USD Index fell 0.34% to 101.52 while CNY strengthened 0.38% to 6.6731, pressuring lithium carbonate to 92850 CNY/t down 1.01% and spodumene SC6 to 1235 USD/t down 3.14% as end-use demand stayed weak. Germanium dropped 13.36% to 3903.79 USD/kg and neodymium oxide 1.44% to 137 USD/kg on thin spot liquidity. No fresh force majeure or strike data emerged overnight. DRC authorities seized thousands of tonnes of copper and cobalt plus over 500 vehicles in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, detaining more than 300 foreign nationals on sites linked to Eurasian Resources Group, while CMOC reported 34,389 tonnes cobalt output in Q3 amid refiner inventory write-downs. China’s suspended export controls on rare earths, lithium batteries and graphite anodes remain set to resume 10 November absent new Ministry of Commerce action. CMOC faces direct exposure to DRC enforcement and cobalt price rebounds driven by supply rumours, while Guangzhou Automobile Group’s new 7,000-pack Thailand plant and Freyr’s cancellation of its 34 GWh Georgia cell facility shift demand signals away from US battery builds toward Asian assembly.