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Mexico took the historic step of nationalising its valuable lithium industry, even though it is some way off from being active and productive. But questions about the move’s legality in light of the USMCA trade treaty have emerged, along with reminders about other Latin American leaders who were booted out after nationalising resources.

When speculative trading goes badly, it often goes extraordinarily badly for those caught on the short end. March’s LME nickel short squeeze pummelled Chinese nickel-maker Tsingshan Holding Group. Trapped by the war-driven soaring prices of the usually sedate metal, the Asian giant had no choice but to scramble to cover its losses.

US stock markets posted the worst quarterly performance since the market crash in early-2020 that was brought on by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The S&P 500 lost nearly 5% during the January-March period, and as such, has gotten tongues wagging over the prospect of a much deeper market crash transpiring in the near future.

Farmland is the planet’s most treasured asset, and today, it is attracting increased investor attention from all quarters, causing farmland prices to post healthy gains. While the wealthy buy up huge swathes of available farmland, opportunities—from shares to REITs—for the ordinary investor to benefit from the farm real-estate boom remain.

Space conjures up the image of limitless possibilities, perfectly describing the burgeoning space economy. As technology allows humans to explore and exploit the universe’s vast resources, investors are finding this new frontier full of untapped opportunities. Infinite investment avenues await the investor, but are they financially sound?

Coal’s demise seemed inevitable not long ago, as the world sought cleaner energy sources. Instead, the price of coal has risen sharply during the pandemic in response to soaring demand, mainly from heavyweights such as China and India. How long the price of coal stays high will depend on the global commitment to achieve net-zero emissions.

Lithium, the precious alkali metal used to make electric vehicles’ rechargeable batteries, is leading the hot commodity price rally as demand for EVs revs up with the world finally becoming serious about transitioning toward a low-carbon environment. As demand for lithium far outpaces scarce supply, the price surge has no end in sight.

Many investors, seeking alternatives to investment vehicles that bring low returns, are flocking to sustainable investing, which promises the potential for high profits and substantial social and economic returns with lower risks. The ESG market, while still evolving, is set to snowball over the coming years as it attracts new investors.

Derivatives trading ranks as one of finance’s fastest-paced activities, but it isn’t fast enough. The technology exists to automate the transaction flows from buy to sell, but dependency on manual processes and outdated protocols slow trades needlessly. Advanced strategies and algorithms backed by technology are the paths to best execution.

The threat of scams stealing away investors’ funds is nothing new, but topping the list are relative newcomers: cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Despite the opportunities for crypto-profit, crypto-crime has been rising, so investors should educate themselves on the risks. What are they, and how can investors avoid falling prey to them?