Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The major averages are mixed as the market awaits developments on the trade front and consequential economic data releases later in the week.

Lithium stocks trade higher today after it was announced that the Chinese company Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) has halted production at one of the world's premier lithium mines as the company attempts to renew the necessary permits, according to CNBC. 

Shares of Albemarle (ALB 82.34, +6.86, +9.08%) traded sharply higher in response, making it the top-performing stock within the S&P 500 today, though the effects are not widely felt in the materials sector (-0.7%) due to the stock's small size.