The US tungsten supply chain is entering a period of transformation as defense-related funding, new domestic projects, and global trade restrictions reshape market dynamics. The growing focus on national security and critical minerals is driving fresh momentum in US tungsten production.

In this Fast Forward episode, Major General Alberto Rosende, CEO of M2I Global, joins Andrea Hotter with William Adams and Alex Cook to unpack the next generation of the US critical minerals stockpile strategy – and its impact.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will undergo a formal review starting in July 2026 as the Aluminum Association seeks tariff harmonization and import monitoring across the North American market.

With cobalt exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) set to resume in a few days’ time, the LME Week event in London has so far served as a mixing pot for opinions on how far the current price rally could go and the blue metal’s long-term future – from a perspective of both upstream DRC policy and downstream battery chemistry.

Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. is about to commission a 50-tonne cobalt production unit in Dayton, Ohio, part of its strategy to scale early annual output to 2,000 tonnes.

Europe is facing a potential green aluminium deficit as production halts in Iceland and Mozambique threaten regional supply. Market analysts warn that the resulting shortage of low-carbon aluminium could reshape trade flows and drive higher premiums through 2026.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its southern neighbor Zambia are betting on winning more benefits from their copper endowment by directly trading the metal themselves while output and demand for copper surge,

Teck Resources exceeded expectations for Red Dog zinc concentrates shipments from Alaska amid trade challenges with China, while the company projected steady output for 2025 before gradual declines as the mine nears the end of its life.

Rising energy costs and policy decisions are shaping the future of US aluminium smelting. Domestic production, investment and competitiveness depend on low-cost power, tariff impacts and the transition to renewable and nuclear energy sources.

The Aluminum Association has called for an export ban on used beverage container (UBC) scrap from the US to countries outside of North America, arguing that aluminium scrap should be treated as a strategic asset in a white paper released on Tuesday October 14.