After an exceptional year of returns for the yellow metal in 2025, the wind has been taken out of the sails of gold so far in 2026. According to data from FE fundinfo, the S&P GSCI Gold spot is down 2.3% year-to-date, a far cry from its 22.9% total return by the start of March. It’s even further away from …
Continue ReadingTwenty-nine years. That is the average time it takes to permit a mine in the United States. China controls roughly 60 percent of the world’s critical mineral processing capacity. And the materials at stake — lithium, cobalt, rare earths — are not optional inputs. They are the physical foundation of electric vehicles, MRI machines, defense systems, and the semiconductors powering …
Continue ReadingElectric vehicles (EVs) will remain the dominant source of lithium demand for at least the next 15 years, but a growing range of technologies from artificial intelligence to advanced nuclear systems could create a meaningful second wave of consumption by mid-century. A study by GEM Mining Consulting found emerging lithium applications would contribute about 105,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent …
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