🚨 CHINA IS TAKING OVER GLOBAL COPPER

production:

• 🇨🇱 Chile. 5.3M tons
• 🇨🇩 DRC. 3.3M tons
• 🇵🇪 Peru. 2.6M tons
• 🇨🇳 China. 1.8M tons
• 🇮🇩 Indonesia. 1.1M tons
• 🇺🇸 U.S. 1.1M tons

But here’s the part markets ignore

• China buys 70% of Peru’s copper
• Chinese firms control >70% of DRC mines

That means that China doesn’t need to be the biggest producer.

It controls the flow.

As EVs, grids, and AI scale, copper becomes strategic.

And Beijing sits upstream of the West’s electrification push.

#China #copper #energy

Switzerland is home to the richest French metropolis (Geneva), the richest German major city (Zurich), and the richest Italian speaking region (Ticino)

Top 100 24h Gainers 🚀

STABLE    $0.0295    +23.86%
ATOM        $2.22        +4.78% 
M              $1.36        +4.65% 
IP            $1.18        +4.59% 
LIT          $1.65        +2.50% 

Top 100 24h Losers 🔻

H              $0.1904    -21.43%
DOGE        $0.1011    -6.01% 
MYX          $1.87        -4.55% 
SOL          $83.99      -4.14% 
HYPE        $29.94      -3.94%

Envisaged Transport and Trade Corridors Across Africa by the European Union.

Romania is moving to become a strategic player in the rare earth supply chain, as state-owned Nuclearelectrica and U.S.-listed Critical Metals Corp ($CRML) signed a term sheet to form a joint venture for a rare earth processing plant in Feldioara, near Brașov.

According to Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan, the goal is not just to build a refinery, but to create a fully integrated Western supply chain from extraction in Greenland’s Tanbreez deposit to refining and final industrial use in Europe and the United States.
$CRML, majority owner of the Tanbreez project in southern #Greenland one of the world’s largest rare earth deposits will supply up to 50% of its concentrate to the future Romanian facility over the life of the mine under competitive market conditions.

The plant would convert concentrates into rare earth metals and advanced materials, including magnets for aerospace, defense, microprocessors and clean technologies. Final beneficiaries could include major U.S. tech and space companies.

The project aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on China, which currently controls over 80% of global rare earth processing capacity, and to strengthen EU economic and defense security.

Romania and $CRML are expected to seek EU funding from the €3.5 billion rare metals initiative recently announced for strategic industrial projects.
If implemented, the initiative would place Romania at the center of a Western-aligned critical minerals supply chain from mine to processing.

$RCAT $PLTR $KTOS $UMAC $DPRO $ONDS | SpaceX and xAI are competing in a secret Pentagon contest to develop voice controlled, autonomous drone swarms.

The $100M challenge aims to translate commander orders into digital instructions for coordinated fleets.

Global BESS installations hit 315 GWh in 2025 — up 50% YoY.

The 2026 pipeline: 450+ GWh. At this rate, battery storage overtakes pumped hydro as the world's largest storage fleet by mid-decade.

A technology that barely existed at grid scale in 2018 is now the default.

Antimony alert! US import reliance: 91% (metal & oxide)

Sources: China, Belgium, Thailand, India

Vital for: bullets, batteries, flame retardants, night vision, semiconductors.

China dominates & banned US exports.

Time to boost domestic production!

Antimony, cobalt, and tungsten. Three minerals that $UAMY is working to bring to the US market

‼️Tungsten Prices Make New Highs!

China controls Tungsten AND Antimony supplies!

ASX Explorer ‘American Tungsten and Antimony Ltd’ owns the last USA active Tungsten mine and they’re starting it back up along with the highest grade and largest Antimony resource in the USA.

#AT4 $ATALF #asx #Tungsten #Mining #Antimony #CriticalMinerals $eqr $dtrf $tgn $pls #rareearths

Odds of the Fed cutting rates on March 18 dropped to 9.8%, per CME Group.

$TSLA $MBLY $AMZN $NVDA $SERV $RR | NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang: "The world faces a shortage of 100 million workers due to aging populations."

"Humanoid robotics will bridge this gap in a $50 trillion industry."

Tuesday, Feb 17 2026, 12:00 UTC time

📈 📋 Latest Important Headlines — Market & Macro Brief

📌 ✅ US / Dollar & Rates\n
Dollar holds gains in thin holiday trading as markets await Fed minutes and US GDP. US 10-year yield hit a ~2½‑month low, keeping Treasury-driven risk sentiment supportive for equities.

💹 🔖 UK — Jobs, Wages & Sterling\n
U.K. jobless rate rose to near a five‑year high, payrolls show mixed signals and wage growth cooled toward a ~4‑year low. Sterling slid to about a one‑month low; markets price higher odds of a BOE rate cut as gilt yields fell (UK 10‑yr down to ~1‑month low). FTSE 100 still hitting fresh highs amid sector rotation.

🌏 📋 Australia & New Zealand\n
RBA minutes leaned hawkish on inflation risks; AUD weakened after the release. Australia 10‑yr yield fell to over a one‑month low. In NZ, food inflation rebounded and NZ equities slipped for a fourth session.

🇩🇪 ✅ Germany & Eurozone\n
German inflation confirmed at 2.1%; Bund yields slid further as growth prospects dim — DIHK warns German economy remains stuck with ~1.0% growth expected in 2026. Eurozone investor morale unexpectedly eased, keeping ECB outlook cautious.

🇮🇹 🔖 Italy & France\n
Italy’s trade surplus widened (largest in five months); BTP yields moved lower tracking global peers. French 10‑yr OAT yield hit a six‑month low as bond markets rally.

🇯🇵 📋 Japan & FX\n
Yen reversed earlier losses; EUR/USD ticked down ahead of US data — cross‑asset volatility subdued into Fed minutes.

🇨🇦 ✅ Canada & Commodities\n
TSX futures fell as gold dipped and inflation data remained a focus for Canadian markets; mining names mixed on metals moves.

🇧🇷 🔖 Global / Other Notes\n
Bitcoin upside seen capped by slowing global liquidity and rising debt. European stocks mixed to lower ahead of US macro releases; FTSE MIB and DAX cautious. Ireland & Italy report stronger exports to the US; Medtronic flags tariff impacts to FY26 EPS.

📌 📋 What traders should watch next\n
Key catalysts: Fed minutes, US GDP, further UK labour data, RBA/Fed commentary, and 10‑yr yield moves. Positioning: risk flows favor equities on lower yields but FX sensitivity to macro surprises remains high.

Digest prepared for traders — concise actionable macro & fixed income cues.

Tuesday, Feb 17 2026, 12:05 UTC time

Latest Important Headlines

📰 📋 Vulcan Materials (VMC) — 4Q Aggregates Shipments\n
📌 Aggregates shipments at Vulcan Materials rose to 55.1M tons in 4Q, beating expectations — a positive signal for U.S. construction activity and industrial demand.

✅ 🔖 Market implications (US / FX / Equities)\n
📌 Stronger-than-expected shipments point to resilient U.S. infrastructure and construction demand, supportive for industrial names and materials sectors. This can be mildly USD-positive if it feeds into stronger growth/outlook; could bolster cyclicals and bond yields if replicated across other data.

📈 📋 Trading / Strategy Notes\n
📌 Long bias on U.S. industrials/materials (including VMC) on confirmation of broader demand strength; monitor PMI, housing, and capex cues. Watch USD/JPY and commodity-linked FX for risk-on flow; tighten stops around earnings or macro surprises.

🔎 ✅ Key Data\n
📌 4Q shipments: 55.1M tons — beats consensus; focus on follow-up quarterly guidance and sectoral order books for confirmation.

#GOLD #XAU/USD M15 #Indicator #Signal #Trading #GlobalOneAI

Gold volatility can move fast. Leverage magnifies it.

Trade commodities with up to 250x leverage ➡️ gains.trade/trading#XAU-USD

The easy #copper is gone.

New supply now requires:

- Deeper drilling
- Lower ore grades
- Smaller, more complex deposits

That means higher costs, longer timelines, and more capital risk.

Which is exactly why copper remains one of the most attractive long-term setups in commodities

Iran will close parts of the Strait of Hormuz.

- It is part of military drills
- It comes after a 2nd round of negotiations led nowhere
- And increased US military presence in the Middle East

The Strait of Hormuz accounts for:

- ~30% of seaborne oil trade
- ~20% of global LNG trade

Any disruption would have immediate implications for energy markets.

Tensions are escalating fast.

Kazakhstan and Cameco, together responsible for roughly ~60% of global #uranium supply, are effectively tightening the market.

In 2026:

- Kazakhstan plans to cut output by ~8 m lb
- That equals roughly ~5% of global uranium supply
- Cameco has signaled it will not ramp production

When the two largest suppliers choose discipline over volume, it sends a clear message.

They want to see higher prices