#graphite-tariffs

#graphite-tariffs

"They want us to show these gringo companies where the minerals are and then go and hand over everything, all without a fuss. That's concerning, because where does it leave us, as Mexicans? Basically, they are going to keep stealing from us."

China's exports have decelerated as the Iran war starts to affect global demand and supply chains, according to Gary Ng, a senior economist for Asia Pacific at French bank Natixis.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is calling for UK-built vehicles, components and batteries to be granted equivalent status to EU-made products under the proposed 'Made in Europe' framework, arguing that the current draft risks undermining a deeply integrated cross-border industry.

China controls the overwhelming majority of global rare earth processing capacity, a figure that has remained structurally stable for nearly two decades despite sustained Western policy attention. The problem has never been geology. It's always been industrial chemistry at scale.

BYD, the world's biggest car seller, unveiled a new battery giving its latest electric models more than 600 miles of range. Remarkably, the Chinese motor-maker said 250 miles of range could be injected into its new batteries in just five minutes. If true, the last remaining advantages of petrol cars—long range and quick refuelling—are beginning to disappear.

Korea Zinc, which it described as one of the world's largest smelters, is in talks with major US technology firms to recycle data center waste and extract rare earth. The move comes almost one year to the day after China announced immediate export controls on seven more rare earth elements critical to enterprise IT hardware manufacturing.

Nvidia has stopped production of chips intended for the Chinese market, betting that regulatory barriers in Washington and Beijing will continue to limit sales to China. The theory was that, because the H200 chips were less powerful than NVIDIA's cutting-edge chips, China could not use them to supercharge its AI advances.

Demand for lithium is fueling a modern-day gold rush. The industries that define our modern world, like artifiial intelligence (AI), robotics, EVs, and energy, all depend on lithium, which is used to make batteries and other energy storage systems. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella believes that the AI race will be won based on energy costs, not on who has the best models.That's why lithium demand is projected to grow a staggering 5X by 2040.

Rare earths are rapidly evolving into a strategic asset class as nations strive to reduce reliance on China, which retains overwhelming dominance in mining and refining capacity. Driven by surging demand from critical industries and heightened government intervention, the market infrastructure is maturing to meet the challenge. A pivotal milestone in this evolution is the CME Group's plan to launch rare earth futures contracts.

Berlin's newly announced program, reported on by various outlets, grants buyers of new electrified vehicles between $1,700 and $7,000. This figure depends on several factors, including the powertrain of the vehicle and income level of the buyer, but is meant to help revive stagnant sales one of Germany's key industries. Photo by: Scout Motors For the first time EREVsvehicles where batteries power the wheels and are recharged by a small combustion enginewill explicitly be eligible under the new program.