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Lithium rollercoaster decade: IGO

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 13-Sep-24

Data from S&P Global Platts shows that spodume was fetching $US730 per tonne on Wednesday, compared with a peak of more than $US8,000 in early 2023. IGO CEO Ivan Vella says investors should expect further volatility in the price of lithium over the long-term. Vella adds that battery minerals will continue to be the focus for IGO, which produces both lithium and nickel. However, IGO aims to diversify its operations by expanding into copper production; this will help offset the "extreme" volatility of the lithium sector and the structural changes in the nickel market caused by Indonesia’s move to ramp up production with Chinese backing.

CORPORATES
IGO LIMITED – ASX IGO, S&P GLOBAL PLATTS

Sneesby had to go: top Nine investor

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Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 13-Sep-24

Nine Entertainment Company has advised that CEO Mike Sneesby will step down at the end of September, after more than three years in the role. Nine’s chief finance and strategy officer Matt Stanton will become acting CEO until the media company appoints a permanent replacement. Reece Birtles from institutional investor Martin Currie says Sneesby’s departure was not unexpected, given the challenges that Nine is facing; they include revenue growth, cultural issues and concerns about its Domain property listings business. Nine’s market capitalisation has fallen below $2bn, compared with more than $5bn when Sneesby became CEO in April 2021.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MARTIN CURRIE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Headaches for Murdochs in battle for trust

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 20 : 11-Sep-24

A probate court in Nevada will shortly commence hearing Rupert Murdoch’s bid to change the terms of a family trust to ensure that eldest son Lachlan has control of the magnate’s media empire when he dies. Three of Murdoch’s other children are insisting that all four siblings retain equal voting rights. Documents that were recently filed with the court show that the Murdochs want rival media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times to be barred from the courtroom; amongst other things, the Murdochs contend that their personal safety would be at risk if the court proceedings were open to the media.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOX CORPORATION

Probe into investors in minerals firm

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 4-Sep-24

A spokesman for Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the federal government will undertake a full assessment of whether the Yuxiao Fund has complied with an order to divest its stake in Northern Minerals. The Singapore-registered fund and its associates were directed to sell their equity interest in the critical minerals group due to their Chinese links. Yuxiao has sold its stake to two separate Hong Kong-registered companies, Qogir Trading & Service and Hong Kong Ying Tak, which will also be subject to government scrutiny on national interest grounds.

CORPORATES
NORTHERN MINERALS LIMITED – ASX NTU, YUXIAO FUND, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Australia’s only profitable lithium mine

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Original article by Elouise Fowler
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 4-Sep-24

Australia currently has seven lithium mines in the production stage, but Citigroup’s brokers estimate that the Greenbushes mine is the only one that is profitable at present. This is based on the running costs of each mine at the current spot price. Data from S&P Global Platts shows that the spot price of spodumene concentrate with six per cent lithium content has fallen by 23 per cent over the last 45 day, and was trading at $US720 per tonne on 2 September; this compares with more than $US8,000 per tonne in 2022.

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP PTY LTD, S&P GLOBAL PLATTS

Lithium prices have crashed this year, squeezing margins at Australian miners

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Original article by Clint Jasper
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 3-Sep-24

The lithium price peaked in 2022, but the battery mineral has fallen by about 50 per cent in the last 12 months. Demand for lithium remains strong, amid a growing consumer shift to electric vehicles and the push to decarbonise economies by transitioning to renewables such as wind and solar; however, this is being offset by rising global supply, which is expected to increase in coming years as more lithium mines commence production. Core Lithium put its Finnis mine into ‘care and maintenance’ mode earlier in 2024, while Mineral Resources is reducing its lithium output. In contrast, Pilbara Minerals aims to increase lithium production by 50 per cent over the next year: MD Dale Henderson says the long-term outlook for lithium is "fantastic".

CORPORATES
CORE LITHIUM LIMITED – ASX CXO, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS

Voluntary news media recycling scheme receives official accreditation

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 6 : 28-Aug-24

Australia’s news media industry has been operating a voluntary recycling scheme for printed newspapers for more than 30 years. The success of the scheme resulted in just 0.2 per cent of all printed news­papers going to landfill in 2023. It is administered by ThinkNewsBrands, whose CEO Vanessa Lyons has welcomed the federal government’s decision to official accredit the ‘product stewardship’ scheme. Media industry executives have emphasised the importance of sustainability for the sector.

CORPORATES
THINKNEWSBRANDS

Matildas, Socceroos to remain on Network 10 for next five years

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Original article by Vince Rugari, Calum Jaspan
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 28-Aug-24

Ten Network president Beverley McGarvey says soccer fans will still be able to enjoy many matches featuring the Socceroos and the Matildas on free-to-air TV under a new five-year broadcasting rights deal with Football Australia. The new rights deal includes the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as the Socceroos’ qualifiers for the 2026 Men’s World Cup; some matches will be shown exclusively on the Paramount+ streaming service. SBS holds the local broadcasting rights for the 2026 Men’s World Cup.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, PARAMOUNT GLOBAL, PARAMOUNT+, FOOTBALL AUSTRALIA

Lithium mine closures tip of iceberg as prices hit three-year low

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Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 27-Aug-24

Core Lithium, Albemarle and Arcadium Lithium are amongst the companies that have put projects on hold or scaled them back in response to the downturn in the price of the battery metal. The price of spodumene concentrate has fallen by 19 per cent so far in 2024, while carbonate prices in China are down 25 per cent. UBS analyst Lachlan Shaw says Core Lithium’s decision to place its Finniss project in ‘care and maintenance’ mode could be followed by similar action by rival producers if the spodumene price remains at the current level for some time. UBS has downgraded its share price targets for Pilbara Minerals and Mineral Resources; it also has a ‘sell’ recommendation on both stocks.

CORPORATES
CORE LITHIUM LIMITED – ASX CXO, ALBEMARLE CORPORATION, ARCADIUM LITHIUM PLC – ASX LTM, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN

Pilbara tips more lithium pressure

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Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 27-Aug-24

Pilbara Minerals has posted a 2023-24 underlying net profit of $318m, which is 86 per cent lower than previously; revenue fell by 69 per cent to $1.25bn. The company received an average realised price of $US1,176 per tonne for its spodumene concentrate, which is 74 per cent lower than the previous financial year. UBS is bearish about the outlook for lithium, forecasting that spodumene concentrate will average about $US770 a tonne over the next 12-18 months. Pilbara Minerals MD Dale Henderson says the company is well-placed to ride out the current downturn in the lithium price, contending that rivals with high-cost operations will be the most vulnerable.

CORPORATES
PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD