland. That's the case for Läderach, which is now figuring out how to manage 'massive additional costs,' its CEO said this week. 'I cannot change the tariffs. It is only human to get angry about them, enquire on who's guilt they are or be discouraged,' Johannes Läderach wrote in a LinkedIn post. 'But none of these options change anything, so I better pray for serenity to accept it.' Swiss leaders have attempted to negotiate with Washington on the tariff, which also impacts cheese and other exports. Swiss officials are now reportedly weighing whether to cancel an order for American F-35 fighter jets. Spices Trump shocked many observers by raising tariffs on India to 50 percent last week, citing its purchase of Russian oil. India is the top U.S. importer for spices like nutmeg, cardamom, anise, fennel, coriander, and cumin. Indonesia, another key producer, is subject to a 19 percent duty after negotiating with the White House. The American Spice Trade Association said in a Tuesday letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that many of its products could not be cultivated in the U.S.. 'The importation of spices directly supports approximately 50,000 U.S. jobs across processing, quality assurance, distribution, and product development,' the association said. Spice producer McCormick said in late June that tariffs could cost it as much as $90 million a year and that it was planning to raise some prices by the end of the year.
