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Find Highest Probability Counter-Trend Setups

Stock 1 Min Read

Think trading against the trend is risky? You may want to reconsider. When a stock or ETF is trending lower, the smart money watches for signs of a reversal; those early signals can get you into a trend before everyone else and lead to favorable risk-to-reward ratios.

In this video, options strategist Tony Zhang breaks down how to spot high-probability counter-trend setups using technical signals and practical examples. You’ll learn how to identify early reversal signals, why counter-trend setups can be lower-risk than you’d think, and how to apply these strategies through examples and live reviews.

Whether you’re new to options trading or leveling up your game, this is your opportunity to explore a low-risk, high-performing strategy.

The video premiered on June 25, 2025.

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Skyharbour’s JV Partner Orano Commences 6-7,000m Summer Drilling Program at the Preston Uranium Project

Investing 12 Mins Read

Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH ) (OTCQX: SYHBF ) (Frankfurt: SC1P ) (‘Skyharbour’ or the ‘Company’), is pleased to announce that its joint-venture partner, Orano Canada Inc. (‘Orano’), recently commenced a large-scale diamond drilling program at the 49,635-hectare Preston Uranium Project (‘Preston’ or the ‘Property’) located in the western Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada. The drilling program will consist of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 metres of drilling during the summer of 2025. Orano is the majority owner and operator at the project with Skyharbour owning a minority interest of approximately 25.6%.

Location Map of Preston Project:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/Sky_Preston.jpg

2025 Exploration Program at Preston:

The program for the Preston Project will consist of a helicopter-supported diamond drilling campaign, totaling 6,000 to 7,000 metres, with up to 28 holes designed to test high-priority targets across the property at depths ranging from 200 to 350 metres. Primary drill target areas (outlined in Figure 2) include the previously untested Johnson Lake, the Canoe Lake and FSAN target. Target areas are spread throughout the project to ensure assessment credits are met across all claims, while testing perspective trends.

Figure 2: Target Area Overview – Preston Lake Project:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_2_Target_Area_Overview.jpg

Drilling in the Johnson Lake area (Zone 1; Figure 2) will target a broad structural corridor initially identified in an airborne VTEM survey and subsequently refined by a ground-based ML-TEM survey in 2018 and a DC resistivity survey in 2020. Multiple parallel conductors exhibiting moderate to strong responses have been delineated across the grid. A total of 4 to 5 drill holes are planned with an average depth of 350 metres for a total of approximately 1,750 metres, contingent on results. The primary objective is to test ground conductors at structurally complex intersections which are considered highly prospective for uranium mineralization. There has been no drilling completed in the Johnson Lake grid area to date.

Figure 3: Johnson Lake Grid Ground Conductors:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_3_Johnson_Lake_Grid.jpg

The Canoe Lake area (Zone 2; Figure 2) comprises nine conductive trends that remain largely untested, with only one to three historical drill holes completed on each to date. The 2025 program aims to assess high-priority targets for uranium mineralization and to further define Canoe Lake as a prospective discovery corridor within the Preston Lake Project.

A total of 6 to 12 diamond drill holes are planned, totalling approximately 1,200 to 2,400 metres, with an average hole depth of 200 metres. Six zones of interest have been identified based on the review of available airborne and ground geophysical data, characterized by gravity lows near interpreted structural breaks and crosscutting magnetic features. Structural features in the southwestern portion of the grid are of particular interest due to their orientation, which is analogous to the structural trends controlling mineralization at the PLS and Arrow uranium deposits. These targets are on strike with zones of brittle-ductile deformation and hydrothermal alteration observed in historical drilling, supporting their potential for hosting basement-hosted uranium mineralization.

Figure 4:   Canoe Lake Ground Gravity, Zones of Interest and 2025 Targets:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_4_Canoe_Lake_Ground_Gravity_and_Zones_of_Interest.jpg

The FSAN Zone (Zone 3; Figure 2) will be the most extensively tested area in the 2025 program, with both reconnaissance and direct targeting strategies to be employed. Reconnaissance drilling will consist of 3 holes totalling approximately 1,050 metres, focusing on discrete airborne EM anomalies near the intersection of prospective east-west structures. An additional 7 to 14 holes will be drilled using a more direct targeting approach for a total of 1,400 to 2,800 metres. These holes will test gravity low anomalies, areas of magnetic disruption, and sites of high geochemical response, including SGH uranium anomalies and historical surface grab samples with anomalous uranium and pathfinder element concentrations.

Figure 5: FSAN 2025 Ground Gravity Results with Lineament and 2025 Targets:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_5_FSAN_2025_Ground_Gravity_Results_with_Lineament_and_2025_Targets.jpg

The West and Far West Grids (Zone 4; Figure 2) have been designated as contingency targets for the 2025 drill program. These areas encompass the western extent of the PL-1 conductive trend, where historical drilling intersected moderately to strongly graphitic, brittle-ductile fault zones with localized hydrothermal alteration. The structural complexity observed in this area enhances its prospectivity for basement-hosted uranium mineralization and warrants further investigation.

2024 Exploration Program Completed at Preston:

The 2024 field program marked the first exploration activities conducted by Orano at the Preston Project since 2020. The program included a 35.6 km ground Moving-Loop Transient Electromagnetic (ML-TEM) survey over the Preston West and Far West targets, focusing on an airborne VTEM conductor at Preston West and following up on a prior reconnaissance survey at Preston Far West.

A ground gravity survey comprising 2,295 stations was also completed over an area encompassing the FSAN and FSANE trends to help with drill target prioritization. In addition, a Spatiotemporal Geochemical Hydrocarbon (SGH) geochemical survey comprising approximately 1,100 samples was carried out during the summer of 2024. SGH is a cost-effective technique which has been successfully used to detect surficial anomalies associated with buried uranium mineralization in the Athabasca Basin.

Preston Uranium Project:

In March 2017, Skyharbour signed an option agreement with Orano (formerly AREVA Resources Inc.) that provided Orano an earn-in option to acquire a majority working interest in the 49,635-hectare Preston Uranium Project. The significant potential of the Project has been highlighted by past discoveries in the area by NexGen Energy Ltd. (Arrow deposit), Fission Uranium Corp. (Triple R deposit), and F3 Uranium Corp. (PLN discovery). Exploration at the Project has consisted of ground gravity, airborne and ground electromagnetics, radon, soil, silt, biogeochem, lake sediment, and geological mapping surveys, as well as exploratory drill programs. Over a dozen high-priority drill target areas associated with multiple prospective exploration corridors have been successfully delineated through these methodical, multi-phased exploration initiatives, which have culminated in an extensive, proprietary geological database for the project area.

Joint Venture and Strategic Partnership:

In early 2021, Orano fulfilled its earn-in option on the project by funding exploration expenditures and making the required cash payments. Upon completion of a total of CAD $4.8 million in exploration spending, a joint venture was established between Orano, Skyharbour, and Dixie Gold to advance and develop the project. Orano currently holds a 53.3% interest in the joint venture, with Skyharbour and Dixie Gold holding 25.6% and 21.1% interests, respectively.

Market Maker:

The Company has engaged the services of Independent Trading Group (‘ITG’) pursuant to an agreement dated and starting on July 1 st , 2025 (the ‘Agreement’) to provide market-making services in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange (‘TSX-V’) policies. ITG will trade shares of the Company on the TSX-V and all other trading venues with the objective of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company’s common shares.

Under the terms of the Agreement, ITG will receive compensation of CAD $5,000 per month, payable monthly in advance. The Agreement is for an initial term of one month and will renew for additional one-month terms unless terminated by either party with 30 days’ notice. There is no performance factors contained in the Agreement and ITG will not receive shares or options as compensation. ITG and the Company are unrelated and unaffiliated entities.

Independent Trading Group (ITG) Inc. is a Toronto based CIRO dealer-member that specializes in market making, liquidity provision, agency execution, ultra-low latency connectivity, and bespoke algorithmic trading solutions. Established in 1992, with a focus on market structure, execution and trading, ITG has leveraged its own proprietary technology to deliver high quality liquidity provision and execution services to a broad array of public issuers and institutional investors.

Qualified Person:

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and has been reviewed and approved by Serdar Donmez, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for Skyharbour Resources, who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Orano Canada Inc.:

Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Orano Canada Inc. is a leading producer of uranium, accounting for the processing of 16.9 million pounds of uranium concentrate in Canada in 2024. Orano has been exploring for, mining and milling uranium in Canada for more than 60 years. Orano Canada is the operator of the McClean Lake uranium mill and a major partner in the Cigar Lake, McArthur River and Key Lake operations. The company employs over 450 people in Saskatchewan, including about 375 at the McClean Lake operation where over 40% of employees are self-declared Indigenous. As a sustainable uranium producer, Orano Canada is committed to safety, environmental protection and contributing to the prosperity and well-being of neighbouring communities.

Orano Canada Inc. is a subsidiary of the multinational Orano group. As a recognized international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. Every day, the Orano group’s 17,000 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.

Visit Orano at www.oranocanada.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter: @oranocanada

About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.:

Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada’s Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with interest in thirty-six projects covering over 614,000 hectares (over 1.5 million acres) of land. Skyharbour has acquired from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, a 100% interest in the Moore Uranium Project, which is located 15 kilometres east of Denison’s Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco’s McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick Zone that returned drill results of up to 6.0% U 3 O 8 over 5.9 metres, including 20.8% U 3 O 8 over 1.5 metres at a vertical depth of 265 metres. Adjacent to the Moore Project is the Russell Lake Uranium Project, in which Skyharbour is the operator with joint-venture partner Rio Tinto. The project hosts several high-grade uranium drill intercepts over a large property area with robust exploration upside potential. The Company is actively advancing these projects through exploration and drill programs.

Skyharbour also has joint ventures with the industry leader Orano Canada Inc., Azincourt Energy, and Thunderbird Resources at the Preston, East Preston, and Hook Lake Projects, respectively. The Company also has several active earn-in option partners, including CSE-listed Basin Uranium Corp. at the Mann Lake Uranium Project; TSX-V listed North Shore Uranium at the Falcon Project; UraEx Resources at the South Dufferin and Bolt Projects; Hatchet Uranium at the Highway Project; Mustang Energy at the 914W Project; and TSX-V listed Terra Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project. In aggregate, Skyharbour has now signed earn-in option agreements with partners that total over $36 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures, over $20 million worth of shares being issued, and $14 million in cash payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies complete their entire earn-ins at the respective projects.

Skyharbour’s goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Skyharbour’s Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin:

https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY_SaskProject_Locator_2024-11-21_v1.jpg

To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) visit the Company’s website at www.skyharbourltd.com .

Skyharbour Resources Ltd.

‘Jordan Trimble’
____________________________
Jordan Trimble
President and CEO

For further information contact myself or:
Nicholas Coltura
Investor Relations Manager
‎Skyharbour Resources Ltd.
‎Telephone: 604-558-5847
‎Toll Free: 800-567-8181
‎Facsimile: 604-687-3119
‎Email: info@skyharbourltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains ‘forward‐looking information or statements’ within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, completing ongoing and planned work on its projects including drilling and the expected timing of such work programs, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of uranium, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company’s views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of exploration results, risks related to the inherent uncertainty of exploration and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, and those filed under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather or climate conditions, failure to obtain or maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to obtain or maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), decrease in the price of uranium and other metals, increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward‐looking statements or forward‐looking information, except as required by law. 







News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia




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Exploring Mining’s Silver Discussion with Apollo Silver, and Mining Expert Chris Temple

						
					  
						
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Seasoned Experts in Mining Talk about Silver Market and what’s next for Apollo’s (APGO) (APGOF) Flagship Silver Properties


Investorideas.com, a global investor news source covering mining and metals stocks releases a new episode of the Exploring Mining Podcast. In today’s episode, Cali Van Zant hosts a top tier Silver discussion featuring renowned mining investment expert, Chris Temple, editor and publisher of The National Investor, and Apollo Silver Corp’s. (TSXV: APGO) (OTCQB: APGOF) management; Chairman Andy Bowering and recently appointed President and CEO, Ross McElroy.




Exploring Mining’s Silver Discussion with Apollo Silver, and Mining Expert Chris Temple 


To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6292/256852_aefa4502c45f8b17_001full.jpg




Ross McElroy joined Apollo following the successful acquisition of Fission Uranium, a company he co-founded and led as CEO, by Paladin Energy in a $1.14 billion transaction. He is a professional geologist with over 38 years of mining industry experience, both in operational and corporate roles, having worked with majors, mid-tiers, and juniors.


For investors following the silver market and silver stocks, the podcast explores silver’s current market, with Temple noting its technical improvement and chronic supply shortfalls. McElroy highlights silver’s 25% price surge over the past six months, outpacing gold. 


The episode also dives into Apollo’s strategic advancements and updates on their flagship Calico (California) project and Cinco de Mayo (Mexico) project. The company recently expanded the Calico Project land package by over 285%. Already the one of the largest undeveloped silver projects in the US, the additional Calico claims form just one part of Apollo’s aggressive growth strategy. Cinco de Mayo in Mexico is a silver-zinc asset with a historic resource of 50 million ounces of silver and 1.8 billion pounds of zinc.


The combined expertise of the three panel members provides investors with in-depth perspective and insight into what it takes to build a successful mining company in today’s silver market.


Listen to the podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/silver-s-next-big-surge-apollo-silver-s-mining-legends-discuss-with-chris-temple–66749524


Watch on YouTube: 






About Apollo Silver(TSXV: APGO) (OTCQB: APGOF)


Apollo Silver has assembled an experienced and technically strong leadership team who have joined to advance quality precious metals projects in sought after jurisdictions. The Company is focused on advancing its portfolio of two prospective silver exploration and resource development projects, the Calico Project, in San Bernardino County, California and the Cinco de Mayo Project, in Chihuahua, Mexico.


Visit www.apollosilver.com for further information.


Corporate Presentation: https://apollosilver.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/APGO-Investor-Presentation-2025-06-13.pdf


About Chris Temple


Chris Temple is editor and publisher of The National Investor. He has had an over 40-year career now in the financial/investment industry. Temple is a sought-after guest on radio stations, podcasts, blogs and the like all across North America, as well as a sought-after speaker for organizations. His ability to help average investors unravel, understand and navigate today’s markets is unparalleled; and his ability to uncover ‘off-the-radar’ companies is likewise.




Home




Listen to Exploring Mining on Spotify


Listen to Exploring Mining podcast on iTunes Apple podcasts 


Hear other episodes of the Exploring Mining Podcast , rated as one of the top 30 mining podcasts to listen to in 2025, 


The Investorideas.com podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, Tunein, Stitcher, Spreaker.com, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts and most audio platforms available.


Visit the Podcast page at Investorideas.com: 
https://www.investorideas.com/Audio/


Research mining stocks at Investorideas.com with our free mining stocks directory at Investorideas.com 


About Investorideas.com – Big Investing Ideas


Investorideas.com is the go-to platform for big investing ideas. From breaking stock news to top-rated investing podcasts, we cover it all. 


Disclaimer/Disclosure: This podcast and article featuring Apollo Silver Corp is paid for content as part of a monthly featured mining stock service (payment disclosure). Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This is not investment opinion. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published/created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/. Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp.


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Contact Investorideas.com to be a guest or sponsor this podcast
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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/256852






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​Copper​ Market Hit by Major Supply Squeeze as LME Inventories Drop

						
					  
						
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One of the sharpest copper supply crunches in recent memory is rattling global commodities markets, as inventories at the London Metal Exchange (LME) plummet and the spot price soars. 


Bloomberg reported that as of Monday (June 23), copper for immediate delivery was trading at a premium of US$345 per metric ton over three month futures, the widest spread since a record squeeze in 2021. 


That dramatic price divergence reflects the market’s acute concerns over access to physical copper, with readily available inventories on the LME falling by around 80 percent this year alone. 


Available stockpiles now cover less than a single day of global demand, amplifying anxiety across the supply chain.






                            Historic backwardation signals market distress                                


Backwardation in metals markets typically suggests that buyers are scrambling to obtain physical supply. In copper’s case, a combination of logistical, geopolitical and structural forces is driving the surge.


LME stockpiles have been rapidly drawn down as traders and manufacturers shift metal to the US in anticipation of potential trade barriers, spurred by US President Donald Trump’s tariff moves. 


That migration has created acute shortages in Europe and Asia. Chinese smelters, responding to the price premium and slackening domestic demand, have begun exporting surplus copper to global markets. Yet those flows have not kept pace with the drawdowns, and China’s own inventories have also dwindled.


The LME had hoped recent regulatory interventions would prevent another disorderly squeeze like the one that disrupted the nickel market in 2022. Last week, the exchange enacted new rules mandating that traders with large front-month positions offer to lend those holdings if they exceed available inventories. 


The so-called “front-month lending rule” is meant to discourage hoarding and promote liquidity.


However, recent copper trading data suggest that no single trader is behind the current squeeze. On Monday, the Tom/next spread — a one day lending rate — spiked to US$69 per metric ton. 


This would only occur if no one entity held enough copper to trigger lending obligations under the new rules, indicating the tightness is likely the result of broad-based market dynamics rather than manipulation.






                            LME tightens oversight                                


As mentioned, the LME has begun cracking down on oversized positions across its metals complex. 


In a June 20 statement, the exchange introduced a temporary, market-wide rule to manage large front-month exposures. Under the updated rules, traders holding positions in the front-month contract for a metal that exceed the total available exchange inventories — excluding any stock they already own — must offer to lend those positions at “level,” meaning they are required to roll them over to the next month at the same price.


The rule aims to rein in aggressive moves by commodities trading houses that have made deep inroads into metals markets over the past year. The LME emphasized in its release that recent market interventions are targeted, adding that the newly introduced rule offers a standardized approach.


Still, the unprecedented depth of copper’s backwardation — now extending years into the future — suggests that broader supply/demand dynamics are at play, beyond what position limits alone can control.


For manufacturers and industrial users, the squeeze presents a serious cost and planning risk. Many rely on the LME as a pricing and hedging mechanism. But when exchange inventories drop this low, even large players can face trouble sourcing metal to meet contract obligations. With exchange-based supply nearly exhausted, companies may increasingly turn to off-market deals or bilateral supply agreements — often at higher prices.


This shift weakens the LME’s role as a central clearinghouse for global copper, and raises questions about its ability to handle future shocks, especially as energy transition policies boost long-term demand for the metal.


Market watchers will also be looking to the next moves from Chinese exporters, US trade policy under Trump and the LME’s enforcement of its new regulations. 




Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.




This post appeared first on investingnews.com



		
				
			
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Cobalt Prices Surge as DRC Extends Export Ban to September

						
					  
						
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Cobalt prices are surging after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the world’s largest producer, extended its export ban by three months in a bid to address global oversupply and stabilize plunging prices.


According to the Financial Times, cobalt prices on China’s Wuxi Stainless Steel Exchange rose nearly 10 percent after the DRC government announced the news over the weekend. 


The ban — originally set to expire on Monday (June 23) — will now remain in effect until at least September.


The DRC’s Strategic Mineral Substances Market Regulation and Control Authority (ARECOMS) said the extension was necessary “due to the continued high level of stock on the market.”




The ban, first imposed in February of this year, was initially slated to last four months. 


It came after a prolonged slump in cobalt prices, which have plummeted approximately 60 percent over the past three years, reaching a nine year low of US$10 per pound earlier this year. 


The DRC produced 72 percent of the global cobalt mine supply in 2024, as per market intelligence firm Project Blue.


The export halt has already begun to ripple through international markets. In China, where most of the world’s cobalt is refined, prices for the metal and related company stocks spiked. 


‘We are likely to see an initial price spike, but real pressure will be later in the year as intermediate stocks begin to dry up,’ Thomas Matthews, a battery materials analyst at CRU Group, told Bloomberg. ‘In short, strap yourselves in.’


The government of the DRC is attempting to tackle a persistent supply glut that has undermined the cobalt market since 2022. By curbing exports, Kinshasa is aiming to drive up prices, thereby increasing revenues from royalties and taxes on mining companies, while also incentivizing further investment in its domestic mining infrastructure.


ARECOMS said that a follow-up decision will be made before the new deadline in September, signaling that the ban could be modified, extended or lifted depending on market developments. 


Reuters reported last week that Congolese officials are also exploring a quota-based system for cobalt exports, which would allow selected volumes to leave the country while still exerting downward pressure on global supply.


The proposal has garnered support from major industry players.


Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF), the world’s second largest cobalt producer and a key stakeholder in Congolese mining operations, is backing the potential quota system. The Swiss trader declared force majeure on some of its cobalt supply contracts earlier this year due to the export restrictions, citing exceptional circumstances. Nevertheless, Glencore has managed to fulfill its obligations so far, thanks to pre-existing cobalt stockpiles located outside the DRC.


By contrast, CMOC Group (OTC Pink:CMCLF,HKEX:3993,SHA:603993), the China-based firm that overtook Glencore as the world’s top cobalt producer in 2024, has been lobbying for the ban’s complete removal. 


CMOC, which processes a significant share of Congolese cobalt in China, argues that prolonged supply constraints could jeopardize downstream industries and global battery production.






                            A race against the clock                                


Despite initial cushioning from global stockpiles, experts warn that refined cobalt supply may soon run thin.


Transporting cobalt from the landlocked DRC to China’s processing hubs typically takes about 90 days. This means that if shipments do not recommence soon, shortages could begin to materialize in late Q3 or early Q4.


‘Stockpiles of cobalt outside the DR Congo will reach very low levels by the September 21 deadline if nothing else changes,’ Jack Bedder, founder of Project Blue, told the Financial Times. 


Cobalt plays a vital role in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics and renewable energy storage. While many battery makers have begun shifting toward lower-cobalt or cobalt-free chemistries, demand for the metal remains strong — especially for high-performance applications.


Complicating the supply/demand dynamics is the fact that cobalt is often a by-product of copper mining. 


With copper prices rebounding sharply — trading around US$9,600 per metric ton this week on the London Metal Exchange — producers have little incentive to curb overall output.


The move to extend the cobalt ban also coincides with the DRC’s recent efforts to assert greater control over its vast mineral wealth. The Central African nation is currently in discussions with the US over a potential minerals partnership aimed at strengthening supply chain security for clean energy technologies.


The export suspension is just the latest in a series of efforts by resource-rich countries to assert more control over key commodities. Similar moves have been seen in Indonesia, which banned nickel ore exports in 2020 to spur domestic processing, and in Chile, where the government is pushing for greater state participation in the lithium sector.




Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.




This post appeared first on investingnews.com



		
				
			
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Judicial nominee shuts down ‘wildly inaccurate’ claims that he’s Trump’s ‘henchman’

						
					  
						
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Emil Bove forcefully rejected criticisms that he was President Donald Trump’s ‘henchman’ or ‘enforcer’ during a Senate hearing Wednesday focused on his nomination by Trump to serve as a federal judge.


Bove, a top Department of Justice (DOJ) official vying to fill a lifetime role on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, said media reports painted a ‘wildly inaccurate caricature’ about him.


‘I am not anybody’s henchman. I’m not an enforcer,’ Bove said, referring to descriptors used in headlines about him. ‘I’m a lawyer from a small town who never expected to be in an arena like this.’


Bove served as a key attorney on Trump’s personal defense team during the president’s four criminal prosecutions. Prior to that, he led drug trafficking and terrorism cases during his decade as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.




But Bove’s formidable demeanor and controversial decisions upon joining DOJ leadership, which included dismissing New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption charges and warning of personnel action for FBI employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases, have caused his nomination to the powerful appellate court bench to attract heightened scrutiny.


Capping off a string of reports examining these controversies was a whistleblower claim leveled Tuesday, one day prior to Bove’s nomination hearing.


The whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, a 15-year veteran of the department who was fired this year for perceived insubordination, alleged that Bove warned during an internal meeting that DOJ attorneys might need to say ‘f*** you’ to judges and defy any adverse orders they issue regarding one of Trump’s most provocative maneuvers to deport alleged illegal immigrants.


Senate Democrats, who have widely objected to Bove’s nomination, grilled the nominee over the claim, noting that flouting court orders was unconstitutional and disqualifying. Bove said he has never advised anyone to defy judges’ orders.


‘Did you or did you not make those comments during that meeting?’ Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pressed.




‘I did not suggest that there would be any need to consider ignoring court orders. At the point at that meeting there were no court orders to discuss,’ Bove said. 


Schiff repeated the profane phrase several times, asking if Bove said it in relation to the courts.


‘I don’t recall,’ Bove said.


‘You just don’t remember that,’ Schiff replied incredulously.


Other Democrats pressed Bove on the Adams saga, which had led in February to a handful of high-level DOJ employees resigning in protest of Bove’s order that they dismiss the mayor’s federal corruption charges. A judge ultimately dropped Adams’s charges at Bove’s request, but not before excoriating the DOJ for giving ‘inconsistent’ justifications for wanting to drop the case.




Bove was accused by the ousted lawyers of asking the courts to toss out Adams’s charges in exchange for the mayor’s cooperation with the Trump administration’s immigration policy. Bove denied the allegation when pressed on it.


‘The suggestion that there was some kind of quid pro quo was just plain false,’ Bove said.


Despite Democrats’ concerns, as well as concerns voiced by some defense lawyers who said they have had negative experiences with the nominee, Bove has some loyal supporters. No Republican senators have voiced opposition to him at this stage, a sign that he could eventually be confirmed, albeit narrowly.


In an interview prior to the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Bove’s longtime friend and colleague, told Fox News Digital that Bove was a ‘freaking brilliant lawyer.’


Blanche said reports that Bove was unqualified were ‘distorted’ and that installing him on the Third Circuit was a ‘no-brainer.’




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Nvidia CEO Huang sells $15 million worth of stock, first sale of $873 million plan

						
					  
						
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sold 100,000 shares of the chipmaker’s stock on Friday and Monday, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.


The sales are worth nearly $15 million at Tuesday’s opening price.




The transactions are the first sale in Huang’s plan to sell as many as 600,000 shares of Nvidia through the end of 2025. It’s a plan that was announced in March, and it’d be worth $873 million at Tuesday’s opening price.


The Nvidia founder still owns more than 800 million Nvidia shares, according to Monday’s SEC filing. Huang has a net worth of about $126 billion, ranking him 12th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.


The 62-year-old chief executive sold about $700 million in Nvidia shares last year under a prearranged plan, too.


Nvidia stock is up more than 800% since December 2022 after OpenAI’s ChatGPT was first released to the public. That launch drew attention to Nvidia’s graphics processing units, or GPUs, which were needed to develop and power the artificial intelligence service.


The company’s chips remain in high demand with the majority of the AI chip market, and Nvidia has introduced two subsequent generations of its AI GPU technology.


Nvidia continues to grow. Its stock is up 9% this year, even as the company faces export control issues that could limit foreign markets for its AI chips.


In May, the company reported first-quarter earnings that showed the chipmaker’s revenue growing 69% on an annual basis to $44 billion during the quarter.




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Senate GOP eyes Medicaid sweetener to save Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

						
					  
						
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The Medicaid debate among Senate Republicans continues to rage on, but a new proposal geared toward sating concerns over the survivability of rural hospitals could help to close the lingering fissures within the conference.


Senate Republicans are sprinting to finish their work on President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ which is filled with key priorities like making his first-term tax cuts permanent, funding his immigration and border security agenda, and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse across a variety of programs.




But lawmakers are still at odds over changes made in the Senate’s version of the bill to the Medicaid provider tax rate and the effects that it could have on rural hospitals, threatening to derail the legislation near the finish line.


A proposal making the rounds from the Senate Finance Committee obtained by Fox News Digital would create a separate stabilization fund that would go toward aiding and upgrading rural healthcare.


The committee’s proposal would allocate $3 billion annually to states that apply to the program over the next five fiscal years.




But that amount is too low for some senators and far too much for others.


Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has been working on a similar proposal but would prefer a much higher fund of $100 billion. That number is unlikely to pass muster with her colleagues and still isn’t high enough for her.


‘I don’t think that solves the entire problem,’ she said. ‘The Senate cuts in Medicaid are far deeper than the House cuts and I think that’s problematic as well.’


Collins would prefer a return to the House GOP’s proposed changes to the provider tax rate, rather than the Senate’s harsher crackdown.


The Senate changes to the provider tax rate hit close to home for Collins, whose state’s rural hospitals are already in jeopardy because the state of Maine failed to advance its budget in time, leaving roughly $400 million in Medicaid funding that would have gone to rural hospitals in limbo.


‘Obviously any money is helpful. But no, it is not adequate,’ she said.




Indeed, the changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate, which were a stark departure from the House GOP’s version of the bill, angered the Republicans who have warned not to make revisions to the health care program that could shut down rural hospitals and boot working Americans from their benefits.


The Senate Finance Committee went further than the House’s freeze of the provider tax rate, or the amount that state Medicaid programs pay to healthcare providers on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries, for non-Affordable Care Act expansion states and included a provision that lowers the rate in expansion states annually until it hits 3.5%.


However, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and some Senate Republicans have argued that the provider tax rate is a scam rife with fraud that actually harms rural hospitals more than it helps.


Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was in the same camp, and has argued that the rate should be nixed completely. He has similarly pushed for a separate fund but wasn’t keen on the cost of the current proposal.


‘I don’t know that we need $15 billion,’ he said. ‘But this needs to be run by CMS.’


And others wanted to see more money injected into a stabilization fund.


‘I think $5 billion a year would more than make them whole,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said.


He contended that, as the only lawmaker who has run a rural hospital, there are only roughly 12 million people on Medicaid in rural America, and that lawmakers should ‘tighten things up’ when it comes to funding the health care program.


He said that being on Medicaid was ‘not the same as having healthcare,’ and added that ‘at best, two thirds of doctors accept Medicaid, and even many of the specialists, when they say they do, they won’t give you an appointment for six months or a year.’


‘Medicaid is not the solution,’ he said. ‘It’s the most broken federal system up here.’ 




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Who is Anthony Bernal?: The ‘indispensable’ Biden aide ditching House Oversight probe on his mental decline

						
					  
						
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The House Oversight Committee says it will subpoena top Biden family aide, Anthony Bernal, after the committee said he refused to testify as part of their investigation into former President Biden’s mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool that allowed aides to sign pardons, memos and other important documents on Biden’s behalf. 


‘Jill Biden’s longtime aide Anthony Bernal is DEFYING Congress and REFUSING to testify tomorrow about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline after the White House waived his executive privilege,’ the committee posted on X Wednesday after Bernal was expected to testify on Thursday morning.


‘He’s running scared. The cover-up is collapsing. We will subpoena him immediately.’


By proxy, as the first lady’s top aide, Bernal became one of the most influential people in the White House, according to recent reports, and he was expected to face tough questions about what he knew and when he knew about Biden’s mental decline.




‘No one spent more time, whether it was in the motorcade, on the plane, in the private residence at the White House, Camp David, and at both houses in Delaware, nobody spent more personal time around them and their family and the Biden family than Anthony,’ Democratic strategist Michael LaRosa, who served as press secretary to former first lady Jill Biden, told Fox News Digital. 


LaRosa told Fox News Digital that Bernal, former special assistant to Biden and deputy director of Oval Office Operations, was an ‘indispensable’ part of the Biden team whose top priority was ‘protecting the Bidens,’ even if it was politically harmful due to a ‘personal and emotional attachment’ that became more of a familial relationship than a professional one. 


Fox News Digital previously reported on how the book ‘Original Sin,’ by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson, described Bernal as one of the most influential people in the White House who wielded loyalty as a weapon to weed out the defectors.


During the pandemic, Biden traded the campaign trail for lockdown. Bernal and Annie Tomasini, who is expected to testify next month, found their way into Joe and Jill Biden’s pod, shifting the power dynamic of Biden’s so-called ‘Politiburo,’ the group of advisors who steered Biden’s political orbit, the book explained. 




‘The significance of Bernal and Tomasini is the degree to which their rise in the Biden White House signaled the success of people whose allegiance was to the Biden family – not to the presidency, not to the American people, not to the country, but to the Biden theology,’ the authors wrote. 


‘Their instincts, to hide the ball on often frivolous issues is what ultimately got them in trouble,’ LaRosa told Fox News Digital about the ‘bunker mentality’ from Bernal and other aides around Biden. 


‘Their reflexive need to hide and protect was a deficiency and a blind spot and I never understood it.’


A former White House staffer fired back against Tapper and Thompson’s allegations about Bernal in a statement to Fox News Digital earlier this year.


‘A lot of vignettes in this book are either false, exaggerated, or purposefully omit viewpoints that don’t fit the narrative they want to push. Anthony was a strong leader with high standards and a mentor to many. He’s the type of person you want on a team – he’s incredibly strategic, effective, and cares deeply about the people he manages,’ the former White House staffer said. 


Politico reported in 2021 that Bernal’s management style was viewed by some as ‘toxic’ and would sometimes lead to crying staffers. 


LaRosa told Fox News Digital that Bernal has a ‘big heart’ but acknowledged he was one of the more ‘challenging’ people he had to work with. 


Bernal’s appearance before the committee, if it happens, follows testimony from former Biden aide Neera Tanden, who said she was authorized to direct autopen signatures but was unaware of who in the president’s inner circle was giving her final clearance.


When Tanden was asked whether she ever discussed Biden’s health or his fitness to serve as president during her time as a top aide, including during the period of the former president’s widely criticized debate performance last summer, Tanden said she did not. Lawmakers laid out a list of names of officials she could have potentially discussed it with, and Tanden said ‘no’ to each name, according to a source familiar with her closed-door testimony. 


Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind, Alec Schemmel and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.




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