The Geopolitical Weaponization of Critical Minerals Supply

View: Source Global trade in late 2025 is increasingly defined by the geopolitical weaponization of Critical Minerals (CMs), moving these essential resources from mere commodities to strategic national security assets. The extreme concentration of mining and, crucially, refining capacity for CMs like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements in a handful of nations has created acute supply chain vulnerabilities for the rest of the world. The Trade-Off: …

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China Launches First Lot of Simpler Rare Earth Export Licences

View: Source Three auto suppliers have received “general licences” designed to ease demand pressure by allowing more exports under year-long permits for customers. China has issued an initial batch of new streamlined rare earth licences, which a source says should speed up exports to certain customers. The move could fulfil a key outcome of the summit in late October between Presidents Donald Trump …

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UBS Lifts Palladium Forecasts as Options Market Signals Ongoing Optimism

View: Source UBS has increased its price outlook for palladium by $50 an ounce across all forecast horizons, saying it expects the metal to remain modestly undersupplied through next year. The bank noted that sentiment in the options market is still leaning positive, although it has drifted closer to neutral compared with earlier in the year. Current implied volatility skews between …

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