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Critical Materials & Supply Chain
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PMET Resources Inc.Private▲ Positive
Supplyrelevance
LOI with Matagami secures rail transshipment logistics for spodumene concentrate from its Shaakichiuwaanaan Project, advancing its route to market
Related news
Brazil▲
Sigma Lithium shares rise after court upholds environmental licenses
A Federal Court of Appeals upheld Sigma Lithium Corporation's environmental licenses, allowing the company to resume mining-industrial operations. The decision overturned a September 8 emergency ruling by a local federal judge in Teofilo Otoni that had suspended those licenses, with Senior Federal Judge Mônica Sifuentes granting Sigma Lithium an emergency motion for suspensive relief on the grounds that a prolonged stoppage would cause significant negative economic impact in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region. Sigma Lithium reaffirmed guidance to scale annualized production of lithium oxide concentrate to 330,000 tonnes by year-end 2027, saying it needs no additional capacity beyond its existing Mine 1 capacity in the South Pit operations and its Cleantech Industrial Plant. The court noted the company supports approximately 19,000 direct and indirect jobs and around 80,000 family members across 12 municipalities. The original suspension stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Ngolo, an association acting for local Quilombola communities, though the government official registry showed no Quilombola heritage descendant houses within a 12 km radius of the Grota do Cirilo Project when its current licenses were issued and operations began in 2023.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction ▲Regulation
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium ▲Regulation
SGML · Regulation · Positive Federal appeals court upheld Sigma Lithium's environmental licenses, allowing it to resume mining-industrial operations.
Global
United States
Canada
China
Australia
Chile
Panama
United Kingdom+1▼impact 4
Mining Stocks Lose $264 Billion in September as Fed Rate Hike Hits Gold
The world's 50 most valuable mining companies lost $264 billion in market value in September, ending the month worth $2.26 trillion, according to MINING.COM's Top 50 ranking. The decline was the second-largest monthly drop since the ranking began at the end of 2019, behind only March's $434 billion fall, and erased roughly three-quarters of August's record $357 billion gain. The selloff followed the Federal Reserve's Sept. 16 decision to raise its benchmark rate a quarter point to a range of 3.75% to 4%, its first increase since July 2023, as oil-driven inflation fears pushed bond yields to their highest since 2008. The 15 gold producers in the ranking lost a combined $79 billion, or 12.7%, with none finishing higher: Kinross Gold fell 21.3% after cutting its 2026 and 2027 production outlook, Shandong Gold dropped 27.8% for the worst performance in the ranking, and Gold Fields fell 21% as Northern Star Resources rejected its unsolicited A$38.7 billion takeover proposal. Copper producers lost $44 billion even as copper prices ended the month nearly flat, led by BHP's $26.4 billion loss after a worker was killed at Escondida on Sept. 23, while First Quantum Minerals fell 19.2% after a Panamanian commission recommended negotiating a restart of Cobre Panama. Lithium carbonate futures in Guangzhou fell 22.5% to 122,800 yuan a metric ton after SMM changed its inventory counting method, pushing Albemarle and Ganfeng Lithium out of the ranking and leaving Chile's SQM as the only lithium producer in the Top 50.
About megatrends
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Gold ▼Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Copper Mining & Concentrate ▼Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Precious Metals ▼Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Copper ▼Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction ▼Capital
600547.CG · Monetary · Negative Shandong Gold dropped 27.8%, the worst in the ranking, as the Fed rate hike and rising bond yields hit gold miners.
BHP.LSE · Supply · Negative BHP lost $26.4 billion after a worker was killed at Escondida on Sept. 23.
GFI · Capital · Negative Gold Fields fell 21% after Northern Star Resources rejected its unsolicited A$38.7 billion takeover proposal.
KGC · Supply · Negative Kinross fell 21.3% after cutting its 2026 and 2027 production outlook.
First Quantum Minerals Ltd. · Regulation · Negative First Quantum fell 19.2% after a Panamanian commission recommended negotiating a restart of Cobre Panama.
002460.CS · Supply · Negative Lithium carbonate futures dropped 22.5% to 122,800 yuan after SMM's inventory counting change, pushing Ganfeng Lithium out of the ranking.
United StatesChile
IsraelAlbemarle Cuts Debt by $1.3 Billion, Trims Interest Expense by $60 Million
Albemarle Corporation paid down $1.3 billion of outstanding debt in March 2026, reducing annual interest expense by roughly $60 million, following divestments of its controlling stake in Ketjen and its 50% interest in the Eurecat joint venture that together generated $670 million in pre-tax proceeds. The company's total long-term debt stood at roughly $1.88 billion at the end of the second quarter, down from $3.19 billion at the end of 2025, with a net debt-to-EBITDA leverage ratio of 0.5x versus 1x in the sequentially prior quarter and no major maturities due until late 2028. Albemarle ended the quarter with liquidity of around $3.2 billion, including cash and cash equivalents of around $1.6 billion, and expects interest and financing expense of $120-$140 million for 2026. Among peers, Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile exited the second quarter with long-term debt of around $4.79 billion and cash and cash equivalents of around $3.4 billion, while ICL Group ended the quarter with net debt of roughly $2.64 billion, up $375 million from the end of 2025, and cash resources of $2.2 billion. Albemarle stock carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), and the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year rise of 1,541.8%, though EPS estimates for 2026 have trended lower over the past 60 days.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Refining & Chemicals Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Specialty Chemicals & Industrial Gases Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction Capital
ALB · Capital · Positive Albemarle paid down $1.3B of debt, cutting annual interest expense by ~$60M and lowering leverage to 0.5x.
Australia▲
Liontown Approves Kathleen Valley Expansion Final Investment Decision
Liontown Resources has approved the Final Investment Decision for its Kathleen Valley Expansion Project, moving the operation's next phase from planning into execution. The approval signals a potential scale-up of Kathleen Valley's role within Liontown's portfolio and shifts near-term focus to execution and capital discipline. The company's narrative projects A$1.5 billion in revenue and A$422.9 million in earnings by 2029, yielding a A$1.39 fair value and a 73% upside to its current price. A more cautious case assumes A$1.2 billion in revenue and A$176.2 million in earnings by 2029. The recent Centenario farm-in agreement with NEXT Lithium adds a separate growth option outside Kathleen Valley, though it carries its own project and capital risks.
About megatrends
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction ▲Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Capital
Liontown Resources · Capital · Positive Liontown approved the Final Investment Decision for the Kathleen Valley Expansion, moving the project into execution with projected A$1.5B revenue and A$422.9M earnings by 2029
LITHIUM · Supply · Positive Liontown's Kathleen Valley expansion FID signals increased future lithium supply from a major project, a bearish supply-side factor for lithium carbonate prices
NEXT Lithium · · Neutral Mentioned only as the counterparty to Liontown's Centenario farm-in agreement, a separate growth option with its own risks
United States
Guyana▲
Empower Names ExxonMobil Veteran Andrew Sinclair as Public and Government Affairs Chief
Empower has appointed former ExxonMobil veteran Andrew Sinclair as its chief public and government affairs officer, the Dallas-based lithium producer announced. Sinclair will be based at Empower's new Washington, D.C., office and will also lead a presence in Austin, overseeing government relations, media and communications as the company aligns with U.S. strategic interest in critical minerals. He brings more than two decades of public affairs experience, including nine years at ExxonMobil, where he oversaw state government relations in the Northeast and helped build the public and government affairs team in Guyana. Empower is scaling commercial production of American-made lithium carbonate and plans to launch its first commercial sales in 2027, with CEO Patrick Dowling calling Sinclair the cornerstone of a leadership team assembled to lead American lithium production. The company noted that the United States controls only 1% of global lithium processing capacity.
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Defense & Geopolitical Fragmentation › Sovereign Supply — Minerals & Reshoring Industrials ▲Talent
Defense & Geopolitical Fragmentation › Sovereign Critical Minerals & Magnets Talent
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Refining & Chemicals ▲Talent
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction ▲Talent
Empower · Regulation · Positive Empower hired a government/public affairs chief and opened a Washington office to align with U.S. strategic interest in critical minerals as it scales lithium production.
United KingdomUnited States
Cameroon
Zimbabwe▲
Galliford Try Wins Place on £3 Billion West Midlands Framework
Galliford Try Holdings PLC has landed a spot on the latest £3 billion Constructing West Midlands Framework, selected for the major works lot covering projects over £10 million. Connecting Excellence Group Plc has completed its first acquisition, buying James Gray Recruitment, and has grown its Bitcoin holding to over 81 coins, worth around £5.25 million. Bradda Head Lithium Ltd has intersected visible spodumene mineralisation in all three of its first Whistlejacket holes in Arizona, with lab assays now the next key test. Tower Resources PLC has secured a one-year extension to its exploration licence at Thali in Cameroon and is now working towards a drilling campaign targeted for Q2 2027. Premier African Minerals Ltd has raised around £1.2 million to restart operations at its Zulu Lithium project in Zimbabwe, with the plan now focused on processing ore already sitting on the stockpile.
About megatrends
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction ▲Capital
GFRD.LSE · Demand · Positive Won a place on the £3 billion Constructing West Midlands Framework for major works over £10 million.
PREM.LSE · Capital · Positive Raised around £1.2 million to restart operations at its Zulu Lithium project.
TRP.LSE · Regulation · Positive Secured a one-year extension to its Thali exploration licence in Cameroon, enabling a drilling campaign.
Connecting Excellence Group Plc · Capital · Positive Completed its first acquisition, buying James Gray Recruitment, and grew its Bitcoin holding to over 81 coins.
BHL.LSE · Technology · Positive Intersected visible spodumene mineralisation in all three first Whistlejacket holes, a positive exploration result pending assays.