Copper rallied through 2025 and despite some sharp pullbacks along the way ended the year more than 40% higher than at the start. This year the price is being pulled into different directions. In holiday thin trade, copper for March delivery fell nearly 1% in New York to $5.76 a pound or $12,700 a tonne on Monday and is now trading 12% below highs hit just at the end of January. Copper stocks on the world’s biggest metal exchanges have exceeded 1 million tons for the first time since 2004. Tariff induced stockpiling in the US has been a feature…
Author: TJ Markle
The US is accelerating efforts to reshape global critical minerals trade policy, with a growing focus on price floors, coordinated trade mechanisms, and supply-chain security, following the conclusion of a broad Section 232 national security investigation and a high-level ministerial meeting in Washington this month. The Commerce Department’s Section 232 investigation covered every mineral on the USGS critical minerals list, along with uranium. The investigation found the indispensable role of minerals across the US economy, particularly for defense and critical infrastructure, and the price volatility that undermines investment in mining and processing projects in the US and other market economies.…
The US government will look to leverage the “world’s largest balance sheet” and unlock up to US$1.5 trillion of private capital mired in the country’s byzantine permitting processes to revive domestic mining and mineral processing at the same time as it seeks to expand a new international mining and metals trading bloc. “We’re saying, mine, baby, mine,” US secretary of the interior Doug Burgum told a meeting of government and mining industry leaders in the country’s capital. “The Department of the Interior has a role in that, in permitting our onshore and offshore resources. It is probably the most misnamed…
Mexico and Canada are set to unveil a joint action plan focusing on minerals, infrastructure, and supply chains by the year’s end. Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Canada’s Minister of Trade Dominic LeBlanc recently met in Mexico City to enhance investment and commerce between the two nations. Mexico and Canada have announced a forthcoming joint action plan focusing on minerals, infrastructure, and supply chains. The plan is expected to be revealed in the second half of the year, according to Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard. This announcement follows a meeting with Canada’s Minister of Trade, Dominic LeBlanc, held in Mexico…
Vicuna Corp, controlled by BHP and Lundin Mining, plans an $18 billion investment to develop copper, gold, and silver projects in Argentina. Initial investments focus on the Josemaria and Filo del Sol sites with production set to begin by 2030, projecting significant output over 25 years. In a significant development, Miner Vicuna Corp, overseen by Australia’s BHP and Canada’s Lundin Mining, has unveiled an ambitious $18 billion investment plan. The company intends to develop major copper, gold, and silver mining projects in northern Argentina, as announced on Monday. The initial $7 billion investment will focus on the Josemaria and Filo…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump had made it clear that he would prefer diplomacy and a negotiated settlement. Iran is pursuing a nuclear agreement with the U.S. that delivers economic benefits for both sides, an Iranian diplomat was reported as saying on Sunday, days before a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington. Iran and the U.S. renewed negotiations earlier this month to tackle their decades-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme and avert a new military confrontation. The U.S. has dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the region and is preparing for the possibility…
As global mineral demand surges, Africa holds 30% of the world’s critical reserves, putting it at the forefront of the global energy transition Africa holds 30% of the world’s critical mineral reserves, a statistic that positions the continent at the centre of the global energy transition and the ongoing realignment of industrial supply chains. With global mineral demand projected to increase four-fold by 2050, Africa’s geological wealth is a cornerstone of international economic security. It is within this high-stakes context that Energy Capital & Power’s African Mining Week (AMW) 2026, scheduled for October in Cape Town, emerges as a vital platform for…
Countries including Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe are mining more of Africa’s critical minerals, creating new regional and international supply chains The global supply chain is being reshaped, with Africa increasingly at its epicentre. Holding 30% of the world’s proven critical mineral reserves, the continent is a significant engine for the global energy transition. For senior supply chain executives, long-term resource security is an urgent priority. With global mineral demand projected to increase four-fold by 2050, the focus is increasingly on converting Africa’s vast geological potential into stable, investable value chains. Against this backdrop, Energy Capital & Power’s African Mining Week 2026,…
Shares in Altona Rare Earths (LON: REE) soared after the company said the US government confirmed its intention to support development of its Monte Muambe project in Mozambique. The stock was up more than 76% at 2.29 pence by mid-afternoon in London, lifting the critical raw materials explorer’s market capitalization to £4.25 million ($5.8 million) after it confirmed backing from the US Trade & Development Agency (USTDA). Altona said the USTDA’s involvement is aimed at defining the technical and financial pathway to develop Monte Muambe, which targets rare earth elements used in high-strength permanent magnets, defence applications and energy transition technologies. The…
Australia’s minerals industry is calling for reforms to the country’s skilled migration system to help address a deepening workforce shortage that threatens future growth and competitiveness. The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has outlined a series of proposed policy changes in a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Migration’s inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia, including fast-tracking permanent residency for in-demand global talent, reducing processing delays and accelerating licensing. MCA CEO Tania Constable warned that the sector was facing a skills shortfall at a time of rising global demand for critical and bulk commodities. “Mining is…