China has 70% of rare earth reserves. Will keep driving prices up buy shares??? U.S. looks to ease China’s monopoly on rare earths Three Reasons Why Copper Stocks have Soared 73% in 2021
There are a lot of really poor articles on rare earths especially from the US perspective. Rare earths are not all that rare. It is just that they are very difficult to process to separate out the different rare earths so they can be applied to their specific purposes. Australia has the only large scale rare earth processor (and miner) outside of China in Lynas (ASX:LYC) I have about 50% of my portfolio in LYC and have been trading it on and off for over 10 years and learnt a lot about rare earths in the process. The US has just woken up to the realisation that they are at a strategic disadvantage and are now trying to catch up. Lynas has already received military money for planning a light RE processing plant in Texas, likely to be co-located with an already planned jv plant processing heavy RE. The real key to REs is the processing, not the mining and that is where Lynas has a 10+ year head start over all the non-Chinese hopefuls.
Lynas is also building a processing plant near Kalgoorlie Also (heavy rare earths from memory Lynas is more light rare earths) Browns Range – Northern Minerals Considering the amount of Rare earth metal in a Strike Fighter it will be interesting to see if the US govt does anything about "Molycorp" remains The collapse of American rare earth mining — and lessons learned
May be 70% of what some people think the reserves are. The reason they are rare is because China is stockpiling, when other producers came on line they will undercut. No-body knows how much Australia has as the aerial surveys are in progress at the momment, saw three planes doing it night before last. I know of mining rights taken up in some locations. When the prices gets high enough to justify opening up lower concentrated soils, processing ability created and higher concentrated soils depleted, mining will be viable in places with lower concentrations.
LYC is a great company, bought at 75c (pre 10:1 consolidation at 0.075c) and exited close to $2. Wish I bought it back when it was trading at $1.40.
LYC might be called a "core' holding for a portfolio if U want to include ASX Rare earths-- But there a lots of explorers in this field ATM looking in both Oz & some of the dicier corners of Africa ( where isn't in that country?) It can be an exciting play to maybe get into a couple of these if U have bit of silly money. But research will always trump just punting- This site often gives news of small caps--- Not advice of course MTR Who’s leading the race to join Lynas as Australia’s next supplier of rare earths? - Stockhead
Correct of course-- a very large continent & many of its countries are welcoming to ASX mining companies as they have a reputation on the whole of being mindful of local rules & cooperate with authorities to play a part in increasing the earnings of that country so win for Oz & the African country in which they might be operating
