JP Morgan Bets $10 Billion on Key U.S. Industries... Related Stocks Surge

Dimon: "We Must Act for U.S. Energy and Economic Security"
Rare Earth and Quantum Computing Stocks Surge

On October 13 (local time), JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, announced that it will directly invest up to $10 billion (approximately 13 trillion won) in U.S. security-related industries over the next 10 years. This decision aligns with the 'America First' policy stance of the Donald Trump administration and is being seen as a case where private finance is actively participating in the fostering of national strategic industries. Following the news of JP Morgan's large-scale investment, shares related to rare earth elements and quantum computing surged collectively on the New York Stock Exchange that day.

Signboard on the exterior wall of the JP Morgan Chase headquarters building located in Manhattan, New York, USA. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, stated in a press release, "It has become painfully clear that the United States has been excessively dependent on unreliable sources for minerals and products essential to national security," adding, "We must act now."

This investment plan is part of JP Morgan's 'Critical Industries' financing program, which was announced on the same day and totals $1.5 trillion (about 2,050 trillion won) over the next 10 years. Of this, $10 billion will be directly invested by JP Morgan in U.S. companies through equity investments and venture capital. Through this investment, JP Morgan plans to provide funding across a range of strategic industries, including the rare earth minerals sector, where competition with China is intense, as well as aerospace and energy technology. The investment targets have been divided into four core areas: defense and aerospace, advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, battery and energy independence, and supply chain and advanced manufacturing.

This decision is viewed as being in line with the 'America First' policy stance pursued by the Trump administration. President Trump has focused on strategically fostering key security industries such as energy, defense, rare earth elements, and AI technology following the implementation of reciprocal tariff measures. In particular, rare earth minerals are an industry dominated by China, which has used its market control as leverage in trade negotiations with the United States.

The Financial Times (FT) assessed this decision as the most recent example of a major private financial institution embracing President Trump's America First policy stance.

However, CEO Dimon clarified that this investment is "100% a commercial decision, not charity," emphasizing that "there was no discussion with government officials."

On the day of JP Morgan's large-scale investment announcement, related stocks soared. Rare earth-related stocks such as Critical Metals Group (up 55.4%) and United States Antimony (up 36.86%) surged, as did nuclear power stocks like Oklo (up 16.2%) and NuScale Power (up 14.73%), and quantum computing stocks such as IonQ (up 16.2%) and Rigetti Computing (up 25.02%).