SLI

Corporate Updates: Standard Lithium Ltd. is advancing its South West Arkansas Project, aiming for 22,500 tonnes per year of battery-quality lithium carbonate production, and has initiated a project finance and off-take process expected to conclude in Q3 and Q4 of 2025.

Joint Ventures and Exploration: The company, in partnership with Equinor, is expanding mineral leasing in East Texas and has identified a project area with high lithium brine grades, with plans to publish an Inferred Resource Report in Q3 2025.

Appointment of New Board Member: Standard Lithium Ltd. has appointed Karen G. Narwold as an independent director, bringing over 30 years of experience in legal and operational leadership from her previous role at Albemarle Corporation.

Company Overview: Standard Lithium focuses on sustainable lithium development with projects in the Smackover Formation in Arkansas and Texas, aiming for commercial-scale lithium production through innovative extraction processes.

Project Milestone Achieved: Smackover Lithium, a joint venture between Standard Lithium and Equinor, has successfully completed the final Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) pilot at their South West Arkansas project, surpassing key performance criteria and confirming the engineering design for commercialization.

Product Qualification Process: Large volumes of concentrated DLE product have been sent to third-party vendors for conversion into battery-quality lithium carbonate, which will be used in the qualification process with potential off-take partners.

Joint Venture Announcement: Standard Lithium Ltd. and Equinor have launched a joint venture named Smackover Lithium to develop direct lithium extraction projects in Southwest Arkansas and East Texas, with plans for one of the world's first commercial-scale DLE facilities.

Focus on Economic Development: The partnership aims to enhance local economic development and workforce opportunities while advancing sustainable lithium production in the Smackover basin, leveraging the region's rich resources.

Joint Venture Announcement: Standard Lithium and Equinor have named their joint venture "Smackover Lithium," focusing on direct lithium extraction projects in Southwest Arkansas and East Texas, with a planned field office in Lewisville, Arkansas.

Project Significance: The Smackover Lithium project is anticipated to be one of the first commercial-scale direct lithium extraction facilities globally, leveraging the region's rich resources and contributing to American energy production.

DOE Grant Announcement: Standard Lithium Ltd. and Equinor have secured a US$225 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the construction of Phase 1 of the South West Arkansas lithium project, which aims to produce 45,000 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate using Direct Lithium Extraction technology.

Community Impact and Future Plans: The project is expected to create approximately 100 long-term jobs and 300 construction jobs, with a commitment to hiring locally. A Final Investment Decision is targeted by the end of 2025, with production anticipated to start in 2028, pending environmental assessments.

New Well Drilling: SWA Lithium has commenced drilling the Lester-1 well into the Smackover Formation to gather data for production modeling, with a targeted depth of 9,600 feet and plans for extensive reservoir testing and brine sampling.

Field Program Expansion: An additional testing program in 2023 aims to enhance understanding of the formation and revise brine chemistry, with preliminary results indicating better reservoir properties and higher lithium concentrations than previously reported.

Executive Compensation Announcement: Standard Lithium Ltd. has revealed its executive compensation strategy for fiscal year 2024, focusing on a mix of short-term and long-term incentives to align the interests of executives with those of shareholders.

Company Overview and Market Performance: The company specializes in lithium extraction and processing technologies, crucial for electric vehicle batteries, and currently has a market cap of C$401.1M, with a year-to-date price performance decline of 18.56%.

Collaboration on Lithium Extraction: SWA Lithium and Koch Technology Solutions have successfully designed and are operating a pilot Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) facility in Arkansas to confirm engineering designs for the South West Arkansas Project, producing battery-quality lithium carbonate samples for potential off-take partners.

Future Plans and Incentives: The pilot plant will continue operations until January 2025, with plans to produce concentrated lithium chloride solutions. Additionally, Standard Lithium has granted stock options and restricted share units to align management compensation with shareholder interests.

Appointment of New Board Member: Standard Lithium Ltd. has appointed Paul Collins as an independent director, bringing over 35 years of experience in advisory and investment banking to the board, which is expected to enhance the company's strategic leadership as it prepares for production in 2025.

Company Overview and Future Plans: Standard Lithium focuses on sustainable lithium development with projects in Arkansas and Texas, aiming for commercial-scale production through innovative extraction processes, while partnering with Equinor ASA and LANXESS Corporation on key initiatives.

Earnings Conference Call Overview: Standard Lithium Ltd. held its Q1 2025 earnings conference call on November 21, 2024, featuring key executives including CFO Salah Gamoudi and CEO David Park, discussing the company's transition from developer to producer of lithium.

Company's Strategic Direction: CEO David Park emphasized the company's commitment to providing a low-cost, environmentally-friendly domestic source of lithium to support the global energy transition, marking a significant phase in Standard Lithium's growth.

Financial Highlights: Standard Lithium Ltd. announced a conditional approval for a $225 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for its South West Arkansas project, which aims to produce battery-quality lithium carbonate starting in 2028.

Leadership and Technology Developments: David Park has been appointed as the new CEO, succeeding Robert Mintak, and the company has entered a licensing agreement with Koch Technology Solutions to utilize advanced lithium extraction technology at its commercial processing facility.

U.S. Stock Futures and Market Movements: U.S. stock futures showed slight gains, with Dow futures up about 10 points; however, several stocks, including CareDx, experienced significant pre-market losses, particularly after CareDx reported lower-than-expected preliminary third-quarter revenue.

Notable Stock Declines: Qurate Retail saw a dramatic drop of 47.7% in pre-market trading, while other companies like Standard Lithium and JD.com also faced declines, attributed to disappointing export figures from China impacting US-listed Chinese stocks.

Lithium Stock Market Fluctuations: Following a surge in lithium stocks due to Rio Tinto's acquisition of Arcadium Lithium, shares fell sharply after JPMorgan downgraded SQM and issued a bearish forecast for lithium prices, predicting they would remain low for the next three years.

Future Outlook for Companies: While SQM may maintain positive cash flow despite low prices, start-ups like Piedmont and Standard Lithium face challenges as continued weak prices could lead to increased losses and cash burn during their expansion efforts.

U.S. Stock Market Performance: U.S. stocks saw gains with the S&P 500 up 0.8%, driven by a rise in information technology shares, while energy shares experienced a slight decline. Notable stock movements included Tevogen Bio Holdings surging 161% and Verb Technology Company rising 70%.

International Market Trends: European shares closed higher, with the eurozone's STOXX 600 gaining 0.53%, while Asian markets had mixed results, with China's Shanghai Composite Index increasing by 2.07%. No major economic reports were scheduled for release on that day.

Stock Performance: Standard Lithium's shares initially surged 18% following Rio Tinto's $6.7 billion acquisition bid for Arcadium Lithium, but later settled at a 7.8% increase, attracting investors looking for a low-cost entry into the lithium market.

Investment Comparison: While Standard Lithium is seen as a cheaper option, it lacks production and revenue compared to Arcadium Lithium, which is an established producer with significant earnings, making Arcadium a more favorable investment choice.

U.S. Stock Market Overview: U.S. stocks experienced a decline, with the Dow Jones dropping approximately 100 points, while LSB Industries saw a significant increase of 11.8% after an upgrade from UBS analyst Joshua Spector.

Notable Stock Performances: Other companies like Standard Lithium, GXO Logistics, and Trump Media also recorded substantial gains, with GXO receiving a Buy rating from Citigroup, contributing to its 13% rise.

BloomZ Inc. Stock Surge: Shares of BloomZ Inc. rose 63.6% to $1.17 in pre-market trading after being selected as the primary animation contractor for an upcoming project.

Market Movements: Several stocks experienced significant gains and losses in pre-market trading, with Tevogen Bio Holdings up 58.2% and Klotho Neurosciences down 33.9%.

U.S. Stock Market Performance: U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones index increasing by approximately 0.2%, while several companies saw significant gains, including Arcadium Lithium which surged 30.5% after announcing its acquisition by Rio Tinto for $6.7 billion.

Notable Stock Movements: Other notable stock performances included MicroCloud Hologram up 33.1%, Helen of Troy gaining 20.6%, and Astera Labs rising 15.7% following positive financial news and analyst upgrades.

Saratoga Investment Corp. Earnings Report: Shares of Saratoga Investment Corp. surged 7.9% in pre-market trading after the company reported quarterly earnings of $1.33 per share, significantly exceeding analyst expectations of 94 cents.

Pre-Market Stock Movements: Various stocks experienced notable changes in pre-market trading, with Carmell Corporation rising 52.5% and Paltalk, Inc. declining 20.2%, reflecting a mix of gains and losses across different companies.