Spot Market Tightness Boosts Aluminum Prices

View: Source The Midwest Premium for aluminum has achieved a new peak, driven by concerns over trade deals and potential tariff increases. Global aluminum premiums, particularly in Europe and Japan, have significantly decreased due to oversupply and soft demand exacerbated by U.S. trade barriers. LME aluminum prices have stabilized with an upward bias, supported by tighter inventories, despite a general slowdown …

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Gold remains well-positioned in current macro landscape, World Gold Council reports

View: Source Gold enters the second half of 2025 coming off an exceptionally strong start to the year – up 26% – shaped by a weaker US dollar, persistent geopolitical risk, robust investor demand, and continued central bank purchases, the World Gold Council says in its mid-year outlook report published on Tuesday, July 15. While some of these drivers are expected to persist, the …

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High-grade lithium deposits found in Rwanda

View: Source Aterian Plc, a UK-based critical minerals exploration company, announced that it has found high-grade lithium deposits in Rwanda, following a drilling exercise in collaboration with Rio Tinto Mining and Exploration Ltd, a British-Australian mineral exploration multinational company. “The initial results confirm the presence of high-grade lithium mineralisation and demonstrate the prospectivity of the HCK Project,” the company said in …

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India, Australia collaborate on critical minerals for renewable energy and climate action

View: Source India and Australia are reinforcing their partnership on critical minerals to secure supply chains and enable the global transition to clean energy. This strategic collaboration recognises that lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements and similar resources are essential inputs for renewable technologies. The rationale is clear. According to the International Energy Agency, global demand for lithium may increase by more than 40 …

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In global race for critical minerals, China identifies dozens of new reserves

View: Source Deposit in Hunan province has an estimated 490 million tonnes of lithium ore and 1.31 million tonnes of lithium oxide, report says. China identified 38 new sites of mineral reserves in the first half of this year, discoveries that are expected to help the country meet its resource security goals. The Ministry of Natural Resources said on Thursday that …

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Explaining the ‘copper conundrum’ in the wake of Trump’s 50% tariff threat

View: Source Call it a copper conundrum: with a 50% US tariff on refined copper imports set for 1 August, the global copper market is already seeing distortions. The premium for copper in the United States over the London Metal Exchange (LME) has widened, fuelling a rush of shipments into the US ahead of the new tariff. According to UBS, US …

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RBC says gold still shines as central banks and investors stick with it

View: Source Gold has held up remarkably well in recent weeks, despite markets regaining some composure and equities moving higher. What’s interesting, RBC says, is the “cognitive dissonance” in markets. Equities are rising, but so are gold allocations. Instead of seeing this as a contradiction, analysts argue that it shows gold working as intended, a strategic hedge, not just a panic …

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Japan urges China to ease export curbs on critical minerals

View: Source Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya urged his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday to ease Beijing’s export restrictions on critical minerals, including rare earth elements used in semiconductors, expressing “strong concern” over the negative impact of the curbs on Japanese firms. Iwaya, who met with Wang on the fringes of regional gatherings in Malaysia, also called on China to …

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Chinese Exporters Reroute Rare Earths to Keep Supplying U.S.

View: Source Chinese exporters of some rare earths have rerouted their flows to skirt a ban on selling these commodities to the U.S., and now they enter the country from Thailand and Mexico, Reuters has reported, citing customs and shipping records. According to the records, while Chinese exports of antimony, a critical mineral that is used in batteries and microchips, to the …

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