Dear Reader,
On Wednesday I argued that natural sources explain, partially, the president’s fixation on Greenland.
Yet is there one particular natural resource he is hot to collar?
I believe there may be, yes.
What is it? Answer shortly.
By way of introduction, I refer you to an article of Oilprice.com, dated Nov. 26, 2024:
- As U.S. President Biden nears the end of his term, there’s one little-known metal whose scarcity is keeping him up at night even today. And analysts warn that President-elect Donald Trump is likely to inherit this headache too.
President Trump inherited the migraine.
The Metal in Trump’s Big Stick
One little-known, scarce metal has the president’s head in siege. About which:
- The metal is not gold, silver, or uranium. It’s not the lithium used for EV batteries. It’s not the copper that is essential for electrification. It’s not even the rare earth elements that are crucial for everything from smartphones to wind turbines.
- This metal has a global annual production of less than 100,000 tons — a small fraction of the lead, copper, and iron produced every year.
Just so. Yet why is President Trump out for this little-known, scarce metal?
Here is the answer:
The president talks loudly… and likes to carry a large stick.
That is, he wishes to wield a mighty military that can back his banter.
And this stick is constituted of the metal:
- It is a vital component in everything from armor-piercing bullets, nuclear weapons, explosive missiles to fire retardants in electronics and military uniforms. Most importantly, there are no viable alternatives at the moment.
China Cut Us Off
What, again, is this little-known, scarce, yet vital metal… for which there are presently no viable alternatives?
The United States has not hauled any from the ground since 2001.
And it has been importing some 63% of its supply from China.
Yet in December China ceased shipping it to the United States — an act of retaliation in the trade war.
Retaliation, that is, for the Biden administration’s assaults upon China’s semiconductor industry.
In consequence… the United States owns a vastly diminishing inventory of metal.
And President Trump is out to restock its cupboards.
Yet again: What is this curious metal?
I have dangled you upon my hook long enough. I hereby set you down upon solid ground.
And the Answer Is…
The little-known, scarce, yet vital metal… for which there are presently no viable alternatives… is named antinomy.
That is correct. The answer is antimony — symbol Sb of the periodic table — and atomic number 51.
Antimony prices went skyshooting 250% last year. Its greatest advances followed China’s December export ban.
The hunt is therefore on for it. And Greenland’s bleak tundras contain it.
Thus Nasdaq reports that one mining company has:
- Identified high-grade antimony mineralization at its Eleonore North project in Greenland, revealing a significant potential for a high-grade antimony-gold system.
- The discovery comes amid soaring antimony prices, driven by China’s recent export controls, highlighting the strategic importance of antimony in defense and renewable energy technologies.
Meantime, observer Thomas Gray writes:
- Goodbye China, Hello Greenland!… China has cornered the market for critical minerals and has cut off the supply to the United States. Large reserves of… antimony exist in Greenland… China has already purchased a mining operation on the Island. President Trump has expressed interest in buying Greenland from Denmark.
A Recipe for Skyrocketing Prices
Thus antimony may be central to President Trump’s Greenland fixation.
I do not argue that antimony solely explains it. Yet do not gainsay it. Recall:
- It is a vital component in everything from armor-piercing bullets, nuclear weapons, explosive missiles to fire retardants in electronics and military uniforms. Most importantly, there are no viable alternatives at the moment.
Limited supply, nearly unlimited demand.
I am not a wagering man.
Yet if I were a wagering man… I would wager high on antimony.
I believe it may have a gorgeous run ahead of it.
Of course my counsel comes free of charge.
And as the phrase runs… you get what you pay for.
Regards,
Brian Maher
for Freedom Financial News