Shares of lithium producers surged on Monday after Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) halting output at a major mine raised hopes it would erode the oversupply in a market grappling with soft demand. During morning trade, Albemarle Corp jumped 10.2 per cent, while Chile's Sociedad Quimica y Minera, rose 9.2 per cent and Lithium Americas, gained 2.4 per cent. Smaller companies, Standard Lithium, Piedmont Lithium and Sigma Lithium, advanced between 6.2 per cent and 19.6