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Uncover the Week’s Key Stock Market Movements

Stock 3 Mins Read

If one word could characterize this week’s stock market price action, it would be “sideways.” At least it’s better than trending lower.

The stock market seemed comfortable with the Federal Reserve’s message on Wednesday, but lost that upside momentum and wasn’t able to follow through on the upside move until the last 30 minutes of Friday’s trading.

The Dow ($INDU), S&P 500 ($SPX), and Nasdaq Composite ($COMPQ) managed to eke out gains, ending the week on a slightly optimistic note.

On the bright side, the Cboe Volatility Index ($VIX) pulled back from its March 10 level. Even quadruple witching Friday—when contracts for stock index futures, stock index options, stock options, and single-stock futures all expire—didn’t see volatility spike too high. That said, the VIX is still elevated, relatively speaking, so we’re not exactly in complacent territory.

Quarterly earnings reports from Nike, Inc. (NKE), FedEx Corp. (FDX), and Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) didn’t help. The most troubling of the three is FDX. FedEx’s performance indicates the overall health of the U.S. economy. Tariffs, declining consumer confidence, and uncertainty about economic growth could be headwinds, for FedEx and other companies.

The weekly chart of FDX below shows the stock is trading below its 150-week exponential moving average (EMA) with its 40-week EMA trending lower. FDX has been underperforming the Industrials Select Sector SPDR (XLI) since early September 2024.

FIGURE 1. WEEKLY CHART OF FEDEX STOCK. FDX is trading below its 150-week EMA and underperforming the Industrial sector. Chart source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes.

Be sure to save this chart to your ChartLists. It acts like a monitor to check the U.S. economy’s pulse.

Precious Metals Shine

But it’s not all negative. Gold and silver prices have trended higher with gold hitting an all-time high this week. The daily six-month chart of gold futures ($GOLD) below shows that gold prices are trading above $3,000 per ounce.

FIGURE 2. DAILY CHART OF GOLD FUTURES. Gold prices have rallied most of the year and could keep rising if investors invest in safe-haven assets such as gold. Chart source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes.

In addition to trading above its 50- and 200-day SMAs, gold is outperforming the S&P 500. A rise in gold prices indicates risk-off sentiment, and, if investors continue to sell off stocks, gold prices could rise further. This is another valuable chart to monitor when uncertainty reigns.

Next week is heavy on macro data, so this back-and-forth movement could continue. Fasten your seatbelts.

End-of-Week Wrap-Up

  • S&P 500 up 0.51% on the week, at 5667.56, Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.2% on the week at 41,985.35; Nasdaq Composite up 0.17% on the week at 17,784.05.
  • $VIX down 11.39% on the week, closing at 19.28.
  • Best performing sector for the week: Energy
  • Worst performing sector for the week: Utilities
  • Top 5 Large Cap SCTR stocks: Elbit Systems, Ltd. (ESLT); XPeng, Inc. (XPEV); Palantir Technologies, Inc. (PLTR); Applovin Corp. (APP); Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB)

On the Radar Next Week

  • March S&P Global PMI
  • February PCE
  • Q4 GDP Growth Rate (final)
  • Fed speeches from Bostic, Barr, Kugler, and others

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

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The Best Five Sectors, #12

Stock 3 Mins Read

Energy Jumps to #2

A big move for the energy sector last week as XLE jumped to the #2 position in the ranking, coming from #6 the week before. This move came at the cost of the Consumer Staples sector which was pushed out of the top-5 and is now on #7.

Because of the jump of Energy, the Financials sector was pushed down to #3. Healthcare and Utilities remain in the top-5 but have switched positions.

The New Sector Lineup

  1. (1) Communication Services – (XLC)
  2. (6) Energy – (XLE)*
  3. (2) Financials – (XLF)*
  4. (5) Utilities – (XLU)*
  5. (4) Healthcare – (XLV)*
  6. (7) Industrials – (XLI)*
  7. (3) Consumer Staples – (XLP)*
  8. (8) Real-Estate – (XLRE)
  9. (9) Consumer Discretionary – (XLY)
  10. (10) Materials – (XLB)
  11. (11) Technology – (XLK)

Weekly RRG: XLF and XLC remain strong

On the weekly Relative Rotation Graph, Communication Services and Financials remain strong inside the leading quadrant. From the big cluster of tails inside the improving quadrant, XLE has jumped to the front of the queue (almost) while XLU and XLV continue to pick up nicely.

The long tail on XLY at a negative RRG-Heading rapidly continues to push the sector to the lagging quadrant. The Negative RRG-Heading on XLK keeps the sector at the bottom of the list.

Daily RRG: Modest Pickup of Relative Momentum for XLK and XLY

On the daily RRG:

  • XLE jumps to the highest RS-Ratio reading while maintaining the highest RS-Momentum.
  • Utilities stall inside the lagging quadrant
  • XLV rotates into weakening but remains at an elevated RS-Ratio reading
  • XLF rotates back into the leading quadrant, signaling the start of a new leg in the already established relative uptrend.

Communication Services

XLC held above the rising support line and closed towards the high of the week, suggesting that a new higher low is now getting into place.

Relative Strength continues to be strong, and RS-Momentum bottoms against 100-level.

Energy

The Energy sector rapidly improved, jumping from position #6 to #2 in one week. On the price chart, XLE is breaking its falling resistance, which opens the way for a further rally to the horizontal barrier near 98.

The raw RS-line is close to leaving its two-year-old falling channel, which would signal a significant shift in sentiment and a turnaround into a relative uptrend.

Financials

XLF remains a strong sector in position #3, with relative strength continuing to rise.

Last week’s rally on the price chart brought the price back to the old rising support line, which is now expected to start acting as resistance. The former support from the low near 5o is also expected to start acting as resistance.

This means that the upside potential in terms of price seems limited for now, but RS is still going strong.

Utilities

Relative strength for Utilities continues to creep higher, enough to keep the sector inside the top 5.

Both price and RS remain within the boundaries of their trading ranges.

Healthcare

RS for the Healthcare sector stalled at the level of the previous low. The RS-Ratio and RS-Momentum combinations on the daily and weekly Relative Rotation Graphs remain strong enough to keep the sector in the top 5.

Portfolio Performance Update

In the portfolio, the position in Consumer Staples (XLP) was closed against the opening price of Monday morning (3/24). At the same time, a new position was opened in Energy (XLE) against the opening price.

The rally in Consumer Discretionary and Technology at the end of last week has put a small dent in the performance,e and RRGv1 is now 1.4% behind SPY since the start of the year.

#StayAlert, -Julius

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DP Trading Room: Tariffs Narrowing, Sparks Market Rally

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Over the weekend it was announced that tariffs will be narrowing and possibly not as widespread as initially thought. Negotiations are continuing in the background and this seems to be allaying market participants’ fears. The market rallied strongly on the news.

Carl and Erin gave you their opinions of whether this rally has staying power. Carl began the program with a look at the current DP Signal Tables. Biases remain very negative but as we often say things get as bad as they’re going to get before they start turning it around.

After looking at the tables, Carl analyzed the market in general and then covered Gold, the Dollar, Yields, Bitcoin and more. Get a sense of market conditions with a review of this section.

The Magnificent Seven were next up on the agenda. Carl reviewed both the daily and weekly charts seeing many new rallies kicking in. Their improvements bode well for the market in general.

Erin took the reins and gave us a complete overview of sector rotation. She took a deep dive in the aggressive sectors with an under the hood view of Consumer Discretionary (XLY), Communication Services (XLC) and Technology (XLK).

Erin concluded the program by looking at viewer symbol requests that included SOFI, RIVN, F and SMCI.

01:18 DP Signal Tables

03:42 Market Overview

13:24 Magnificent Seven

22:05 Sector Rotation

28:31 Symbol Requests

Join us LIVE in the trading at Noon ET on Mondays by registering once here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D6iAp-C1S6SebVpQIYcC6g

We are running a two week FREE trial on any of our subscriptions! Just use coupon code: DPTRIAL2 at checkout! Here is a list of our subscriptions: https://www.decisionpoint.com/products.html

The DP Alert: Your First Stop to a Great Trade!

Before you trade any stock or ETF, you need to know the trend and condition of the market. The DP Alert gives you all you need to know with an executive summary of the market’s current trend and condition. It not only covers the market! We look at Bitcoin, Yields, Bonds, Gold, the Dollar, Gold Miners and Crude Oil! Only $50/month! Or, use our free trial to try it out for two weeks using coupon code: DPTRIAL2. Click HERE to subscribe NOW!

Learn more about DecisionPoint.com:

Watch the latest episode of the DecisionPointTrading Room on DP’s YouTube channel here!

Try us out for two weeks with a trial subscription!

Use coupon code: DPTRIAL2 Subscribe HERE!

Technical Analysis is a windsock, not a crystal ball. –Carl Swenlin

(c) Copyright 2025 DecisionPoint.com

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional. Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.

DecisionPoint is not a registered investment advisor. Investment and trading decisions are solely your responsibility. DecisionPoint newsletters, blogs or website materials should NOT be interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security or to take any specific action.

Helpful DecisionPoint Links:

Trend Models

Price Momentum Oscillator (PMO)

On Balance Volume

Swenlin Trading Oscillators (STO-B and STO-V)

ITBM and ITVM

SCTR Ranking

Bear Market Rules

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DRI Stock Breakout Confirmed: Here’s What You Need to Know Now!

Stock 5 Mins Read

Markets surged out of the gate Monday morning, with all three major U.S. indexes notching early gains. But after a bruising two-week rout on Wall Street, the question facing investors is whether stocks can sustain the rebound.

If Monday’s bounce is driven more by short-term bargain hunting than long-term conviction, then certain scans, like StockCharts’ Strong Uptrends to New Highs can help cut through the noise — flagging the outliers breaking key levels and showing enough momentum to possibly hold the upward move.

How I Scanned the Market at the Open

First stop: A high-level sweep of the S&P 500 using MarketCarpets to catch the early movers. From there, I drilled down into the sectors to see where real strength, or weakness, was taking shape.

FIGURE 1. MARKETCARPETS S&P 500 AND SECTOR VIEW. The S&P 500 view gives you a sea of green, but zooming into sectors, Consumer Discretionary (XLY) stands out above the rest.

Consumer Discretionary is outpacing all sectors, a signal worth noting. Instead of looking for leadership, I considered stocks hitting new highs, and then checking to see if any Discretionary names stand out from the pack.

So, next, I ran a Strong Uptrends To New Highs scan (you can find it in your scan library).

FIGURE 2, IMAGE OF THE SCAN AS IT APPEARS IN THE LIBRARY: This is one among numerous bullish scans you can run in StockCharts.

Only four stocks came up as a result. The most recognizable figure is Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI).

Darden Restaurants Stock: A Tasting Menu of Profits or Bloat

Even if you’re unfamiliar with the stock, you know Darden. Here’s a short list: Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Chuy’s, Bahama Breeze, and a few more. Sound familiar?

DRI jumped after reporting strong fiscal Q3 results, with sales and EPS rising. The company also raised its full-year outlook and declared a $1.40 dividend; analysts also gave it an upgrade.

On the technical side of things, DRI also showed up on several other scan engines which appeared in the StockCharts Symbol Summary:

  • Moved Above Upper Bollinger Band
  • Moved Above Upper Price Channel
  • P&F Double Top Breakout
  • Moved Above Upper Keltner Channel
  • New 52-week Highs
  • P&F Spread Triple Top Breakout

Let’s take a look at DRI’s relative performance against its sector (XLY) and the S&P 500 using PerfCharts.

FIGURE 3. PERFCHARTS OF DRI, XLY, AND $SPX.  DRI’s outperformance is very recent, according to this chart.

This chart tells an interesting story. DRI has been the laggard for most of the last 12 months, though it began picking up steam as XLY began outpacing the S&P 500. As tariff fears brought XLY valuations down toward S&P levels, DRI maintained its valuations, and after a two-week dip, shot higher.

Let’s take a longer-term look using a weekly chart.

FIGURE 4. WEEKLY CHART OF DRI. The dotted line shows this week’s breakout to all-time highs.

So, what does this chart tell us relative to the PerfCharts above? First, while DRI has been underperforming XLY and the S&P over the last year (and longer than that if you extend the PerfCharts analysis period), the stock has been chugging along on a slow and steady, albeit volatile, uptrend, staying well above its 200-period simple moving average (SMA).

The StockCharts Technical Rank (SCTR) line shows you that DRI has had periods fluctuating from technical strength to weakness. I consider the 70-line signal, more or less, to be the strength threshold, and right now, the stock is at 92, an extremely bullish level. The question now is whether it can maintain its trajectory and if so, might there be an entry point for those who are bullish on the stock?

For that, let’s shift over to a daily chart.

FIGURE 5. DAILY CHART OF DRI. Watch the momentum and volume.

DRI has been marching steadily upward since the middle of last summer, with its recent push to all-time highs fueled by strong fundamentals. However, in terms of momentum and volume, the Money Flow Index (MFI), which is a volume-driven RSI of sorts, has been declining during DRI’s rise, signaling the potential for a pullback.

Whether DRI can sustain its current momentum remains to be seen. In the meantime, the Ichimoku Cloud can help anticipate and gauge any potential pullback, with a broad support zone forming below. The first key level to watch is $192, while $180 marks a critical support line — a close below that could open the door to further downside.

At the Close

This scan-driven approach began with a broad market view and drilled down to individual stocks that made new highs while others merely rebounded. DRI emerged as a standout: a fundamentally strong name hitting new highs while much of the market remains in recovery mode. Whether it continues to climb or pulls back toward support, tools like the Ichimoku Cloud and volume-based indicators can help you manage the risk and prepare for entry.

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

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Key Levels for AAPL, AMZN, NVDA — Will This Market Rally Hold?

Stock 1 Min Read

In this video, Dave breaks down the upside bounce in the Magnificent 7 stocks — AAPL, AMZN, NVDA, and more — highlighting key levels, 200-day moving averages, and top trading strategies using the StockCharts platform. Find out whether these leading growth stocks are set for a bullish reversal or more downside. Will the rally hold?

This video originally premiered on March 24, 2025. Watch on StockCharts’ dedicated David Keller page!

Previously recorded videos from Dave are available at this link.

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Investing

Randy Smallwood: Gold Price Strong, Now it’s Time for Miners to Deliver

Investing 1 Min Read

Randy Smallwood, president and CEO of Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX:WPM,NYSE:WPM), shares his thoughts on the gold and silver markets, and discusses the company’s latest results.

He also weighs in on Wheaton’s long-term guidance and plans for the future.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Investing

Results of General Meeting, Admission of Retail Offer Shares and Total Voting Rights

Investing 3 Mins Read

CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM: CTL), an exploration and development lithium company in Chile, is pleased to announce that at the General Meeting (‘GM‘) held earlier today all the resolutions were duly passed.

Retail Offer

On 10 March 2025 the Company announced the Retail Offer had conditionally raised £143,980, in addition to the £2.4 million raised from a Placing announced on 11 February 2025. 899,873 new ordinary shares (‘Retail Offer Shares‘) will be issued to existing retail shareholders who subscribed via the BookBuild platform at a price of 16 pence per Retail Offer Share pursuant to the Retail Offer.

It is expected that Admission will become effective, and trading of the Retail Offer Shares will commence on AIM, at 8.00 a.m. on 25 March 2025.

Total Voting Rights

Following the issue of the Retail Offer Shares, the Company will have a total of 100,346,774 Ordinary Shares in issue. The Company does not hold any Ordinary Shares in treasury and accordingly the total number of voting rights in the Company is 100,346,774.

With effect from Admission, this figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in the Company, under the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority.

Words and expressions defined in the Company’s announcement of 10 March 2025 shall have the same meaning in this announcement.

For further information please visit https://ctlithium.com/

For further information contact:

CleanTech Lithium PLC

Steve Kesler/Gordon Stein/Nick Baxter

Jersey office: +44 (0) 1534 668 321

info@ctlithium.com

Chile office: +562-32239222

Beaumont Cornish Limited (Nominated Adviser)

Roland Cornish/Asia Szusciak

+44 (0) 20 7628 3396

Fox-Davies Capital Limited (Joint Broker)

Daniel Fox-Davies

+44 (0) 20 3884 8450

daniel@fox-davies.com

Canaccord Genuity (Joint Broker)

James Asensio

+44 (0) 20 7523 4680

Beaumont Cornish Limited (‘Beaumont Cornish’) is the Company’s Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish’s responsibilities as the Company’s Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and will not be responsible to any other persons for providing protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation to the proposed arrangements described in this announcement or any matter referred to in it.

Notes

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL) is an exploration and development company advancing lithium projects in Chile for the clean energy transition. Committed to net-zero, CleanTech Lithium’s mission is to become a new supplier of battery grade lithium using Direct Lithium Extraction technology powered by renewable energy.

CleanTech Lithium has two key lithium projects in Chile, Laguna Verde and Viento Andino, and exploration stage projects in Llamara and Arenas Blancas (Salar de Atacama), located in the lithium triangle, a leading centre for battery grade lithium production. The two most advanced projects: Laguna Verde and Viento Andino are situated within basins controlled by the Company, which affords significant potential development and operational advantages. All four projects have good access to existing infrastructure.

CleanTech Lithium is committed to utilising Direct Lithium Extraction with reinjection of spent brine resulting in no aquifer depletion. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative technology which removes lithium from brine with higher recoveries, short development lead times and no extensive evaporation pond construction. www.ctlithium.com

Click here for the full release

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Investing

African Gold Announces Transformational Strategic Partnership with Montage Gold

Investing 5 Mins Read

African Gold Ltd (ASX: A1G) (“African Gold” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its plans to secure a strategic investment from Montage Gold Corp. (TSXV: MAU; OTCQX: MAUTF) (“Montage Gold”) and new investors with a total value of up to A$9,174,768.

Highlights

  • Montage Gold and insiders to acquire a 19.9% stake in African Gold via:
    • a share swap of 2,026,388 Montage shares, valued at approximately A$6,466,445, for 92,377,787 African Gold shares at a deemed issue price of A$0.07 per share; and
    • a placement to Montage insiders of 12,371,429 African Gold shares at $0.07 per share raising A$866,000 (before costs).
  • The strategic partnership with Montage Gold will accelerate exploration at African Gold’s highly prospective Didievi gold project and broader tenement portfolio in Côte d’Ivoire.
  • Leadership team strengthened: Montage Gold’s EVP of Exploration, Silvia Bottero, joins the Board as Non-Executive Director, and CEO Martino De Ciccio to serve as a strategic advisor.
  • Montage Gold, recognised for its success in Côte d’Ivoire with the 4Moz+ Koné gold project, has a proven track record of value creation. This investment builds on their successful Sanu Gold (CNSX: SANU) partnership, which has delivered significant shareholder returns.

Key Terms:

  • Share Swap Agreement: African Gold will issue 92,377,787 shares at a deemed issue price of A$0.07 per share to Montage Gold in exchange for an equivalent value of Montage shares (2,026,388 shares) at a deemed issue price of C$2.87 per share1.
  • Placement to Montage insiders: 12,371,429 shares will also be issued to Montage related parties raising A$866,000 (before costs).
  • Following completion, Montage and insiders will hold 19.9%2 of African Gold, with an expected cash-equivalent valuation of $7,332,445.
  • Private Placement: African Gold will conduct a non-brokered private placement for approximately 5.0%2 of its shares to new investors by the issue of 26,318,899 shares at A$0.07 per share, raising approximately A$1,842,323 (before costs).
  • Board & Advisory Roles: Montage Gold’s EVP of Exploration, Silvia Bottero, will join the African Gold Board, while Montage CEO, Martino De Ciccio, will serve as a strategic advisor.
  • Assignment of pre-emptive rights: African Gold will assign to Montage its pre- emptive rights with respect to certain minority interests in the Didivei project, including that of a right to acquire the 20% project level shareholding owned by minority shareholders.
  • Exploration Funding & Oversight: Montage will oversee exploration at the Didievi project, with costs covered by African Gold. A joint technical committee— comprising three African Gold representatives and two from Montage—will determine exploration strategy and expenditures.
  • Right of First Refusal (“ROFR”): On certain asset-level transactions for the Didievi Project.
  • Silvia Bottero and Martino De Ciccio will be granted 5 million options each with an exercise price of $0.10 per share and expiry date three years from date of issue (subject to shareholder approval), recognising their active involvement and contributions to A1G.

This agreement follows the highly successful deal between Montage Gold and Sanu Gold, which enabled Sanu to aggressively advance drilling on its Guinea-focused projects and generate significant shareholder value. The Sanu Gold deal was conducted at C$0.072 per share, with Sanu’s share price rising as high as C$0.32 per share and currently trading at C$0.30 per share.

Africa Gold’s Chief Executive Officer, Adam Oehlman, said“We are excited to partner with Montage Gold given their extensive exploration track record and strong presence in Côte d’Ivoire. This collaboration offers an exciting opportunity to unlock exploration value at notably our flagship Didievi project. Furthermore, Montage’s robust technical due diligence process strengthens our belief that the Didievi project is highly prospective. We are very pleased with the ongoing 10,000-metre drill programme at our Didievi project and look forward to further drilling the property this year given our strengthened financial position.

“As part of this partnership, we are pleased to welcome Silvia Bottero to the African Gold board. With over 20 years of experience in mining, Silvia has a proven track record in driving greenfield discoveries and advancing brownfield projects, particularly in Africa and over the last decade she has been credited with the discovery of over 15Moz of M&I gold resources in Côte d’Ivoire.

“We are also excited to welcome Martino De Ciccio as a strategic advisor to African Gold given his extensive expertise and value creation track record. Moreover, Martino has a profound understanding of the African mining landscape, being recently recognized as one of the 20 most influential people in the African mining sector by Africa Business. Over the last year, under Martino’s leadership, Montage’s market capitalization grew from C$140 million to over C$1 billion given their success in obtaining environmental and mining permits, staffing a high-quality team, obtaining high profile strategic investors, securing over US$950 million in financing, delivering strong exploration results, and launching construction of their project.

“We look forward to working closely with Montage Gold, to maximise the potential of our assets in Côte d’Ivoire.”

Martino De Ciccio, CEO of Montage, commented:“We are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with African Gold and work alongside them to rapidly unlock exploration value across their highly attractive portfolio in Côte d’Ivoire, including the high-grade Didievi project, by leveraging our presence and expertise in the country. Our strategic investment in African Gold follows a thorough review of potential partnerships in Côte d’Ivoire, based on a value-driven approach that considers risk-adjusted geological potential and is supported by technical due diligence.”

Click here for the full ASX Release

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Investing

Trump Invokes Wartime Powers to Boost US Critical Minerals Production

Investing 4 Mins Read

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic production of critical minerals, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign sources — particularly China.

The order, signed on March 20, identifies mineral production as a national security imperative and authorizes the Department of Defense, in coordination with the International Development Finance Corporation, to facilitate financing, permitting and investment support for mining and processing essential minerals.

It also directs the Department of the Interior to expedite permits and prioritize mining operations on federal land.

‘Our national and economic security are now acutely threatened by our reliance upon hostile foreign powers’ mineral production,’ the order states. ‘It is imperative for our national security that the United States take immediate action to facilitate domestic mineral production to the maximum possible extent.’

The Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law originally enacted in 1950, grants the government the authority to direct private industry toward national security objectives. In recent years, the law has been used to ramp up production of defense materials, medical supplies and renewable energy components.

Trump’s use of the act signals a strong shift toward prioritizing domestic resource extraction to counteract China’s dominance in the supply chain and dependence on other nations.

US reliance on foreign minerals

Despite possessing significant reserves, the US remains heavily dependent on mineral imports.

According to the US Geological Survey, the country imports at least 15 critical minerals in large quantities, with 70 percent of America’s rare earths coming from China.

The US also relies on imports for nearly 50 percent of its lithium, 90 percent of its gallium and nearly 100 percent of its graphite, all essential for defense applications and the growing electric vehicle industry.

The move to boost domestic production comes amid growing concerns over China’s tightening export controls.

Beijing has recently begun restricting shipments of germanium, gallium and antimony — materials that are vital for semiconductors and defense systems. In response, US policymakers have pushed for strategic stockpiles and expanded domestic production to reduce vulnerability.

Mixed market response to executive order

Industry leaders have applauded the order, calling it a necessary step toward securing a stable supply chain.

Some US mining companies have also issued statements in support of the executive order.

Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV:UCU,OTCQX:UURAF), which is currently working with the Department of Defense on rare earth elements processing technology, called the order a move that ‘underscores the urgent need to establish robust, domestic rare earth processing capabilities’ in a recent press release.

CEO Pat Ryan noted that the Trump administration’s efforts align with Ucore’s plans to commercialize its refining technology, which would help reduce the country’s dependence on Chinese processing facilities.

Similarly, American Tungsten (CSE:TUNG,OTCQB:DEMRF) praised the initiative, citing the need for an independent tungsten supply chain. ‘This Executive Order is a clear endorsement for America’s mining industry. We believe our tungsten project, the IMA Mine, is a core example of why critical mineral production in the U.S. must be prioritized and addressed without delay,’ commented CEO Murray Nye in a statement.

However, environmental groups have criticized the order, warning that it could weaken safeguards meant to protect public lands from excessive mining activity. ‘Yet again, President Trump is trying to ignore the law and dictate that our national public lands be handed over to private companies for extraction and profit above all else,’ Bloomberg quotes Rachael Hamby, policy director at the Center for Western Priorities, as saying.

Many environmental advocates prefer stronger regulations, and have long warned that increased mining activity, particularly on federal lands, could lead to pollution, habitat destruction and water contamination.

The order directs federal agencies to produce a list of US mines that could be quickly approved, and to assess which federal lands, including those managed by the Pentagon, could be used for mineral processing.

It also mandates the creation of a centralized forum for buyers and sellers in the critical minerals industry.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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