Metals Slide, Rare Earths Draw Policy and Funding Focus

Precious and industrial metals registered significant moves as markets reacted to policy and supply signals.
Silver futures $50.104/ozt (-6.22%) and micro silver $50.104/ozt (-6.25%) plunged, while platinum tumbled to $1,619.5/ozt (-7.70%) and palladium fell to $1,522.3/ozt (-9.44%). Gold futures dropped to $4,213.3/ozt (-3.10%) with micro gold at $4,247.1/ozt (-3.02%). Copper eased to $4.9695/lb (-0.36%). Energy markets were mixed: Brent $61.29/bbl (+0.29%), U.S. crude $57.54/bbl (+0.07%) and natural gas rose to $3.008/Btu (+2.80%).
In rare earths and critical minerals, financing, offtake and geopolitics dominated headlines. Critical Metals secured $50 million to advance the Tanbreez rare earth project in Greenland and signed a letter of intent with REalloys for a 10‑year offtake covering 15% of output. At least a dozen critical mineral firms have recently increased Washington lobbying as the U.S. scales up investment to reduce supply chokepoints.
Government responses are accelerating: G‑7 discussions, EU efforts to align with the U.S., and Brazilian proposals for financial guarantees and tax incentives underscore a global push to diversify supply. Industry observers warn China’s restrictions on refined metals could have major downstream impacts for automakers and processors, but may be a costly lever to use repeatedly.