Overnight the USD Index climbed 0.18% to 101.59 and the S&P 500 eased 0.10%, driving copper 2.45% lower to 5.9905 USD/lb and lithium carbonate 0.63% down to 157500 CNY/t with no offsetting demand data from Chinese PMI or EV sales releases. China's Ministry of Commerce placed MP Materials, operator of the 40,000 tpa Mountain Pass mine, and USA Rare Earth on the export control list, immediately barring Chinese exporters from shipping dual-use items and halting ongoing contracts to these US defense-linked entities. ASX names with non-Chinese rare-earth exposure such as Lynas Rare Earths and Iluka Resources stand to see accelerated offtake interest as Western buyers accelerate diversification away from MOFCOM-controlled flows.