Paul Sanger
Gold’s Glitter Dims, But Analysts Say the Shine Isn’t Gone Yet
Gold has hit a rough patch this month, but leading analysts believe the weakness is only temporary, with Goldman Sachs seeing the recent dip as more of a short-term correction than the beginning of a prolonged downturn.
Why China’s Lithium Rally Could Be the Turning Point, and What it Means for Australian Lithium
China’s lithium carbonate futures ripped to their highest levels since June 2024 in mid–late November, capping a >17% month rally and briefly hitting the daily limit up.
Iondrive Poised to Disrupt Battery Recycling and Urban Mining with Breakthrough DES Technology
Iondrive Limited (ASX: ION) is emerging as a serious contender in the global race to secure critical minerals and rare earth elements for the clean energy transition.
Big M&A is Back and the Next Wave Should Hit Mid-Caps and Small-Caps
After a long pause, global dealmaking has snapped back to life. Boardrooms are leaning into acquisitions, carve-outs, and take-privates as equity markets sit near highs, financing re-opens, and regulators in key jurisdictions signal a more permissive stance.
Canada Unlocks 26 New Measures To Fast-Track Critical Minerals Supply Chains
Canada has fired the starter’s gun on a new phase of ally-led critical minerals development, unveiling the first slate of projects under its G7-backed Critical Minerals Production Alliance.
US–China Trade Deal Pauses Rare-Earth Controls, Trims Tariffs: What it means for critical minerals and markets
The White House has outlined a US–China trade and economic framework reached in Seoul between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping.
Great Northern Minerals Completes First Field Program at Catalyst Ridge REE–Antimony Project
Great Northern Minerals (ASX: GNM) has wrapped up the on-ground component of its initial exploration programat the Catalyst Ridge project in California’s Mojave–Mountain Pass corridor, a district that hosts MP Materials’ world-class Mountain Pass rare earths mine.
Golden Globe Resources Hits the Boards: Here’s the fast take investors actually want
Copper–gold explorer Golden Globe Resources (ASX: GGR) has just joined the ASX and is gearing up to drill across some of Australia’s most proven belts in Queensland and New South Wales.
Is the Critical Minerals Sell-Off a Buying Opportunity for North America-Exposed Names?
After a two-month global rally in critical minerals and rare earths stocks, especially those with North American assets, the group has slumped over the past 48 hours on headlines that Washington and Beijing have reached a framework to delay new tariffs and relax near-term export restrictions. The pullback could be technical, not fundamental, as traders take profits, but underlying need […]
US and China Reach Framework for Trade Deal Ahead of Trump–Xi Meeting
Top US and Chinese economic officials have agreed on the outline of a new trade framework that could avert another round of steep tariffs and ease Chinese export controls on critical minerals, US officials said Sunday. The agreement, reached on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, sets the stage for President Donald Trump and Chinese President […]
Trump’s Industrial Push Sees Washington Invest in Strategic Industries
Under President Donald Trump, the US government has begun taking direct equity stakes in major private companies, including chipmaker Intel, rare earth producer MP Materials, and lithium developer Lithium Americas, as part of a sweeping effort to bolster national security and reduce reliance on China. The policy marks a sharp departure from decades of free-market orthodoxy. Some company boards […]
US and Australia Sign New Rare Earths and Critical Minerals Supply Chain Framework
The United States and Australia have signed a landmark agreement in Washington, D.C. establishing a common policy framework for the mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths, strengthening supply chain resilience and deepening strategic cooperation between the two nations The US–Australia Critical Minerals Framework, signed on 20 October 2025, aims to bolster the availability of […]
Antimony: The Overlooked Critical Mineral Powering a New US–Australia Alliance
From ammunition to energy storage, antimony’s strategic importance is a key driver of capital flows and diplomacy and putting Australian small caps squarely on Washington’s radar. What Is Antimony — and Why it Matters Antimony (Sb) is a silvery metalloid most commonly extracted from stibnite (Sb₂S₃). While it rarely attracts the spotlight, its applications sit at the intersection of […]
JPMorgan Launches $1.5 Trillion Initiative to Boost US Economic Security and Strategic Industries
JPMorganChase has unveiled a landmark US$1.5 trillion, 10-year “Security and Resiliency Initiative”, aimed at financing and investing in industries critical to the United States’ national economic security and technological independence. The initiative represents one of the largest private-sector commitments to date focused on rebuilding America’s industrial base, with a strong emphasis on critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, energy resilience, […]
Australia Moves to Establish Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve as Global Trade Tensions Rise
Australia is fast-tracking plans to establish a A$1.2 billion (US$782 million) critical minerals reserve, designed to safeguard supply chains for key industrial and defence materials amid escalating global trade frictions and tightening Chinese export controls. According to industry sources, Canberra’s Critical Minerals Task Force held consultations last week with miners and developers across rare earths, lithium, and other […]
Australia’s Semiconductor Future: Inside the Semiconductor Australia 2025 Conference
Small Caps readers can now access an exclusive 20% ticket discount via our website banner. Australia’s semiconductor sector is heating up, and the upcoming Semiconductor Australia 2025 Conference is set to showcase the nation’s brightest deep-tech innovators, cutting-edge research, and the investors driving the next wave of advanced manufacturing. Hosted in Sydney, the event brings together global […]
ASX Players With North American Exposure Could Benefit as China Tightens Rare Earth Export Controls
China has dramatically expanded its export controls on rare earth elements, adding five new materials and a raft of refining technologies to its restricted list in a move that tightens Beijing’s grip on global supply chains for critical minerals. The latest measures, announced Thursday by China’s Ministry of Commerce, introduce new licensing requirements for the […]
Nova Minerals First ASX Beneficiary as US Deepens Strategic Critical Minerals Footprint
The United States is accelerating its direct involvement in the global critical minerals race, marking a major policy shift from rhetoric to investment. Overnight, Trilogy Metals (NYSE: TMQ) shares surged more than 225% after the White House confirmed it would take a 10% equity stake in the Canadian copper and critical minerals developer. The US$35.6 million investment cements Trilogy’s strategic importance to Washington’s […]
Lithium Americas Shares Surge Again after Confirmation of US Government Equity Stake
Lithium Americas (NYSE: LAC) jumped 23.3% overnight to $7.04 after confirming the US Department of Energy (DOE) had taken a 5% equity stake in both the company and the joint venture developing the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada alongside General Motors (GM). The agreement unlocks the first $435 million drawdown from the DOE’s previously announced US$2.3 billion loan, while also permitting the JV […]
Trump’s CBD Comments Ignite US Cannabis Stocks Surge – Will ASX Companies Follow Suit?
Shares of cannabis and CBD-related companies surged on Monday after US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD), especially in senior healthcare, “could revolutionize” treatment by reducing disease progression and providing an alternative to prescription drugs. He further reiterated his administration is exploring reclassifying marijuana under federal law, a change that could […]