The U.S. Falls Behind China in Resource Development

A new economic narrative has started building in recent weeks.

Following the announcement that the Department of Defense would take a stake in MP Materials (MP), a rare earth developer exclusively in North America, it’s clear that the U.S. sees domestic resource development as a key part of national defense.

However, the move, while shaking the small resource market, pales in comparison to the hefty investments that China has been making in the metals and mining space for over a decade:

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China has made extensive global investments in resource developments.

Currently, resources make up about 2% of the S&P 500 by market cap. Even today’s big-name gold miners carry market caps of under $100 billion, and the entire resource space is valued at less than any of the Magnificent Seven names.

But these are the critical physical commodities the world needs. Copper, gold, lead, zinc, uranium, and the rare earths.

This story is just getting started, and U.S. developers may see big moves ahead as the U.S. looks to catch up from a decade of underinvestment as China has moved full steam ahead with resource development.

~ Addison

P.S. With the resource market taking off, we’ve asked Grey Swan Contributor Shad Marquitz, to join us again on Grey Swan Live! tomorrow, July 24 @ 11 a.m. ET.

Shad regaled us last time with a litany of tickers he likes in the natural resource space. We covered rare earth minerals, uranium and nuclear energy, precious metals and building materials.

Tomorrow’s call will give us a chance for another full run down with Shad. He’s very articulate on investing in natural resources. If you’re interested in this overlooked space that’s starting to heat up again, you’ll want to join us Live!

As always, your reader feedback is welcome: feedback@greyswanfraternity.com (We read all emails. Thanks in advance for your contribution.)

A new economic narrative has started building in recent weeks.

However, the move, while shaking the small resource market, pales in comparison to the hefty investments that China has been making in the metals and mining space for over a decade:

Turn Your Images On

China has made extensive global investments in resource developments.

But these are the critical physical commodities the world needs. Copper, gold, lead, zinc, uranium, and the rare earths.

~ Addison

P.S. With the resource market taking off, we’ve asked Grey Swan Contributor Shad Marquitz, to join us again on Grey Swan Live! tomorrow, July 24 @ 11 a.m. ET.

Shad regaled us last time with a litany of tickers he likes in the natural resource space. We covered rare earth minerals, uranium and nuclear energy, precious metals and building materials.

As always, your reader feedback is welcome: feedback@greyswanfraternity.com (We read all emails. Thanks in advance for your contribution.)

Regardless of anyone’s personal opinion on Trump, it’s clear that the international community is translating his “Putting America First” agenda as something more like “Every Man for Himself.” That could have a profound impact down the line, not just for our future trade prospects, but for the health of the economy and the U.S. dollar at large (which is still the world’s dominant reserve currency, for now).

At the same time, this is all very bullish for gold, as central banks are likely to continue buying for years to come. In this kind of situation, gold hitting $4,300 and continuing to rise higher was a foregone conclusion, and it’s clear that Trump’s agenda is locked in and unlikely to change.

Shares of regional banks and even investment bank Jefferies were hammered Thursday after fresh revelations from Zions Bancorporation and Western Alliance Bancorp.

Zions dropped more than 13%, Western Alliance fell 10%, and the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) plunged over 6%, with all but one member ending the session in the red. It’s not the size of the losses — it’s the pattern that’s unsettling, in what are ongoing ripple effects from the banking crisis that rocked regional banks in early 2023.

Yesterday, Zions Bancorporation and Western Alliance Bank dropped 13% and 10% respectively, dragging the S&P 500 down with them.

In pre-market trade this morning, the broader banking sector also got whacked. JP Morgan was down 1.5%, while Citi fell 1.9% and Bank of America was down 2.9%. In Europe, meanwhile, the regional Stoxx Banking Index fell almost 3%.

The Federal Reserve stopped tracking “unrealized losses” at regional banks in 2022. But occasionally, a snippet of data will come to light, like this piece from the FDIC earlier this year.

History’s “golden” rule will soon apply again.

Shares of regional banks and even investment bank Jefferies were hammered Thursday after fresh revelations from Zions Bancorporation and Western Alliance Bancorp.

Yesterday, Zions Bancorporation and Western Alliance Bank dropped 13% and 10% respectively, dragging the S&P 500 down with them.

The Federal Reserve stopped tracking “unrealized losses” at regional banks in 2022. But occasionally, a snippet of data will come to light, like this piece from the FDIC earlier this year.

History’s “golden” rule will soon apply again.