Kazakhstan, U.S. sign major $1.1bn deal on critical minerals

Tau-Ken Samruk, a portfolio company of the Samruk-Kazyna Fund, and Cove Kaz Capital Group LLC (Cove Capital) have signed a package of transaction documents, Qazinform News Agency reports. The documents include a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and a Shareholders’ Agreement (FA) for a strategic investment project in the critical minerals sector, according to the press service of Samruk-Kazyna. The signing …

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Brazil Has the World’s Second-Largest Rare Earth Reserves but No Strategy for What to Do With Them

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives in New Delhi on February 18 for a state visit that will include bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the signing of roughly 14 agreements. Among them is a memorandum of understanding on critical minerals and rare earths — materials essential for batteries, chips, and the broader energy transition. The MOU is meant …

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Copper price eases as global smelting activity hits decade low 

After rallying through 2025 (not without some deep troughs) and into this year driven by supply disruptions in Indonesia and South America alongside tariff disruptions, copper prices are pulling back again.  Copper for March delivery fell over 3% in New York to $5.78 a lb. or $12,740 a tonne on Thursday and is now trading 12% below highs hit just …

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