In a plot worthy of a James Bond film, a man with a taste for gold now has his eye on the quantum race. The sector’s stocks rallied on news that the Trump administration is negotiating direct stakes in quantum firms. Coming hot after recent announcements with MP MaterialsMP

, Lithium AmericasLAC

, and IntelINTC

, investors chase the next blockbuster deal.

• D-WaveQBTS
  , RigettiRGTI
  , and IonQIONQ
  jumped by 14%, 10%, and 7% yesterday, respectively — each reported issuing shares to the Commerce Department for $10M+ in funding.
• Their gains, and a series of research breakthroughs, have brought the Defiance Quantum ETFQTUM
  up 34% this year — though real-world use remains distant amid persistent error rates.

Quantum significance: As the US government pursues ownership in critical sectors to safeguard supply chains, BofABAC

analysts call quantum computing “the biggest revolution for humanity since discovering fire.” With the power to solve endless complex calculations in an instant, they warn, “Whoever wins the quantum race will gain an unprecedented geopolitical, technological and economic advantage” — especially with over a third of global government funding coming from China. So the race is on, as every new breakthrough raises the stakes even higher.