This post was originally published on this site.The US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has committed $2 billion to acquire strategic and critical materials for the National Defense Stockpile throughout the fiscal year.    The National Defense Stockpile helps reduce the risk that material shortages could affect national defense and essential civilian industries. Strategic and critical materials needed to meet military, industrial and essential civilian requirements during a national emergency, but aren’t available commercially in sufficient quantities include rare earths, tungsten, titanium and antimony.   Most of the critical mineral contracts awarded through DLA’s Contracting Services Office were targeted demand signals to enable domestic production and...

This post was originally published on this site.Copper could fall further as Democratic Party gains in the United States midterm elections weaken expectations for import tariffs and raise doubts about projected demand from data centres, TD Securities says. Three-month copper futures on the London Metal Exchange declined to about $13,779 per tonne, or $6.25 per lb., by late afternoon Friday in London, their lowest level since July, data show. The metal has retreated from September’s intraday peak of almost $6.80 per lb. as traders reassess demand and the incentive to accumulate U.S. stockpiles. “We continue to expect the red metal...