New York, Feb 13, 2026, 13:48 EST — Regular session
Albemarle shares rose about 4.4% to $165.93 in midday trade on Friday, rebounding after a choppy start that took the stock as low as $156.84. Chilean producer SQM was up nearly 1% and the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF gained about 1.3%, as investors weighed fresh signals on lithium pricing and supply discipline.
The moves matter because lithium stocks have turned into a referendum on the next few months of pricing. After a long slide, the market is trying to decide whether supply cuts are finally biting, or whether the rebound runs out of air once restocking fades.
Chile’s state copper commission Cochilco said it expects lithium prices to remain high in the short term, pointing to low inventories at cathode plants and buyers stepping back in to replenish stock. It also flagged fast growth in battery energy storage systems (BESS) — grid-scale batteries — and said that could add about 190,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), a standard unit for lithium content, versus the prior year. (Mining)
Albemarle said late Wednesday it will idle Train 1 — a processing line — at its Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia and place the site into care and maintenance, effective immediately. Chief executive Kent Masters said “recent lithium price improvements alone are not enough to offset the challenges facing Western hard-rock lithium conversion operations,” adding the move would bolster financial flexibility. (Albemarle)
The company reported a quarterly net loss of $455.9 million, or $3.87 per share, and an adjusted loss of 53 cents per share versus analysts’ 41-cent loss estimate, Reuters reported. The company also said lithium product sales rose 23%, even as lithium prices have fallen more than 90% over the past two years amid supply growth led by China. (Reuters)
On the Street, Oppenheimer analyst Colin W. Rusch raised his price target on Albemarle to $216 from $207 while keeping an Outperform rating, according to StreetInsider. (Streetinsider)
In metals pricing, the London Metal Exchange’s lithium hydroxide CIF (Fastmarkets) Month 2 closing price — a day-delayed benchmark based on Fastmarkets assessments for material delivered under cost-insurance-freight terms — stood at $16,590 a metric ton, up 0.3%. (Lme)
But the near-term case still hinges on how quickly buyers return and how long miners keep tightening. If Chinese supply ramps back faster than demand, or if battery makers decide they can run lean on inventory again, the same stocks that bounced this week can give it back fast.
Next up, traders will watch how prices and volumes behave in Asia into China’s Spring Festival break, which runs Feb. 15 to Feb. 23, with normal workdays adjusted around the holiday. The test comes after the pause — when buyers return and the market has to clear at real prices, not just forecasts. (China Briefing)
