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GRAPHITE MARKET
WEEKLY UPDATE:
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| Highlights from 5 - 9 January, 2026 |
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WEEKLY SUMMARY
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This week in the graphite market, activity remains relatively quiet as we ease into the new year. NextSource Materials announced the arrival of its first equipment shipment in Abu Dhabi for its Battery Anode Facility. Battery Mineral Resources announced a U$25.3 million non-brokered private placement, and EcoGraf received a A$1.7 million R&D tax incentive from the Australian Taxation Office to support development of its HFfree purification technology. |
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Turning to the wider market, General Motors has announced a $6 billion writedown on its EV investments, laying off 1,200 workers and halting battery plant operations. US EV sales dropped 43% in Q4 following the elimination of the $7,500 federal tax credit, with Ford announcing an even larger $19.5 billion writedown in December. Meanwhile, Australia recorded a 38% rise in EV sales in 2025, with EVs now accounting for 13.1% of all new car sales (up from 9.6% in 2024). BYD surged 77.3% year-on-year, closing the gap on Tesla which saw sales decline 24.8%.
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KEY UPDATES FROM GRAPHITE COMPANIES
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LSE: BRES: Beehive Delivers Further Standout +90 metre Intercepts
TSXV: GRAT: Gratomic Inc. Announces 15-Year Renewal of Mining Licence ML215 in Namibia
ASX: TLG: Talga secures Japanese Patent for Graphite Anode Technology
TSXV: BMR: Battery Mineral Resources Corp. Announces Non-Brokered Private Placement
TSX: NEXT: NextSource Materials Announces Arrival of First Equipment Shipment in UAE for its Battery Anode Facility and Significant Progress on Front-End Engineering and Design
ASX: EGR: Management Appointment to Support Growth
ASX: MRC: CEO Redundancy
TSXV: ZEN: Zentek’s Albany Graphite Has Demonstrated Nuclear Grade Performance in Independent Testing, Opening Pathways Into a Range of High-Return Commercial Markets
TSXV: NBM: NEO Battery Achieves Official Vendor Status with Asian Fortune Global 500 Automotive OEM
TSX: TI: Planned debt reduction enhances financial flexibility to advance U.S. Graphite Strategy
ASX: EGR: Receipt of Research and Development Tax Incentive
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| TOP 5 GAINERS OF THE WEEK |
| Novonix: |
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36% |
| Greenwing Resources: |
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29% |
| Black Rock Mining: |
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25% |
| Northern Graphite: |
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25% |
| Lomiko Metals: |
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24% |
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| TOP 5 DECLINERS OF THE WEEK |
| Beowulfmining: |
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-13% |
| Emergent Metals: |
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-9% |
| Volt Resources: |
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-9% |
| Kingsland Minerals: |
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-7% |
| Blencowe Resources: |
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-6% |
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China's dual-use export ban on Japan a decisive escalation
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China has banned the export of dual-use products to Japan following remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting a military response might be warranted if Taiwan is attacked.
The ban covers over 800 items across 10 categories, including rare earths, electronics, chemicals and aerospace technologies.
Japan has reduced its rare earth dependency on China from over 90% to 60%, but analysts estimate a ¥2.6 trillion ($16 billion) economic hit if restrictions continue for a full year.
The move follows earlier retaliatory measures including halting Japanese seafood imports and discouraging Chinese tourism to Japan.
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Aramco’s LAB7 Invests In U.S. CO2-To-Graphite Startup Homeostasis
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Another move from a global heavyweight. LAB7 the venture arm of Saudi Aramco has invested in U.S. startup Homeostasis, which is turning captured CO₂ into synthetic graphite via molten-salt electrolysis.
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| Bessent says Australia, India invited to G7 meeting on critical minerals
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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is hosting a G7 finance ministers meeting in Washington on Monday focused on critical minerals.
Australia and India have been invited to join the discussions alongside the G7 nations.
Bessent has been pushing for dedicated critical minerals talks since last summer's G7 leaders summit, with finance ministers already holding a virtual meeting in December.
The move signals growing urgency among Western nations to coordinate on securing critical mineral supply chains.
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GENERAL EV MARKET NEWS
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| GM takes $6bn blow, lays off 1,200 workers as battery ambitions meet reality
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General Motors has announced a $6 billion writedown on its EV investments, laying off 1,200 workers at its Factory Zero plant and halting operations at two Ultium battery facilities for six months.
The charge includes $4.2 billion in cash payments to suppliers who expanded capacity based on GM's earlier, more aggressive volume projections.
US EV sales dropped 43% in Q4 following the elimination of the $7,500 federal tax credit, and are expected to fall to just 6% of total US vehicle sales in 2026 (down from 7.4% in 2025).
Ford announced an even larger $19.5 billion writedown in December, cancelling multiple EV programmes including the next-generation F-150 Lightning. |
| Read Here |
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| Australia makes gains in electric vehicle uptake
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Australia recorded a 38% rise in electric vehicle sales in 2025, with 156,753 EVs purchased – accounting for 13.1% of all new car sales (up from 9.6% in 2024).
Plug-in hybrid sales more than doubled, jumping 130.9% year-on-year.
Tesla remained Australia's top EV brand despite a 24.8% decline in sales, while BYD surged 77.3% to close the gap.
December marked Australia's strongest month on record for EV market share at 16.7% of all new car sales. |
| Read Here |
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