#rare-earths

#rare-earths

China's dominance is truly massive,

After several record-setting days, markets are flat to down at the moment. Dow futures are down 139, as the S&P 500 fights to hold on to a single point. The NASDAQ is up about three points. All as investors digest the latest round of earnings. Plus, President Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping seems to have gone well, with rare earth restrictions lifted.

The US government is reportedly considering new export controls that could block a wide range of products made with US software from being shipped to China, in what could become one of Washington's most sweeping trade measures to date. If implemented, the move could disrupt global technology supply chains and heighten uncertainty for multinational manufacturers that rely on US-developed software across their operations.

Seeing again the flexing of the administration to use industrial policy as a tool to drive its wider economic and trade agenda. Bessent it wouldn't consider stock market volatility when dealing with China on trade. Those kinds of comments have in the past left markets on edge - no Trump put. But not yesterday - the S&P 500 rallied 0.4% as it climbed not just the wall of worry but also its 20-day SMA.

For several years, Pakistan's primary strategic value to the United States was its role as a security partner, first during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and then during the so-called war on terror. list of 4 itemsend of list That relationship slowly collapsed amid accusations from growing sections of the US strategic community and Trump himself that Islamabad was duplicitous and couldn't be trusted, especially after American forces found Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

"MP Materials is America's only fully integrated rare earth producer with capabilities spanning the entire supply chain, from mining and processing to advanced metallization and magnet manufacturing."

Minacu, a small city in inland Brazil, is set to become the first operation outside Asia to produce four rare earths on a commercial scale. This marks a pivotal development amid escalating trade disputes between China and the US, particularly since China has historically dominated the production of these essential minerals.