💰Red-Hot ‘Stars-and-Stripes’ Trade Explodes:LAC, INTC, MP & More

Tiger_Contra
09-26

September 25, Eastern Time – while the broad market slid for a third day, a clutch of Made-in-USA names dubbed the “Stars & Stripes basket” lit up the tape.

$Lithium Americas Corp.(LAC)$ rose another 22.63% after popped 95 % on Wendnesday, $Intel(INTC)$ added 8.87% and $MP Materials Corp.(MP)$ surged 8.82%.

5 DAY CHANGES AS OF September 25th 20255 DAY CHANGES AS OF September 25th 2025

Below we unpack the catalysts, money-flow and a watch-list for the next Washington-backed momentum plays.

1. What happened on 9/25?

The Trump administration is in talks with $Lithium Americas Corp.(LAC)$ o restructure a $2.26 billion Department of Energy loan and is seeking an equity stake of up to 10%.

A similar “national-team” equity logic had already surfaced around $Intel(INTC)$ and $MP Materials Corp.(MP)$ , so money piled into the entire “critical minerals + domestic manufacturing” chain, dragging INTC and MP higher.

The Big 3 That Led the Charge

Ticker

Intra-day rise

Close

Spark

LAC

22.63%

$7.37

Trump team plans 10 % equity + $2.3 bn DOE loan re-fi for Thacker Pass, the largest Li resource in the Western hemisphere (start-up 2028).

INTC

8.87%

$33.99

White House confirmed studying debt-to-equity swap on previous CHIPS loans – Treasury could own ≤10 % of Intel.

MP

8.82%

$77.13

Only U.S. rare-earth producer already awarded $400 m DoD cash; seen as next in line for a federal stake.

Common thread: D.C. takes a seat on the cap-table → lower cost of capital + guaranteed order book → short-cover + quant chase = textbook policy squeeze.

2. Flag-Waving Alpha: Why Traders Piled In

  1. Policy Delta: The credit equals 25 ¢ on every dollar spent, a far richer incentive than last year’s CHIPS Act (12 %).

  2. Clock Speed: The draft contains “buy-America” clauses that take effect 1 Jan 2026, forcing OEMs to re-shore or lose federal contracts.

  3. Short Squeeze: MP and LAC both sport short interest >20 % of float; once volume hit, algms chased gamma hedges.

3. Fast money & charts

4. Follow-on more “Stars-and-Stripes Basket”

Ticker

Angle

Next catalyst

$Albemarle(ALB)$

Only U.S. Li brine mine (Silver Peak) – subsidy upgrade likely

Q3 earnings Oct-late

$Micron Technology(MU)$

CHIPS beneficiary, debt-to-equity candidate

Cap-ex day Nov

$Freeport-McMoRan(FCX)$

World #1 Cu producer, Cu = “electrification metal”

Oct Congress hearing

$Rocket Lab USA, Inc.(RKLB)$

Only listed U.S. small-lift rocket – NSS launch tilt

Oct launch window

$General Motors(GM)$

38 % owner of LAC Thacker Pass, locks in cheap Li

Investor day early Oct

$cleveland-cliffs(CLF)$

Sole U.S. iron-ore pelletizer; 15 % short.

Mid-term guidance update (Nov)

$Nucor(NUE)$

Domestic steel giant, 0 % net debt, 3 % div. yield.

Q4 scrap surcharge reset

$Texas Mineral Resources Corp.(TMRC)$

Rare-earth junior, 30 % short, nano-cap torque.

Drill results / DOE grant decision (Q4)

$Constellation Energy Corp(CEG)$

Carbon-free power for data-centers; gov’t offtake MoU in place.

FERC capacity auction (Nov)

5. Risk & playbook

  • Policy risk: election outcome or Congress can shrink/stall deals.

  • Volatility: 20 % pull-backs routine after 70 % spikes – use covered calls or protective puts; sell OTM puts to enter lower.

  • Cash-flow: some projects ( $Lithium Americas Corp.(LAC)$ ) start 2028 & still loss-making – trade, don’t marry.

Bottom line

The theme flips geopolitical risk into a government equity premium. Trading vehicle, not a widows-and-orphans holding. Keep sizing ≤5 % equity, move fast, watch White House/DoE/DoD press releases for the next debt-to-equity ticker.

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# 💰Stocks to watch today?(17 Dec)

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

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