The United States convened more than 50 countries in Washington this week for a critical minerals summit that delivered a flurry of new initiatives designed to reshape the geopolitics — and pricing mechanics — of minerals essential to semiconductors, electric vehicles and the defense supply chain.

A new US initiative to establish a stockpile of critical minerals for the civilian economy could add pressure to already stretched supply, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday February 3 and Wednesday February 4.

China suspends its ban on gallium exports to the US until 2026. Discover the impact of this significant policy change.

The European Space Agency’s sustainability chief revealed that research into using lunar regolith for solar panel production was accelerating as germanium shortages threatened traditional space power systems.

Three years of war have reshaped the critical metals markets. In the first of a two-part report, we look at how overlapping conflicts have reverberated through supply chains critical to defense and civilian industries.

The photovoltaic (PV) solar power industry is continuing to evolve, but demand for gallium as a doping element in silicon-based PV cells is gradually declining, market participants told Fastmarkets early in 2025.

Critical minerals sector braces for policy upheaval under Trump while experts predict market fundamentals and Republican state interests will preserve industry momentum

Trade tensions and critical minerals: 2025 outlook on disruptions, supply chain diversification, and local production strategies.

China's tightened export controls on gallium and germanium formalize existing restrictions, heightening supply concerns amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

After initial market turbulence when China introduced export controls on gallium, germanium and graphite last year, a new normal has settled into the international markets for these metals, market participants have told Fastmarkets