Why the aluminum market is tightening and why prices may stay supported into 2026

View: Source In recent years, people often explained aluminium prices using familiar demand stories like construction cycles, auto production, sentiment from China, and seasonal buying. However, as we approach 2026, a larger factor affecting price behaviour is hard to overlook: supply is less flexible than it once was. Even in a slower-growing economy, aluminium prices can remain elevated if the market …

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Why Europe’s Reliance on China Is a Policy Choice, Not a Resource Problem

View: Source Europe’s dependence on China for critical materials is strategic, not geological. The real chokepoint lies in processing and refining, where China dominates and Europe has largely exited, leaving itself vulnerable despite having significant mineral deposits. Europe can rebuild resilience without isolation, by anchoring extraction, processing, and recycling. Few debates in Brussels carry as much emotional charge as critical raw …

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Gold, silver surge as ‘assault on Fed’ sparks rush to precious metals

Gold, silver jumped to new highs after Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned that “threats and ongoing pressure” from the Trump administration are jeopardizing the central bank’s independence. REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo · Reuters / Reuters View: Source Gold and silver surged to new all-time intraday highs on Monday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned that “threats and ongoing pressure” from the Trump administration are …

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Australia critical minerals reserve to prioritize antimony, gallium, rare earths

A sample of antimony is displayed at the Natural History Museum in London, Britain, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo View: Source Australia will prioritise antimony, gallium and rare earth elements as part of its A$1.2 billion ($802 ​million) strategic reserve, it said on Monday, as its ‌Treasurer Jim Chalmers prepares to join a G7 meeting to discuss critical minerals. Australia …

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Rhodium, World’s Most Expensive Metal, Found in Colombia

Rhodium, the world’s most expensive metal, is found in Colombia, although in small quantities, mainly in the department of Choco. Credit: Rhagchem / CC BY-SA 4.0 View: Source Rhodium, the most expensive metal in the world, is found, albeit in small quantities, in Colombia. The price of this mineral on the international market at the end of 2023 reached US$28,775 per ounce (just over …

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Copper prices spark renewed £190bn Rio Tinto-Glencore merger talks

View: Source Mining giants Rio Tinto and Glencore have resumed negotiations regarding a potential £190 billion deal that would establish the world’s largest mining company. On Friday, the two firms confirmed preliminary discussions concerning a combination of businesses, expected to be structured as an acquisition of Glencore via a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement. This follows a previous attempt in late 2024, …

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Gold Tops Treasuries as World’s Biggest Foreign Reserve Asset

View: Source Gold now ranks as the world’s top reserve asset. According to World Gold Council data, global gold reserves are approaching $4 trillion. Treasury holdings total approximately $3.9 trillion. The last time central bank gold reserves topped Treasury holdings was in 1996. The increase in gold reserves is a function of both rising gold prices and steady, strong central bank gold buying. Gold …

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Why Silver ETFs Can Be Better Investments than Silver Bars

View: Source Physical silver carries wide spreads, storage costs, and liquidity challenges. Silver ETFs offer cleaner exposure with tighter bid-ask spreads and easier rebalancing. Silver ETFs can also be held inside registered accounts like TFSAs, RRSPs, and FHSAs. Silver prices are flying. Before you head down to a precious metals dealer and place an order, it is worth slowing down and …

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Gold ETF inflows hit record as investors poured $89bn into the market in 2025

View: Source Global investors channelled a record $89-billion into physically-backed gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in 2025 as the gold price set new highs and demand for safe-haven assets intensified, pushing assets under management and trading liquidity to unprecedented levels, Goldhub – operated by the World Gold Council – has reported. The surge in investment followed a year in which the gold …

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Silver’s Extreme Price Swings Are Here To Stay, Goldman Warns

View: Source After delivering its strongest annual performance in more than four decades, silver’s sharp price moves look set to continue. According to Goldman Sachs, extreme volatility in the silver market is likely to persist, driven by tight physical supply in London, shifting trade flows to the U.S. and rising geopolitical frictions. Why Silver’s London Shortage Is Fueling Violent Price Swings Silver …

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