President Donald Trump’s long-promised series of day-one executive orders imply a seismic shift in the approach of the United States to the environment, critical minerals and energy.

Cleveland-Cliffs expects 2025 to be a strong year for the company, citing decreasing interest rates, certainty after the US elections and an increase in manufacturing onshoring, top executives said in the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday November 5.

Read how Fastmarkets is introducing a regional graphite price benchmark for the US

Quarterly figures released by global miner Glencore on Wednesday October 30 showed that zinc concentrate output was dropping in a tight market while overall nickel output was down despite an increase in briquettes.

The lithium market in 2025 is expected to face significant challenges due to production cuts, shifting demand patterns and geopolitical tensions. These factors are poised to reshape the market landscape, impacting supply chains and pricing strategies.

The weaponization of critical minerals supplies due to trade tensions could lead to the kind of emergency that would provide the push that the US needs to develop its metals and mining sector, the chief executive officer of Alaska Energy Metals has said.

Read Fastmarkets' monthly battery raw materials market update for May 2025, focusing on raw materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and more

Market participants are converging on Bali in Indonesia for the Fastmarkets International Critical Minerals & Metals Summit (ICMMS) on September 5 and 6, so ahead of the event, we capture the main themes facing the global nickel market.

Supply chains for battery and critical raw materials will reorganize themselves, with market efficiency superseding subsidies in supply chains, delegates heard at the recent Financial Times Mining Summit.

As the dust settles in Washington and Americans wake up to news that Donald Trump is once again president-elect, participants in the cobalt market discuss the wider ramifications on a crucial coming four years for the electric vehicle (EV) industry.