Why Standard Lithium Stock Popped Today

By Rich Smith – Dec 17, 2025 at 11:24AM ESTKey PointsChina is canceling old lithium mining licenses, mostly for non-operational mines.Chinese lithium prices spiked on the news, pushing lithium stocks higher today.These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›NYSEMKT: SLIStandard LithiumMarket Cap$1.1BToday's Changeangle-down(3.74%) $0.17Current Price$4.86Price as of December 17, 2025 at 12:16 PM ETLithium prices could rise -- eventually. Meanwhile, Standard Lithium stock is still losing money.Shares of Standard Lithium (SLI +3.74%), a Canadian lithium company that produces its white metal from filtering brine primarily in Arkansas, jumped more than 6% in early trading Tuesday. Prices have settled at about a 5% gain as of 11:05 a.m. ET. It all started in China. Image source: Getty Images. Chinese moves the market The Bureau of Natural Resources in Yichun, Jiangxi Province, plans to cancel 27 lithium mining permits in January, as Mining.com reports today. Lithium prices in China reacted sharply, up about 7.6%, spurring big price spikes among global lithium miners. And yet, Mining.com notes that "all of the licences had already expired, some more than a decade ago, and most were registered for ceramic clay or limestone mining." So how big of a deal is this, really? Lithium analysts don't think it's particularly significant, with one analyst quoted saying, "the licence cancellations would have little impact on supply, as none of the revoked permits covered operating mines." Still, so long as the licenses remained active, mining might potentially have been resumed at any of the sites, legally, adding to global lithium supply. This can't happen now, unless the licenses are officially renewed.Advertisement That's why lithium investors are excited today: Future lithium supplies just got rolled back, increasing the chance of prices rising in the future. ExpandNYSEMKT: SLIStandard LithiumToday's Change(3.74%) $0.17Current Price$4.86Key Data PointsMarket Cap$1.1BDay's Range$4.78 - $4.9952wk Range$1.08 - $6.40Volume2.3MAvg Vol5.3M Is Standard Lithium stock a buy? But here's the thing investors need to remember: All the above is of only theoretical importance to Standard Lithium... until Standard actually starts producing lithium! It doesn't yet, having no revenue (and no profit) yet, and none expected before 2028 at the earliest. Meanwhile, Standard Lithium is losing about $187 million a year. Until that changes, it's hard for me to call Standard Lithium stock a "buy."About the AuthorRich Smith is a contributing Motley Fool defense and stock market analyst covering publicly traded and emerging companies in defense, space, aerospace, and other sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rich practiced international corporate law for Clifford Chance in Russia, and for the Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group in Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of William & Mary, a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a language certification from the International Institute of Russian Language & Culture in Tver, Russian Federation. The Globe and Mail once featured him as “one of the best stock pickers since 2009.”TMFDittyX@RichSmithFoolRead NextNov 17, 2025 •By Rich SmithWhy Standard Lithium Stock Powered Up TodayOct 17, 2025 •By Billy DubersteinWhy Standard Lithium Plunged 25% TodayOct 16, 2025 •By Neha ChamariaWhy Standard Lithium Stock Soared 25% Today to a 52-Week HighOct 13, 2025 •By Lee SamahaHere's How China Sent Shares of Standard Lithium Surging TodayOct 8, 2025 •By Johnny RiceWhy Is Standard Lithium Stock Soaring Today?Oct 1, 2025 •By Neha ChamariaWhy Standard Lithium Stock Is On Fire Today