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Tariffs, Turmoil and AI: Is 2025 the Turning Point Markets Needed?
Trump's tariff shocks sparked market volatility, but AI stocks drove a global rally, lifting the ASX ~14% from April lows in 2025.
Property Boom Flatters Victoria’s Troubled Budget
There’s nothing like a property boom to gladden the heart of any state premier. So Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan must be delighted to see that Melbourne’s median house price has now marched to within $10,000 of its record high. While these higher prices make it harder for first time buyers to get into the market, […]
US and China Reach Framework for Trade Deal Ahead of Trump–Xi Meeting
Top US and Chinese economic officials have agreed on the outline of a new trade framework that could avert another round of steep tariffs and ease Chinese export controls on critical minerals, US officials said Sunday. The agreement, reached on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, sets the stage for President Donald Trump and Chinese President […]
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Trump’s Industrial Push Sees Washington Invest in Strategic Industries
Under President Donald Trump, the US government has begun taking direct equity stakes in major private companies, including chipmaker Intel, rare earth producer MP Materials, and lithium developer Lithium Americas, as part of a sweeping effort to bolster national security and reduce reliance on China. The policy marks a sharp departure from decades of free-market orthodoxy. Some company boards […]
Weekly Wrap: Can the ASX Overcome Trade Turmoil? Investors Brace for Volatility
It was one of those weeks on the share market when the good news and the bad news fought for domination. In the end, both had a reasonable claim to have won the week, with the Australian share market posting a weekly gain of 0.3% to record its second straight week of gains. On the […]
US and Australia Sign New Rare Earths and Critical Minerals Supply Chain Framework
The United States and Australia have signed a landmark agreement in Washington, D.C. establishing a common policy framework for the mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths, strengthening supply chain resilience and deepening strategic cooperation between the two nations The US–Australia Critical Minerals Framework, signed on 20 October 2025, aims to bolster the availability of […]
Aussies Packing on the Wealth
One of the most exciting pieces of news recently was that Australians have increased their wealth dramatically. Indeed, our wealth went up by the biggest amount of anyone in the world. Naturally there are some caveats to this achievement – this wealth increase won’t apply to everyone – but just the same it is an […]
Weekly Wrap: Political Uncertainty Causes a Pullback from Record Highs
Political uncertainty led to a weaker Australian share market on Friday as investors went back to gold and jumped off energy and technology shares. With a meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump due in the coming week, even shares in critical minerals miners fell as extreme uncertainty surrounded what the meeting […]
Antimony: The Overlooked Critical Mineral Powering a New US–Australia Alliance
From ammunition to energy storage, antimony’s strategic importance is a key driver of capital flows and diplomacy and putting Australian small caps squarely on Washington’s radar. What Is Antimony — and Why it Matters Antimony (Sb) is a silvery metalloid most commonly extracted from stibnite (Sb₂S₃). While it rarely attracts the spotlight, its applications sit at the intersection of […]
JPMorgan Launches $1.5 Trillion Initiative to Boost US Economic Security and Strategic Industries
JPMorganChase has unveiled a landmark US$1.5 trillion, 10-year “Security and Resiliency Initiative”, aimed at financing and investing in industries critical to the United States’ national economic security and technological independence. The initiative represents one of the largest private-sector commitments to date focused on rebuilding America’s industrial base, with a strong emphasis on critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, energy resilience, […]
Australia Moves to Establish Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve as Global Trade Tensions Rise
Australia is fast-tracking plans to establish a A$1.2 billion (US$782 million) critical minerals reserve, designed to safeguard supply chains for key industrial and defence materials amid escalating global trade frictions and tightening Chinese export controls. According to industry sources, Canberra’s Critical Minerals Task Force held consultations last week with miners and developers across rare earths, lithium, and other […]