The United States and Australia extended financial support to several Australian companies as part of a wide-ranging critical minerals agreement aimed at countering China's hold over the industry, sending the firms' shares sharply higher on Tuesday. Under the deal signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the countries pledged to invest at least $1 billion each over the next six months in mining and processing projects and to set a price floor for critical minerals, a step long sought by Western miners.