Lithium prices spike 9% in China on tax-rebate shift, pushing SQM stock up before the bell
New York, Jan 12, 2026, 08:22 EST — Premarket Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) edged up 0.5% to $74.40 during Monday’s U.S. premarket session. Lithium prices in China surged to their highest in over two years after Beijing cut export tax rebates on battery products. The most-active lithium carbonate contract on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange hit its daily limit, rising 9% to 156,060 yuan a metric ton—its peak since November 2023. (Reuters) Asia’s markets showed a split reaction. Chinese battery makers dropped amid concerns the rebate change could tighten controls on exports. Upstream lithium producers, on the other
