On the other side, Albemarle stock (NYSE:ALB), a specialty chemicals manufacturing company, which is also one of the leading lithium producers, has been the weakest performer with its stock down by 3% year-to-date. Our theme of EV Supplier stocks has fared relatively well this year, rising by about 8% year-to-date, compared to the S&P 500 which has declined by about 2% over the same time frame. Firstly, the macro-environment has been somewhat favorable for tech and futuristic stocks, with inflation cooling, and the Federal Reserve scaling back on the pace of its interest rate hikes.