TSLA REBOUNDS OF 105!!!!TSLA having a massive buy presence in the premarket this morning. Could this be a sign good things are coming? I think not, over the last 5 trading sessions TSLA dropped a eye watering 21% !!!
Here are some factors of why TSLA has declined a MASSIVE 72% this year :
Inflation -> Fed tightening -> Risk-off assets looking more attractive
Elon has sold $23bn worth this year alone to finance the twitter acquisition. If advertisers continue to flee, he will need to sell more to finance debt payments from LBO.
He has pledged not to sell anymore till 2024
There have been large concerns from major investors around Elon's time commitments as CEO given Twitter acquisition.
Fears of a global recession next year are causing concerns around luxury car demand. Consumers will be reluctant to spend $80,000 on a new car with used car prices tanking.
No $30,000 Tesla car yet.
Concerns about Chinese demand given COVID cases and lockdowns hurting demand for luxury vehicles.
No wide FSD rollout, No Cybertruck
Ouch......
Growth
AUDJPY SHORTDXM : 46% LONG = Still high !!!!!!! Most of retails are still LONG, think in the other side.
Seasonnality : neutral then bull during january but SHORT accordy to the "pattern prediction".
COT Strategy : AUD is reaching a strong resistance around -5 on the COT history Chart AUD.
No FLIP.
Sentiment score :
Daily sentiment : Negative thanks to China covid policy...
Supply/Demande area :
We're on a strong resitance of 89.23.
Support/Resistance :
Strong resistance at 83.23 on DAILY.
Trend :
Under all SMMA = Bearish
Economic News :
*Rapid reopening movements, easing of policy. Are we going to see economic recovery? Morgan Stanley says YES! And raised its 2023 China GDP forecast to 5.4% from 5. But in reality...it's not for today.
*China realizes that opening up is doing too much harm and even though quarantine is no longer mandatory as of January 8, 2023, hospitals, deaths and cases are exploding (not good). There is a good chance they will reverse their decision so this indicates AUD SHORT. If no recovery in China = AUD weak because no or less exports to China since there is less demand.
*Less growth in China means les importation and an impact on the AUD.
The Bank of Japan, in a move that surprises the market, is extending the cap on the control of the 10-year yield curve to 0.50% instead of 0.25% previously. In other words, it is starting to be more hawkish, although it still maintains a strong control. The yen is strengthening and the Nikkei is falling.
GBPCHF SELL**Fundamental view :** the British pound could be the main victim of a strengthening euro, "as the Bank of England (BoE) is closer to the end of its tightening cycle than the Fed and the U.K.'s large current account deficit makes the pound vulnerable in a global slowdown.”
Pound Slumps as BoE Forecasts Recession for UK
The Pound (GBP) was initially boosted by stronger-than-expected GDP figures on Monday. Persistent expectations of a recession kept GBP’s upward movement limited, however.
Mixed jobs data on Tuesday largely weighed on the Pound. A rise in unemployment undermined a bump in wage growth. This, along with a drop in inflation on Wednesday, saw markets pare back their BoE rate hike bets.
Thursday’s interest rate decision from the central bank pulled Sterling lower. Dovish forward guidance alongside the **50bps interest rate hike** dented confidence in the Pound.
Finally on Friday, an unexpected slump in November’s retail sales deepened GBP’s losses.
****"We therefore think short GBP/CHF is the best relative value expression of policy divergence essentially long EUR/GBP with a “BTP hedge” - Goldman Sachs.****
UK bonds slumped on speculation a wave of extra supply will drive down prices as the Bank of England prepares to push on selling its sovereign holdings at the start of the new year.
Yields on 10-year gilts jumped as much as 16 basis points to 3.48% on Monday, the highest since early November
**Central Banks view :**
Actual is **3.5%** but more to come. The BoE, which is battling double-digit inflation that has unleashed a cost-of-living crisis that is pushing the economy deeper into recession, ** (www.reuters.com)** by a combined **325 bps in 2022** alone to their highest since late 2008.
UK rates began rising in December 2021, making the BoE the first of the world's major central banks to kick off a monetary policy-tightening cycle.
This is to a financial advice, just my own analysis.
ECONOMIC CYCLE & INTEREST RATESHello traders and future traders! The state of an economy can be either growing or shrinking. When an economy is growing, it typically leads to improved conditions for individuals and businesses. Conversely, when an economy is shrinking or experiencing a recession, it can have negative consequences. The central bank works to maintain a stable level of inflation and support moderate economic growth through the management of interest rates.
What is an economic cycle?
An economic cycle refers to the fluctuations or ups and downs in economic activity over a period of time. These cycles are typically characterized by periods of economic growth and expansion, followed by periods of contraction or recession. Economic cycles are often measured by changes in gross domestic product (GDP) and other economic indicators, such as employment, consumer spending, and business investment.
Economic cycles can be caused by a variety of factors, including changes in monetary and fiscal policy, shifts in consumer and business confidence, and changes in global economic conditions. Economic cycles can also be influenced by external events, such as natural disasters or political instability.
Understanding economic cycles is important for businesses, governments, and individuals, as it helps them anticipate and prepare for changes in the economy and make informed decisions about investment, hiring, and other economic activities.
How is an economic cycle related to interest rates?
Interest rates can be an important factor in the economic cycle . During a period of economic expansion, demand for credit typically increases, as businesses and consumers borrow money to make investments and purchases. As a result, interest rates may rise to control the demand for credit and prevent the economy from overheating. Higher interest rates can also encourage saving, which can help to balance out the increased spending that often occurs during an economic expansion.
On the other hand, during a period of economic contraction or recession, demand for credit tends to decline, as businesses and consumers become more cautious about borrowing and spending. In response, central banks may lower interest rates to stimulate demand for credit and encourage economic activity. Lower interest rates can also make borrowing cheaper and more attractive, which can help to boost spending and support economic growth.
Overall, the relationship between interest rates and the economic cycle can be complex and dynamic, and the direction and magnitude of changes in interest rates can depend on a variety of factors, including economic conditions, inflation expectations, and the goals and objectives of central banks and other policy makers.
I hope you leant something new today!
Retest 18k for BTCToday is 11 of Dec and in 3 days we have the latest FRS event in this year.
My idea based on sentiment, fundamental and waves analysis.
Market expects 4,25-4,5, and in case of success we have all chances to test 18k level.
Following Elliott waves theory, we observe 4 growing wavers of 5, and the latest wave should be higher than 3. Then will be 3 waves of corrections.
Fall of USD as Global Reserve CurrencyIf you give someone a button to print money, they will press it
1,400 years ago the Roman republic inflated its currency until its empire collapsed
USD used to be backed by gold, but that ended in 1971
This allowed governments to print endless money
Hyperinflation is just a matter of time
The US government learned to overspend and print the difference
The debt is now $31 trillion and $100 trillion in liabilities
The only way out is printing more money
But destroying the savings and hard-earned tax money of citizens
Global reserve currencies change every 90 years
So, Monetary Switch is inevitable
Checkout Venezuela's 2013- mid-2020 Inflation data
The paper that is used to print a dollar is not actually worth a dollar.
The paper does not have value, it simply represents the value. It is not money because it holds no individual value.
To take it a step further, dollars are actually the OPPOSITE of value.
Dollars are debt. A dollar is a PROMISE to pay back debt. The U.S. is over a trillion dollars in debt. A trillion is “1” followed by 12 zeros. It’s a thousand billion. A trillion seconds is 32,000 years. A stack of $1 bills would be 68,000 miles high. So how do we pay back such monumental debt?
Taxes. It’s painful, but it’s obvious.
So, the dollar is the PROMISE of the U.S. government to pay back over a trillion dollars of debt by taxing its citizens. And, to kick you while you are down, the debt is still growing.
The dollar is actually debt.
That is why the smart rich don’t work for dollars, they work for assets like BTC and GOLD
Thank You for Reading. Like and Share!
DXY Up from U.S. Nonfarm Productivity & Crude Oil www.investing.com
DXY Reject Support at 103.5 area and heading to 106-107 area of the first resistant
As USA 7 Dec
API Weekly Crude Oil Stock Actual -6.426M Forecast -3.884M Previous -7.850M
Crude Oil Inventories Actual -5.187M Forecast -3.305M Previous -12.580M
Nonfarm Productivity (QoQ) (Q3) Actual 0.8% Forecast 0.6% Previous 0.3%
Source: www.investing.com
www.investing.com
GBP RICS House Price Balance -25%GBP Could potentially break through support at 1.2150 area and make it to 1.20500
Due to 7ppm est time (Report) U.K. RICS House Price Balance:
Actual -25%/ Forecast -10%/ Previous -2%
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the GBP, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the GBP.
Source: www.investing.com www.investing.com
BTC - What December Holds HistoricallyHi Traders, Investors and Speculators 📈📉
Ev here. Been trading crypto since 2017 and later got into stocks. I have 3 board exams on financial markets and studied economics from a top tier university for a year. Daytime job - Math Teacher. 👩🏫
In today's analysis, we take a look at Bitcoin over Decembers from the past. Which direction does the price usually go, bullish or bearish ? It's no surprise that it seems to be a near equal amount of months up vs. down. Over the 11 months observed, we notice 6 green Decembers and 5 red Decembers. This makes probability near equal. However, we could take a look at a few other interesting observations:
💭 Highest increase for Bitcoin was +58.92% when the lowest decline was only -33.15%
💭 More often than not, two months of the same color follow
💭 The biggest yearly increase was during December 2012 - December 2013 with a whopping yearly increase of 9,899.19%
💭 The second biggest increase after that was from Dec 2016 - Dec 2017 with +2,681.15%
💭 The biggest yearly decline was from December 2017 - December 2018 with BTCUSD losing -84%
The crypto winter that started in December 2018 was one of the worst yet... But with the industry under pressure, could this year be the new record? IF BTCUSDT were to drop to $11 000, that would be a -81% decline from last December.
From all the above... Which way do you think the price will go during December 2022 ?
_______________________
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CryptoCheck
BITCOIN PROJECTIONS 2030Bitcoin to the moon 2030!
I build my analysis based on HIGHS & LOWS at any timeframe; but mostly the long term lately (1H, 3H, 6H, 12H, D, 3D, W, M, 3M, 6M and Yearly).
• Time + Volume = Trend
I will break it down the best possible way.
Any questions?
BINANCE:BTCUSDT BINANCE:BTCBUSD
CME:BTC1!
WFRD - Weatherford InternationalSitting near all-time highs, WFRD is one of the strongest looking setups in the market. Enormous EPS growth estimates for next year, coiling up tightly post-earnings, showing massive relative strength.
A breakout on volume for this name would be one of the very few breakouts that I would trust in the current market. Energy stocks seem to have the ability to be one of the few areas of the market that's able to kick the bear in the face.
ALPHA.2023My prediction from alpha chart before halving 2024.
If the market trend is upward from the beginning of 2023, there is a high probability that we will see something like this from Alpha. Due to the development of the project and its good cooperation with projects such as MATIC, INJECTIVE, BAND PROTOCOL, OASIS,...
BITCOIN 2022Hello dear traders, I hope you had a nice rest and weekend, currently in a few hours we are starting a new trading week, so let's take a look!
BItcoin has been setting the trend for us in the last few months, especially during the Asian session when there were always the highest trading volumes which of course then set the trend.
Since last weekends significant weekly trend setting came during the first Asian session of the new week we can now see what this week will be like and if the Asians can give us a clue as to how to direct our trades.
Bitcoin overall last year which has been all down has become the most traded over Asian time and the whales there have been sending bitcoin lower for a long time. How next ? I have one simple opinion
UNLESS THE FED START PRINTING MONEY AGAIN, THE BEAR MARKET WILL NOT END, WE MAY SEE A SHORT-TERM TREND BUT NOT A BULL MARKET !!!
I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO FORGET ABOUT CYCLE ADOPTION AND ALL SUCH FUNDAMENTALS AND ESPECIALLY CHART INDICATORS AND THINK ABOUT WHY EVERYTHING IS PROBABLY DOWN.
If we look not far into the past we find that BTC had already reacted to one single thing earlier in the last bearmarket and ran up when the nasty but mighty stop loss hunter Jerome Powell said enough is enough and started printing money again because interest rates were high and people were already going crazy.
This tells you very simply that high interest rates do not have an acute negative effect on stock markets, in the past years stocks only started falling when interest rates were already high as they are now and we have been going down for a year! The current problem of the US dollar, that is, the advantage problem it has for cryptocurrencies. consists of a very simple thing and that is quantitative tightening, simplistically, pulling printed money out of the market.
IF UGLY POWELL DOESN'T TURN HIS MACHINE ON, THERE WILL BE NO BOTTOM!!
HDSN - Hudson Technologies, Inc.Had breakout on Friday. Noticeable volume on the shortened trading day. Don't mind buying around the Friday highs, prefer a small pullback maybe into the $11 area. Stops 2-3% below Friday's low.
Market environment is still making me want to realize quick gains, raise stops quickly.
Small cap ($500m), growth may be decelerating but still low valuation (6.8 f.p/e)
We need energy storage…and companies are respondingRecently, the following headline caught my eye:
‘Tesla Supplier Panasonic Plans Additional $4 Billion EV Plant in U.S.’ 1
Even in an environment with significant inflation, and a monetary policy that may continue raising rates for some time, significant capital expenditure continues within the battery space.
Panasonic is particularly notable because, in July 2022, it announced a plan to build a roughly $4 billion plant in Kansas. Now, it is announcing another plan for a roughly $4 billion plant in Oklahoma2.
The concept of securing certain supply chains globally has been a major theme in 2022, even if it’s been obscured by inflation, US Federal Reserve activities or the possibility of a recession. Semiconductors have been a big focus on that list, but so have the batteries that support the ongoing adoption of electric vehicles.
Geopolitics are always in the background of these supply chain considerations. While Panasonic (Japan) and LG Energy Solution Ltd. (South Korea) have made announcements in 2022 about plans to build plants directly in the US, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL)—China’s top electric vehicle (EV) battery maker—has not been able to do the same. There was a plan in place, but US-China tensions have recently intensified, leading to postponement3.
Whilst drafting this blog, another headline appeared:
‘Honda, LG Energy Plan $4.4 Billion EV Battery Factory in U.S4.’
It’s certainly an area in focus.
Where is EV adoption in the US currently?
For the full US market, roughly 6% of new vehicles are electric. In California, this number was 16% in the second quarter of 20225.
There is an interesting contrast between California and other states in the US. The European Union (EU) announced that new cars must be free from emissions after 20356. Many of the individual countries had already made similar plans. Norway’s government has a plan to not sell any new petrol or diesel cars from 2025 onwards, and 70% of new cars sold in Norway in 2020 were electric7.
The individual states across the US, on the other hand, have not signalled commitments anywhere close to this, at least not yet…with the exception of (you guessed it), California!
New regulations applying to new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs would establish annual thresholds for the share of zero-emissions vehicles automakers must sell in the state each year8.
35% in 2026
68% in 2030
100% in 2035
The Clean Air Act of 1970 granted California a waiver to set its own environmental rules, and this allows for stricter standards than other states across the US. Other states can adopt California’s rules. For those following politics9:
The Trump Administration in 2019 stripped California of its waiver. Some companies still voluntarily sought to meet California’s stricter standards, but there was a division.
The Biden Administration then gave California back its waiver in March 2022, which allowed for these new rules.
Depending on the path of US politics, we’ll have to see how the story continues to evolve but, with each passing year, it is doubtful that politicians would be able to fully stop the trend of EV adoption. Maybe it would slow and certain states would hold out, but even the automakers themselves are noting a desire to go fully electric in their production within the coming decades.
Hydrogen?
One thing we know about hydrogen is that the market loves to ‘hype’ this concept. Even though the full development of an infrastructure that would support use of hydrogen at scale will take years—possibly a lot of years—at the end of 2020 and start of 2021 many of the firms focused on hydrogen had sky-high valuations10. The market wanted to price these firms as though the potential had already been realised, so we know that returns have been much harder to come by in the space in most of 2021 and 2022 so far.
Plug Power is one such company and, on 25 August 2022, it agreed to provide 10,950 tonnes per year of liquid green hydrogen starting in 202511. ‘Green hydrogen’ refers to hydrogen that has been produced using renewable, carbon-emission-free energy. If Amazon wants to decarbonise its operations and use hydrogen to do it, it’s important that the production of the hydrogen isn’t simply moving the emission generation from Amazon’s operations toward Amazon’s energy suppliers. Amazon has committed to be net-zero in terms of carbon emissions by 2040.
As a rough guide, this amount of hydrogen that Plug Power would supply could power between 1,000 and 2,000 heavy duty trucks over the course of a year12. It is an area of active debate and development regarding the best way to decarbonise heavy-duty trucks:
Current lithium-ion battery technology could work, but batteries would be very heavy and the need to stop for charging could prove a challenge on longer-haul trips. Charging massive, semi-truck sized batteries could also take much longer than passenger cars.
Hydrogen offers interesting alternative benefits but, currently, the discussion should focus on the supply chain. First, the infrastructure of hydrogen fuelling stations needs to be build out, securing the supply of hydrogen on major routes. Second, the production of hydrogen needs to be green, or else all the companies trying to use hydrogen as part of net-zero emissions plans would have to look elsewhere.
Our take on hydrogen for the moment is one of reasonable optimism, recognising the benefits but, at the same time, not getting too excited too quickly.
Conclusion: countries want to be energy independent
Decades ago, the only way countries could be energy independent was to find massive deposits of oil. While we still use fossil fuels globally, energy independence in the coming decades will likely look quite different, and the countries that secure the best possible energy storage technologies could be in the best position as they deploy all sorts of renewable energy technologies to power their needs.
To this end, there are going to be a lot of advances in regulations, energy storage technologies and all the while capital expenditures to build out all sorts of infrastructure and production capability.
Sources
1 Source: Davis, River & Rebecca Elliott. “Tesla Supplier Panasonic Plans Additional $4 Billion EV Battery Plant in U.S.” Wall Street Journal. 26 August 2022.
2 Source: Davis, 26 August 2022.
3 Source: Davis, 26 August 2022.
4 Source: Davis, River & Dasl Yoon. “Honda, LG Energy Plan $4.4 Billion EV Battery Factory in U.S.” Wall Street Journal. 29 August 2022.
5 Source: Colias, Mike & Christine Mai-Duc. “California Approves Rules to Ban Gasoline-Powered Cars by 2035.” Wall Street Journal. 25 August 2022.
6 Source: eu-agrees-new-cars-must-be-emissions-free-after-2035
7 Source: statista -electric-and-hybrid-cars
8 Source: Colias, 25 August 2022.
9 Source: Colias, 25 August 2022.
10 Source: Bloomberg.
11 Source: Palumbo, Angela & Al Root. “Plug Power Stock Jumps on Hydrogen Supply Deal with Amazon.” Barron’s. 25 August 2022.
12 Source: Palumbo, 25 August 2022.
What’s happening in semiconductors? The next chapterWe recently wrote about semiconductors from the perspective of capital spending and government policies aimed towards encouraging further capital spending and ultimately semiconductor independence.
However, we’d be remiss to not at least touch on some of the current geopolitics.
A simplified look at the semiconductor supply chain
If one simplifies a rather complex set of interrelationships across countries, we can see a triangle with three distinct corners1.
Foundries: These companies are manufacturing the physical chips. There are not too many individual players, as the capital expenditures to enter this space are extremely high. Additionally, they don’t all have the same capabilities. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is well known for being able to reliably manufacture the most advanced chips in the world. Samsung Electronics, Intel and Global Foundries represent other important players.
Intellectual Property Companies: These companies make and sell different layouts and designs. ARM, the company currently owned by SoftBank, is one example with a huge presence across the internet of things (IoT).
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Tools: EDA was only $10 billion in 2021, a small part of the overall $595 billion semiconductor market, but it is essential if chip manufacturers are to determine if a design is feasible prior to production. Cadence, Synopsys and Mentor Graphics are the three leading players in this space. Together, they control about 70% of the global market.
Behind each of these points on the triangle is a lot of history embedded as experience, and it is important to recognise this since it is what makes it particularly challenging for an outside player—in this case China—to just copy it.
The ASML example
Lithography is the term used for the practice of etching the appropriate designs on the silicon that allow for the functional operation of the transistors. More transistors spaced more closely together, simply put, means a more efficient and capable chip. Today’s Apple M1 chip contains 16 billion transistors2.
The degree of precision engineering required to be able to put 16 billion transistors on something that is not the size of multiple city blocks, much less could fit within a laptop or smartphone, is one of the most impressive feats of human ingenuity that the world has ever seen. The short version of the story is that a company in the Netherlands, ASML, was in a position to take a big risk in the 2000’s—the pursuit of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV).
EUV was needed because there needed to be shorter wavelengths of light used to almost shave atom by atom away from the silicon to make the transistors small enough, basically 5-nanometres. This light is generated by flashing a specific type of laser 50,000 times per second at molten tin3.
Developing EUV was so capital intensive that only a single company did it: ASML. Components for the machines that do this fill four 747 airplanes and are sourced from specific companies all over the world. Operating the machines at scale requires an incredible depth of experience4.
Given the flavour of the topic, you have probably already guessed the geopolitical implications. Some of the components of the EUV machines do come from the United States. Then, there is the relationship between the US government and the government of the Netherlands. As a result of those discussions and where we are presently, EUV machines are not being sent to China.
The Nvidia case
In August 2022, the US took a further step to limit China’s artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions through further restrictions on the export of very specific semiconductors5:
Nvidia will be restricted from selling the A100 graphics processing unit into China, Hong Kong and Russia
Nvidia will also be restricted from selling its forthcoming H100 series of graphics chips into these same markets
users of the A100 include Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu—the companies that provide some of China’s largest cloud computing infrastructure
Nvidia is the most visible company with respect to these types of chips, and as of this writing it had the largest market cap amongst the semiconductor companies. It would not surprise us if other firms that have chips of similar types of capabilities could be named in the future.
Conclusion: Can China ‘go it alone’?
We might take a step back at this point and think, wait, China has massive resources. Why don’t they just make their own chips? We don’t discount the fact that China absolutely could make its own chips, but it would be more a question of how long it would take and how advanced those chips could be. The EUV process was something that took both massive investment and about 20 years. ASML is able to manufacture the machines that it does and support companies like TSMC operating at scale because they have the benefit of learning from all the mistakes along the way. China can certainly make efforts along the path, but simply spending money is not going to lead to an effective EUV process that can manufacture the most cutting-edge chips at scale—the key being ‘at scale without a high defect rate.’
During the four years ended 2024, China is slated to complete 31 major semiconductor factors. By 2025, 40% of the world’s capacity to produce chips with 28-nanometre nodes is expected to be in China6. This tells us that China is making big investments away from the absolute cutting edge—and we have to remember that the world does need those chips as well.
It will be very difficult for any country to fully take in all aspects of the semiconductor supply chain, but we are seeing notable efforts to that end in 2022 that will likely continue.
Sources
1 Source: Yang, Zeyi. “Inside the software that will become the next battle front in US-China chip war.” MIT Technology Review. 18 August 2022
2 Source: Wikipedia Apple
3 Source: Thompson, Clive. “Inside the Most Complicated Machine on the Planet.” MIT Technology Review. Volume 124, Number 6, November/December 2021
4 Source: Thompson, November/December 2021
5 Source: Lin, Liza & Dan Strumpf. “Latest U.S. Chip Curbs Deliver Setback to China’s AI Ambitions.” Wall Street Journal. 1 September 2022
6 Source: Strumpf, Dan & Liza Lin. “China Bets Big on Basic Chips in Self-Sufficiency Push.” Wall Street Journal. 24 July 2022
Recycling Batteries will be a Big Focus in the Energy TransitionThose of us following the markets in 2022 have tended to hear certain words again and again:
Supply chains
Energy shortage
Inflation
Renewable energy metals
We need energy. We want to transition from significant emissions of greenhouse gases towards more sustainable, climate-neutral sources of energy. It is difficult to foresee the demand for batteries dropping at any point in the near future.
But, there is a problem. Redwood Materials, a company that is focusing on battery recycling, articulates it very clearly in the title of Figure 1 and then in their infographic. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the fact that many things have built towards highly globalised supply chains. Batteries are a critical example, and securing supply is a topic that many regions are thinking about today.
A circular economy?
Intuitively, recycling battery metals makes a lot of sense. Instead of constantly sourcing more raw nickel, cobalt, lithium etc., it would be more efficient to make use of the existing stock of metals already in use in various physical products. The map in Figure 1 also makes another important point—the specific metals used in the manufacture of batteries are not evenly dispersed across the globe. Certain countries and regions have copious amounts, while others don’t have any.
It may be the case that we are early, and this is sometimes an issue in thematic equity investing. The concept and idea might be clear but getting the timing of the possible take-off can be tricky.
It is simple to picture the idea of electric vehicles (EVs) ending their useful lives and heading to the scrap yard, like any other vehicle. However, we are still early in terms of EV adoption, so we don’t have EVs at scale heading to the scrap yard at the end of their usable lives. That day will come, but not immediately.
This is important to understand, in that it tells us that the materials being recycled are not expected to be the actual batteries that were used for multiple years in an EV. Rather, the inputs into recycling will likely be scrap material from the increasing number of gigafactories coming online. This scrap could account for 78% of the pool of recyclable materials in 20251.
It is then estimated that in the mid 2030’s, end-of-life batteries will supersede scrap materials from factories, but extracting the valuable lithium, cobalt, nickel and other metals from existing end-of-life batteries will be a more involved process than processing scrap metals from factories2.
Geopolitics may offer a natural push towards recycling firms
In 2022, when one is trying to analyse the possible forward path of the relationship between certain countries (for example, US vs China) it is very difficult to know what might happen. China is the major processor of some of the most important battery metals (see Figure 2), which will likely be a major source of tension for Western countries. Based on what we can see today, we have to imagine that Western countries would prefer a greater independence of supply away from a dependence on China if that can be a reasonable possibility.
Conclusion: recent activities show companies making moves on this front
Ascend Elements is a start-up that is aiming to be an emerging centre of battery production in the Southeastern US. Jaguar Land Rover and SK Group have contributed, along with other investors, to put $300 million into the firm. It is seeking to commercialise an efficient method, termed ‘hydro-to-cathode’, to turn used lithium-ion batteries into new components. As of the recent funding, Ascend Elements is valued at $500 million3.
The Inflation Reduction Act is also notable, in that it focuses on defining how much battery material is coming from domestic production. ‘Domestic’ in this context means ‘inside the US.’ This creates an immediate incentive for recycling players to ramp up their production and operations in the US, as it would then connect electric-car tax credits for consumers back to batteries that are at least majority-sourced from inside the US4.
The primary risk in the space appears to be whether the recyclers can effectively achieve a scale of their operations to bring down unit costs and allow for strong financial performance before waves and waves of existing EV batteries start getting retired. Even if batteries from laptops and smartphones are recycled, it may not be enough material to scale operations and allow the companies to progress towards profitability5.
WisdomTree believes in the importance of the global energy transition, of which battery recycling is certainly a part that can grow over time. Diversification across the supply chain may mitigate the risk of being a bit early to certain parts of the picture.