The U.S. economy still faces a recession risk: Gary Shilling

The U.S. economy has avoided a recession so far but the risk of a deeper economic downturn still looms, according to financial analyst Gary Shilling. Take U.S. small businesses as one of the “normal harbingers of recessions, [such as] the yield curve, the leading indicators,” Shilling said. “Small businesses are very sensitive to economic conditions … Read more

The bear market for battery metals prices is far from over

The Albermarle Corp. lithium processing facility in Antofagasta, Chile, on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Goldman Sachs finds it is too early to call an end to a battery raw materials price plunge, warning that significant supply pipelines and Western electric vehicle headwinds could keep prices lower for longer. The … Read more

Bill Gates-backed miner discovers large-scale copper deposit in Zambia

A truck makes its way over the Victoria Falls bridge, spanning over the Zambezi River, linking Zambia and Zimbabwe, in Livingstone, Zambia, on Sunday, May 8, 2022. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images KoBold Metals, a California-based metals exploration company backed by billionaires including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, said that it has discovered a … Read more

Why the U.S. has a serious mining worker shortage

The U.S. is running out of miners. More than half the nation’s mining workforce, about 221,000 workers, is expected to retire by 2029, according to the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, and the number of candidates willing to fill those slots is shrinking. “Our workforce is aging,” said Bold Baatar, chief executive of copper at … Read more

How Rio Tinto is poised to benefit from the EV boom

Copper mines like Rio Tinto’s Bingham Canyon mine on the outskirts of Salt Lake City are on the frontline of America’s transition to clean energy. Global demand for copper, a major component of electric vehicles, is expected to grow from 25 million metric tons to nearly 49 million metric tons by 2035, according to S&P … Read more