Hello Capitalists,

Here is everything you should be watching today:

• Trump wants a National Rare Earth stockpile

• Gold and Silver suffer a brutal unwind as rally comes to a screeching halt

• Bitcoin grinds out a a modest uptick after a brutal weekend

• Oracle goes on a fundraising blitz for its AI ventures

• Melania documentary shocks analysts with barnstorming weekend

• US surges in to the top three steel producing nations of the world after 26 years

Today’s markets + assets:

• ✅ DOW: 49367.13 (⬆️ 0.97%)

• ✅ S&P: 6982.51 (⬆️ 0.63%)

• ✅ NASDAQ: 23648.87 (⬆️ 0.80%)

• ⚠️🔴CBOE VIX Volatility Index: 17.51 (⬇️ 4.03%)

• 🔴 Gold: $4662.40(⬇️ 1.74%)

• 🔴 Silver:$77.00 (⬇️ 1.95%)

• ✅ Bitcoin: $78,658 (⬆️ 1.95%)

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Trump eyes massive mineral stockpile boost

President Donald Trump is preparing “Project Vault,” a groundbreaking $12 billion strategic stockpile of critical minerals including rare earths, combining $10 billion in Export-Import Bank loans with private capital to slash U.S. reliance on China for EV batteries, defense tech, and advanced manufacturing—sparking sharp gains in domestic rare earth miner stocks Monday.

• Stock Surge Hits Miners: MP Materials rose 6%, USA Rare Earth 13%, and Critical Metals 12% in early trading as investors anticipate accelerated domestic demand and government support.

• Project Vault Details Emerge: The initiative pairs $1.67 billion private capital with a $10 billion EXIM Bank loan to build a private-sector stockpile shielding manufacturers from supply disruptions.

• China Dependence Targeted: Effort counters Beijing’s dominance over rare earths and critical minerals vital for electric vehicles, defense systems, and high-tech products amid ongoing trade tensions.

• Builds on Prior Moves: Follows government equity stakes in companies like MP Materials and funding talks with USA Rare Earth to strengthen U.S. mining and processing capabilities.

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Precious metals crash spectacularly unwinds epic rally

Gold and silver prices extended brutal declines Monday after a record-breaking rally imploded, with spot gold down about 4% following a 10% tumble and silver off 6% after a 16% slide, driven by Trump’s Fed pick Kevin Warsh sparking tighter policy bets, a surging dollar, and forced unwinding of crowded speculative positions.

• Crowded bets unwind: Traders rapidly exited overextended long positions built during months of relentless gains fueled by geopolitical fears, currency worries, and Chinese speculation.

• Trump’s Fed nominee impact: Kevin Warsh’s nomination as Fed chair raised expectations for stricter monetary policy, boosting the US dollar and eroding precious metals’ appeal.

• Historic volatility extremes: Gold posted its biggest slump in over a decade while silver suffered a record intraday drop on Friday, with metals clawing back some losses amid reassessment.

• Liquidity strains emerge: Banks faced trading challenges from extreme volatility, compounded by higher CME margin requirements, accelerating the selloff in bullion ETFs and derivatives.

Bitcoin hovers near $78000 as downtrend bites hard

Bitcoin clings to $78000 amid persistent sell-off pressure, hovering near that level after dipping to its lowest since April amid a fourth consecutive month of losses and a broader crypto market fragility triggered by hawkish Fed signals.

• Downtrend Remains Intact: Analysts stress the broader bearish trend persists with no clear reversal catalyst, as sentiment shifts and deleveraging dominates trading activity.

• Support Zones Emerge: Mid-$70000 region eyed as key support, aligning with historical lows and potentially attractive for selective buying.

• Investor Caution Prevails: Flows indicate reluctance to buy the dip, with positioning data showing traders focused on unwinds rather than rally preparation.

• Market Losses Mount: Crypto sector sheds $1.7 trillion (39% from peak), with Ether down 23% year-to-date amid whale selling and forced liquidations since October.

Oracle looks to raise billions to fund its massive AI projects

Oracle announced plans Sunday to raise $45 billion to $50 billion in 2026 through debt and equity to expand cloud infrastructure, fueling AI demand from major clients like OpenAI, Meta, and Nvidia. Shares rose 5% in premarket trading on Monday, easing investor concerns over funding the aggressive buildout.

• Funding Breakdown Revealed: Oracle targets half the proceeds from equity-linked securities and common stock, including a new $20 billion at-the-market program and mandatory convertible preferred issuances.

• AI Demand Drivers: Massive raise addresses contracted needs from top cloud customers including AMD, TikTok, xAI, and others amid record data center deals in 2025.

• Balance Sheet Strategy: Company emphasizes balanced debt-equity mix to preserve investment-grade credit rating despite heavy AI-related capital expenditures.

• Market Reaction Mixed: The initial premarket dip reversed to gains as analysts view the plan positively, alleviating for the moment prior worries over financing Oracle’s rapid expansion.

Melania doc shocks with massive $7 million debut haul

Amazon’s “Melania” documentary, directed by Brett Ratner and chronicling the first lady’s preparations for Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration , stunned the box office with a $7 million domestic opening weekend, surpassing expectations and marking the strongest debut for a non-music documentary in over a decade despite scathing critics’ reviews and controversy.

• Audience Demographics Drive Success: Women and moviegoers over 55 accounted for more than 70% of ticket sales, with rural theaters contributing an outsized 46% of grosses compared to their usual share.

• Production Costs Sky High: Amazon MGM Studios invested an estimated $40 million to acquire the film and nearly $35-40 million more on marketing, making it one of the most expensive documentaries ever produced.

• Critical Backlash vs Fan Praise: The film earned a dismal 11% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes but a near-perfect 99% audience Popcornmeter rating from viewers suggesting once again that audiences and critics are split on a Trump product.

• Long-Term Streaming Potential: Amazon executives highlighted positive momentum and a planned docu-series extension, anticipating significant ongoing performance on Prime Video beyond its theatrical run.

Tariff triumph as US crushes Japan’s steel dominance

For the first time since 1999, the United States surpassed Japan in crude steel production in 2025, climbing to the world’s third-largest producer with an output of 82 million tons, thanks to President Trump’s protective tariffs that boosted domestic manufacturing amid a global industry slowdown.

• Production Surge Reported: US crude steel output rose 3.1% to 82 million tons in 2025, ending two years of declines and marking the first increase recently.

• Tariffs Doubled Impact: Trump’s administration started with 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum in 2024, then raised them to 50%, credited with driving the domestic production rebound.

• Global Ranking Shift: America vaulted ahead of Japan to claim third place worldwide in steel production, behind only China and India, after trailing for 26 years.

• Industry Optimism Voiced: Nucor CEO Leon Topalian praised the tariffs as a positive force, noting strong economic demand and forecasting a solid 2026 for US steelmakers.

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