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Metalshub, an EU-funded agency, is working with Metalshub to create a European platform for critical minerals trading
Metalshub, a digital platform funded in part by the EU, and an agency that is partially funded by the EU are working on establishing regional critical mineral prices separate from those of dominant producer China to allow the financing of new projects. The European Union, United States, and other Western countries strive to set their own benchmark prices of critical minerals in order to reduce their dependency on China. China accounts for 90% of the global production of rare earths processed, which are vital for electronics, clean energy and defence. Bernd Schaefer said that "Europe lacks a deep, transparent, and EU-relevant benchmark for critical minerals...the lack of transparency is an absolute deal breaker" for many investors. A number of new mines and facilities that process minerals are struggling to get financing because the outlook is uncertain. Prices, which are set largely in China and fluctuate wildly, have been unpredictable. Metalshub, a privately-held German group, and the public-private partnership, EIT 'RawMaterials (with more than 300 companies and academics involved in the industry), are working together to expand Metalshub's platform. This includes adding spot trading for rare earths and critical minerals, and developing reliable price indices. Metalshub's Managing Director Frank Jackel stated that the company could technically launch trading right away, but it would need approval from regulators and policymakers. Schaefer declined to name the companies or provide feedback from those who were spoken to. Schaefer stated that they were aiming to have the pilot project running within 12 months. Metalshub provides trading services for raw materials such as nickel and alumina for the aluminium industry, materials that are used in steel production. It was also used to conduct online graphite and lithium auctions. Jackel stated that Metalshub can host transactions but an index of prices would be outsourced in order to maintain credibility and comply with regulatory frameworks. He said that the markets for critical minerals remain "fragmented and opaque" and are heavily dependent on bi-lateral negotiations and price assessments based on limited data collected manually. Schaefer stated that the EU demand aggregation platform launched last week for critical materials is not designed to set regional prices which are crucial to underpin local production. On April 13, the EU launched its Energy and Raw Materials Platform's section on critical minerals. The EU aims to link buyers and suppliers of 17 EU strategic materials, but it is up to the two parties to finalise any trades. Some have pointed out that there is little?liquidity outside of China in the critical minerals trade, but Schaefer and Jackel say that it's enough to set benchmark prices in Europe. Schaefer stated that there are currently enough data points in Europe from recent transactions to establish a representative price for rare earths, as an example. Schaefer and Jackel stated that the initiative would start in Europe but would include other Western nations. (Reporting and editing by Veronica Brown, Alexander Smith and Eric Onstad)
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Oil gains and stock prices rise as ceasefire is tested
Wall Street stocks rose on Wednesday after U.S. president Donald Trump unilaterally declared a ceasefire extension. Oil prices also increased as Iran broke the fragile truce and seized two cargo ships at the Strait of Hormuz. A broad rally lifted all three major U.S. stock indexes, while gold?advanced?and U.S. Treasury Yields dropped. "Things have slowed down a bit, so (investors can) focus on the economy for a while and not worry about the bombs that are flying in the Middle East," said Paul Nolte. He is a senior wealth advisor & Market Strategist at Murphy & Sylvest, located in Elmhurst. There's some concern about the fact that there is a ceasefire but that it hasn't been resolved. It only delays a decision." Iran's Revolutionary Guards seize two ships for maritime violations, just hours after Trump agreed that the ceasefire would be extended until?negotiations were concluded. The U.S. stock market, which was initially impacted by the war against Iran, has since recovered. Both the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq, have reached new highs in recent sessions. Geopolitical uncertainties persist and a prolonged period with high oil prices is a danger. According to transcripts, about two thirds of S&P 500 companies who have reported quarterly earnings in the last few months have expressed concern about energy prices. The first-quarter earnings season has begun amid high expectations. According to the latest LSEG data, analysts currently expect S&P 500 earnings growth of 14.4% year-on-year for the period January-March. The first quarter was before the Iran War. Nolte said, "I do not think that we will feel the full impact of the war on earnings until we receive second quarter reports next July." The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 364.21 or 0.75% to 49,513.59; the S&P 500 gained 59.43 or 0.84% to 7,123.44; and the Nasdaq Composite increased 283.12 or 1.17% to 24,543.08. The European share price was slightly lower after the extension of the U.S. - Iran truce. Middle East turmoil continued to affect markets, and investors weighed corporate earnings. Since the start of the conflict, dozens of international companies have announced price increases or withdrawn their guidance. MSCI's global stock index rose by 3.98 points or 0.37% to 1,070.44. The STOXX 600 pan-European index dropped 0.23% while the FTSEurofirst 300 broad index in Europe fell 6.06 points or 0.25%. Emerging market stocks dropped 8.34 points or 0.52% to 1,607.14. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan ended lower by 0.57% at 822.53, whereas Japan's Nikkei gained?236.69 or 0.40% to 59585.86. Amid lingering geopolitical concerns, the dollar edged higher against euro. The dollar index (which measures the greenback against a basket including the yen, the euro and other currencies) rose by 0.06% at 98.44. Meanwhile, the euro fell 0.11% to $1.1728. The dollar fell 0.09% against the Japanese yen to 159.23. Bitcoin gained 3.97%, reaching $78,750.99. Ethereum rose by 3.57%, to $2400.37. Investors remain cautious after the extension of the ceasefire. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10 year notes dropped 0.6 basis points from 4.292% to 4.286% late Tuesday. The 30-year bond rate fell 0.9 basis point to 4.8887%, from 4.898% on Tuesday. The 2-year bond yield, which is usually in line with expectations of interest rates for the Federal Reserve, increased 1.3 basis points from late Tuesday to 3.792%. The oil prices rose following reports of attacks against container ships in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. crude climbed 2.09% to $91.54 per barrel while Brent rose 2.15% to $100.58 a barrel. The gold price rose as geopolitical uncertainty eased and the pressure to liquidate metals decreased. Gold spot rose by 0.45%, to $4.732.98 per ounce. U.S. Gold Futures increased 0.93% to $4.742.20 per ounce.
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Gold prices rise on the drop in Treasury yields and bargain-hunting
On?Wednesday, gold?rose about 1 percent after falling to a more than a week-low in the previous session. This was due to the fact that longer-dated U.S. Treasury rates fell as well as bargain-hunting as investors waited for a possible resume of U.S. - Iranian peace talks. By 9:42 am EDT (1342 GMT), spot gold had risen 0.8% to $4,749.61 an ounce after earlier rising 1%. It recorded its biggest daily loss on Tuesday since March 26. U.S. Gold Futures for June delivery rose 1% to $4 767.70. The gold price is experiencing a "bit of respite" as the rates on the curve have dropped and investors are hoping that Donald Trump's statements about the Strait of Hormuz will be resolved. Bart Melek is global head of commodity strategy for TD Securities. He said that the situation was very uncertain and tenuous. Iran seized on Wednesday two ships in the Strait of Hormuz which is responsible for 20% of world oil supplies, after U.S. president Donald Trump called off the attacks indefinitely so that Tehran could come up with an unified peace offer. Peace talks have not resumed. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rates fell by 0.24%. Jim Wyckoff is a senior analyst at Kitco Metals. He said that the precious metals market also exhibited a perception of bargain-hunting following Tuesday's losses. Since the beginning of 'the war' on February 28, gold prices have dropped by close to 11 percent, as rising oil costs have increased inflation fears. Higher interest rates reduce demand for non-yielding gold, which is often seen as a hedge against inflation. Kevin Warsh, the Federal Reserve's chief nominee, said that he made no promises about interest rate cuts to Trump on Tuesday. He was trying to reassure U.S. senators who were considering his confirmation. Silver spot rose 1.6%, to $77.92 an ounce. Platinum gained 2.1%, to $2,079.21. Palladium increased 1.5%, to $1,556.49. (Reporting by Ishaan Arora in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul Simao)
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Chile's copper king faces an acid shortage as China exports dry-up
China's exports to Chile of sulphuric acids sank to zero in March according to Chinese 'customs' data. The world's largest 'copper-producing nation' is now facing a shortage of the chemical that's used to refine around half of it. China plans to ban exports of sulphuric acids from May, to avoid a shortage in its domestic market. This includes the fertilisers industry. The shipment of acid to Chile has already stopped. It was the biggest market for China's acid exports in 2025, and it accounted for almost one-third. Comparatively, China exported 31,870 tons of acid to Chile between February 2026, and 151 268 tons in March 2025. The smelting of copper ore produces sulphuric acid. It is also used in the production of refined copper through a process called leaching. HSBC reports that Chile imports 37% of its acid, which comes from China. HSBC reports that Chile relies on imports, 37% of which come from China. The relationship between China's smelters and mining companies has been strained in recent times due to the fact that ore supply is tight, which means treatment charges (the fees paid for processing ore) are heavily in favour of the miners. COPPER OUTPUT IS AT RISK Alexis Urbani is a sulphuric-acid trader at Incotrade Chile. This can have a direct impact on cathode production, particularly for operations that rely on lower-grade ore, which has a higher acid consumption. Morgan Stanley stated in a report this month that the Chinese ban on acid exports could threaten Chile's annual production of 1.1 million tonnes of leached copper. This is more than half of Chile's refined output of about 2 million tonne and one fifth of its total copper-contained production of 5.5 millions tons. The bank estimated that 20% of the acid used in Chilean copper leaching comes from China. China's total sulphuric exports in March remained steady on a month-to-month basis at 143381 tons, with shipment to the Philippines, India, and Indonesia all increasing sharply. Bold Baatar, a Rio Tinto co-owner and chief commercial officer of Chile's Escondida mine, said at a Wednesday conference that Chile is particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in supply. He said that Chile was the most vulnerable country in terms of importing sulphuric acids, as it has the most copper leached.
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Carney: Canada won't let the US dictate terms for USMCA review
Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, said that Canada would not allow the United States to dictate the terms for the scheduled review of United States-Mexico Canada trade treaty. Mexico has held two rounds with the United States regarding the'review' and its first formal round will be next month. Canada has not been given a date for the start of any discussions. The review is expected to be completed by July 1. Jean Charest, the former Quebec premier, who sits on Carney's panel to advise him on Canada-U.S. relations, said on Radio-Canada that Washington wanted "a lot of concessions" from Canada before negotiations began. "It is not the case that the United States dictates terms." Carney told reporters that we have a discussion, and can reach a mutually beneficial outcome. "It will take time", he said. Last year, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canada's?key imports. Canada responded by implementing countermeasures. Carney says that Trump's actions have forced Canada to diversify its trade and reduce its heavy dependence on the United States. Janice Charette said that Canada's chief trade negotiator, with the United States was not expecting all issues to be resolved by July 1. However, that does not mean that the North American Trade Agreement will collapse. (Reporting and editing by Hugh Lawson; David Ljunggren)
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Investors ask UK audit watchdog for a closer look at HSBC's climate accounting
A group of 'institutional investors' has asked Britain's accounting'regulator' to review HSBC 2025 accounts and 'audit' in order to gauge if the bank is correctly assessing the risks posed by the climate change. Investors also said that they lacked visibility into how HSBC’s auditor PwC verified the bank’s accounting. A letter sent to the Financial Reporting Council with copies to the Prudential Regulation Authority, the bank, and by revealed. The letter stated: "In view of the ongoing 'lack of disclosures' by HSBC, PwC and other firms on matters that we believe are material to investors' understanding the 'bank's capital resilience', we write to request the FRC review HSBC accounts and audits to determine if they'meet' the required standard." Sarasin & Partners was among the signatories, as were Merseyside pension fund, NEST workplace pension investor, and asset managers Edentree Investment Management & Lombard Odier Investment Management. A spokesperson for the FRC confirmed the letter was received, but stated that the "watchdog" would not be able to comment further. PwC refused to comment, and HSBC didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Accounting and finance experts, as well as investors, have long claimed that certain companies do not disclose the full risk associated with climate changes. HSBC's three most recent financial statements conclude that it will not be adversely affected by climate change in the short to medium term. Investors expressed concern that this could be "excessively optimistic" given the bank's exposure to physical risks like floods and fires, as well as transition risks, such as changing regulatory requirements. Investors said that they had been in contact with the audit committee chair and chief comptroller of the bank since 2023, but saw "little evidence"?of progress. The group stated that in discussions with the bank between 2025 and 2026, it asked the board to review its assessment of climate risks. It also requested the board'reflect these assumptions into critical accounting assumptions, and publish a sensitivity study based on more severe climate impacts. The letter stated that "at a time when climate instability is increasing and decarbonisation is accelerating in key industries, failure to account for possible losses or liabilities could put the capital of investors at risk." The group said that HSBC Chairman Brendan Nelson’s dual role as chair of audit committee posed a conflict of interest. It also welcomed a review on how financial institutions report climate change. (Reporting and editing by Simon Jessop, Kirstin Ridley)
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Copper prices rise after Trump extends Iran ceasefire
The price of copper rose on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire agreement with Iran. However, lingering uncertainty over the Middle East conflict limited gains. In official open-outcry trade, the benchmark?three-month?copper price on London Metal Exchange rose 0.3% to $13,270 per metric tonne. This month, the renewed premium in Comex copper over the LME benchmark has been a key feature of the copper markets for 2025. It encourages shipments to the United States. More copper is expected to flow into the United States. While the premium price persists until the end of July, a decision will be expected to be made on whether or not to impose tariffs. Kostas bintas is the global head for metals at the trade house Mercuria. Comex copper stocks Since mid-April, the number of metric tons has increased by 2%, to 544,887, which is close to February's record 545,867. After recent stockouts from LME registered warehouses in Asia, inventories on the LME system were 395,575 tonnes. Market participants at the Financial Times Commodities Global Summit held in Lausanne in Switzerland were bullish about copper over the long-term but warned of the risks to demand in the event of a prolonged conflict. According to Mercuria's top metals analyst, the global aluminum market is already experiencing "black swans" in supply due to disruptions caused by?the conflict. This is expected to lead to major shortages for this year. LME aluminium increased by 1.3% to $3,604.5 per ton. On April 16, the contract reached a record high of $3,672. Nickel rose by 0.8% to $18,370. This was supported by a forecast from an industry group that a global deficit is expected this year. Zinc rose 0.7% on the LME to $3.467. Lead fell 0.6% at $1.951 while tin increased 0.5% at $50.175. (Reporting and editing by Sonia Cheema, Diti Pjara).
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Morgan Stanley says that the gaming industry could make $22 billion on AI-driven cost reductions.
Morgan Stanley analysts stated that advanced artificial intelligence tools can 'help reduce video game development costs by nearly half and unlock about $22 billion per year in profits for game makers around the world. In a note published on Tuesday, the brokerage stated that AI tools could be used to automate tasks such as creating game environments, generating dialog and testing software. This would help reduce production times and costs and increase margins. It added that gains will not be distributed equally across the gaming industry. Wall Street brokerage estimates that global consumer spending will reach $275 billion in video games this year. Of this amount, approximately 20% or $55 billion is expected to be reinvested into game development and operation. Morgan Stanley said that game development, which is typically expensive and labor-intensive, could become leaner if AI allows smaller teams to work together and for faster post-launch improvement. Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto VI is an example of how modern games are developed. This is one of the most anticipated titles in the industry. It has been?developed from around 2018 and is scheduled for release in November. After multiple delays, the game is now scheduled to launch in 2026. The brokerage stated that "we see value in concentrating on scaled platforms and discovering, especially among companies with proprietary IP and data and those who have live operations." The biggest beneficiaries could be those who have control over distribution, data and "engagement." Morgan Stanley said that operators and gaming platforms such as Tencent, Sony, and Roblox, along with large publishers like Take-Two and Electronic Arts, who have the ability to implement AI in multiple titles, may also benefit. AI will lower the cost of making mid-scale games, which will encourage more competition. The brokerage stated that "game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine?face a binary outcome: adapt, or be disrupted." AI can boost revenues beyond cost savings. It could do this by keeping gamers engaged for longer and increasing spending on in-game purchases, add-ons, and subscriptions. The brokerage suggested that instead of focusing on new releases, publishers should focus on upgrading existing franchises with AI-driven content. This would cushion the financial impact. (Reporting and editing by Diti Pjara in Bengaluru, Siddarth Singh in Bengaluru)
SpaceX's orbital Data Centers could face the same challenges as Microsoft's abandoned underwater project
SpaceX filed an IPO on Wednesday that Elon Musk claims will fund an effort to transform the rocket manufacturer into an 'AI powerhouse. Launching up to 1,000,000 data-center satellites in orbit to bypass Earth's power and water limitations.
Microsoft had a similar ambition to escape land-based computing constraints in 2015, when it lowered ?a shipping-container-sized data center onto the seabed off Scotland, aiming to cut energy ?use through natural seawater cooling and tapping offshore wind and tidal power.
Microsoft's Project Natick, once hailed as a?potential breakthrough? for the data-center sector, has met all of its technical goals, but the underwater data centers have been abandoned over two years due to lack of demand from clients and unviable economics.
A Microsoft spokesperson responded to a question by saying: "While there are no datacenters currently in the water, Project Natick will be used as a platform for research to explore, test and validate new concepts about datacenter reliability.
Five data center experts told us that what happened to Microsoft should serve as a warning for SpaceX. Although the two projects are geographically far apart, they have many similarities. They both rely upon modular units, which are costly to deploy, and can't be repaired, upgraded, or expanded. These features are considered crucial by the AI industry.
Roy Chua of AvidThink said that "these problems will likely be more severe in space than in the ocean". He cited unresolved issues such as how to cool the data centers in orbit and high launch costs, along with the adverse effects of harsh space conditions on AI chips. SpaceX?did not respond to a comment request. SpaceX, the company that acquired Musk's AI start-up xAI in Feburary, could raise $75 billion if it goes public. This would make it possibly the largest IPO ever. xAI's holdings include the social media company X (formerly Twitter) and AI chatbot Grok.
MUSK'S SPACES? AMBITIONS FACE HURDS
The two people who were familiar with the project, but asked not to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said that although Microsoft had proven that undersea facilities could work, their customers did not want to scale them up. Instead, they wanted to expand conventional land-based installations that would allow cheaper and faster upgrades as AI technology accelerated.
The "locked-for life" sealed design, which?SpaceX will replicate in orbit, has limited flexibility because AI chips are improving rapidly every year. A satellite or an undersea information center, on the other hand, may only be replaced every five to seven (7) years.
Two people also said that the economics was a major obstacle. The cost of building data centers underwater was higher than on land. While the costs may have decreased at scale, it would still have taken tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to do so.
The cost of space will increase dramatically.
In a research note published in February, analysts at MoffettNathanson (an independent U.S. equity-research firm) said that Musk's plan of putting a million AI satellites into space would cost trillions.
Analysts say that in order to make data centers commercially viable, the launch costs will need to drop from their current low of thousands of dollars to a few hundred dollars per kilogram.
Tim Farrar is an independent satellite analyst with TMF Associates. "The issue is not whether or not something works, but if it makes economic sense compared to simply building more capacity at the ground level," he said. Musk claims he can overcome technical and financial obstacles, such as radiation exposure, heat control in a vacuum, and the need to replace hardware frequently, by lowering launch costs and developing more resilient AI chip.
Musk claims that demand will not be a problem, as Earth's resources will be quickly depleted by AI, which is required to support a future where robots will outnumber people, and all cars will drive themselves, and space travel will become routine.
Farrar stated that the idea that Earth's problems, such as power shortages and environment issues, can not be solved, is unrealistic. It makes Earth seem worse in order to make "everything" appear better from space.
Musk's argument hinges on Starship - SpaceX next-generation rocket. Starship is designed to be fully recyclable and can carry much larger payloads than SpaceX Falcon rockets. Starship has been years behind schedule and has experienced explosive failures on some of its 11 suborbital tests flights since 2023.
MoffettNathanson calculates that Musk's target would require 3,000 Starship launches per year, or 8 a day.
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space company, is also a supporter of orbital data centres. In March, the rocket company announced that its Project Sunrise concept will add AI computing capability in orbit by utilizing clean solar power and preserving data-center infrastructure on Earth.
Blue Origin has not responded to any further comments.
SPACE AI COULD be a niche business
Claude Rousseau is a Research Director at Analysys Mason, who monitors satellite markets. He believes that space data centers have a bright future.
Rousseau stated that "I am convinced that in the near future, space-based data centres will not be able to replace ground-based datacenters." He added that this would be more of a niche industry that serves infrastructure in orbit such as military satellite constellations or?space station.
The International Space Station, for example, already has experimental systems that?process data on orbit and reduce the reliance upon downlink bandwidth.
Nvidia's Chief Executive,?Jensen Huang, said on the All-In Podcast in February that the economics for space-based AI-data centers are still unattractive.
"We should work on the ground because we are already here," Huang said. He described orbital AI infrastructure more as a long-term engineering challenge than a short-term solution.
Chua said that plans to move data centres under the ocean or into space could create new challenges and make it harder to solve problems on Earth.
Chua stated that "there are many problems we can solve before going into space" pointing out improvements in AI chip performance, improved water recycling and the expanded use of solar energy and modular nuclear generation.
(source: Reuters)