Breaking
Secure Stock Strategies
Author

admin

Browsing
Politics

Trump signs off on 10% global tariff, criticizes Supreme Court justices after ruling

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an order imposing a 10% ‘global tariff’ following the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that he does not have the authority to levy sweeping tariffs under a specific emergency powers law.

‘It is my Great Honor to have just signed, from the Oval Office, a Global 10% Tariff on all Countries, which will be effective almost immediately,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday evening.

The order was issued under Section 122 and applies in addition to the standard tariffs that are already in place, the president announced during a White House press briefing Friday afternoon.

He also announced the launch of several Section 301 investigations and other inquiries aimed at shielding the U.S. from what he described as unfair trade practices by foreign governments and companies.

The high court blocked Trump’s tariffs levied under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in what amounts to a major test of executive branch authority. 

The president noted he will pursue ‘alternatives’ to tariffs under emergency law.

‘Other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected,’ Trump said. ‘We have alternatives. Great alternatives. Could be more money. We’ll take in more money, and we’ll be a lot stronger for it. We’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. We’ll continue to do so.’

Trump called the ruling ‘deeply disappointing,’ saying he was ‘ashamed’ of certain members of the court.

‘I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,’ the president said. ‘In actuality, I was very modest in my ask of other countries and businesses because… I wanted to be very well-behaved.

‘I didn’t want to do anything that would affect the decision of the court, because I understand the court. I understand how they are very easily swayed. I want to be a good boy. I have very effectively utilized tariffs over the past year to make America great again,’ he said.

A source outside the Trump administration told Fox News that an aide came into the closed-door White House breakfast with governors earlier Friday and handed Trump a note about the Supreme Court ruling.

The source said Trump ‘called it a disgrace, and then he went on with the remarks.’

Some of the Supreme Court’s nine justices will likely be sitting in the audience when the president delivers the State of the Union address on Tuesday.

‘The Democrats on the court are thrilled, but they will automatically vote no,’ Trump said during the news conference. ‘They also are a, frankly, disgrace to our nation… They’re very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution. It’s my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests and a political movement that is far smaller than people would ever think.’

In the opinion, the high court declared, ‘Our task today is to decide only whether the power to ‘regulate… importation,’ as granted to the President in IEEPA, embraces the power to impose tariffs. It does not.’

Trump has made tariffs a key plank of his economic agenda since retaking the Oval Office last year, but his policies have not come without controversy.

Republican reaction to the ruling has been mixed.

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., slammed the high court’s decision.

‘The Supreme Court just undercut the President’s ability to defend American workers. President Donald Trump was elected to fight unfair trade and stop the United States from being ripped off. I’m outraged by this decision; it’s clearly judicial overreach,’ Carter asserted in a post on X.

But Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., welcomed the ruling.

‘In defense of our Republic, the Supreme Court struck down using emergency powers to enact taxes. This ruling will also prevent a future President such as AOC from using emergency powers to enact socialism,’ Paul noted in a post on X.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., also hailed the decision.

‘The Constitution’s checks and balances still work. Article One gives tariff authority to Congress. This was a common-sense and straightforward ruling by the Supreme Court. I feel vindicated as I’ve been saying this for the last 12 months. In the future, Congress should defend its own authorities and not rely on the Supreme Court. Besides the Constitutional concerns I had on the Administration’s broad-based tariffs, I also do not think tariffs are smart economic policy. Broad-based tariffs are bad economics,’ Bacon wrote in a post on X.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Congress and the administration will determine the ‘best path forward’ in the coming weeks.

‘No one can deny that the President’s use of tariffs has brought in billions of dollars and created immense leverage for America’s trade strategy and for securing strong, reciprocal America-first trade agreements with countries that had been taking advantage of American workers for decades,’ Johnson wrote in an X post.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Keep Reading
By
Politics

EPA scraps Biden coal restrictions, and advocates say move will restore American dominance

A leading domestic energy advocacy group praised EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement that his agency would undo recent additions to the federal ‘mercury and air-toxics standards’ (MATS) for coal-fired power plants.

Zeldin said removing the restrictions allows the already ‘robust’ MATS standards to remain in effect, ensuring both public health and the health of America’s coal industry amid a push for U.S. energy dominance.

‘The Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy. If implemented, these actions would have destroyed reliable American energy,’ Zeldin said, adding that protecting the environment and supporting industry and baseload power is not a ‘binary choice.’

In response, Power the Future founder Daniel Turner told Fox News Digital the move is a significant step toward revitalizing the American coal industry and, in turn, fueling economies in economically depressed industrial communities throughout Appalachia and beyond.

‘Since the war on coal, we have weakened our grid, driven electricity prices through the roof, outsourced major industries to Mexico and China, but most of all driven tens of thousands of Americans into ruin because of a globalist agenda,’ Turner said Friday, adding that the costs of a crippled coal industry went far beyond shuttered infrastructure.

‘The cruel Obama-led war on coal ruined numerous towns across rural America, drove families into poverty, caused alcoholism, opioid addiction, domestic violence, and suicide to skyrocket.

‘Power The Future started because of coal miners, the acceptable casualties in the globalist climate change agenda,’ added Turner, whose group is based in coal-heavy Virginia.

‘Restoring America’s coal dominance is good for our national security and economy, and it restores the dignity of small-town coal workers whose labor is vital to America’s survival.’

Many of America’s poorest counties are in what were once very wealthy coal communities, including McDowell and Mingo counties in West Virginia and Bell, Letcher, McCreary and Breathitt counties in Kentucky, where Vice President JD Vance’s family is from.

During much of the 20th century, McDowell County — and its seat, Welch — was the No. 1 coal-producing county in the U.S. and home to 100,000 people — a population boom some credit with spurring construction of what became the nation’s first parking deck, which is still standing today in Welch.

Now, about one-quarter of McDowell residents live in poverty while the median income is around $30,000.

Turner alluded to those conditions in comments to Fox News Digital, saying people must ‘never forget or forgive the drivers of the war on coal for their cruel attacks on a vital industry found only in rural America.

‘[Anti-coal politicians] fly private jets to attend global climate summits while they orchestrated an evil attack on the coal miner making America weaker and China richer.’

Turner quipped that any ‘anti-coal activist’ is invited to join him in visiting coal-producing communities but may be unhappy to get dirt on their clothing and find lodging not up to ‘Four Seasons’ standards.

‘We need coal. There is not one product around you right now that was not touched by coal, and to lower prices, bring market stability and ensure economic growth, we need to dominate the coal industry,’ Turner said.

‘Sadly, the liberal elite who launched the war on coal are too ignorant or too indifferent to know this. The ignorant can be educated, and that’s what I try to do at Power The Future. But the indifferent must be defeated, as they are a threat to our liberty, property and prosperity. I will never stop until I defeat them all,’ he said, calling President Donald Trump the ‘greatest coal president in history.’

Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy fired back at the policy change, telling the AP that ‘by weakening pollution limits and monitoring for brain-damaging mercury and other pollutants, they are actively undermining any attempt to make America — and our children — healthy.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Keep Reading
By
Politics

CIA retracts, revises 19 past intelligence assessments deemed politically biased

The CIA on Friday said that director John Ratcliffe had ordered the retraction or ‘substantive revision’ of 19 intelligence assessments over the past decade that were deemed to be politically biased.

In a release, the CIA included three redacted assessments from between 2015 and 2021 that related to White women’s extremist radicalization, attacks on LGBT activists in the Middle East and Africa, and the COVID-19 pandemic limiting access to birth control in developing countries.

‘The intelligence products we released to the American people today — produced before my tenure as DCIA — fall short of the high standards of impartiality that CIA must uphold and do not reflect the expertise for which our analysts are renowned,’ Ratcliffe said in a statement.

He added, ‘There is absolutely no room for bias in our work and when we identify instances where analytic rigor has been compromised, we have a responsibility to correct the record. These actions underscore our commitment to transparency, accountability, and objective intelligence analysis. Our recent successes in Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE and Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER exemplify our dedication to analytic excellence.’

The CIA release said the assessments were identified by the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which did an independent review on hundreds of reports from the last decade, adding that the assessments ‘did not meet CIA and IC analytic tradecraft standards and failed to be independent of political consideration.’

The agency said an internal review led by Deputy Director Michael Ellis ‘agreed that they did not meet the high standards the American people expect from CIA’s elite analytic workforce.’

The first of the three reports included in the release was titled ‘Women Advancing White Racially and Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremist Radicalization and Recruitment,’ and was published in October 2021, in the first year of the Biden administration.

It focused on women in groups overseas ‘that incite, facilitate or conduct violence because they believe that their perception of an idealized, white European ethnic identity is under attack from people who embody and support multiculturalism and globalization.’

The second report was titled ‘Middle East-North AfricaLGBT Activists Under Pressure, and was released near the end of the Obama administration.

That assessment claimed that ‘The tough stance taken against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community by governments in the Middle East probably is driven by conservative public opinion and domestic political competition from Islamists, and is hindering US initiatives in support of LGBT rights.’

The last declassified report included in the CIA release was titled ‘Worldwide: Pandemic-Related Contraceptive Shortfalls Threaten Economic Development, and was published in July 2020, nearly the end of President Donald Trump’s first term.

‘The COVID-19 pandemic is limiting contraceptive access in the developing world and will probably undermine efforts to address population pressures there that are hindering economic development,’ it stated.

A senior administration official who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity said that most of the rest of the flagged assessments dealt with diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Times added that former officials it spoke to both questioned the decision to declassify the three documents and the claims that the assessments were flawed, believing they just showed the policy priorities of past administrations.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Keep Reading
By
Investing

AI Still Has Legs, but Valuation Risk is Back in Focus

The tech rally that powered markets through 2025 is being tested in 2026.

In early February, a broad tech selloff hit markets, fueled by various elements, including aggressive artificial intelligence (AI) capital spending guidance from hyperscalers, as well as the rapid release of new AI models, which sparked disruption concerns within the software sector. This powerful combination forced investors to separate durable AI leaders from stocks whose gains were driven mainly by sentiment and stretched valuations.

Technology benchmarks saw significant losses. From December 31, 2025, to its February 5 year‑to‑date low, the S&P Technology Index (INDEXSP:SP500-45) dropped by nearly 7 percent. Software-focused measures were hit especially hard; the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (BATS:IGV) declined by almost 25 percent.

Meanwhile, semiconductor‑focused peers like the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) remained up more than 5 percent over the same stretch. The divergence underscored how quickly a broad AI theme can split into clear winners and laggards depending on where revenues and profits are actually showing up.

Indexes have since returned some of their losses, but investors with a multi‑year horizon need portfolio construction that can withstand the volatile nature of a sentiment-sensitive sector like tech. In this kind of environment, the challenge becomes building exposure to long‑term AI growth without drifting into a concentrated valuation risk trade.

James Learmonth serves as co-chief investment officer at Harvest ETFs and oversees strategies including the Harvest Tech Achievers Growth & Income ETF (TSX:HTA). Over the same period, it declined only by about 7 percent, underscoring the difference between a diversified, income‑oriented structure and a pure software basket.

Why did tech stocks sell off in early February?

After piling into AI‑linked software and services names on strong cloud and AI‑related revenue growth, the technology sector underwent a steep correction from its October 2025 high. The decline followed earnings reports that included guidance pointing to sustained, capital‑intensive buildouts and longer payback periods.

After hyperscalers signaled aggressive 2026 infrastructure spending, market participants began to question return‑on‑investment timelines, even as fundamentals largely held up.

Companies with less certain paths to monetization saw their share prices decrease rapidly, while those showing profitable AI‑driven growth and measurable returns on invested capital were hit less hard. Disruption‑driven headlines, such as the launch of Anthropic’s Claude Cowork tools and new AI assistants aimed at legal and accounting workflows, added to the perception that many software business models are at risk, even if long‑term AI adoption remains intact.

The move exposed the limits of a purely thematic AI basket approach; in this environment, a passive, set‑and‑forget AI allocation can quickly morph from a growth‑oriented bet into a concentrated valuation risk trade, which is where active managers like Learmonth are trying to draw a sharper line between structural growth and speculation.

For Harvest ETFs, that line starts with business quality rather than a story about AI.

“Obviously it’s a rapidly evolving landscape across AI right now,” he said. “I think having competitive moats in place is paramount for companies maintaining their leadership position over time. From a valuation perspective, we like to look at P/E with that growth multiplier peg applied to us, so you have that growth lens applied to the valuation.”

Several lenses help distinguish structural winners from speculative names.

Learmonth pointed to growing margins, return on equity and return on invested capital as key markers that AI‑driven capex is actually creating value, rather than just inflating a headline growth story.

“You want to make sure companies are actually growing profitably, and not just generating revenue for the sake of generating revenue, but not able to pass that through in terms of bottom‑line growth as well. I think return on equity and return on invested capital, along those same lines, are key metrics to look at too,’ he noted.

Companies with clear, recurring AI‑related revenue streams, such as infrastructure or enabling hardware, tend to fare better than those whose AI exposure is largely driven by narrative.

“We have for a long time argued that the hardware and semiconductor side of the business is where we want to be (more heavily focused) right now, because it is seeing the revenue and profit generation directly from the infrastructure investment. That being said, particularly with the severity of the declines that we’ve seen in the software side over the past few weeks, I think (some opportunities) might be starting to spring up there,’ said Learmonth.

“We have reduced our software exposure a little bit over the past few quarters, but we are still maintaining some software exposure in those companies where we think they have competitive moats, whether that’s specialized areas like tax preparation and accounting, things like that,’ the expert elaborated.

Following the earlier correction, which Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives says may have been an overreaction, AI‑sensitive stocks are now trading at more reasonable multiples than at their October 2025 peak.

For the S&P 500 Software & Services group, the average forward P/E multiple has fallen from about 32.6 times to 22.7 times expected profits, even though analysts still forecast double‑digit revenue and earnings growth, plus net margins close to 30 percent. That average hides a wide gap between names that still trade on premium “AI story” multiples and others that have rerated much more sharply, which is where stock picking becomes critical.

In a recent note, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) spotlighted Atlassian (NASDAQ:TEAM), Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) and Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) as some of the most compelling software opportunities for investors looking to buy the dip.

Investor takeaway

Against this backdrop, the focus is shifting from “how much AI” to “how AI is structured.’

For investors who want to stay exposed to AI‑driven tech, but are wary of sharp, headline‑driven swings, vehicles like the Harvest Tech Achievers Growth & Income ETF could offer a middle ground by combining active stock selection in structural winners with a covered‑call overlay.

“That’s how we generate enhanced yields — by selling calls on our long equity positions to generate option premiums, which we then pay as distributions on a fixed monthly basis,” explained Learmonth.

“That sale of options can help to mitigate some of the month‑to‑month volatility across the fund, with the tradeoff being some foregone upside in a strong bull market.”

As the AI trend evolves, success will likely favor those who view AI as a long-term, multi-year structural shift rather than a short-term theme. Winners will employ active management, prioritize income and utilize a disciplined structure to separate signal from noise.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
By
Investing

Anglo Takes Third De Beers Writedown in Three Years

Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:NGLOY) has slashed the value of its De Beers diamond business by US$2.3 billion, cutting the unit’s carrying value in half and pushing the FTSE 100 miner to a US$3.7 billion annual loss as a prolonged slump in the global diamond market deepens.

After previous charges of US$2.6 billion in 2023 and US$2.9 billion in 2024, De Beers is now valued at US$2.3 billion—a fraction of what it was worth just a few years ago.

The impairment drove Anglo to a net loss of US$3.7 billion for the year, compared with a US$3 billion loss previously. Losses at De Beers also widened sharply to US$511 million from just $25 million the year before, as the business recorded a third straight annual drop in production and trimmed its 2026 output forecast.

“There is at the moment a plentiful supply of rough diamonds in the market,” CEO Duncan Wanblad told reporters.

The diamond sector has been squeezed by several forces at once. US tariffs on India, where most rough diamonds are polished, have disrupted trade flows. Competition from lab-grown stones has also intensified, leading to the erosion of pricing power held by market players.

Anglo has been trying to exit diamonds as part of a sweeping restructuring announced after it fended off a £39 billion takeover approach from BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) in 2024. The plan includes divesting its diamond, coal, and platinum units and refocusing on copper and iron ore.

Wanblad said the sale of Anglo’s 85 percent stake in De Beers is at an advanced stage, with several credible bidders in the process alongside discussions with Botswana. The country currently owns 15 percent of the business and supplies about 70 percent of its annual rough diamond output.

Wanblad said he is “optimistic” that the company would “see a deal signed” this year.

Despite the hit from De Beers, Anglo’s underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 2 percent to US$6.4 billion, buoyed by strong copper prices. The company declared a dividend of US$0.23 per share, down from US$0.64 a year earlier, while net debt fell to US$8.6 billion.

Copper and iron ore remain the miner’s core profit drivers and are expected to anchor earnings once the restructuring is complete.

Anglo’s proposed combination with Canada’s Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK,OTCPL:TCKRF), which would expand its copper portfolio with assets including the Quebrada Blanca mine in Chile, has been approved by shareholders and is awaiting regulatory clearance.

Still, diamonds remain a drag at a time when the broader industry is facing structural change. Producers are currently grappling with falling prices, lab-grown competition, and shifting consumer trends.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
By
Investing

Crypto Market Update: White House Pushes for Compromise in Stablecoin Negotiations

Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (February 20) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC.

Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ether and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$67,697.37, up by 0.9 percent over the last 24 hours.

Bitcoin price performance, February 20, 2026.

Chart via TradingView.

Antonio Di Giacomo, a senior market analyst at XS.com, noted that BTC deepened its corrective phase after the US Federal Reserve’s January meeting minutes revealed a division over the future path of interest rates, increasing volatility and weakening appetite for speculative assets.

A combination of macroeconomic caution, persistent price pressures, and geopolitical tensions has kept the Fed on a cautious stance, thus keeping BTC volatile and trading between technical resistance and intermediate support.

Its future direction will largely depend on the evolution of US data, interest rates and regulatory developments.

Ether (ETH) was priced at US$1,968.25, up by one percent over the last 24 hours.

Altcoin price update

  • XRP (XRP) was priced at US$1.42, up by 0.6 over 24 hours.
  • Solana (SOL) was trading at US$84.56, up by 3.1 percent over 24 hours.

Today’s crypto news to know

White House stablecoin talks advance amid yield/rewards debate

The White House hosted its third meeting with its Crypto Policy Council, led by Executive Director Patrick Witt, Senate Banking Committee staff, crypto representatives and banking executives on Thursday (February 19), focusing on the yield v reward debate for stablecoins as part of negotiations for the CLARITY Act and GENIUS Act updates.

The first meeting, a broad introductory discussion that ended without a resolution, was held on February 2. The second meeting, held on February 10, was reportedly more focused, with banks presenting yield and interest prohibition principles, prohibiting rewards tied to holding stablecoins. The closed-door meetings, with no public records, were described by anonymous sources, attendees and journalists as productive but inconclusive.

During the latest meeting, the White House reportedly pushed for a compromise, allowing rewards tied to transaction activity, but not to idle holdings that resemble bank deposits; however, no final deal was reached.

Banking representatives from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), Citigroup (NYSE:C), PNC Financial (NYSE:PNC) and US Bancorp (NYSE:USB), as well as trade groups like Bank Policy Institute, American Bankers Association and Independent Community Bankers of America, were said to actively work on language to that end, though a final draft will still have to be circulated and weighed by the banks.

CME moves crypto derivatives to 24/7 schedule

CME Group will begin offering round-the-clock trading for its cryptocurrency futures and options on CME Globex starting May 29, 2026, pending regulatory approval.

The decision follows a record US$3 trillion in notional crypto derivatives volume in 2025. Year-to-date in 2026, crypto derivatives average daily volume has climbed 46 percent year over year to 407,200 contracts, while futures ADV is up 47 percent. Average daily open interest currently stands at 335,400 contracts.

By eliminating weekend closures, CME allows traders to hedge in real time as crypto markets move, reducing the price gap risk that builds when traditional markets are shut.

Bitcoin ETFs extend five week outflow streak

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds logged another US$165.8 million in net redemptions on February 19, stretching a five-week outflow streak to nearly US$4 billion.

Weekly withdrawals since mid-January have ranged from US$318 million to US$1.49 billion, raising questions about whether institutional demand is cooling.

Despite the steady redemptions, Bitcoin edged up 1.4 percent over the past day to roughly US$67,800, lifting the broader crypto market cap to around US$2.4 trillion.

Solana meme coin PUNCH surges after exchange listing

A Solana-based meme coin known as PUNCH has surged sharply after securing a listing on a major exchange, briefly jumping more than 80 percent in a single session and posting eye-catching weekly gains.

The token’s market capitalization climbed past US$30 million as it ranked among CoinGecko’s top gainers.

The coin draws branding from a viral story about a rescued baby long-tailed macaque named Punch, which gained traction across social media.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
By
Investing

Cellulose Breakthrough Could Simplify Rare Earths Separation

A team of researchers at Penn State have developed a plant-based nanomaterial capable of selectively extracting dysprosium from rare earth mixtures, according to a recent report.

The findings published in the study detail how the team engineered a modified form of cellulose capable of isolating dysprosium, a heavy rare earth element used in semiconductors, electric motors, and generators.

Rare earths tend to occur together in nature and share nearly identical chemical properties, making separation complex and costly. Commercial processes typically rely on large-scale solvent extraction systems that require extensive chemical inputs and multiple repetitive stages to achieve high purity.

“As technology advances, manufacturers will need more and more dysprosium — some forecasts estimate the demand for this material may surge over 2,500 percent in the next 25 years,” said Amir Sheikhi, associate professor of chemical engineering at Penn State.

The research builds on earlier work by the team, which previously used cellulose-based compounds to recover neodymium from electronic waste.

In the latest study, the focus shifted to dysprosium and the challenge of separating heavier rare earth elements from lighter ones more efficiently.

To achieve this, the researchers modified cellulose at the molecular level, creating nanoscale crystalline particles roughly 100 nanometers long. When introduced into a water-based mixture containing both neodymium and dysprosium, the nanocellulose selectively captured dysprosium through adsorption.

The team observed that the modified cellulose chains behaved differently in the presence of dysprosium, effectively isolating it from the mixture.

“Separating rare earth elements from one another has been extremely difficult, due to the metals’ very similar chemical structures,” Sheikhi explained. “We have been looking for a reliable way to separate heavy elements like dysprosium from lighter elements like neodymium, while avoiding the negative environmental side effects that come from current separation approaches.”

The simplicity of the approach contrasts sharply with traditional rare earth separation facilities, which often require sprawling industrial plants and dozens of equilibrium stages to achieve magnet-grade purity.

Industry studies have shown that separating similar rare earth elements can require upward of 60 repetitive extraction stages, underscoring the technical barrier that has helped concentrate processing capacity in countries such as China.

China currently accounts for the majority of global rare earth processing, particularly for heavy rare earth elements like dysprosium that are critical for high-temperature magnets and defense applications.

The Penn State team argues that a cellulose-based system could reduce chemical usage and lower the environmental footprint of rare earth recovery if successfully scaled.

Future work will focus on refining the material and testing its ability to isolate additional rare earth elements.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
By
Investing

Tech Weekly: Stocks Rally After SCOTUS Ruling on Trump’s Tariffs

We also break down next week’s catalysts to watch to help you prepare for the week ahead.

In this article:

    This week’s tech sector performance

    The US market kicked off the holiday‑shortened week with many tech stocks opening lower after Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) unveiled its new AI model, Qwen 3.5, on Monday (February 16), amplifying concerns about risks from the Chinese market. Major indices closed little changed after a day of subdued trading.

    This caution, she added, is compounded by uncertainty in the broader macro backdrop, driving down stocks in AI‑exposed sectors. She concluded that this process reflects a maturing market, predicting that in 2026, capital will concentrate around firms with clear, monetizable AI strategies.

    Futures gained ground on Wednesday morning (February 17) ahead of the release of the FOMC minutes from its latest meeting, which highlighted a divide: some participants favored another rate hike if inflation remains above target, directly contradicting market expectations of additional cuts amid forecasts of economic weakness.

    Also on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr outlined three potential scenarios for how AI could impact the labor market during a speech at the New York Association for Business Economics.

    The first, and currently favored, scenario is gradual adoption, where slow AI integration minimizes job loss and any brief skill mismatch is addressed through training. The second scenario is rapid advancement, where AI outpaces the labor market, potentially rendering many people “unemployable.” In this case, fast‑moving AI startups could displace older firms, triggering mass unemployment and requiring a complete overhaul of the social safety net to share productivity gains.

    The third possibility suggests that electricity or capital shortages will limit AI’s full potential, making it an indispensable tool but not a truly revolutionary force. Barr concluded that the degree of disruption will ultimately depend on societal investment in creating new jobs, training workers, and implementing mitigation strategies.

    Stocks rallied midday but pulled back in a late‑session softening tied in part to the release of the FOMC minutes. A volatile session in tech saw the Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) pare earlier strength, finishing up 0.8 percent.

    On Thursday (February 19), the market retraced the mid‑week bounce, with the Nasdaq closing down 0.3 percent.

    Friday’s PCE report suggested inflation could be reigniting, keeping rate‑sensitive equities range‑bound in early trading, but the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down US President Trump’s global tariffs caused a rally in Wall Street’s heavyweights in the afternoon.

    3 tech stocks moving markets this week

    1. Shopify (NYSE:SHOP)

    Shopify led NDXT gainers, advancing 14.73 percent. Phillip Securities upgraded the stock to “Strong‑Buy”.

    2. AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP)

    AppLovin saw a 14.68 percent gain, extending its post‑earnings rally.

    2. DoorDash (NASDAQ:DASH)

    DoorDash advanced by 9.36 percent after Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) raised its price target to U$272, citing AI and chatbot efficiencies as well as grocery expansion, while Citizens analyst Andrew Boone reiterated “market outperform” on strong order growth and unchanged 2026 EBITDA outlook.

    Shopify, DoorDash and AppLovin performance, February 16 to 20, 2026.

    Chart via Google Finance.

    Top tech news of the week

                                  Tech ETF performance

                                  Tech exchange-traded funds (ETFs) track baskets of major tech stocks, meaning their performance helps investors gauge the overall performance of the niches they cover.

                                  This week, the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) advanced by 1.83 percent, while the Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXQ) advanced by 1.77 percent.

                                  The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH) also increased by 1.76 percent.

                                  Tech news to watch next week

                                  Next week, tech‑focused investors will be watching NVIDIA’s Q4 print on February 25 as the key driver of sentiment across semiconductor and other AI‑related names.

                                  Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

                                  This post appeared first on investingnews.com

                                  Keep Reading
                                  By
                                  Investing

                                  Western Copper and Gold Announces Filing of Final Short Form Prospectus

                                  Final Short Form Prospectus Accessible on SEDAR+

                                  western copper and gold corporation. (TSX: WRN) (NYSE American: WRN) (the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases dated February 11, 2026 and February 12, 2026, it has filed a final short form prospectus dated February 20, 2026 (the ‘Final Prospectus’) with the securities commissions in each of the provinces of Canada, except Quebec, in connection with its bought deal public offering of common shares of the Company (the ‘Common Shares’) at a price of C$4.15 per Common Share for gross proceeds to the Company of approximately C$80,001,625 (the ‘Offering’).

                                  The Offering is being conducted through a syndicate of underwriters including Stifel Canada, as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, along with ATB Capital Markets Corp., National Bank Financial Inc., Agentis Capital Markets, BMO Capital Markets, Canaccord Genuity Corp., CIBC World Markets Inc. and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (collectively, the ‘Underwriters‘). The Company has granted the Underwriters an option (the ‘Over-Allotment Option‘), exercisable, in whole or in part, at any time until and including 30 days following the closing of the Offering, to purchase up to an additional 2,891,625 Common Shares of the Offering. If this option is exercised in full, an additional C$12,000,243.75 in gross proceeds will be raised pursuant to the Offering and the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering will be approximately C$92,001,869.

                                  Access to the Final Prospectus and any amendment to the documents is provided in accordance with securities legislation relating to procedures for providing access to a prospectus. The Final Prospectus is accessible on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. An electronic or paper copy of the Final Prospectus and any amendment may be obtained, without charge, from Stifel Canada by 161 Bay Street, Suite 3800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 2S1 or by email at syndprospectus@stifel.com by providing the contact with an email address or address, as applicable. The Final Prospectus contains important detailed information about the Company and the Offering. Prospective investors should read the Final Prospectus and the other documents the Company has filed on SEDAR+ before making an investment decision.

                                  The Common Shares will also be offered in the United States pursuant to a prospectus filed as part of a registration statement on Form F-10 (together with any amendments thereto, the ‘Registration Statement‘) under the Canada/U.S. multi-jurisdictional disclosure system. The Registration Statement relating to the Common Shares has been filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Registration Statement is available on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Registration Statement and the prospectus included therein may be obtained, for free upon request, from Stifel Canada at 161 Bay Street, Suite 3800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 2S1 or by email at syndprospectus@stifel.com. The Registration Statement and prospectus included therein contains important detailed information about the Company and the Offering. Prospective investors should read the Registration Statement and such prospectus and the other documents the Company has filed on EDGAR before making an investment decision.

                                  The Offering is scheduled to close on or about February 26, 2026, and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American and the applicable securities regulatory authorities.

                                  About western copper and gold corporation

                                  western copper and gold corporation is advancing the Casino Project, Canada’s premier copper-gold mine in the Yukon and one of the most economic greenfield copper-gold mining projects in the world.

                                  The Company is committed to working collaboratively with First Nations and local communities to progress the Casino Project, using internationally recognized responsible mining technologies and practices.

                                  On behalf of the board,

                                  ‘Sandeep Singh’

                                  Sandeep Singh
                                  Chief Executive Officer
                                  western copper and gold corporation

                                  For more information, please contact:

                                  Cameron Magee
                                  Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Development
                                  western copper and gold corporation
                                  437-219-5576 or cmagee@westerncopperandgold.com

                                  Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

                                  This news release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the timing and completion of the Offering, the gross proceeds of the Offering and the use of proceeds from the Offering, the over-allotment option to be granted to the Underwriters, the necessary regulatory approvals required for the Offering being received and the expected closing date of the Offering. Statements that are not historical fact are ‘forward-looking statements’ as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other U.S. securities law and ‘forward-looking information’ as that term is defined in National Instrument 51-102 (‘NI 51-102’) of the Canadian Securities Administrators (collectively, ‘forward-looking statements’).

                                  Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as ‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘potential’, ‘possible’ and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results ‘will’, ‘may’, ‘could’ or ‘should’ occur or be achieved. The material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the assumptions that all regulatory approvals of the Offering will be obtained in a timely manner; all conditions precedent to completion of the Offering will be satisfied in a timely manner; and that market or business conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual results, performance or achievements of the Company and its subsidiaries may differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks involved in fluctuations in gold, copper and other commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties related to raising sufficient capital in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company’s AIF and Form 40-F, including those under the heading ‘Risk Factors’ and other information released by the Company and filed with the applicable regulatory agencies.

                                  The Company’s forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and the Company does not assume, and expressly disclaims, any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

                                  To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/284767

                                  News Provided by TMX Newsfile via QuoteMedia

                                  This post appeared first on investingnews.com

                                  Keep Reading
                                  By
                                  Investing

                                  Gold and Silver Stocks Dominate TSX Venture 50 List

                                  This year’s TSX Venture 50 list represents a major shift in investor sentiment, particularly to gold and silver.

                                  The TSX Venture 50 ranks the top 50 companies on the TSX Venture Exchange based on annual performance using three criteria: one year share price appreciation, market cap growth and Canadian consolidated trading value.

                                  This year’s list includes 51 companies due to a tie based on the ranking system.

                                  Together, the 51 companies have an average share price appreciation of 431 percent — that’s compared to just 207 percent achieved by last year’s group. These companies successfully raised C$1.5 billion in new capital.

                                  Market value growth was an impressive 775 percent for C$17.9 billion in market cap creation.

                                  That market value growth is not only more than double the 333 percent averaged in 2025, but also represents the largest annual gain since the TSX Venture 50 list began in 2006.

                                  The unprecedented performance of the TSX Venture 50 companies, even in the face of mounting global economic uncertainty, is a clear indication that investor confidence in Canadian capital markets remains solid.

                                  “The Venture 50 list this year really does reflect the global interest in mining and this entrance into a commodity super cycle,’ said Robert Peterman, chief commercial officer at TSX & Global Capital Formation.

                                  Overall the list’s composition highlights how historic 2025 was for junior miners. Compared to last year’s list, which included only 10 mining companies, this year’s list is made up of 48 mining companies, the vast majority of which are gold and silver juniors. With an average share price increase of 443 percent in 2025, they have a total market cap value of C$19.9 billion.

                                  1. Prospector Metals (TSXV:PPP)

                                  Share price appreciation: 1,130 percent
                                  Market cap growth: 3,122 percent

                                  Prospector Metals’ flagship property is the 10,869-hectare ML gold project near Dawson City and 25 kilometers northeast of the former Brewery Creek God Mine in Yukon, Canada. It’s located within the Tintina Gold Belt which hosts significant historic mining operations and current exploration and development projects. B2Gold (TSX:BTO,NYSEAMERICAN:BTG) is a strategic partner in the project and holds a 19.9 percent equity stake in Prospector Metals.

                                  Prospector’s exploration work at ML in 2025 led to the discovery of the new TESS gold-copper zone in October. High-grade and near surface intercepts included 288 g/t over 1 meter within 21.93 g/t over 24.65 meters.

                                  Keep an eye out for more drill results coming from Prospector as the company has more than C$40 million in working capital and plans to kick off a 25,000 meters program in 2026.

                                  2. Santacruz Silver (TSXV:SCZ)

                                  Share price appreciation: 1,100 percent

                                  Market cap growth: 1,137 percent

                                  Santacruz Silver has producing operations in Bolivia and Mexico which include a 45 percent stake in the Bolivar and Porco mines and a 100 percent ownership of the Caballo Blanco Group mines in Bolivia and its wholly-owned Zimapan mine in Mexico.

                                  For 2025, Santacruz Silver’s production came in at 5,598,680 ounces of silver, down 17 percent from the year prior. The company attributed the decline to a major flooding event at Bolivar in May which led to a temporary shutdown of mining activities in certain areas. However, its silver production has consistently improved in the last two quarters of the year.

                                  For 2026, Santacruz is working toward improving operational efficiencies and recovery rates at its operations in order to increase production.

                                  3. Goldgroup Mining (TSXV:GGA)

                                  Share price appreciation: 875 percent
                                  Market cap growth: 2,711 percent

                                  Goldgroup Mining is building a portfolio of high-quality gold assets in Mexico, its cornerstone property is the producing Cerro Prieto heap-leach gold mine in Sonora. In the same state, the company recently acquired the formerly producing San Francisco gold mine and is evaluating the potential to restart production.

                                  Cerro Prieto has been in continuous production since 2013 and currently produces about 11,500 ounces of gold annually. For 2026, Goldgroup is undertaking an optimization and exploration program to more than double the mine’s output to more than 30,000 ounces.

                                  Through a definitive merger agreement with Gold Resource (NYSE:GORO), Goldgroup will soon add the producing Don David gold mine in Oaxaca to its portfolio. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2026.

                                  4. Golconda Gold (TSXV:GG)

                                  Share price appreciation: 700 percent
                                  Market cap growth: 695 percent

                                  Golconda is a precious metals producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration projects in South Africa and New Mexico. This includes the producing Galaxy Gold mine in South Africa’s prolific gold district, the Barberton Greenstone Belt. In New Mexico, the company is working to restart the Summit high-grade silver-gold mine.

                                  In 2025, Golconda’s Galaxy mine produced 13,020 ounces of gold, up 69 percent compared to the previous year. Golconda’s goal is to triple production over the next three years.

                                  At Summit, the company is working to bring the mine back into production in Q2 2026 and then spin it out as a standalone US-focused gold-silver producer by the end of the year.

                                  5. Fuerte Metals (TSXV:FMT)

                                  Share price appreciation: 646 percent
                                  Market cap growth: 1,481 percent

                                  Fuerte Metals is exploring and developing advanced base and precious metals projects across Canada, Mexico and Chile. Its flagship project is the wholly-owned Coffee gold project in the Yukon, Canada. A measured and indicated resource estimate of 3.0 million ounces of gold makes it one of the top 10 largest heap-leach development projects in the world.

                                  Fuerte’s asset portfolio also includes the Placeton-Caballo Muerto copper-gold project in Chile and the Christina gold-silver-zinc project and Yecora copper-silver-molybdenum project in Mexico. Fuerte’s shareholder base includes Newmont (NYSE:NEM,ASX:NEM) and Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX:AEM,NYSE:AEM).

                                  The Coffee project is in the final stages of permitting, engineering, and resource expansion drilling as Fuerte prepares for a construction decision.The company expects to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment for the first half of 2026, and a feasibility study in the second half of the year.

                                  Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

                                  This post appeared first on investingnews.com

                                  Keep Reading
                                  By