Albemarle (ALB.US) rose more than 5% on Friday, trading at $167.32. The company recently announced it will immediately idle its Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant in Western Australia to enhance financial flexibility. In its fourth-quarter earnings report released on Wednesday, Albemarle stated that although lithium prices have seen a recent recovery, the increase is insufficient to offset the challenges facing its Australian hard-rock lithium concentrate processing operations. While Albemarle had unveiled a plan in May 2023 to invest over $1 billion to expand Kemerton's lithium hydroxide production capacity, it has now scaled back this initiative to improve operating cash flow and reduce capital expenditures.