
China's Rare Earth Magnet Exports Slump in May, Especially to US
Chinese exports of rare earth magnets slumped further in May, with shipments to the US showing an especially steep drop due to the trade war with Washington.
Rare earth minerals, and the products that use the elements, have been at the center of the dispute since early April, when China imposed export controls in retaliation for punitive tariffs levied on Chinese goods. The two countries have since sought to reset relations, culminating in a meeting in London in early June, which prompted US President Donald Trump to declare that issues around rare earths had been resolved.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Europe to give Iran message that US open to direct talks
By Francois Murphy, John Irish and Parisa Hafezi GENEVA (Reuters) -European foreign ministers will tell their Iranian counterpart on Friday that the U.S. is open to direct talks even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity, diplomats said before a meeting in Geneva. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will be told that Iran must send a "clear signal," two diplomats told Reuters, with pressure mounting on Tehran to agree tough curbs on its nuclear programme to prevent the potential development of an atomic weapon. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to several Western counterparts prior to the Geneva meeting, the diplomats said, indicating readiness to engage directly with Tehran. Washington did not confirm that, though broadcaster CNN quoted a U.S. official saying President Donald Trump supported diplomacy from allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal. Tehran, however, has repeatedly said it will not talk to the Trump government until Israeli attacks end. The ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, plus the European Union's foreign policy chief, were meeting separately prior to planned face-to-face talks with Araqchi. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst-case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The Trump administration is demanding Iran stop uranium enrichment altogether, whereas the E3 have in past talks left it some scope to enrich for civil ends in exchange for extremely strict international inspections of its nuclear activities. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron shifted closer to Trump's position, saying that any new deal with Tehran needed to go towards zero enrichment. A senior Iranian official told Reuters Iran is ready to discuss limitations on its uranium enrichment but said the prospect of zero enrichment would undoubtedly be rejected, especially while Israel was attacking Iran. IRAN DEMANDS END TO WAR The talks were due for mid-afternoon in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Separate talks between Iran and the U.S. collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "There is no room for negotiations with the U.S. until Israeli aggression stops," Araqchi was quoted as saying on Iranian state TV on Friday. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke to Rubio on Thursday night, during which Rubio said Washington was ready for direct contact with the Iranians any time, according to a French diplomatic source. The main message Europeans will pass to Araqchi is that the U.S. has signalled readiness for direct talks, but that Iran must give a serious signal, the two European diplomats said, without defining what the signal should be. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. While diplomats did not expect a breakthrough in Geneva, they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped the nuclear issue would remain unresolved given that Tehran would still retain the scientific know-how. "Even now, if they have something to say, we will listen," Araqchi said of the Europeans. "We are not ashamed of defending our nation's rights and we are not avoiding anyone." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said European powers had always been ready to talk provided Iran committed to not developing nuclear weapons. "Now it's Iran's move," he said. Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to join Israeli strikes.

Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wolfspeed nears bankruptcy deal with lenders including Apollo, Bloomberg News reports
(Reuters) -Wolfspeed will be taken over by creditors including Apollo Global Management under a proposal that would put the struggling chipmaker into bankruptcy, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the plan. The company will soon announce a deal for a so-called prepackaged bankruptcy, that would be long enough to slash billions in debt, the report said. After a restructuring support agreement is signed, Wolfspeed will ask creditors to vote on the plan and then file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Shares of Wolfspeed, which makes chips using silicon carbide — a more energy-efficient material than traditional silicon, rose about 3% to $1.29 on Wednesday. The stock had fallen about 81% so far this year. Wolfspeed and Apollo did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The chipmaker raised going-concern doubts earlier in May, as deepening economic uncertainty stemming from changing U.S. trade policies, combined with weakening demand, triggered a series of financial challenges for the company. As of March, the company had about $1.33 billion in unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, and about $6.5 billion of debt obligations, it said in a regulatory filing in May. In a prepackaged bankruptcy, companies and their creditors agree on a reorganization plan prior to the bankruptcy filing and creditors even vote on the plan. Shareholders could recover as much as 5% in the proposed scenario, the report said. In a typical bankruptcy, shareholders are usually wiped out because creditors must be paid first, and there often is not enough value left for equity holders. In 2023, Wolfspeed announced $1.25 billion in debt financing led by Apollo, with the option to increase the total to as much as $2 billion to support the company's U.S. expansion plans.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
On Juneteenth, Trump says the US has 'too many' holidays
Trump criticized the number of American holidays and claimed they cost billions in productivity. The post was made on Juneteenth, a federal holiday that Trump previously supported. Joe Biden later said making it a federal holiday was "one of the proudest moments of my presidency." Joe Biden has reiterated his support for Juneteenth as a federal holiday, after Donald Trump said America has "too many" of them. "Too many non-working holidays in America," Trump wrote on Truth Social late Thursday. "It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed." The president said that the frequency of holidays "must change" and that workers didn't want them, either. "The workers don't want it either!" he continued. "Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Juneteenth, held on June 19 every year, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and has long been celebrated by Black Americans. It became the 11th federal holiday in 2021 with a law signed by then-President Joe Biden. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support, receiving unanimous approval in the Senate and all but 14 votes in the House of Representatives. Biden later posted on X that he had celebrated the day in Texas and that making Juneteenth a federal holiday was "one of the proudest moments of my presidency." "It's a day of liberation. It's a day of remembrance. And it's a day of celebration. Today, it was an honor to be in Galveston where freedom rang out 160 years ago," he said. The White House press office didn't immediately respond to Business a request for comment from Business Insider regarding Trump's Truth Social post. Most federal offices, such as the US Postal Service, are closed during Juneteenth. Markets like the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange don't trade during the holiday, either. But whether private companies and state governments remain open varies. Most major banks are closed for the holiday, but not all companies provide paid time off. Earlier on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing that the White House was open. When asked by a journalist about commemorating Juneteenth, she said she was "not tracking" Trump's signature on any proclamations for the holiday. "I know this is a federal holiday," she said. "I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." Trump himself supported making Juneteenth a federal holiday in the wake of widespread protests following the killing of George Floyd. "Make Juneteenth a National Holiday" was included among his "Promise to Black America over 4 years" policy proposals in his 2020 presidential campaign. During that campaign, Trump took credit for publicizing Juneteenth after moving one of his rallies from June 19 to June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump told The Wall Street Journal at the time. "It's actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it." In the same interview, Trump expressed surprise that his administration had commemorated Juneteenth every year. "Oh really? We put out a statement? The Trump White House put out a statement?" he said, according to the Journal. "OK, OK. Good." The White House did not publish a statement on its website commemorating Juneteenth this year. Read the original article on Business Insider