IIR's February 16 Market Scorecard Brings You Breaking Geopolitical News

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Researched by IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)--Stay current with the latest geopolitical events, and more importantly, instantly connect to how these events may impact you and your business strategies.

Event	MarCon*	IIR Comment	Outlet	IIR News
Ukraine team heads for Geneva talks as Moscow, Kyiv build military pressure		AI Summary: Heading to Geneva for renewed US-brokered negotiations, Ukrainian officials face deep skepticism as President Zelenskyy criticizes Washington for pressuring Kyiv into unilateral concessions. With intractable disagreements over territory and security guarantees persisting, both sides are aggressively ramping up military pressure--through record drone strikes and fresh Russian advances--to gain leverage at the negotiating table.	Aljazeera	TC Energy, Enbridge, ConocoPhillips: Your Daily Energy News
Iran must abandon enriched uranium and not produce more, Netanyahu says		AI Summary: As US-Iran nuclear talks resume in Geneva, Prime Minister Netanyahu demands the complete removal of Iranian enriched uranium. Tehran rejects this but offers partial dilution for sanctions relief. Washington attempts to bridge this divide with diplomacy backed by military pressure, navigating a tense standoff between rigid Israeli security demands and Iranian resistance.	BBC	EU's Critical Minerals Goal 'Out of Reach'
Oil prices little changed ahead of US--Iran nuclear talks		Oil prices were little changed on Monday, with investors weighing the market implications of upcoming U.S.-Iran talks aimed at de-escalating tensions against a backdrop of expected OPEC+ supply increases. Trading is set to be muted also with markets in China, South Korea and Taiwan closed for Lunar New Year holidays.	Reuters	Pemex Records Highest Crude Processing Rate in More than a Decade
Gold rises over 2% as soft inflation data rekindles Fed rate-cut hopes Asia stock markets track losses on Wall Street as AI fears hit sentiment		AI Summary: Gold surged over 2% Friday, surpassing $5,030 per ounce, as "tame" January inflation data reignited hopes for Federal Reserve rate cuts. This relief rally offset earlier fears from strong jobs data, with silver also rebounding. Analysts subsequently raised Q2 forecasts to $5,800, citing gold's enduring appeal as an insurance asset. AI Summary: Asia-Pacific markets retreated Friday, mirroring Wall Street's slide as fears of AI-driven disruption rattled investors. While major indices like the Nikkei and Hang Seng fell--dragged down by tech and logistics stocks vulnerable to automation--exceptions emerged: Chinese AI firms Zhipu and MiniMax surged, highlighting a market split between established incumbents fearing displacement and emerging innovators capitalizing on new models.	CNBC	Dallas Fed: Oil and Gas Spending on the Decline North American Metal Service Center Industry Sees More M&A Activity
Natural Gas News: Demand Pressures Build as Weather Forecast Stays Mild		AI Summary: Natural gas futures drifted through a quiet week, eking out small gains as the market transitions to the spring shoulder season. Traders remain cautious following January's volatility, while bearish weather forecasts and fading demand limit upside potential. Technically, the rigorous downtrend remains intact, with significant resistance blocking any immediate recovery.	FX Empire	Haynesville Draws International Interest
China confirms it is talking to US about Trump visit as trade truce stays on the cards		AI Summary: China and the US are finalizing plans for President Trump's April visit, aiming to extend their fragile trade truce by up to a year. This pragmatic step, following October's de-escalation and resumed soybean purchases, seeks to secure short-term economic stability and anchor the summit around achievable, mutual commitments.	SCMP	Cochilco: Chinese Demand and BESS to Buoy Lithium Prices
Top U.S. General Joins the Fight for Rare Earth Security		AI Summary: Merging with Blackboxstocks, REalloys appointed Retired General Jack Keane to its board to champion North America's first industrial-scale heavy rare-earth metallization platform. Backed by potential EXIM funding and non-Chinese feedstock partnerships, the initiative addresses a critical defense vulnerability: domesticating the production of high-performance magnets and alloys essential for advanced weaponry, finally ending strategic dependence on adversaries.	OilPrice	Worldwide BESS, EV Markets Bode Well for Lithium Demand
Week 02/09/26 - 02/16/26		On this President's Day, talks are set to resume in Geneva for both the Ukraine-Russia war and U.S.-Iran; however, the prevailing thought from most pundits is that resolution is nowhere in sight either in Eastern Europe or the Middle East. Too many concessions are still being sought by each respective party at the table. Speaking of "at the table," the U.S. and China are set to be finalizing plans for President's Trump visit to China in April with the intent to extend their fragile trade truce. This would somewhat mollify these anxious, volatile, uncertain economic and commodity markets which are being roiled by AI fears. Both in terms of concerns around energy supply to meet exploding demand as well as what it all means from an economic perspective with jobs, automation, efficiency and more being disrupted.
*MarCon (Market Condition 1-5, with 5 being the highest impact) indicates directional bias or price effect for the relevant commodity (Oil, Natural Gas, Chemicals, etc.) and is graded by our team of experts here at IIR.

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IIR News is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resource's Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).

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