For raw materials like copper and silver, significant demand comes from industrial processes, particularly in modern data centers. Modern AI data centers consume large amounts of copper wiring both internally and for external connections.
Just more AI fucking everyone over.
No because short sighted CEOs see less sales as lower profits, so they increase prices to make up for lost profits, which might work for one or two quarters but then eventually leads to even less sales so they raise the prices again to make up for it until there is only people who literally cannot function without buying the components for an arm and a leg making up 100% of the companies sales.