Thank you for attending. We will be back later this year with the LME Forum on October 15 in London
Optimists had hoped that 2025 could be the year where positive economic momentum combined with loosening monetary policy to supercharge demand for metals. Unfortunately, things are rarely that simple.
The outlook for metals was already complicated by deep concerns over China’s economic prospects. More worrying for metals investors was the broader deflationary effect of China’s processing capacity overhang in the EV, battery and renewables value chains. Trump 2.0 and his predilection for tariff diplomacy is now threatening to completely upend markets, stretching supply chains that were already under strain. Worse still perhaps, questions over delivery and longevity of US policy - and retaliatory measures - is transforming the risk around financial decisions.
To make sense of these seismic shifts, and their impact on the key commodities that underpin the energy transition, the Wood Mackenzie Future Facing Commodities Forum took place on 30 April 2025.
Topics that were discussed on 30 April:
- Metals markets: What has changed?
- Tariffs, trade and the energy transition
- Copper: Turning potential into growth
- Rare Earths: Unlocking their power
- Aluminium: Synchronising supply growth and emissions reductions
- Crunch time for the battery value chain
- Cathode & Anode: Waiting for recycling to make its mark
- Nickel: Looking for a route back to safety
- Lithium: How will the market rebalance?
2025 speakers included:
Julian Kettle
Vice Chairman of Metals and Mining
Prakash Sharma
Vice President, Head of Scenarios and Technologies
Prakash Sharma
Vice President, Head of Scenarios and Technologies
Prakash leads a team of analysts designing research for the energy transition.
Latest articles by Prakash
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Opinion
Energy transition outlook: Middle East
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Energy transition outlook: UK
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Featured
Nuclear 2026 outlook
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Energy evolution: navigating the path to a sustainable future
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The Edge
Five key takeaways from COP30
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The Edge
Slipping climate targets and the “energy addition”
Emily Brugge
Senior Analyst, Copper Supply
Emily Brugge
Senior Analyst, Copper Supply
Emily contributes to the Copper Markets and Copper Concentrates services.
Latest articles by Emily
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Opinion
What’s next for copper?
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Opinion
What’s next for copper?
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Opinion
Copper: strategic insight amid policy risk and smelter margin pressures
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Opinion
Copper: 4 things to know
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Opinion
Four key takeaways from LME 2024
Bridget van Dorsten
Principal Analyst, Hydrogen
Bridget van Dorsten
Principal Analyst, Hydrogen
Bridget is a hydrogen-focused principal analyst on our Energy Transition Practice.
View Bridget van Dorsten's full profile
Suzanne Shaw
Head of Energy Transition & Battery Raw Materials
Suzanne Shaw
Head of Energy Transition & Battery Raw Materials
Suzanne specialises in commodities including cathode and precursor, lithium, cobalt, graphite, rare earths and lead.
Latest articles by Suzanne
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Opinion
The 3 challenges to exploiting Greenland’s rare earths
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Opinion
How will the new US Republican government reshape the global electric vehicle supply chain?
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Opinion
Four key takeaways from LME 2024
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Opinion
Three challenges to overseas expansion for the Chinese cathode sector
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Opinion
What’s next for the EV and battery value chains?
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Opinion
Battery raw materials: tracking key market dynamics
Shashank Sriram
Senior Research Analyst, Aluminium Markets
Shashank Sriram
Senior Research Analyst, Aluminium Markets
Shanshank has 10 years of Aluminium industry experience within technical and management roles.
View Shashank Sriram's full profile
Prateek Biswas
Senior Research Analyst, Transport and Materials
Prateek Biswas
Senior Research Analyst, Transport and Materials
Prateek specialises in EV policy drivers, automaker electrification strategies and battery supply chain trends.
Latest articles by Prateek
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Featured
Autonomous electric vehicles: four things to look for in 2026
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The Edge
Will Chinese BEVs be a gamechanger in Europe and the US?
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Opinion
Carjacked: electric vehicle policy under a Delayed Energy Transition scenario
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Opinion
Have policy headwinds pushed electric vehicles into the slow lane?
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Opinion
How will the new US Republican government reshape the global electric vehicle supply chain?
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Opinion
Could new EU tariffs on Chinese imports slow EV adoption?
Egor Prokhodtsev
Principal Research Analyst, Transportation & Mobility
Egor Prokhodtsev
Principal Research Analyst, Transportation & Mobility
Egor is a senior research analyst responsible for battery raw materials demand modelling.
View Egor Prokhodtsev's full profile
Yingchi Yang
Research Analyst, Battery Raw Material
Yingchi Yang
Research Analyst, Battery Raw Material
Yingchi focuses on supply of global cathodes and precursors.
Latest articles by Yingchi
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Opinion
Three challenges to overseas expansion for the Chinese cathode sector
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Opinion
Cathode and precursor: 5 things to look for in 2024
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Opinion
Three reasons LFP cathode supply keeps expanding in an oversupplied market
Kane Carty
Senior Research Analyst, Cathodes and Precursors
Kane Carty
Senior Research Analyst, Cathodes and Precursors
Latest articles by Kane
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Opinion
Three challenges to overseas expansion for the Chinese cathode sector
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Opinion
Cathode and precursor: 5 things to look for in 2024
Sean Mulshaw
Research Director, Nickel Markets
Sean Mulshaw
Research Director, Nickel Markets
Sean is an expert in global nickel, stainless steel and molybdenum markets.
Latest articles by Sean
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Opinion
Nickel: looking for a route back to safety
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Opinion
Nickel: looking for a route back to safety
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Opinion
Steel alloys: a defining moment
Allan Pedersen
Research Director, Lithium
