Lithium Deals & Supply Crunch, Commodity Shock, Q2 Metals Update

Iran War shocks commodities—lithium deals surge while supply risks grow. Is stagflation coming? Oil, sulfur, and EV supply chains explained. In this Rock Stock Recap, Howard Klein, Matt Fernley and Rodney Hooper break down how Middle East tensions are impacting global commodities, from sulfur bottlenecks to delayed oil supply recovery. We also dive into major lithium deals, China vs West supply dynamics, and what it all means for EVs, inflation, and future markets. At the end of our discussion, we've attached an update chat with Q2 Metals following their most recent press release including new spodumene hits and an extended MRE delivery date. Chapters (00:00) Intro (06:12) Sulfur Supply Importance (08:19) Supply Restart Delays (10:24) Inflation And Fertilizers (12:04) Stagflation And Gold (14:17) Market Outlook Debate (17:55) Oil Products Inflation (19:46) Energy Transition Challenges (24:10) Lithium Offtake Strategies (25:27) China Supply Dominance (28:54) Lithium Cost Curve Evolution (31:53) Conversion Capacity Issues (33:44) Global EV Supply Chain (35:42) Market Maturity And Financing (39:27) Cost Of Capital (42:51) Exploration And New Projects (46:03) Future Lithium Supply Gap (47:34) Q2 Metals Update Sponsors - Lithium Royalty Corp (TSX: LIRC) - diversified lithium royalty portfolio. (Website: https://www.lithiumroyaltycorp.com/ | X: https://x.com/Lithium_Royalty) - USCF Investments - commodity-focused ETFs (e.g., CPER copper, ZSB battery metals, USG gold, SDCI diversified commodities). (Website: https://www.uscfinvestments.com/ | X: https://x.com/USCFInvestments) Links - Strategic Lithium Reserve (SLR) White Paper: https://blog.rkequity.com/2025/12/08/strategic-lithium-reserve/ - Read Matt's research blog: https://blog.rkequity.com/ - Sign up for the Lithium-Ion Bull newsletter/Matt's Blogs: https://rkequity.com/ Have a question? Drop us an email: [email protected] Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rockstockchannel Podcast:   Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lithium-ion-rocks/id1457969172   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0KiMIZOPaDg8ENfPJMSINq X (Twitter):   Howard: https://x.com/LithiumIonBull   Matt: https://x.com/matt_fernley   Rodney: https://x.com/RodneyHooper13 _________________________________________________ DISCLAIMER   NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH Howard, Matt and Rodney are not financial advisors nor broker-dealers, this video is for information purposes only and should not be considered investment or financial advice. Please do your own independent research and read the disclaimer at the end of the video or on RK Equity's website https://www.rkequity.com Intro and outro audio credit: Jamie Klein