Metal

Codelco’s Q1 Profit Plummets 53% Despite Copper Output Gain as FX and Costs Bite

Codelco’s quest to recover from a 25-year production low hit a financial roadblock in Q1, as currency swings and maintenance costs slashed profits despite marginal copper output gains. The Chilean miner’s struggles highlight the challenges facing national champions in volatile commodity markets. By the Numbers Key Headwinds Silver Linings Industry Context What’s Next? Why This […]

Steel Tariffs Bring Jobs, But Can Trump’s Heartland Revival Find Enough Workers?

In Mississippi County, Arkansas—dubbed “The Land of Steel”—President Trump’s tariffs have delivered a industrial boom, with sprawling mills run by Nucor and U.S. Steel humming at full tilt. But the region’s crumbling towns and vanishing workforce reveal the harsh reality behind America’s manufacturing revival: there aren’t enough workers to sustain it. The Jobs Are Here. The Workers Aren’t. […]

Gold Smashes $3,500 Record as Trump-Fed Feud Sparks Historic Safe-Haven Rush

Gold’s unstoppable rally breached 3,500perounceforthefirsttimeever∗∗asinvestorsfledtothemetalamidaperfectstormofpoliticalchaos,dollardistrust,andvoraciouscentralbankbuying.Thesurge—whichhasadded∗∗3,500perounceforthefirsttimeever∗∗asinvestorsfledtothemetalamidaperfectstormofpoliticalchaos,dollardistrust,andvoraciouscentralbankbuying.Thesurge—whichhasadded∗∗800 to gold’s price since January—reflects a seismic shift in global markets as President Trump’s renewed Fed attacks and trade wars accelerate a retreat from traditional assets. Why Gold Is Defying Gravity Market Reactions What’s Next? The Big Picture Gold’s rally signals a collapse in faith in fiat currencies and traditional safe havens. With […]

U.S. Investor’s $5B Bid for Kazakh Mining Giant ERG Rejected Amid Rare Earths Rush

A $5 billion unsolicited bid by U.S. investor James Cameron for Kazakhstan’s mining powerhouse Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has been rebuffed, even as the company positions itself to capitalize on Central Asia’s untapped rare earth reserves. The rejection comes amid a global scramble to break China’s stranglehold on critical minerals essential for defense and green […]

China’s Mineral Stranglehold Tightens as Export Controls Crush Global Supply

China is weaponizing its dominance of critical minerals, with new data revealing drastic drops in exports of gallium, germanium, and antimony—metals vital for semiconductors, missiles, and renewable energy. Since imposing export controls in 2023 (and a full U.S. ban in December), Beijing’s opaque licensing system has throttled global supply, reshaping trade flows and sparking a price […]

Trump Fast-Tracks 10 Critical Minerals Projects to Boost U.S. Supply Chain

The Trump administration will accelerate permitting for 10 mining projects across the U.S. as part of a sweeping effort to secure domestic supplies of copper, lithium, antimony, and other critical minerals essential for defense, energy, and technology. The move, announced Friday, leverages the FAST-41 program to slash bureaucratic delays while the White House weighs new tariffs on mineral imports to […]

Erik Prince Strikes Congo Minerals Deal Amid Rebel Crisis—With U.S. Ties in Focus

Erik Prince—the controversial security contractor and Trump ally—has inked a deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to clamp down on mineral smuggling and recover lost tax revenue, even as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels tighten their grip on the country’s resource-rich east. The agreement, negotiated before the rebel offensive escalated in January, coincides with U.S.-DRC talks […]

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