After posting strong growth for much of the past full year, ASX lithium shares have come under selling pressure in recent months.

Over the last year, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has slipped 2.1%, with the All Ords having dropped 4.0% in the past month.

Here’s how the performance from these top ASX lithium shares compares:

• Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) are up 12.2% in a year and down 22.3% in a month.
• Pls Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares – formerly Pilbara Minerals – are up 85.2% in a year and down 17.9% in a month.
• IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) shares are up 40.7% in a year and down 17.4% in a month.
• Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) shares are up 224.6% in a year and down 6.1% in a month.
• And Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) shares are up 41.7% in a year and down 19.0% in a month.

The common headwind battering all of the miners over the last month is the sharp retrace in global lithium prices.

While the lithium carbonate price remains up 79% since this time last year, it’s fallen 34% from its mid-May multi-year highs. And that fall accelerated in recent weeks, with the lithium price slumping 17% since 1 September.

A lot of that decline has come after global and Australian miners ramped up their production amid higher lithium prices, which looks to have quickly led to an oversupply situation.

But ASX lithium shares, and their stockholders, could have more to worry about than just an oversupply of lithium.

Indeed, investors would do well to keep one eye on sodium, an element widely available across the globe.

Will sodium batteries put more pressure on ASX lithium shares?

Lithium batteries aren’t the only way to store large amounts of energy.

Indeed, in potentially concerning news for ASX lithium shares, Chinese battery manufacturing giant CATL expects that sodium-based batteries could take a big slice of market share from lithium batteries.

Addressing the Australian Financial Review Asia Summit, CATL Australia chairman John Kwon said sodium-ion battery costs will likely be on par with lithium-ion batteries early in 2027.

While Kwon said lithium batteries would remain a superior choice for EVs, sodium batteries could be better for date centre power storage. He noted that sodium batteries aren’t as sensitive to temperature as lithium batteries. And they can be recharged more often.

“Sodium-ion is now moving from development towards commercial deployment,” Kwon said (quoted by the AFR).

He added:

Sodium-ion is an important development because it creates another pathway for scaling battery deployment using widely available raw materials and adding flexibility to global supply chains.

And ASX lithium shares could be facing that fresh competition soon, with Kwon forecasting that sodium batteries should be commercially available in Australia by mid-2027.

The post Could this evolving development smash ASX lithium shares like Liontown, Mineral Resources and PLS? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) shares are down 0.3% to 8,904.6 points on Thursday.

Meanwhile, on The Bull this week, two experts share their views on three ASX shares.

Let’s take a look.

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

The Temple & Webster share price is $4.35, down 0.8% today and down 82% over 12 months. 

Toby Grimm from Baker Young has a buy rating on this ASX consumer discretionary share. 

Grimm said: 

We don’t regularly play high growth consumer discretionary stocks, but we see an opportunity emerging in this online furniture and homewares retailer.

The company delivered record revenue of $664.6 million in full year 2026, up 10.6 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

It’s worth noting that new chief executive Susie Sugden was previously the chief marketing officer during the company’s highly successful infancy between 2016 and 2020.

The company is focusing on improving margins, which, in our view, is conservative and prudent given the incredibly challenging conditions in the retail sector.

We believe new management deserves an opportunity to rebase expectations in a sector offering medium term upside.

Also, we believe accumulating a position is worth considering for those willing to take relatively high volatility risk.

Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS)

The Kelsian share price is $4.05, up 0.5% today and down 18% over 12 months. 

Grimm has a hold rating on this ASX industrials share. 

He explained: 

KLS is a global operator of bus, motor coach and marine services.

In our view, it delivered highly respectable 2026 results, but was marked down on doubts surrounding the sustainability of its impressive US performance and the withdrawal of the SeaLink Rottnest Island ferry from the sale of its planned tourism portfolio.

However, we do see value at recent levels for what will ultimately be a far less volatile business moving forward.

It was recently trading on modest forward earnings multiples.

Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE)

The Boss Energy share price is $1.59, up 4.1% today and down 17% over 12 months. 

Joshua Baker from RaaS Group has a sell rating on this ASX uranium share. 

Baker said: 

Boss is a multi-mine uranium producer. It owns the Honeymoon project in South Australia and has a 30 per cent stake in the Alta Mesa project in South Texas.

The Honeymoon project has presented challenges, with the company cutting production guidance in response to bad weather in the third quarter of 2026. A resource downgrade has since followed.

The company posted a net profit after tax of of $2.544 million in fiscal year 2026, up from a loss of $34.168 million in the prior year.

The shares have fallen from $4.62 on June 23, 2025 to trade at $1.53 on September 10, 2026.

Other stocks appeal more at this stage of the cycle.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Temple & Webster, Kelsian, Boss Energy shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Sell alert! Why this expert is calling time on Boss Energy and Fortescue shares
• Experts name 3 top ASX shares to buy this week
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Energy shares rose while the ASX 200 slumped last week. Here’s why

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Temple & Webster Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Europe’s latest oil problem might feel a long way from Australia.

But I wouldn’t be so quick to ignore it.

Saudi Arabia has been forced to cut some crude shipments to Europe after drone attacks damaged its East-West Pipeline.

That pipeline carries oil from the kingdom’s eastern fields to the Red Sea.

The route has become especially important because it allows Saudi crude to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

However, that backup route has now been shut off.

And while Australia doesn’t rely heavily on Saudi oil, we could still end up feeling the impact here.

Europe is already scrambling

Saudi Aramco has reportedly cancelled some September cargoes to European customers, while others have been delayed.

Polish refiner Orlen responded by securing 16 replacement crude cargoes from suppliers including Norway, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and the Americas.

That shows us just how quickly buyers are having to look elsewhere. And the more refiners chasing replacement barrels, the more competition there is for the same supply.

Brent crude is still trading above US$100 per barrel after jumping earlier this week, although prices have pulled back from their recent highs.

One reason is that Saudi Arabia has found another way to move some of its oil.

The kingdom has been offering more crude to Asian refiners through ship-to-ship transfers near Oman, while loadings from Saudi Gulf ports have increased.

Could Australia feel it next?

Yes, but the impact here won’t necessarily be fuel shortages.

Australia imports fuel from a number of countries across the Asia-Pacific. Its two remaining refineries in Brisbane and Geelong produced around 20% of the country’s annual fuel needs in 2025.

That means Australia isn’t in the same position as European refiners trying to replace lost Saudi supply.

The bigger risk for us is price.

Most of our imported refined fuel comes from Asia, while local petrol and diesel prices are heavily influenced by Singapore fuel benchmarks and the Aussie dollar.

So, if higher crude prices push fuel prices up across Asia, Australian motorists could end up paying more at the pump.

And it may not take very long.

The ACCC says changes in international benchmark prices can take around 2 weeks to flow through to fuel prices in Australian cities.

We have some breathing room

Australia does at least have some protection if the situation gets worse.

During the June quarter, our fuel stocks averaged around 44 days of petrol, 36 days of diesel, and 31 days of jet fuel.

The government is also working towards a one-billion-litre strategic fuel reserve, along with higher minimum stockholding requirements.

So, I don’t think Australia is about to run out of fuel any time soon.

But if the problems in the Middle East drag on, Australians will end up paying more at the petrol station.

The post Saudi oil crisis is about to hit Europe, could Australia be next? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX shares investors are still buying despite volatility: survey
• Buy, hold, sell: Aurizon, Car Group, Guzman y Gomez shares
• Could this evolving development smash ASX lithium shares like Liontown, Mineral Resources and PLS?
• Buy, hold, sell: Temple & Webster, Kelsian, Boss Energy shares
• ASX 200 rebounds from recent lows. Is this just another false start?

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.