🚨BREAKING: Glencore and Rio in talks over £130bn merger which would see them topple BHP as mining industry leader

#RioTinto and #Glencore say they are in discussions to merge in a move that would create one of the world’s largest #mining companies and a #copper production powerhouse in a major shake-up of the resources sector.

The London-listed Glencore said it was in “preliminary discussions … about a possible combination of some or all of their businesses, which could include an all-share merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore”

POTENTIAL MASSIVE MOVE IN THE MINING INDUSTRY

Electrification is set to become the dominant driver of global copper demand.

Share of total #Copper demand from electrification (EVs, renewables, grids, charging infrastructure, etc.):

2019: ~33%
2020–2021: ~36–37%
2022–2023: ~39–42%
2024: ~45%
2025F: ~47%
2026F–2030F: Rising steadily to ~50% by 2030

By 2030, half of all copper consumed worldwide is forecast to come from electrification
up from about 1/3 pre-pandemic.

This surge (driven by net-zero goals) explains why copper is seen as the "metal of the future" and why supply shortages are a growing concern despite current soft prices.

BREAKING: Trump says he's instructing unnamed representatives to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds in a bid to narrow mortgage spreads and bring down rates.

🥶 The US Supreme Court could OVERTURN all of Trump's tariffs...

...and trigger a major market turmoil!

If the reversal is upheld, we're talking about:
💰 $150-200 billion in potential refunds
💰 -$100 billion in revenue

But above all, an immediate rebound in stocks (with companies recouping billions of dollars).

The problem is that the US debt would be negatively impacted.

Trump has already warned that a reversal would be an economic disaster.

The betting is open, but Polymarket is leaning towards a reversal.

GREAT MAP...🇬🇧UK is not lost yet

This map illustrates the UK's extensive network of overseas military facilities and partnerships, emphasizing how long steaming distances are from home bases.

Home bases:
Faslane, Plymouth, Portsmouth – home to the Royal Navy's submarines, carriers, and major surface fleets.

Overseas sovereign bases:
Gibraltar, Falklands, Ascension, Diego Garcia (BIOT), Akrotiri/Dhekelia (Cyprus).

Key facilities:
Bahrain (major RN logistics hub), Oman (Duqm port), Singapore, Brunei.

⚠️Steaming times (at 12 knots average):
North Atlantic/Gibraltar: 7–12 days
South Atlantic/Falklands: ~12 days
Gulf/Bab-el-Mandeb: ~20 days
Indian Ocean/Diego Garcia: ~20–25 days
Indo-Pacific/Singapore: ~35 days

The map underscores #Britain 's ability to project power globally through forward bases and alliances, while highlighting the vast distances involved and the strategic chokepoints (Suez, Malacca, Hormuz, Panama) along the way.

Even in 2026, the #UK maintains one of the #world's most far reaching naval networks outside the US

🇮🇩Indonesia holds the nickel mines crown👑

Southeast Asia (especially Indonesia) is dominating the nickel boom for EV batteries:

Weda Bay Project (Indonesia) Tsingshan: 516,700 t (world's largest by far).

PT Huayue Nickel Cobalt Project (Indonesia): 120,000 t

Halmahera Persada Lygend Project (Indonesia): 95,180 t

PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (Indonesia): 93,200 t (estimated)

Parkal Liane Mine (Indonesia): 35,970 t (smaller but part of the cluster)

Other major players:

Sorowako Mine (Indonesia) Vale: 64,100 t
Cerro Matoso (Colombia): 40,800 t
Ambatovy (Madagascar): 40,950 t
Taganito (Philippines) – NAC: 70,410 t
Oktaybrsky (Russia): 36,180 t

#Indonesia alone hosts the top projects, driven by massive HPAL (high-pressure acid leach) investments for #battery grade nickel.

Russia’s traditional underground giants are being dwarfed by this new wave.

The shift is massive Indonesia now supplies over half the world's nickel, fueling the EV revolution while traditional producers (#Russia, Philippines, New Caledonia) lose share.

#Nickel #EV #Mining #Indonesia

Where are located the UK Energy Infrastructure & Major Ports Map

This detailed map highlights Britain's critical energy assets and strategic maritime hubs

🚢Top Ports by Cargo Volume:

London – 53.9M tonnes
Grimsby & Immingham – 54.2M tonnes (largest by volume)
Southampton – 33.5M tonnes
Milford Haven – 32.9M tonnes (key LNG terminal)
Liverpool – 31.3M tonnes
Tees & Hartlepool – ~28M tonnes
Felixstowe – 31M tonnes (⚠️UK's biggest container port)
Dover – 24.9M tonnes (passenger/roll-on roll-off)
Belfast – 18M tonnes
Forth (Grangemouth) – 12.4M tonnes

⚡️Energy Infrastructure:

Nuclear power plants scattered across England, Wales, Scotland (e.g., Sizewell, Torness, Hunterston).

Offshore wind farms concentrated in North Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel.

Oil refineries (e.g., Fawley, Grangemouth, Stanlow).

Gas terminals (LNG at Milford Haven, Isle of Grain; pipeline terminals).

Oil & gas fields in North Sea.

Major interconnections (power cables, gas pipelines) to Europe.

Heavy industry clusters (e.g., Teesside, Humber).
High-tech zones, agriculture, frontiers industry.
Principal railways and strategic roads linking ports/industry.

The UK's energy security and trade rely heavily on coastal infrastructure especially North Sea assets and a handful of mega-ports handling the vast majority of cargo.

Vulnerabilities here (e.g., to disruption or attack) would hit hard.

A stark reminder of why maritime domain awareness and naval presence matter so much to Britain.

#UK #EnergySecurity #Ports #NorthSea

🇨🇭Switzerland... The Golden Country 🏆

With Zero Gold Mines,🇨🇭 Refines 70% of the World's Gold🤯

This map shows how #GOLD flows to #Switzerland from mining nations, highlighting its role as the global refining hub.

Key sources of Swiss refined gold:

West #Africa (thickest flow): Ghana, Mali, Guinea, Togo major producers sending raw doré bars.

UAE (2nd-largest): #Dubai is a massive re-export hub for African and South American gold, despite no domestic mines.

#Turkey : Growing refining and transit role.

Others: Includes Peru, Canada, #Russia, Australia, etc.

Switzerland (home to refineries like Valcambi, PAMP, Argor-Heraeus, Metalor) processes gold from over 90 countries, turning impure doré into 99.99% pure bars the London Bullion Market standard.

Swiss neutrality, banking secrecy (now reduced), expertise, and infrastructure make it the trusted middleman.

Much of the world's mined gold passes through here before heading to vaults, jewelers, or central banks.

Fun fact: The #UAE's role shows how trade hubs can rival producers in the supply chain.
A perfect example of how value in commodities often lies in processing and trust, not just extraction.

#Commodities

🔥 US macroeconomic data:

▪️ Unemployment rate (Dec)

FACT: 4.4%
FORECAST: 4.5%
PRED.: 4.5%

▪️ Change in the number of employed in the non-agricultural sector (Dec)

FACT: 50K
FORECAST: 66K
PRED.: 56K

▪️ Average hourly wage (compared to the same period last year) (y/y) (Dec)

FACT: 3.8%
FORECAST: 3.6%
PRED.: 3.6%

▪️ Average hourly wage (m/m) (Dec)

FACT: 0.3%
FORECAST: 0.3% 
PRED.: 0.2%

The world will experience a #Copper shortage of 10 million tonnes by 2040 and pose a systemic risk to the global economy warns S&P Global
🚨🚨🚨

💥 FedWatch: In January, the Fed will leave the interest rate unchanged with a probability of 97.2% (based on data on the US labor market).

China Dominates Critical Minerals

and a war is happening....

China leads in 14 of the 20 listed minerals, often with huge majorities (80–98%).

This dominance spans EV batteries, semiconductors, renewables, aerospace, and defense a massive geopolitical leverage point.

Diversification efforts are ramping up, but as of now, Beijing holds the keys to the critical mineral supply chain.

#CriticalMinerals #China #SupplyChain #Geopolitics

World's Largest Rare Earth Reserves

Rare earths are crucial for EVs, wind turbines, smartphones, batteries, and defense tech

They are heavily concentrated:

#China – 44 million tonnes (dominant by far)
#Brazil – 21 million tonnes
#India – 6.9 million tonnes
Australia – 5.7 million tonnes
#Russia – 3.8 million tonnes
Vietnam – 3.5 million tonnes
United States – 1.9 million tonnes
#Greenland – 1.5 million tonnes (autonomous Danish territory)
Tanzania – 890k tonnes
South Africa – 860k tonnes

⚠️ China holds nearly half the world’s known reserves and even more dominance in actual mining and refining (~85–90% of processed rare earths).

This concentration is a major strategic vulnerability for the West, driving efforts to develop alternatives

Greenland’s reserves are increasingly in focus especially with US interest in Arctic resources.

#RareEarths #CriticalMinerals #Geopolitics #Greenland

Top 100 24h Gainers 🚀

POL          $0.1533    +15.40%
STX          $0.3797    +8.28% 
ATOM        $2.56        +4.98% 
MORPHO    $1.25        +4.19% 
RENDER    $2.33        +3.82% 

Top 100 24h Losers 🔻

NIGHT      $0.0683    -9.04% 
WLFI        $0.1685    -8.85% 
TON          $1.77        -5.35% 
CC            $0.1320    -4.43% 
MYX          $4.95        -3.31%