Commodity Prices

• Aluminum: $2,207/ton
• Antimony (ingot min. 99.65% fob China): $11,950/ton
• Cobalt: $33,420/ton
• Copper: $8,267/ton
• Gold: $1,973/toz
• Lead: $2,294/ton
• Natural Gas (Nymex): $2.90/MMbtu
• WTI Crude Oil (Nymex): $77.25/barrel
• Zinc: $2,555/ton

• The NYT posted an illustrative interactive showing China's intimidation tactics in the South China Sea. You can check it out here.

• Israel released video footage of a small section of tunnel that it says is part of Hamas's labyrinth underneath Al Shifa hospital, as well as further footage that it claims captures Hamas fighters taking hostages into the hospital on Oct. 7.
• Israel's videos still aren't conclusive enough to prove its claims that Hamas is running a vast command center under the hospital.
• Qatar's PM says Israel and Hamas are close to finalizing a deal to pause fighting for several days while Hamas frees hostages, with only "minor...logistical" issues left to resolve.

• Houthi rebels hijacked a British-flagged, Japanese-operated cargo ship because of its rumored links to an Israeli billionaire. The Houthis consider all Israeli vessels fair targets, and they took 25 crew from this one hostage (none of them are Israeli nationals).

• A spokesman for the ousted civilian government of Sudan warned that the junta's war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has divided the country along ethnic and regional lines and could soon result in a "Libya scenario" with rival administrations claiming legitimacy.
• The RSF controls most of Khartoum and Darfur, while the army controls the north and east - including Port Sudan, where junta leaders have relocated.

• Congo's one-month presidential campaign period opened yesterday.
• Incumbent Pres. Tshisekedi is favored to win the Dec. 20 election, and the opposition is trying to consolidate supporters behind a single candidate - ex-Katanga governor Moïse Katumbi - ahead of what its leaders fear will be a rigged vote.

• SpaceX's giant Starship rocket exploded eight minutes into its second test flight - but that's twice as long as the first test flight lasted in April.
• Argentinian voters elected Javier Milei - a right-leaning libertarian - as president. Milei campaigned on radical ideas for taming the country's runaway inflation rate, including adopting the U.S. dollar and closing the central bank. Time will tell if he plans to follow through on his campaign proposals.
• Liberia's president-elect, Joseph Boakai, said his incoming government will review mining concessions signed under previous administrations to try to squeeze more royalty value out of mining majors like ArcelorMittal (iron ore), Bao Chico Resources (iron ore), and Bea Mountain Mining / Avesoro Resources (gold).