Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Weakens Ahead of Key U.S. Data 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
Bank of Japan Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Inflation Pressures Persist 
Korea Zinc to Build $7.4 Billion Critical Minerals Refinery in Tennessee With U.S. Government Backing 
Ford Takes $19.5 Billion Charge as EV Strategy Shifts Toward Hybrids 
Fed Rate Cut Signals Balance Between Inflation and Jobs, Says Mary Daly 
Nvidia Weighs Expanding H200 AI Chip Production as China Demand Surges 
Global Markets Slide as Tech Stocks Sink, Yields Rise, and AI Concerns Deepen 
HSBC’s $13.6 Billion Take-Private Offer for Hang Seng Bank Gains Board Backing 
Air Force One Delivery Delayed to 2028 as Boeing Faces Rising Costs 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
Trello Outage Disrupts Users as Access Issues Hit Atlassian’s Work Management Platform 
Fortescue Expands Copper Portfolio With Full Takeover of Alta Copper 
FDA Says No Black Box Warning Planned for COVID-19 Vaccines Despite Safety Debate 
Japan PMI Data Signals Manufacturing Stabilization as Services Continue to Drive Growth 
Woolworths Faces Fresh Class Action Over Alleged Underpayments, Shares Slide 
U.S. Dollar Slips Near Two-Month Low as Markets Await Key Jobs Data and Central Bank Decisions 
LG Chem revealed on Thursday, July 29, that it has taken over LG Electronics’ separator business through an acquisition deal. It was mentioned that the chemical company paid ₩525 billion or around $458.5 million for the purchase.
With its new business, LG Chem is targetting the fast-growing EV battery materials market. The South Korean firm bought the chemical, electronic material business (CEM) under LG Elec’s business solutions unit.
According to The Korea Herald, all tangible and intangible assets of LG Chem are included in the deal, and this means that it will acquire not just the production facilities but LG Electronics’ personnel and everything else in the business.
The CEM is a business that manufactures materials needed for the production of batteries and displays. It was reported that it has production facilities in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, S. Korea, Hangzhou in China, and Wroclaw in Poland.
In the past, LG Chem used to buy separators from other suppliers, and it simply coated them with its own patented SRS technology or safety-reinforced separator. This technology is used to coat separators with nano-scale ceramic particles, and this makes it impossible for ions to seep in.
With this, the coating protects separators so they can maintain their shapes even at high heat temperatures of up to 180 degrees Celsius. Separators also prevent short circuits or fires as it makes sure that the cathodes and anodes running in them would not touch or react directly with each other.
Pulse News reported that the acquisition will make LG Chem the first and only company in the world that has the capacity to manufacture all four main components of lithium-ion batteries, which are cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, and separators.
Finally, the acquisition is said to be part of LG Chem’s plan to put in ₩6 trillion by 2025, so it can build an extensive battery supply chain. In the last month of this year, the firm will already be breaking ground for the construction of its cathode material factory that is estimated to have a yearly capacity of producing 60,000 tons. The plant will rise in Gumi, located in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea.
“The latest acquisition will enable us to strengthen the value chain for the rapidly growing battery material business,” LG Chem’s vice president, Shin Hak Chul, said. “We will continue to develop new growth engines to become the global No.1 battery material player.”
