BUZZ — Australian lithium miners tumble after battery metal prices sink

* Top lithium miners Mineral Resources, IGO and PLS slid 4.6% to 6.5%, pacing losses across * Broader mining subindex shed 4.1%, sharply underperforming an otherwise near-flat ASX 200 benchmark * The battery metal's prices have slipped 3.6% so far on the day and remain down 11.9% YTD, according to data * Earlier this week, Chinese lithium carbonate futures sank to a near 10-month low, as a deal to curb hybrid vehicle exports to the European Union deepened concerns over demand prospects for the EV battery material * Macquarie on Tuesday said market chatter around battery production cuts is stoking concerns over CY27 lithium demand, with prevailing bearish sentiment eclipsing signs of near-term market tightness * YTD, MIN has proved the most resilient among lithium names, down 18.2% versus IGO's 34% and PLS's ~30% declines, while AXMM has gained 5.2% and AXJO remains broadly flat (Reporting by Kumar Tanishk in Bengaluru) ((mailto:Tanishk.Kumar@thomsonreuters.com; X: @thatstanishk )