RE:Q2Alb + 8,73% after release Q2,
Nlc today + 11%
can we expect the same thing in three months?
Alb point:
Albemarle (ALB +8.7%) says it will delay construction of ~125K metric tons of additional lithium processing capacity amid an oversupply that has pushed down prices.
• "We're still bullish on demand," CEO Luke Kissam said during today's earnings conference call, while the head of the lithium unit said he expects demand to "step up again in 2020 to a greater degree."
• The company also expects to delay building 75K mt of processing capacity at Kemerton in Australia.
• ALB expects the plan will cut capital spending by $1.5B over the next five years, adding that it expects to become free cash flow positive in 2021.
Turning to the details of our business performance now. In the second quarter, lithium delivered sales of $325 million. Excluding unfavorable impact of currency, lithium sales were up 5% compared to the second quarter of 2018, driven by increased volume of 3% and increased price and mix of 2%.
First of all, we will still have the capability out in the years to either buy or build additional capacity, if that’s met. I don’t – you should not view this anyway as seen that we don’t believe demand is still going to be where it is. We’re still bullish on demand. We’re at, I think, 1 million metric tons in that range by 2025 and we still see that based on all the data that we have coming in. So it’s not demand.