Shanghai, July 23– Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) is thrilled to announce that we have maintained our membership at the International Lithium Association (ILiA) for four consecutive years since joining it in November 2022, serving as a long-standing and stable senior member of the association. Over the years, SMM has remained committed to advancing coordinated development across the global lithium sector and steadily deepening its cooperation with ILiA. We have continuously built exchange and networking platforms linking lithium industry participants in China and overseas, and organized numerous cross-border industry events. Besides, we have also regularly co-hosted online webinars on global lithium market insights alongside the ILiA, delivering full-industry-chain market data, sector trends and cutting-edge industrial research, fostering knowledge exchange and high-quality development within the lithium industry at home and abroad. Building on four years of solid cooperation and growing mutual industry trust, the two parties recently reached a newly upgraded cooperation model, ushering in an all-round deepening of their partnership: Martin Ma, Head of ILiA China, delivered a solo speech at the SMM New Energy Industry Chain Expo (CLNB) 2026 Li-ION BATTERY Africa 2026 secured partnership with ILiA. Tom Drabble, Global Sustainability Manager at ILiA, attended panel discussion on the topic of "Securing Stable Supply of Lithium, Cobalt, Graphite, and Phosphate – Africa's Role and Challenges". Astrid Karamira, EMEA Representative Director at ILiA, delivered a speech on the topic of "Material Trends - Decoding Global Supply-Demand for Critical Metals " at the SMM Li-ion Battery Europe 2024. Astrid Karamira participated in panel discussion at the SMM Li-ion Battery Europe 2025 under the topic of "Building a European Battery Raw Materials Ecosystem Driven by Policies – Supply Chain Challenges and Opportunities" Astrid Karamira spoke at the SMM Li-ion Battery Americas 2024 SMM CEO Logan Lu stated that the further upgrade of cooperation between the two parties is an inevitable choice in line with the globalisation and low-carbon development of the lithium industry. Relying on SMM's comprehensive industry chain data service capabilities, combined with the ILiA's platform advantages covering upstream and downstream industry leaders globally, the two parties will carry out deeper collaboration in market intelligence, ESG development, cross-border industry matchmaking, and battery circular economy in the future, driving complementary advantages, and mutual benefit of global lithium industry chain resources, and jointly building a green, stable and synergistically developing global lithium industry ecosystem. About the International Lithium Association (ILiA) The International Lithium Association (ILiA) was founded in 2021. It is an international non-profit trade association for the lithium industry, and has been upholding the three visions and missions of "giving a voice to the lithium industry, enhancing ESG and sustainable development in the lithium industry, and becoming an authoritative body for the lithium industry." In addition to 7 core members, the association also has over 30 associate members from the lithium industry value chain involved in business areas such as lithium mining projects, battery materials, battery manufacturing or engineering. Its associate members include SMM, Albemarle Corporation, Chengxin Lithium, Tianqi Lithium, Rio Tinto , etc.

(Kitco News) - The gold market continues to regain lost ground, and although the precious metal isn’t out of danger just yet, current prices still represent an attractive entry point for investors looking to build a position, according to Wells Fargo. In the bank’s mid-year outlook webinar, Sameer Samana, Head of Global Equities and Real Assets Strategy, said there is still a risk that gold prices could fall below $4,000 per ounce, but he is maintaining a long-term bullish outlook. On Tuesday, the bank raised its year-end gold target to $5,300-$5,500 an ounce and expects prices to climb further to $5,800-$6,000 by the end of 2027. The bank's strategists argue that the forces driving gold's rally are structural rather than cyclical, suggesting the current bull market still has room to run. Gold remains one of Wells Fargo's highest-conviction investment ideas, as the bank sees persistent inflation pressures, rising government debt, and elevated geopolitical uncertainty continuing to support the precious metal through 2027. "We firmly believe that gold is that additional diversifier," said Samana. "More and more in this highly uncertain world, central banks are looking around for something in addition to U.S. Treasuries and cash with respect to where to park their reserves." The outlook comes as gold continues to recover from a sharp correction after posting strong gains over the past two years, culminating in a record high in January. Spot gold last traded at $4,357.10 an ounce, up 0.61% on the day. However, gold prices are still down more than 20% from their highs at the start of the year. During the webinar, Chief Investment Officer Darrell Cronk described 2026 as being driven by "geopolitics, geography and geology," highlighting ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe alongside intensifying competition for critical resources. He said these trends are helping to reshape global investment flows and support demand for real assets. While Wells Fargo expects inflation to moderate somewhat in the second half of the year, the bank does not see a return to the low-inflation environment that characterized the decade before the pandemic. Inflation has been supported by tariffs, higher energy costs, and growing artificial intelligence-related demand, according to Cronk. That inflation outlook is one reason Wells Fargo remains skeptical that long-term Treasury yields will fall significantly from current levels. During the briefing, Cronk argued that markets continue to underestimate the impact of persistent inflation and rising fiscal deficits on bond yields. "I think the market has gotten interest rates wrong for some time now," he said, noting that Wells Fargo entered the year expecting Treasury yields to remain higher than Wall Street consensus forecasts. He added that inflation premiums, term premiums, and growth expectations all point to long-term yields remaining elevated. Those dynamics could prove particularly supportive for gold . Responding to a question about whether inflation could outpace bond yields and potentially push real yields lower, Cronk said the Federal Reserve remains constrained by its dual mandate and is unlikely to aggressively tighten policy unless inflation accelerates materially. While Wells Fargo expects inflation to cool somewhat as energy markets stabilize, the bank sees continued pressure from fiscal spending and structural investment trends. Samana said that this environment creates a compelling asymmetric opportunity for gold investors. "To me, it's one of the highest-convexity ideas that we have," he said. "For gold to not do well, you would need countries around the world to rein in their deficits and defend price stability. The fact that policymakers will always take the easy way out, to me, is the case for gold ." He added that while gold could experience periodic pullbacks, the long-term risk-reward profile remains attractive. "I think eventually you're seeing something with a six handle out in 2027," Samana said, referring to Wells Fargo's expectation that gold prices could surpass $6,000 an ounce over the next 18 months. Beyond gold , Wells Fargo is also constructive on industrial metals, arguing that artificial intelligence infrastructure spending, data center construction, and global electrification trends should continue to support demand for copper and other key materials. The bank expects both precious and industrial metals to benefit from the global race to secure strategic resources and build next-generation technologies. Source： https://www.kitco.com/news/article/2026-06-17/golds-bull-market-has-room-run-inflation-risks-fiscal-deficits-support

Gold has been in a strong trend for the past month following the late-January pullback, and that move hastened at the open this week as war tensions took hold across global markets.