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Top 5 Canadian Nickel Stocks of 2025

Investing 10 Mins Read

Nickel prices experienced a volatile year in 2024 on uncertainty on both the demand and supply sides. This trend has continued into the first quarter of 2025 and is expected to remain for the year. While this environment has been tough, some nickel stocks are still thriving.

Supply is expected to outflank demand over the short term, but the longer-term outlook for the metal is strong. Demand from the electric vehicle (EV) industry is one reason nickel’s outlook looks bright further into the future.

Battery nickel demand is poised to triple by 2030, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

“Mid and high level performance EVs will be the primary driver of battery nickel demand growth in the coming years, particularly in Western markets,” said Jorge Uzcategui, senior nickel analyst at the firm. “There will be growth in China, but it won’t be as pronounced as in ex-China markets.”

As for Canada, nickel is listed as a top priority in the government’s Critical Minerals Strategy. The country is the world’s fifth largest producer of nickel, with much of its production coming from mines in Ontario’s Sudbury Basin, including Vale’s (NYSE:VALE) Sudbury operation and Glencore’s (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations.

How have Canadian nickel stocks performed in 2025? Below are the top nickel stocks in Canada on the TSX, TSXV and CSE by share price performance so far this year.

All year-to-date and share price data was obtained on March 26, 2025, using TradingView’s stock screener. Canadian nickel stocks with market caps above C$10 million at that time were considered.

1. Power Metallic Mines (TSXV:PNPN)

Year-to-date gain: 40.37 percent
Market cap: C$364.15 million
Share price: C$1.53

Power Metallic Mines, formerly Power Nickel, is developing its 80 percent owned Nisk polymetallic property in Québec, Canada, which hosts high-grade nickel, copper, platinum, palladium, gold and silver mineralization. The polymetallic nature of the project is a plus for the economic case for future nickel production in a low price environment.

The company was recognized as one of the 2024 top 50 performers on the TSX Venture Exchange, ranking as the top mining company and fourth overall company due to posting a 365 percent share price appreciation for the year.

Ongoing work at the Nisk project has generated positive news flow for Power Metallic in 2025. After starting the year at C$1.07, Power Metallic’s share price climbed to C$1.49 by January 30 following two key announcements in late January. First, the company released drill results from the 2024 fall campaign on Nisk’s Lion zone and the start of its winter 2025 drill campaign. Shortly after, it announced a new discovery 700 meters east from the Lion zone, now named the Tiger zone, which it plans to target as part of its winter drilling.

From there, Power Metallic’s share price jumped more than 26 percent to reach C$1.88 on February 6, its highest point of Q1. This followed further drill results out its 2024 fall campaign with with notable assays further demonstrating the high-grade nature of the mineralization.

Other notable news supporting the company’s share price this quarter included the closing of a C$50 million private placement and the plan to scale up its 2025 winter drill campaign from three to six rigs in the second quarter. Additionally, further results from the 2024 fall campaign expanded the Lion zone with the deepest assayed intersection to date, plus initial nickel-copper assays from the new Tiger zone.

2. Magna Mining (TSXV:NICU)

Year-to-date gain: 25.93 percent
Market cap: C$273.59 million
Share price: C$1.70

Magna Mining is a base metal exploration and development company based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The company’s flagship assets are the Shakespeare mine and the Crean Hill project. Shakespeare is a past-producing nickel, copper and platinum group metals mine with major permits in place. It hosts an indicated open-pit resource of 16.51 million metric tons at 0.56 percent nickel equivalent. Crean Hill also hosts a past-producing mine that produced the same resources.

Magna Mining was also included in the 2025 TSX Venture 50 list.

Last year, Magna signed a definitive offtake agreement with Vale Base Metals’ wholly owned subsidiary Vale Canada for the advanced exploration portion of Crean Hill, and inked a toll-milling agreement with Glencore Canada for the surface bulk sample of the 109 Footwall zone at Crean Hill. Magna completed an updated preliminary economic assessment at Crean Hill in November.

Magna’s share price started off the year at C$1.42, and gradually climbed throughout the following weeks to reach a year-to-date high of C$1.84 on February 5.

Its share price was supported by continued positive updates on its acquisition of a portfolio of base metals assets located in the Sudbury Basin, including the producing McCreedy West copper-nickel mine, through a share purchase agreement with a subsidiary of KGHM Polska Miedz (FWB:KGHA). The company completed the acquisition at the end of February.

Magna also closed a C$33.5 million private placement in early March.

3. Talon Metals (TSX:TLO)

Year-to-date gain: 23.53 percent
Market cap: C$79.45 million
Share price: C$0.105

Talon Metals is focused on developing high-grade nickel resources for the US domestic battery supply chain. The company has partnered with mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) on the Tamarack nickel-copper project located in Minnesota, US. Talon has an earn-in right to acquire up to 60 percent of Tamarack and currently owns 51 percent. The US Department of Defense awarded Talon a US$20.6 million grant in September 2023.

An environmental review process is underway for the proposed Tamarack underground mine. The company plans to process ore from the mine at a proposed battery mineral processing facility in North Dakota. The company plans to initiate the permitting process for the processing facility in 2025.

Talon has a six year offtake agreement with Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) for a total of 75,000 metric tons, or 165 million pounds, of nickel concentrate, as well as cobalt and iron by-products, from the Tamarack project once it’s in commercial production.

The company is also the operator of the Boulderdash nickel-copper discovery and numerous high-grade nickel-copper prospects in Michigan, which it optioned to Lundin Mining (TSX:LUN) in early March.

Talon Metal’s share price reached a year-to-date high of C$0.105 on March 26. That day, the company announced a significant massive sulfide discovery at Tamarack with an intercept measuring over 8.25 meters logged as 95 percent sulfide content.

4. Stillwater Critical Minerals (TSXV:PGE)

Year-to-date gain: 16.67 percent
Market cap: C$32.61 million
Share price: C$0.14

Stillwater Critical Metals’ flagship asset is its Stillwater West polymetallic project in Montana, US. In addition to the platinum group elements, copper, cobalt, and gold resources identified on the property, a January 2023 NI 43-101 inferred mineral resource estimate on Stillwater West shows it to have the largest nickel resource in an active US mining district.

Stillwater Critical Metal’s share price reached a year-to-date high of C$0.14 on March 26.

On this day, the company reported multiple large-scale magmatic sulfide targets following analysis of the property-wide third-party MobileMtm magneto-telluric geophysical survey completed in late 2024.

The data from the survey was also used to build a new 3D geological model of the lower Stillwater Igneous Complex that will help the company to further prioritize targets at Stillwater West in an upcoming planned drill campaign.

5. First Atlantic Nickel (TSXV:FAN)

Year-to-date gain: 15.22 percent
Market cap: C$25.22 million
Share price: C$0.265

First Atlantic Nickel is developing its wholly owned Atlantic nickel project in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The large-scale project hosts a naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy that contains about 75 percent nickel with no sulfur or sulfides. Known as awaruite, it is known for its strong magnetic properties. Its also easier and cleaner to separate and concentrate than conventional nickel ores as it can be processed without a smelter.

A series of catalysts in February gave the company’s stock value a boost to the upside. On February 19, it shared that drilling confirmed ‘the RPM zone extends 400 meters along strike and 500 meters wide, remaining open at depth and along strike to the north and west, indicating significant expansion potential.’

Initial Phase 1 assay results from the Super Gulp zone were released on February 26 showing up to 0.32 percent nickel with an average of 0.25 percent nickel over the entire 293.8 meter length. First Atlantic Nickel stated the results confirmed ‘the presence of a major new nickel zone.’ That same day, shares in First Atlantic surged to C$0.33.

The next month, on March 4, First Atlantic reported a new discovery at the RPM zone with intersects of 0.24 percent nickel over 383.1 meters, and 10 kilometers downstrike from Super Gulp.

First Atlantic shares reached their highest year-to-date value of C$0.35 on March 13 after the company announced initial metallurgical test results from the first drill hole at the RPM zone. The company said “the results confirm the potential for magnetic separation as a viable processing method for awaruite nickel mineralization previously identified at the RPM Zone.”

FAQs for nickel investing

How to invest in nickel?

There are a variety of ways to invest in nickel, but stocks and exchange-traded products are the most common. Nickel-focused companies can be found globally on various exchanges, and through the use of a broker or a service such as an app, investors can purchase companies and products that match their investing outlook.

Before buying a nickel stock, potential investors should take time to research the companies they’re considering; they should also decide how many shares will be purchased, and what price they are willing to pay. With many options on the market, it’s critical to complete due diligence before making any investment decisions.

Nickel stocks like those mentioned above could be a good option for investors interested in the space. Experienced investors can also look at nickel futures.

What is nickel used for?

Nickel has a variety of applications. Its main use is an alloy material for products such as stainless steel, and it is also used for plating metals to reduce corrosion. It is used in coins as well, such as the 5 cent nickel in the US and Canada; the US nickel is made up of 25 percent nickel and 75 percent copper, while Canada’s nickel has nickel plating that makes up 2 percent of its composition.

Nickel’s up-and-coming use is in electric vehicles as a component of certain lithium-ion battery compositions, and it has gotten extra attention because of that purpose.

Where is nickel mined?

The world’s top nickel-producing countries are primarily in Asia: Indonesia, the Philippines and Russia make up the top three. Rounding out the top five are Canada and China. Indonesia’s production stands far ahead of the rest of the pack, with 2024 output of 2.2 million metric tons compared to the Philippines’ 330,000 metric tons and Canada’s 190,000 metric tons.

Significant nickel miners include Norilsk Nickel (OTC Pink:NILSY,MCX:GMKN), Nickel Asia, BHP Group (NYSE:BHP,ASX:BHP,LSE:BHP) and Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF).

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Top 5 Canadian Mining Stocks This Week: Euro Maganese Surges 82 Percent

Investing 11 Mins Read

US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping round of tariffs on Wednesday (April 2). The tariffs included 10 percent to most countries along with more specific import fees directed at specific countries in an attempt to balance trade deficits.

Canada and Mexico were spared under the USMCA deal signed by Trump in 2019, with the exception of non-USMCA-compliant vehicles, which were subject to a 25 percent tariff. This sparked a similar 25 percent retaliatory tariff from Canada.

The uncertainty over the application of tariffs caused some automakers, like Ford (NYSE:F) and Stellantis (NYSE:STLA), to announce family pricing to encourage consumers to make purchases before car prices rise. Stellantis also halted production at plants in Canada and Mexico and temporarily laid off 900 workers.

Statistics Canada released its March jobs report on Friday (April 4). Its data showed that Canada’s labor market lost 33,000 jobs during the month.

The most significant decline occurred in wholesale and retail trade, which shed 29,000 jobs, followed by information, culture and recreation, which dropped by 20,000. Meanwhile, personal and repair services added 12,000 new positions, while utilities gained 4,200 workers. Overall, the unemployment rate climbed 0.1 percent to 6.7 percent.

South of the border, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced a significant increase in the non-farm payroll in March.

The report indicated that the US added 228,000 jobs to the economy, significantly higher than the 117,000 jobs added in February and the 140,000 expected by economists.

The largest gains in employment occurred in the healthcare sector, which added 54,000 new jobs, while both the social assistance and retail sectors contributed 24,000 jobs each.

The report also indicated a further decline of 4,000 jobs in the federal government, following a loss of 11,000 in February. Mass layoffs of federal employees by the Elon Musk’s DOGE are not yet fully reflected in the jobs data. Many of the over 280,000 employees whose jobs are being cut are currently on administrative leave or accepted severance deals, Bloomberg reports, meaning the bureau still counts them as employed.

The unemployment rate and participation rate held steady at 4.2 and 62.5 percent respectively.

Markets and commodities react

Global equity markets were in steep decline following the Trump administration’s tariff announcements on Wednesday.

In Canada, The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) fell 5.67 percent during the week to close at 23,277.79 on Friday, the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) decreased 8.31 percent to 575.91 and the CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) dropped 9.23 percent to 108.95.

US equity markets did not fare any better, with the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) losing 8.21 percent to close at 5,074.09, the Nasdaq 100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) dropping 7.36 percent to 17,570.21 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) shedding 7.41 percent to 38,314.85.

Precious metals also closed the week in the red. Although the gold price briefly hitting a new high of US$3,167.71 per ounce on Wednesday, it plunged on Friday to close the week down 1.56 percent at US$3,038.04. The silver price declined sharply, losing 12.92 percent during the period to US$29.69.

In base metals, the COMEX copper price plunged 14.17 percent over the week to US$4.42 per pound. Meanwhile, the S&P GSCI (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) lost 6.75 percent to close at 522.69.

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

So how did mining stocks perform against this backdrop? We break down this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stock data for this article was retrieved at 4:00 p.m. EDT on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market capitalizations greater than C$10 million are included. Companies within the non-energy minerals and energy minerals sectors were considered.

1. Euro Manganese (TSXV:EMN)

Weekly gain: 81.82 percent
Market cap: C$40.27 million
Share price: C$0.50

Euro Manganese is a manganese development company working to advance its Chvaletice waste recycling project. The operation is focused on extracting manganese from tailings that are part of a decommissioned mine site near Prague, Czechia. As part of the project’s scope, the company says it will carry out remediation and reclamation work to bring the site into compliance with environmental regulations.

A 2022 feasibility study for the Chvaletice project indicates that it will produce 48,000 metric tons of manganese per year and is expected to have a project life of 25 years. In the study, the company reports a post-tax net present value of US$1.3 billion with an internal rate of return of 22 percent and a payback period of 4 years.

The latest project news was announced on March 25, when Euro revealed that Chvaletice had been designated a strategic project under the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act. According to the terms of the act, the project will gain access to both private and public funding opportunities, as well as a more streamlined permitting process.

Shares in Euro experienced significant gains this week after the company announced on March 30 that it would proceed with a share consolidation at a ratio of five to one. The consolidation occurred on Monday (March 31), reducing the number of common shares to 80.53 million from 402.67 million, and post-consolidation shares began trading on April 2.

The company also announced on April 1 that it would be upsizing a financing round up to C$11.2 million and would include a C$3 million private placement with former Sprott (TSX:SII,NYSE:SII) Chairman Eric Sprott. Proceeds generated from the financing will be used to support development at Chvaletice.

2. DLP Resources (TSXV:DLP)

Weekly gain: 60 percent
Market cap: C$61.08 million
Share price: C$0.44

DLP Resources is a mineral exploration company focused on advancing its flagship Aurora copper-molybdenum project in Peru.

The 8,500 hectare site is located in the Central Andes. Exploration work has been performed at the site since the early 2000s, with DLP conducting drill programs in 2023 and 2024.

Shares in DLP have been rising since the release of a technical report for Aurora on February 27, which included a maiden mineral resource estimate with significant copper and molybdenum spread over two zones.

The inferred resource totals 1.05 billion metric tons of ore containing 4.65 billion pounds of copper, 1.1 billion pounds of molybdenum and 80 million ounces of silver. The resource has average grades of 0.2 percent copper, 0.05 percent molybdenum and 2.4 grams per metric ton silver.

The company said it is pleased with the size and results of the report and will continue drilling the site to upgrade the resource ahead of a preliminary economic assessment.

DLP shares also got a boost this week after it released its Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the nine months ending January 31 on Tuesday. In the release, the company discussed its activity for the three-quarter period highlighting its recent mineral resource estimate as well as the completion of a non-brokered private placement in January for proceeds of C$1.36 million.

3. Noram Lithium (TSXV:NRM)

Weekly gain: 35 percent
Market cap: C$12.08 million
Share price: C$0.135

Noram Lithium is a lithium exploration and development company focused on the advancement of its Zeus lithium project in Nevada, US. The property, located near Clayton Valley, comprises 146 placer and 136 lode claims covering 1,133 hectares in a region with existing lithium brine operations since 1967. Noram has been exploring the site since 2016.

Its most recent update came on June 11, when the company released an updated mineral resource estimate, reporting an indicated resource of 564 million metric tons (MT) at a concentration of 956 parts per million (ppm), resulting in 2.9 million MT of contained lithium carbonate equivalent. Zeus’ inferred resource stands at 1.3 million MT of contained lithium carbonate equivalent from 287 million MT grading 861 ppm lithium.

Shares in Noram rose this week, but the company did not publish any news.

4. Maple Gold Mines (TSXV:MGM)

Weekly gain: 31.82 percent
Market cap: C$34.11 million
Share price: C$0.07

Maple Gold Mines is a gold exploration company focused on the advancement of its Douay and Joutel projects located in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt in Québec, Canada.

The Douay project covers an area of 357 square kilometers. In a 2022 technical report, the company said the site hosts an indicated resource of 511,000 ounces of gold from 10 million metric tons with an average grade of 1.59 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, with an additional inferred resource of 2.53 million ounces from 76.7 million metric tons at 1.02 g/t.

The Joutel project covers an area of 39 square kilometers and is located directly south of Douay. The site hosts Agnico Eagle’s (TSX:AEM,NYSE:AEM) past-producing Eagle-Telbel gold mine, which operated from 1974 to 1993. To date, the company has used 250,000 meters of historic drill results to create 3D models to aid in current exploration efforts.

The most recent news from the project came on Thursday when Maple announced recent exploration at Douay’s Nika zone produced a broad mineralized interval of 2.05 g/t gold over 108.6 meters, which included an intersection of 4.93 g/t over 17 meters, from a vertical depth of 490 meters.

The company said the results build on previously identified mineralization from shallower depths and defines a new high-grade, bulk-tonnage target that remains open in multiple directions.

5. Stillwater Critical Minerals (TSXV:PGE)

Weekly gain: 25 percent
Market cap: C$38.43 million
Share price: C$0.15

Stillwater Critical Minerals is an exploration company focused on advancing its flagship Stillwater West project in Montana, United States.

The brownfield project hosts several multi-kilometer exploration targets with known mineralization deposits of nickel, copper, cobalt, platinum group metals and gold.

A mineral resource estimate included in a January 2023 technical report demonstrated an inferred estimate of 1.05 million pounds of nickel, 499 million pounds of copper, 91 million pounds of cobalt, and a combined 3.811 million ounces of platinum group metals and gold from 254.8 million metric tons of ore with a nickel equivalent cut-off grade of 0.2 percent.

The most recent news from the project came on March 26 when Stillwater reported it had identified multiple large-scale targets from its 2024 geophysical survey. The company said the survey improved the resolution of known targets while identifying unknown targets occurring near surface to a depth of 1.5 kilometers.

Shares have also been bolstered by the recent executive order from President Trump that will help to speed up project permitting for critical mineral projects.

In an announcement on March 24, Stillwater President and CEO Michael Rowley commented, “The order also makes a point of listing copper and gold. This is very relevant to Stillwater because we have a very large polymetallic resource that positions us with a substantial copper inventory and the largest nickel project in an active US mining district.”

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?

The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.

How many companies are listed on the TSXV?

As of June 2024, there were 1,630 companies listed on the TSXV, 925 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,806 companies, with 188 of those being mining companies.

Together the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Senate GOP pushes Trump budget framework through after marathon vote series

Politics 2 Mins Read

The Senate approved changes to the House’s budget resolution on Saturday after an hourslong series of amendment votes during which Democrats sought to put Republicans on record on issues like tariffs and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

It passed mostly along party lines in a 51 to 48 vote.

The amended framework would raise the debt ceiling by up to $5 trillion within the reconciliation process, taking future leverage away from Senate Democrats. It would also make President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent by using what’s called a current policy baseline that Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., decides.

The scoring tool essentially means the cost of making Trump’s tax cuts permanent would be factored at $0 because it extends current policy, rather than counting it as new dollars being added to the federal deficit.

Budget reconciliation lowers the vote threshold in the Senate from 60 to 51, which lets Republicans approve certain priorities with no Democrat support. 

Washington’s Republican trifecta thus sees reconciliation as a key tool for delivering on Trump agenda items. 

The Senate’s Friday night ‘vote-a-rama’ was triggered by the chamber agreeing to a motion to proceed to the budget resolution amendment on Thursday night. Nearly a day of debate followed before the vote series was initiated.

During this type of voting series, senators of both parties can introduce an unlimited number of amendments, and many get floor votes.

The budget would address border funding for the Trump administration as well as extend the hallmark tax cuts Trump passed in 2017. 

Initially, there was stark disagreement between Republicans in the House and Senate on how to organize a budget reconciliation resolution. The House GOP leaders preferred one bill with both the border and taxes included, while those in the Senate wanted to have two separate resolutions for them. 

But the House’s approach ultimately won out, with Trump supporting their plan. 

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Sec Hegseth to visit Panama after Trump’s demands for canal’s return

Politics 2 Mins Read

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is slated to meet with Panama leaders next week amid President Donald Trump’s continued efforts to regain control of the key strategic and military resource. 

The Trump administration has been outspoken about national security threats presented by alleged Chinese interference.

During a February visit to the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in an X post that ‘the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area.’ 

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed on Friday the secretary of defense will attend the 2025 Central American Security Conference, participating in discussions that will ‘drive ongoing efforts to strengthen the U.S.’s partnerships with Panama and other Central American nations,’ according to a report from the Associated Press.

The president, who has criticized the six-figure premiums imposed on U.S. ships traveling along the vital waterway, previously suggested repurchasing the canal.

It was built by the U.S. over the span of multiple decades, but was eventually handed over to Panama during the Carter administration.

The ‘Panama Canal Repurchase Act,’ a bill that was recently introduced in Congress, would give Trump the authority to negotiate with appropriate Panamanian government officials to reacquire the Panama Canal.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino previously said China does not have influence over the canal and accused Trump of ‘lying’ about potentially acquiring it, according to the AP.

BlackRock, Inc. later announced a $23 billion deal with Hong Kong-based CK Hutchinson to take ownership of the Panamanian ports of Cristobal and Balboa, along with 43 ports in 23 other countries, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The canal could be used as leverage for China in U.S. tariff negotiations.

Hegseth will also visit Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to meet with military members and leadership at the 7th Special Forces Group, according to the AP.

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

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South Korea presidential ouster part of Chinese strategy to ‘expand its regional influence,’ expert says

Politics 3 Mins Read

In a week that saw French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen banned from running for office, the South Korean Constitutional Court’s ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office on Friday has critics looking towards Beijing’s hand in efforts to remove the leader from power.

‘Yoon’s foreign and security policies stand in stark contrast to the pro-China figures long supported and controlled by the [Chinese Communist Party (CCP)],’ Anna Mahjar-Barducci, Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) project director, told Fox News Digital. She explained that those policies ‘posed a threat to Beijing’s long-term strategy of cultivating a pro-China faction in South Korea,’

Mahjar-Barducci claimed the CCP has used ‘overt economic cooperation, political donations, covert benefit transfers and even illegal sexual bribery’ to cultivate ‘certain South Korean political figures over time, aiming to undermine the U.S.-South Korea alliance, weaken South Korea’s strategic independence and expand its regional influence at the expense of the U.S.’ 

Mahjar-Barducci also claimed that one Korean activist who spoke to her on Friday told her that election fraud in South Korea had been organized in cooperation with China, whose government had unduly influenced the past two general elections. 

The Associated Press reported on Friday that supporters of the ousted president were enraged by the decision. Kim Min-seon, a Yoon supporter, is quoted as saying it was the only way to deal with liberals blocking Yoon’s efforts to fight Pyongyang and Beijing’s campaigns to threaten South Korea’s democracy through cyberattacks, disinformation and technology theft — something denied by the opposition party. 

Yoon had long provoked the ire of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un over his plans to increase his country’s nuclear capacity. The former South Korean leader sought increased cooperation with the U.S. as a deterrent to the North Korean threat.

A spokesman from the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. did not answer Fox News Digital questions on allegations the country interferes in Seoul’s politics. Questions sent to the South Korean embassy were not returned. 

Mahjar-Barducci also explained that given the ‘intensive coverage by Beijing’s media’ of Yoon’s dismissal, the CCP is ‘brimming with pride’ and ‘extremely pleased’ with the turn of events. Beijing ‘has already taken down two pro-American South Korean presidents, Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk Yeol, which shows just how deep Beijing’s infiltration and influence in South Korea are,’ she said.

‘South Korea needs to be the strongest ally, along with Japan, of America,’ Mahjar-Barducci continued. But Beijing is poising itself to ‘win over this important strategic area,’ which the U.S. ‘cannot afford to lose.’

Mahjar-Barducci said Yoon’s removal is part of a ‘pattern… all over the world’ of right-wing candidates being forbidden from seeking election, including Romanian right-wing presidential frontrunner Călin Georgescu and French right-wing politician Le Pen. ‘The judiciary has been weaponized once again,’ she explained.

The CCP’s hand in South Korea comes at a time when Beijing is holding large-scale military drills around Taiwan, with 19 vessels from the Chinese navy being spotted in the waters surrounding Taiwan between Monday and Tuesday morning. Mahjar-Barducci said that while Beijing has attempted to make such drills ‘a new normal,’ it has also warned that the ‘drills could unexpectedly turn into a real war.’

South Korea will hold elections for a new president in two months. Fox News Digital has reported that surveys show liberal opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is ‘an early favorite’ for the position.

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‘FOOD BABE’ VANI HARI: Don’t boo the MAHA movement. Our health and safety are bigger than bureaucrats’ egos

Politics 5 Mins Read
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard my friend and colleague Calley Means, co-founder of TrueMed and an adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, being booed, laughed at and shouted down at the Politico Health Care Summit this week. 

Apparently, that room full of health care lobbyists and partisan critics didn’t want to hear the truth: American health policy in its current form is an absolute and utter failure. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the largest health bureaucracy in the world, needs an overhaul and it needs to happen fast. 

The backlash Calley encountered Wednesday came just 24 hours after HHS began laying off 10,000 federal employees — including entrenched officials from agencies like the FDA, NIH, and CMS, who have presided over a stunning collapse in American health. 

Shortly after Secretary Kennedy’s announcement of the restructuring, the former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf went on his LinkedIn page and stated ‘The FDA as we’ve known it is finished.’ 

Thank goodness it’s finished. 

Decades of ineffectiveness have allowed our food and chemical corporations to inundate our food system with novel chemicals without third-party oversight or necessary safety studies.  

Decades of outdated regulatory actions have let American companies poison us with ingredients they don’t use in other countries — like artificial food dyes that are linked to hyperactivity in children and cancer in animal studies. 

Decades of poor nutritional standards have allowed infant formulas with the first ingredient — ‘corn syrup solids’ — a form of added refined sugar — to be given to newborn babies.

If our health authorities worked, we wouldn’t be the sickest developed country on Earth. We wouldn’t have exploding rates of obesity, infertility, and depression. The facts speak louder than the boos.

We need a total overhaul in how our regulatory bodies operate. We need to replace old thinking. We need new personnel who aren’t riddled with conflicts of interest. We need gold-star science that will get to the root cause of why we are in this predicament and how to solve it. 

Our government has miserably failed to protect human health and there are countless examples of that — but now with President Donald Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s bold vision to reverse chronic disease, we have a turning point in history that we’ve never had before.  

What Calley said at the summit wasn’t complicated: the people who helped create this crisis shouldn’t be the ones running the response. And yet, when he pointed out that America has ‘the sickest children in the developed world’ — and that laughing off reform in the face of that reality is disgraceful — the room turned hostile. 

He argued that Secretary Kennedy is doing exactly what voters — particularly MAHA moms like me — asked for: removing entrenched bureaucrats who labeled independent experts as quacks, punished dissent, and brushed aside soaring chronic disease rates– ignoring the fact that food is medicine. To do otherwise, as Calley put it, is ‘to tell the MAHA moms that their votes and voices are not legitimate.’ 

People voted for change. Not for minor tweaks — for structural disruption. And that’s why the MAHA moms are done being laughed at. I understand the outrage. But I also understand what’s at stake. 

If our health authorities worked, we wouldn’t be the sickest developed country on Earth. We wouldn’t have exploding rates of obesity, infertility, and depression. The facts speak louder than the boos.

And let’s be clear: this isn’t the first time reform has made the elite uncomfortable. Calley is a warrior like I’ve never seen before. He is doing what real reformers always do — facing down institutions that protect themselves at all costs. And he has an army of MAHA moms behind him. 

I’m one of them. As a longtime food activist and founder of the Food Babe movement, I’ve spent over a decade challenging the very same health establishment now being reformed. I’ve spoken directly with the MAHA moms in and and outside the White House driving this effort — women who’ve watched their kids suffer from chronic illness, only to be gaslit by the very agencies meant to protect them. 

These aren’t fringe voices. They’re citizens demanding accountability, transparency, and a return to common sense in public health. I’m proud to stand with them. 

I’ve traveled all over the country with Calley, in a grassroots effort to fix what the food industry has done to us — testifying in various states that are looking to reform antiquated policies that allow harmful chemicals in our food and keep Americans sick. 

This moment isn’t about optics. It’s about outcomes — whether American children are healthier in five years. Whether families feel seen and served by public health institutions. Whether the government finally begins to prioritize prevention over pharmaceutical profits. 

Calley should not apologize for prioritizing America’s health over bureaucratic egos. He shouldn’t back down because insiders are uncomfortable. He is part of a team building a leaner, more transparent and reputable HHS. And if telling that truth gets him booed again, I have a feeling he’ll take the mic every time. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Politics

Here’s what Trump is really up to with high-stakes tariff gambit

Politics 5 Mins Read
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Let us be honest: When most people hear ‘tariffs,’ they think about price hikes and trade wars. But the Trump administration’s latest tariff rollout is not merely a knee-jerk protectionist move—it is part of a far broader strategy.

What is actually in play here is a high-stakes effort to build up leverage and resources to manage America’s debt, reset its industrial base, and renegotiate its standing in the global order.

And it all begins with a problem most people have not been told enough about.

In 2025, the U.S. government must refinance $9.2 trillion in maturing debt. Some $6.5 trillion of that comes due by June. That is not a typo—that is a debt wall the size of a small continent.

Now, here is the math: According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, each basis-point (one one-hundredth of a percent) drop in interest rates saves the government roughly $1 billion per year. Since the announcement of tariffs on April 2, 10-year Treasury yields have fallen from 4.2 percent to 3.9 percent—a 30 basis point drop. If that holds, it translates to $30 billion in savings.

So, keeping yields low is not just sound policy—it is a fiscal necessity.

But we are in a difficult environment. Inflation has not fully cooled, and the Federal Reserve remains wary of cutting rates too quickly. So the question becomes: How does one bring yields down without the Fed’s help?

Here is where the strategy becomes interesting.

By introducing sweeping tariffs, the administration is creating precisely the kind of economic uncertainty that drives investors toward safer assets such as long-term U.S. Treasuries. When markets are spooked, capital exits risk and equity assets (as we see with the stock market collapse) and piles into safe assets, primarily the 10-year U.S. treasury bond. That demand pushes yields lower.

It is a counter-intuitive move, but a calculated one. Some have called it a ‘detox’ for the overheated financial system. And it appears to be working.

However, even cheaper debt does not solve everything. The deficit remains massive—and that is where spending cuts come in.

Backed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk, the administration is reportedly targeting $4 billion in daily spending cuts. If their recommendations translate to cuts and get ratified by Congress, that could amount to a trillion dollars off the deficit by late 2025.

At this point, we have two pillars: lower borrowing costs and tighter spending. But there remains a third—and arguably most important—pillar: growth.

Tariffs serve as the ignition switch. By making imports more expensive, they create space for American producers to step back in. The objective is not to punish trade partners—it is to make domestic industry viable again, even if only long enough to rebuild critical capacity.

Yes, prices will rise. But the administration is fully aware of that. In fact, it is front-loading the pain now, hoping to deliver visible job growth and factory activity before the November 2026 midterm elections.

In the meantime, tariffs themselves will generate revenue—an estimated $700 billion or more in the first year. That creates more fiscal room for the administration to enable tax cuts and keep spending on Social Security, Medicaid and other programs.

Where the picture becomes even more interesting is on the geopolitical front.

These tariffs do not exist in a vacuum. They are being deployed alongside a deliberate reshaping of global alliances. The U.S. is quietly distancing itself from NATO, recalibrating ties with Europe, and opening previously frozen diplomatic channels with the Gulf nations and Russia.

Why? Because the post-Cold War trade order no longer serves U.S. interests. It enabled deficits, offshoring, and strategic dependency. Now, tariffs become leverage. Allies who align with U.S. priorities receive relief; others face higher costs.

China, naturally, is the central player. For years, economists have argued that its artificially weak currency and industrial overcapacity have distorted global trade. Tariffs are one way to force a reckoning—and potentially, a revaluation of the yuan.

Other countries will not be spared. Europe could be asked for terms on Ukraine. India may be pressured for deep tariff cuts. Canada and Mexico will likely face demands related to fentanyl and border enforcement.

This is not random. It is trade policy as a means to force countries to the negotiating table.

Domestically, the political logic is equally clear. The sectors most likely to benefit—steel, automobiles, textiles—are concentrated in battleground states. The administration is betting that visible wins in those regions will outweigh short-term pain in sectors dependent on cheap imports.

There are serious risks here. If inflation returns or if the reshoring bet fails, the blowback could be severe. But make no mistake: This is not improvisation. It is disruption by design.

Whether one agrees with it or not, this is one of the most ambitious fiscal and industrial resets in a generation.

The only question that remains is—will it work?

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Stock

Trend-Following Stocks: How a Low ADX Can Signal Huge Breakouts!

Stock 1 Min Read

In this exclusive StockCharts video, Joe Rabil shows you how to use the ADX on monthly and weekly charts to find stocks with massive breakout potential. Joe walks you through several examples of stocks and ETFs that broke out of an extended period of trading sideways. He also discusses the recent stock market correction and where the SPY and QQQ are trading with respect to the support of moving averages.

This video was originally published on April 2, 2025. Click this link to watch on Joe’s dedicated page.

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Stock

Three Defensive Plays for Post-Tariff Survival

Stock 5 Mins Read

With the S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropping quickly after this week’s tariff announcements, investors are scrambling to identify areas of the market demonstrating strength despite broad market weakness.  The good news is that I was able to easily find strong charts with improving relative strength using the StockCharts platform.

As much as it feels like “everything is down” after Wednesday’s news on increased tariffs on a vast number of products, a quick review of the S&P 500 MarketCarpet on Thursday afternoon provides a quick reminder that plenty of stocks were actually trading higher into the afternoon.

Let’s review two stocks and one ETF demonstrating strength in recent weeks.  And if you’re looking for more potential ideas, perhaps review my Top Ten Charts to Watch for April 2025 with Grayson Roze!

Kroger Co. (KR)

When the economy is strong, and consumer confidence is high, we often see a surge in “things you want” such as travel and luxury goods.  During periods of economic weakness, those Consumer Discretionary names will struggle relative to “things you need” like cleaning products, household goods, and beverages.  So it’s not surprising that our first two charts are in the Consumer Staples sector!

Indeed, the chart of Kroger has a “long and strong” look to it, featuring a consistent pattern of higher highs and higher lows since the October 2024 breakout.  

Two pullbacks in March saw Kroger achieve a higher low above the 50-day moving average, confirming that buyers are coming into “buy the dips” and push the stock to new highs.  The most impressive feature of this chart is the steady uptrend in the relative strength.  As long as that series remains trending higher, it means Kroger provides an opportunity to do better than our struggling benchmarks.

Keurig Dr Pepper Inc (KDP)

Back in October 2024, Keurig Dr Pepper saw a series of downside gaps on disappointing earnings results.  I’ve highlighted these gaps with shaded areas so we can see how often these price ranges have come into play during subsequent price action.

We can see that KDP struggled to regain the lower price gap range late last year, with the 200-day moving average also serving as resistance during that period.  Then in February we finally saw a break above the 200-day before KDP eventually found resistance at the upper price gap from last October.  From late February through early April, Keurig Dr Pepper has basically traded between these two price zones, with the most recent upswing taking the stock back up to test the upper price gap range.

Similar to Kroger, I would say the most compelling piece of this chart is the improving relative strength.  If most stocks are in primary uptrends, then perhaps KDP does not look nearly as impressive.  But with Magnificent 7 stocks and other growth names pounding out clear distribution phases, the chart of Keurig Dr Pepper could provide an opportunity to outperform.

Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU)

Now let’s consider utilities, a sector which is usually bucketed with other defensive groups yet has actually traded along with growth sectors at times over the last 12 months.  The reason for this shift has been partly due to the incredible energy needs of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency mining, and other enterprises requiring heavy computer power.

The price structure of the XLU is fairly neutral at the moment, with this ETF basically stuck in a trading range since the 4th quarter of 2024.  But with most S&P 500 names trading below their 200-day moving averages, I’m immediately drawn to charts that remain above this long-term trend barometer.  The XLU has actually successfully tested the 200-day moving average three times in 2025, all resulting in short-term rallies.

The question here is whether the XLU can gain enough momentum to push above a clear resistance level around $82.  But even that does not actually come to pass, a chart remaining in a sideways trend could provide an easy way to ride out a period where the major benchmarks are losing value.  And given the higher-than-average dividend yield along with decent price action, the utilities sector seems like it deserves a second look.

Both KR and KDP were featured in our Top Ten Charts to Watch for April 2025, which you can access below!

RR#6,

Dave

PS- Ready to upgrade your investment process?  Check out my free behavioral investing course!

David Keller, CMT

President and Chief Strategist

Sierra Alpha Research LLC

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice.  The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.  

The author does not have a position in mentioned securities at the time of publication.    Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.

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Stock

Bitcoin Holds Up, but Remains Short of Relative Breakout

Stock 1 Min Read

Stocks are in a freefall with selling pressure spreading into industrial metals and other economically sensitive commodities. There are few places to hide in bear markets, and the list of alternatives continues to shrink. Bitcoin, an alternative, is holding up relatively well since March, but this crypto is positively correlated with stocks long-term and has yet to achieve a relative breakout. Today’s report focuses on Bitcoin’s correlation and relative performance. 

TrendInvestorPro takes a weight of the evidence approach to define bull and bear markets. This evidence turned bearish on March 13th and remains bearish until proven otherwise. As noted in s to all our reports and videos.

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