The Tungsten Market Is Warning of an Upcoming War

(bloomberg.com)

9 points | by Alien1Being 11 hours ago ago

12 comments

  • ablation 9 hours ago ago

    Tungsten prices are already quite easily explained by China restricting exports and reducing production, existing wars consuming munitions, and Western governments rebuilding stockpiles. There's no need to point to some ominous new conflict. We've got more than enough.

    All in all, some very weak evidence on show here, such as pointing to Tasmania’s Dolphin mine reopening as a supposed signal. It did not suddenly reopen because some spooky insiders sensed an imminent war. The mine's redevelopment was financed in 2021 and commercial production began in 2023, which was itself responding to Chinese supply concentration and the favourable economic situation at the time.

    • cloudie78 9 hours ago ago

      > Tungsten prices are already quite easily explained by China restricting exports and reducing production

      And why, pray tell, would China restrict the production and export of tungsten, along with many other critical dual-use metals and minerals?

      • maxglute 4 hours ago ago

        PRC export tit/tat vs west export controls.

      • whosdat 8 hours ago ago

        It is not China who starts wars all over the globe, it is you.

        Sorry, it feels so obvious. But somehow needs to be repeated every time.

        (And if China will start a war, it would be because you tried too much to undo the former status quo; Taiwan, according to UN, is China.)

        • callobserve 5 hours ago ago

          Lol and the Taiwanese themselves have no say in it? Fuckk offfff Chinese bot

        • callobserve 5 hours ago ago

          Go steal some intellectual property that's all you seem capable of

        • SR2Z 4 hours ago ago

          Tell that to the people of the Philippines, Tibet, and Taiwan

          • whosdat 4 hours ago ago

            He-he.. Can you even roughly compare the scale, the violence, lack of any connection to the places bombed besides GREED? Of course not, and you know that.

            • SR2Z 3 hours ago ago

              Of the top 10 bloodiest wars in human history, 4 were fought by China. Only two were fought by the US and they were both world wars in which is US could not be described as anything but a "good" actor. Of those Chinese wars, the Taiping rebellion killed more people alone than America has in 250 years of war, and that happened while the US existed.

              No country is a saint, and China is capable of extreme violence and brutality. Yes I can compare the scale and violence; China does not come out looking great when I do.

              All states are born in violence and will use it to maintain their power and further their goals. China is an ancient and inherently powerful country which was committing atrocities before the US even existed. It has geopolitical ambitions and will use the tools at its disposal to achieve them.

        • mensetmanusman 4 hours ago ago

          China is still technically at war with Taiwan.

          • whosdat 4 hours ago ago

            Taiwan is still "technically" a part of China.

            And instead of trying to provoke China into actual war with an american outpost you built there (because this just might be your Great Plan), you would do better to develop your own economy (the real one, and not the trillions from your financial fantasy land). And stop oppressing the rest of the planet by the way, now that we are talking

  • sanjayjc 6 hours ago ago

    The most recent Odd Lots podcast episode [1] explored this topic further. I quite enjoyed it.

    [1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-03/why-tungs...