Antimony Reigns Supreme, Tariff Turmoil Rocks Wall Street, Musk's Final DOGE Maneuver: Taking Down Pelosi?

Featured Article this week:

• Antimony Mania Heats Up: Once overlooked, antimony is now a red-hot commodity with prices rocketing 217% in 2024 amid a global supply crunch. With applications in military, clean tech, and flame retardants—and China restricting exports—the race is on to secure this strategic metal.

• Three Companies, One Big Grab:

  • Military Metals Corp. (MILIF) is aggressively acquiring high-potential antimony sites in Europe and North America, aiming to dominate exploration.

  • Mandalay Resources (MND) is mining Australia’s only active antimony site, benefiting from sky-high prices and booming demand.

  • United States Antimony Corp. (UAMY) is turning raw ore into big profits as the U.S.'s key smelter, planning to expand production fast.

• Antimony’s Moment to Shine: With U.S. consumption high and domestic production nearly nonexistent, antimony is becoming essential for defense and clean energy. Analysts expect prices to top $50,000/ton in 2025—making early movers the potential kingpins of a new critical mineral era.

• Join the Conversation: Is antimony the next big thing in critical minerals? Share your take on LinkedIn and connect with experts diving into its soaring prices, strategic importance, and game-changing potential across defense and clean tech.

Tariff Shockwave: Rising Costs, Passed onto the Consumer?

From Nike to Apple, new tariffs rattle stocks, squeeze margins, and shake markets—here’s how each industry is feeling the heat.

Apparel and Footwear (Nike, Lululemon)

• Tariff Exposure: 46% tariffs on Vietnam (44% of Nike’s sourcing) and 34% on China (11% of Nike’s sourcing); Cambodia at 49% impacts Lululemon.

• Stock Declines: Nike dropped 12%, Lululemon 10%.

• Cost Impact: Jefferies estimates a 15-20% cost increase for apparel firms, squeezing margins or raising consumer prices.

• Market Context: U.S. imports 90% of apparel/footwear from Asia; S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary sector fell 6% on April 3.

Electronics (Apple, Best Buy, Dell, HP)

• Tariff Rates: 54% on Chinese-made iPhones, 26% on Indian-made; 55% of Best Buy’s goods from China, 20% from Mexico (25% tariff).

• Stock Reactions: Apple fell 9%, Best Buy 11%, Dell 17%, and HP 14%.

• Profit Hit: Rosenblatt Securities predicts a 32% ($39.5B) profit drop for Apple; Dell/HP face $200-$500/unit cost hikes (Tony Redondo).

Aerospace (Boeing)

• Dual Pressure: Supply-chain costs rise (components from China/Vietnam); 80% of planes exported face retaliatory tariffs after WTO deal ends.

• Stock Drop: Boeing plunged over 10% on April 3, 2025.

E-Commerce (Amazon, Shopify, PDD)

• Tariff and Policy Shift: 54% tariffs on Chinese goods; de minimis exemption ($800 duty-free) eliminated.

• Stock Declines: Amazon and PDD dropped 9%, Shopify hit similarly on April 3rd.

• Cost Estimates: $1,000/household annual increase (Nationwide Mutual); 50% of Amazon’s marketplace sales from China.

Broader Market Impact

• Index Losses: S&P 500 dropped 3.1% on April 3, losing $4T; worst day in five years.

• Volatility Spike: VIX rose over 35% to an August 2024 peak, signaling investor fear.

• Earnings Risk: Goldman Sachs estimates 5% tariff hike cuts S&P 500 EPS by 1-2%; current tariffs could reduce EPS by 2-3%.

• Retaliation: China (34% on U.S. goods), Canada (25% on $155B U.S. exports) threaten 28% of S&P 500 sales tied to exports.

Market Snapshot This Week:

Tech & Semiconductor Meltdown: Major tech and chip stocks like Apple (-10.12%), NVIDIA (-12.66%), and Broadcom (-14.12%) plunged following a broad market sell-off driven by concerns over declining demand, stricter AI chip export controls, and analysts slashing earnings forecasts amid weaker-than-expected forward guidance.

Financial Sector Slammed: Banks and asset managers like JPMorgan (-12.00%), Goldman Sachs (-12.17%), and BlackRock (-11.06%) saw heavy losses as fears around slowing economic growth, rising default risks, and fading hopes for interest rate cuts weighed on investor sentiment.

Healthcare & Energy Mixed: While most pharmaceutical and energy names dropped sharply (e.g., Chevron -10.68%, Eli Lilly -7.63%), a few names like UnitedHealth (+6.20%) and Elevance (+3.89%) bucked the trend on strong earnings beats and defensive positioning as investors rotated into health insurers for stability.

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