Welcome to the Precious Metals Bug Forums

Welcome to the PMBug forums - a watering hole for folks interested in gold, silver, precious metals, sound money, investing, market and economic news, central bank monetary policies, politics and more.

Why not register an account and join the discussions? When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no Google ads, market data/charts, access to trade/barter with the community and much more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

I know Bessant claims his.largest personal portfolio holding is physical gold.

I now wonder if it was him or Elon that purchased all those ASEs last year that drained retail supply?
 

Supply Chains Become New Battleground in the Global Trade War​

SINGAPORE—A key lesson from the latest skirmish in the U.S.-China trade war: The era of weaponized supply chains has arrived.

Earlier this week, Washington and Beijing ended a standoff involving the most potent new tool in superpower statecraft—export controls. As part of a monthslong trade fight, the two sides choked off the supply of such exports as rare earths or semiconductor technology in bid to gain an edge.

So when Chinese and American negotiators finally met in London to discuss a truce, the talk focused far more on dialing back supply-chain curbs than they did on tariffs, market access and other standard trade-negotiation topics.

That shift highlights how the rivalry between the U.S. and China is increasingly about who controls the levers of global economic power. For businesses and investors, the potential for these tools to be used more broadly in the pursuit of geopolitical goals by Washington and Beijing adds another layer of complexity to an economic backdrop already clouded by tariffs.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...global-trade-war/ar-AA1Gy9F7?ocid=socialshare
 

China's Rare Earth Lead Has The US Scrambling | Insight with Haslinda Amin 6/12/2025​

Jun 12, 2025
Insight with Haslinda Amin, a daily news program featuring in-depth, high-profile interviews and analysis to give viewers the complete picture on the stories that matter. The show features prominent leaders spanning the worlds of business, finance, politics and culture.

China's Rare Earth Lead Has The US Scrambling | Insight with Haslinda Amin 6/12/2025

 
Fearnleys Week 24


 

The Real U.S.-China Trade Fight Isn’t About Exports​

About the author: Marc Chandler is chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex, a division of First Financial Bank.

U.S.-China trade talks are focused on export controls and tariffs, but at a deeper level they are about the future of the Pax Americana formed after World War II. A corporate-driven globalization emerged as businesses adapted to U.S. hegemony, currency dominance, and protectionism. At stake now is whether China can follow the same path as the U.S., even while the American public begins to rebel against that model.

Pax Americana transformed global commerce through a distinct form of economic integration built on foreign direct investment, transfer pricing, and intrafirm trade—the movement of components, services, and intellectual property among subsidiaries of the same corporation. As Europe and Asia rebuilt, U.S. companies found their exports threatened by a strong dollar and foreign protectionist measures. Their solution was to invest directly in foreign production facilities. Illustrating this shift, General Motors, Ford Motor, and IBM established manufacturing operations throughout Western Europe, reducing exchange rate challenges and trade barriers while maintaining corporate control. This approach prioritized ownership over traditional trade.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...-t-about-exports/ar-AA1GDt6E?ocid=socialshare
 

Dow futures fall 400 points after Israel strikes Iran, spiking oil prices: Live updates​

U.S. stock futures tumbled early Friday after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran, pushing energy prices higher and adding another complication at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 423 points, or 1%. S&P 500 futures dropped roughly 0.9%%, while Nasdaq 100 futures lost 1.1%.

The market drop happened as Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz declared a special state of emergency following an Israeli attack on Iran. Two U.S. officials said that there is no U.S. involvement or assistance, according to NBC News.

More:

 

Ford CEO says rare earths shortage forced it to halt production​

Ford CEO Jim Farley said that a rare earth minerals shortage is hurting production and caused the automaker to temporarily shut down one of its plants last month, according to an interview with Bloomberg TV.

Rare earth minerals, which are a set of 17 metallic elements, are integral to automobile production, and enable features like windshield wipers, seat belts and speakers to function. About 90% of the U.S.'s rare earth minerals come from China, the world's largest producer of rare earths, according to data from the Geological Survey.

China has leveraged its grip on rare earths and their widespread utility amid a trade war with the U.S. In April, Beijing announced greater export controls on the materials — a sticking point in tariff negotiations — along with other retaliatory trade measures. The controls require businesses to apply for a license to export rare earths, which U.S. automakers say they have been struggling to secure.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...-halt-production/ar-AA1GFKtr?ocid=socialshare
 

Self-made billionaire college dropout Alexandr Wang signs $14.3 billion deal to bolster Meta’s AI efforts: ‘There’s a huge premium to naivete’​

  • Alexandr Wang, once the youngest self-made billionaire in the world, has agreed to join Meta to work on AI “superintelligence,” leaving the startup that made him rich after dropping out of MIT.
Alexandr Wang’s Scale AI just inked a $14.3 billion investment deal with Meta, which transitions the 28-year-old out of his CEO position at the startup he co-founded with fellow billionaire and estranged business partner Lucy Guo.

Wang announced Thursday on X that he’s leaving Scale AI to join Meta as part of an agreement that gives CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s tech company a 49% stake in the startup. Wang became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire at age 24, just five years after dropping out of college and creating the San Francisco-based company. Now, his estimated net worth is $3.6 billion.

“I started this company right out of freshman year of MIT and never looked back,” Wang wrote in his memo to Scale AI employees on Thursday. “I wouldn’t change a minute of it.”

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...emium-to-naivete/ar-AA1GHNm2?ocid=socialshare
 

Canada agrees to ratify Britain’s accession to major trans-Pacific trade pact​

Canada has agreed to ratify Britain’s accession to a major trans-Pacific trade pact as Sir Keir Starmer and Mark Carney sought to revive talks on a stalled bilateral deal.

Ottawa will seek to introduce legislation to its parliament this autumn to approve Britain’s entry to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The UK joined the bloc in 2024, but Canada is yet to formally endorse its membership – meaning British exports to the country are not covered by the reduction in tariffs outlined in the pact.

Following a bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister and his Canadian counterpart in Ottawa’s Parliament Hill on Sunday, Downing Street said the move would bring “huge benefits” to UK businesses.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...cific-trade-pact/ar-AA1GLb8n?ocid=socialshare
 

Tel Aviv stocks rebound as markets gauge effects of Iran-Israel conflict​

Israeli equities closed higher on Sunday despite an escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran, with investors appearing to shake off early concerns about the regional conflict. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-35 index ended the day up 1%, recovering from morning losses that had approached 2%.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/top...-israel-conflict/ar-AA1GKCA1?ocid=socialshare
 

Stock futures drop on rising geopolitical risk as Israel-Iran attacks continue: Live updates​

Stock futures declined before Monday’s session as the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran spiked oil prices and raised investors’ concerns about the global economy.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures shed 92 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures lost 0.2%, as did Nasdaq 100 futures.

WTI crude oil futures surged another 3% Sunday night as trading began to above $75 a barrel.

More:

 

US Export-Import Bank considering $120M loan for Greenland rare earths project​

Critical Metals Corp. has received a letter of interest from the U.S. Export-Import Bank for a loan worth up to $120 million to fund the company’s Tanbreez rare earths mine in Greenland, in what would be the Trump administration’s first overseas investment in a mining project.

The loan, if approved, would boost U.S. access to minerals increasingly at the center of global economic trade and help offset the country’s reliance on market leader China. It also comes after President Trump openly mused earlier this year about acquiring the Danish island territory, an overture that has been repeatedly rejected.

In a letter dated June 12 and reviewed by Reuters, New York-based Critical Metals has met initial requirements to apply for the $120 million EXIM loan and, if approved, would have a 15-year repayment term, longer than the company likely would have with private financing.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...e-earths-project/ar-AA1GLoi1?ocid=socialshare
 

Stock futures rebound slightly as oil surge eases amid continuing Israel-Iran attacks: Live updates​

Stock futures rebounded slightly early Monday as the spike in oil prices due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran eased for a moment. Stock gains were muted as investors remained concerned about the rising geopolitical risk to the global economy.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures jumped 157 points, or 0.4%. S&P 500 futures added 0.4%, while Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.5%.

WTI crude oil futures fell 0.47% to $72.64 a barrel after trading above $77 earlier in the overnight session.

More:

 
Back
Top Bottom