[Music] This tribe is holding $30,000 worth of cobalt, enough to power an electric car in Berlin or a smartphone in Benjen. Yet his family survives on less than $2 a day. This isn't irony.It's organized theft. Theft disguise as trade. But what if I told you the same mineral in his end could power his education, could build his hospital and transform his nation.This is African's paradox. with all the resources of the future but remain trapped in a system that exploits rather than empowers. Africa owes the ke ...

The Dominican Republic is building an international airport, cruise port and hotel hub to transform a poor and remote stretch of coast into the Caribbean’s next big destination. https://t.co/1SekjFOm6N ...

Iraq’s government has big plans “to improve services and infrastructure after years of war and instability”, Muhammad al-Sudani, the prime minister, tells The Economist https://t.co/DqlfF9cIaL ...

Geopolitical Landscape - China is conducting a large-scale infrastructure build-out along its eastern coast [1] - The infrastructure includes air and naval sites [1] - This build-out demonstrates China's growing readiness for a potential conflict over Taiwan [1]

Group 1 - The article highlights the increasing demand for copper driven by infrastructure projects, particularly in Tibet, which is expected to boost copper prices [1] - Copper prices in the U.S. are nearing $6 per pound, raising questions about whether this marks the beginning of a bullish trend or a potential bear trap [1]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Sales volume increased by 7.1% year over year, driven by stronger demand for cement and concrete, particularly for infrastructure projects [5] - Consolidated EBITDA reached $130.2 million, a 9% increase compared to the same period last year, despite rising expenses related to collective bargaining negotiations [5][12] - Revenues for the quarter increased by 5.9% compared to Q2 2024, reaching $484.1 million, with gross profit rising by 11.2% [12] - Net profit increased by 29.9% this quarter compared to the same period last year, attributed to higher revenues and reduced financing expenses [18] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Cement sales increased by 6.3% this quarter compared to the same period last year, with gross margin improving by 3.2 percentage points [15] - Concrete, pavement, and mortar sales rose by 9.8% this quarter, driven by projects like the Piura Airport, although gross margin decreased by 3.2 percentage points due to project execution costs [16] - Precast materials sales increased by 4.1% this quarter, with a gross margin decrease of 1.5 percentage points [17] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is optimistic about the infrastructure development in Peru, which is crucial for economic growth and social inclusion [6][11] - The company is a significant contributor to public-private collaboration programs aimed at enhancing infrastructure, committing over $100 million this year [9] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company focuses on addressing Peru's infrastructure and housing deficit, emphasizing the importance of high-quality building solutions [6][11] - The strategy includes maintaining a sustainable CapEx around 100 million soles annually, with no substantial capacity increases planned [25] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in maintaining a positive trend in sales volumes, expecting single high-digit growth for the second half of the year [24] - The company anticipates EBITDA margins to remain stable between 28-29% [28] - Management remains optimistic about the future, expecting to post record results for the year [38] Other Important Information - Administrative expenses increased by 13.8% in Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024, primarily due to higher personnel costs from union bonuses [14] - The net debt to EBITDA ratio is at 2.6 times, which the company considers comfortable [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: Expectations for volumes in the second half - Management expects volumes to continue with a trend of single high-digit increases, dependent on the timing of infrastructure projects [24] Question: CapEx expectations for the second half - The company plans to maintain sustaining CapEx around 100 million soles annually, with no substantial increases in capacity planned [25] Question: Expected margin improvements - EBITDA margins are expected to remain stable between 28-29% [28] Question: Dividend distribution expectations - The company has been consistent with dividends and sees no reason to change this policy, expecting to maintain the same level as previous years [28]

China launched construction of a 1.2 trillion yuan dam project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet on Saturday, according to Xinhua News Agency https://t.co/vk02jl9TYn ...

Recently, Black Rockck CEO Larry Frink published an article in the Financial Times titled, quote, "It's time for the second draft of globalization. It's safe to say that it took the world by storm." In that article, Larry acknowledged that globalization has created multiple problems such as growing wealth inequality. But it goes without saying that the solutions he has in mind could make things much worse. And that's why today we're going to take a look at what exactly Black Rockck is planning, how this cou ...

How India's Mumbai is spending billions to get rid of extreme traffic and messy roads to compete with global finance hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore. https://t.co/JrJLzCzrFV ...

A “bat protection structure” is being built over the new HS2 railway line in Buckinghamshire at a cost of over £100m ($135m).For a government eager for growth, this is unacceptable https://t.co/0WledhkqqV ...