XLB State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF
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Prysmian and Aurubis sign record copper deal to fuel AI growth
Prysmian and Aurubis signed their largest-ever long-term agreement for copper wire rod supply. This deal deepens a partnership spanning more than three...
Sumitomo Chemical and Tata partner, localizing India’s semiconductor supply chain
Sumitomo Chemical and Tata Electronics signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a semiconductor materials supply chain in India. The companies will...
Materials Sector Declines on Weaker-Than-Expected Industrial Production
The materials sector experienced a significant downturn after the release of disappointing U.S. industrial and manufacturing production data for August....
Amcor and Dow partner on low-carbon packaging, targeting Scope 3 emissions
Packaging leader Amcor and materials science firm Dow launched a strategic partnership to accelerate low-carbon packaging adoption. The collaboration combines...
Nippon Steel invests $1B in Slovakia, accelerating green steel production
Nippon Steel will invest approximately €900 million ($1.04 billion) in its U.S. Steel Kosice unit in Slovakia. The capital will fund a new electric arc furnace...
Dow Inc. Weighs $20B Sadara Exit, Seeking Debt Relief Amid Industry Headwinds
Dow Inc. is evaluating an exit from its 35% stake in Sadara Chemical Co. This joint venture with Saudi Aramco is valued at $20 billion. The Saudi Arabian...
Rio Tinto Buys Aurukun Bauxite Project, Expanding Cape York Operations
Rio Tinto agreed to acquire the Aurukun bauxite project on Australia’s Cape York from a joint venture between Glencore and Mitsubishi. The companies did not...
Air Products makes record South Korea investment for Samsung chip facilities
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. will launch its largest-ever investment in South Korea to construct semiconductor gas facilities for Samsung Electronics. The...
U.S. Steel Extends Labor Deal, Averting Strike Amid $15B Nippon Takeover
U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers union agreed to a 30-day extension of their labor contract. This agreement avoids a strike following the previous...
Rio Tinto Chair leads Canada’s C$1T drive, targeting critical minerals
The Canadian government appointed Rio Tinto Chair Dominic Barton to lead the Invest in Canada board. This appointment supports Prime Minister Mark Carney’s...
German Chemical Sentiment Hits Four-Year High, Driven by Export Demand
German business sentiment in the chemical industry reached its highest level in four years this August. The Ifo institute’s business climate index for the...
Copper hits record high, fueled by US demand and looming tariffs
Copper prices in New York reached a new record high on Thursday. September Comex copper futures peaked at $6.7270 per pound, surpassing the previous record set...
Cleveland-Cliffs rises on $1B Ohio plant upgrade, $500M federal award
Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF) announced a $1 billion modernization for its Middletown Works facility in Ohio. The project will span four years. The U.S....
Quinbrook secures A$469M for Supernode, expanding Australia’s largest battery campus
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners announced on August 23, 2026, that Stage 2 of its Supernode project is now commercially operational. Located in Brisbane,...
Vale, BHP Win More Support for $32.7B Dam Deal, Clearing Uncertainty
Nineteen additional Brazilian municipalities joined a compensation agreement with Vale, BHP, and their joint venture Samarco. This group includes Mariana, the...
Materials Sector Surges on Precious Metals Rally and Weaker Dollar
The Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) is trading significantly higher, driven by a strong rally in precious metals and a weaker U.S. dollar. Gold prices...
Lundin Mining Slashes 2026 Copper Outlook, Citing Second Chilean Storm
Lundin Mining Corp. lowered its full-year production guidance for the Caserones copper mine in Chile on August 19, 2026. A second severe winter storm in the...
Gov. Walz blocks Boundary Waters mining, stalling Twin Metals project
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive order today to block copper-nickel mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed. This...
BHP Group reports H2 earnings, testing rally after year of gains
BHP Group (NYSE:BHP) releases its second-half 2026 financial results today, August 17, 2026. Analysts forecast earnings of $2.67 per share. Projected revenue...
ArcelorMittal Halts Ukraine Production, Hit by Deadly Russian Missile Strike
Russian missiles struck ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, overnight. The attack killed two people. Damage to power generation and blast...