Ivanhoe Electric (IE) to Acquire Refurbished Robbins TBM for Santa Cruz Copper Project

U.S. President Trump announced over $2B in financing commitments for critical minerals. The U.S. Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital plans a $1.4B conditional loan to Sila Nanotechnologies to expand silicon-carbon anode and build lithium-ion cell manufacturing. It also plans $400M for Australia’s Sunrise Energy Metals (ASX:SRL) for a scandium value chain. Additional funding includes $150M for Niron Magnetics and $85M for Standard Bauxite.

National Bank Financial analysts revised precious-metals and copper forecasts ahead of Q2 earnings, citing realized gold at $4,508/oz and silver at $73/oz, and copper at $5.82/lb. They cut 2026 gold and silver assumptions and adjusted target prices for multiple miners, generally lower. TD Cowen upgraded First Quantum Minerals on a likely Cobre Panama restart by year-end.

BNSF Railway says revised remedies for the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger do not adequately address competition concerns. BNSF claims expanded Committed Gateway Pricing would cover under 1% of U.S. rail traffic and that 60% of eligible shippers would face higher rates. It also argues some protections could expire within three years. The Surface Transportation Board has not ruled.

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said in a New York Times op-ed that state AG and Writers Guild lawsuits tied to the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger delay are not about antitrust violations, and he cited his ownership of CNN. California AG Rob Bonta said the case will continue. A March 2, 2027 trial date set by Judge Martínez-Olguín implies about $650M quarterly ticking fees starting Oct. 1.

A Delaware Chancery Court judge ordered Verisk Analytics to pursue completion of its $2.35 billion acquisition of AccuLynx, Reuters reported. The court said Verisk’s withdrawal was invalid because its conduct caused a closing condition to fail. The deal still requires U.S. FTC approval. AccuLynx may recover direct costs and interest.

Apollo Global Management confirmed a recommended cash offer to buy EasyJet for about €6.6bn (£5.7bn), valuing shares at £7.15 each, expected to close in Q1 2027 subject to regulators. Apollo plans to use EasyJet’s slot portfolio and bases to restore growth; no jobs are expected to be cut in the first 12 months. Belfast routes are highlighted as highly exposed to any capacity changes.