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Why are lithium prices collapsing?

internationalbanker.com

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Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait until you learn about OPEC and oil prices :-)

I mean, that’s a straight up cartel. There’s nothing surprising about that. But the OP is confused about their comment about commodities in general. They are largely based on supply and demand, but most companies need to predict supply and demand months and years in advance because converting raw material into a sale to the end user is a multi month to multi year process, so a natural result is that the prices are ba…

> the prices are based on speculation of supply and demand, months to years in advance.

There’s also an element of speculation on speculation driving short term trends.

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#23
post #14
post #2

The more I read about prices of different commodities the more I realise the biggest movement in prices is not because of demand and supply but rather because of speculation and gambling. And how most of the news is manipulated. For example they are equating lithium price fall with stagnating car sales. Where as car sales might be stagnating but electric car sales are taking a larger portion of total car sales ie ele…

Speculation & gambaling is just second order supply & demand.

No it's not. Finance bros like to tell themselves that, so that they can justify their place in morality.

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#24
post #14
post #2

The more I read about prices of different commodities the more I realise the biggest movement in prices is not because of demand and supply but rather because of speculation and gambling. And how most of the news is manipulated. For example they are equating lithium price fall with stagnating car sales. Where as car sales might be stagnating but electric car sales are taking a larger portion of total car sales ie ele…

Speculation & gambaling is just second order supply & demand.

And betting at the horse race track is just second order horse riding?

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#25
post #14
post #2

The more I read about prices of different commodities the more I realise the biggest movement in prices is not because of demand and supply but rather because of speculation and gambling. And how most of the news is manipulated. For example they are equating lithium price fall with stagnating car sales. Where as car sales might be stagnating but electric car sales are taking a larger portion of total car sales ie ele…

Speculation & gambaling is just second order supply & demand.

[deleted]

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#26
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speculation & gambaling is just second order supply & demand.

No it's not. Finance bros like to tell themselves that, so that they can justify their place in morality.

I don’t think supply and demand has much to do with morality.

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#27
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speculation & gambaling is just second order supply & demand.

No it's not. Finance bros like to tell themselves that, so that they can justify their place in morality.

It's nothing to do with morality or any justification, it's just what it is. Since there's an instrument to gauge supply and demand, that instrument can also be wanted, so there can be supply and demand of the thing that measures supply and demand.

You can also do "bad" things on first order by hoarding the items themselves.

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#28
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the biggest movement in prices is not because of demand and supply but rather because of speculation and gambling the movement reflects the expected future supply and demand at the time. The speculation is something that financial engineers use to offload the risks of such commodities from one party to another (such as from producers to consumers of said commodities).

With the way derivatives are used these days to speculate/gamble they do not help rather result in the boom bust cycles we see in more and more industries these days.

and when exactly do you think that changed? if “these days” are in some sense bad, when were the good ones?

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#29
post #14
post #2

The more I read about prices of different commodities the more I realise the biggest movement in prices is not because of demand and supply but rather because of speculation and gambling. And how most of the news is manipulated. For example they are equating lithium price fall with stagnating car sales. Where as car sales might be stagnating but electric car sales are taking a larger portion of total car sales ie ele…

Speculation & gambaling is just second order supply & demand.

If you have massive buy/sell orders between finance bro speculators - how does that equate to real supply/demand for the underlying commodity?

Re: Why are lithium prices collapsing?

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it's not. Finance bros like to tell themselves that, so that they can justify their place in morality.

I don’t think supply and demand has much to do with morality.

Counterpoint - consumption/sin taxes.
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