The recent Gallium announcement spoke of Bismuth being a...

The recent Gallium announcement spoke of Bismuth being a technology metal opportunity along with Gallium.
Haven't heard much about Bismuth before this, at US$19,000/t certainly worth pursuing.

The below article from Reuters was in the West Australian business section

Little-known metal spikes as China-US trade showdown hits home

Bloomberg News

Bloomberg

Mon, 17 February 2025 6:00PM

The is used in automotive coatings, paints and low-temperature alloys and castings, Credit: fill/Pixabay (user fill)

Bismuth — a little-known but critical metal used in defence industries — has spiked to a decade-high after China added the commodity to an export-control list in retaliation for US tariffs.

The metal, which is also used in automotive coatings, paints and low-temperature alloys and castings, has surged 38 per cent to $US8.25 ($12.97) a pound since the curbs were imposed on February 4, according to data from Fastmarkets.

The restrictions mean that local exporters must first obtain permission for overseas sales.

Commodities from oil to metals have been rocked in recent weeks, with new US President Donald Trump imposing, or threatening, a raft of trade levies, and some targets pushing back.

After Washington imposed blanket 10 per cent tariffs on all Chinese goods, Beijing’s response included curbs on a suite of five metals, covering bismuth, plus tellurium, molybdenum, indium and tungsten.

The moves have helped to boost prices, and built on earlier restrictions that covered germanium, gallium, and antimony, which are other niche-but-vital metals.

China is the world’s leading bismuth supplier, accounting for 80 per cent of output, and about two-thirds of US imports came from the nation in recent years.

“Chinese bismuth ingot exports are set to halt in the near term given exporters need time to apply for licenses,” said Chen Qiqi, an analyst at Mysteel Global. Traders are hoarding the metal in anticipation of further price gains, Chen added.

Bismuth ingot prices have risen 7 per cent to 88,000 yuan ($19,067.22) a tonne since the curbs were brought in, according to Asian Metal.