Lithium Stocks Crashed. Now We Know Why. What It Means for Tesla, EV Battery Shares.

Lithium stocks cratered on Friday. Then, the reason was a mystery. Now, investors know why: The world’s largest electric-vehicle battery maker,


Contemporary Amperex Technology


, or CATL, changed its pricing strategy.

The move by CATL (300750.China) is significant, but investors jumped to the wrong conclusion. The bigger risks from the decision are to battery and EV makers such as Tesla (TSLA).