Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq climb as Trump stokes hopes a US-China trade deal is near
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is investing $75 million in gold and antimony miner Perpetua Resources Corp. (PPTA), the first investment announced of the bank’s $10 billion “Security and Resiliency Initiative.”
Shares in Perpetua jumped more than 10% in premarket trading before paring gains back to a bump of around 5%.
On Oct. 21, Perpetua broke ground on its Stibnite Gold Project development, reopening the abandoned Stibnite Mining District of Idaho.
The mining project is set to become the US’s only reserve of antimony, designated a critical mineral by the federal government for its use in weapons systems development, batteries, and semiconductors, alongside a host of other applications.
The mine is also expected to produce a high-grade open-pit gold mine, adding about 4.8 million ounces to the US’s gold reserves.
JPMorgan’s $75 million equity investment joins a $180 million equity investment from Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and $80 million in awarded funds from the Department of Defense, according to a press release from Perpetua.
“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing — all of which are essential for our national security,” said JPMorgan chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon.
“Our security is predicated on the strength and resiliency of America’s economy.”
The investment from JPMorgan is the first publicly announced equity stake taken as part of the “$1.5 trillion [Strength and Resiliency] initiative to address pressing needs in key sectors from critical minerals to frontier technologies,” which includes $10 billion earmarked for equity investments.
JPMorgan’s investment represents a 2.7% stake in the company, according to Perpetua.