Overnight, the USD Index fell 0.37% to 99.6 while AUD/USD rose 0.53%, easing pressure on Australian producers; copper slipped 1.74% to $6.5705/lb and lithium hydroxide dropped 2.10% to 128000 CNY/t with no offsetting supply shocks. The US Department of Defense’s $1.4 billion conditional loan to Sila Nanotechnologies plus $400 million for Australian scandium and $25 million for an Alabama graphite mine represent the only concrete Tier-1 development, directly injecting capital into domestic lithium-ion and rare-earth-free supply chains. Ivanhoe Electric’s Arizona copper project and Niron Magnetics’ magnet work stand to benefit most on the ASX and NYSE from the $3 billion package, while CATL’s still-shuttered Jianxiawo mine in Yichun continues to cap any near-term lithium output recovery.