The 17 rare earth elements (REEs) are as diverse as they are challenging to pronounce. The group is made up of 15 lanthanides, plus yttrium and scandium, and each has different applications, pricing and supply and demand dynamics.
Sound complicated? While the REE space is undeniably complex, many investors find it compelling and are interested in finding ways to get a foot in the door.
Read on for a more in-depth look at the rare earth metals market and the many different types of rare earth metal, plus a brief explanation of how to start investing.
This article continues below the Rare Earth Investing Table of Contents.
Rare Earth Investing Table of Contents
The articles listed below provide an overview of investing in Rare Earths from Rare Earth Investing News.
Start Here — Investing in Rare Earths
- Ways to Invest in the Rare Earths
- Rare Earth Elements Prices 101
- 10 Top Countries for Rare Earth Metal Production
- Top Rare Earth Reserves by Country
- Rare Earths Outlook 2020
The Return of Rare Earths
- Rare Earth Quotas: Political Posturing or Cause for Concern?
- “Free Marketing”: Rare Earths Companies Bask in Global Attention
- US Takes Action on Foreign Dependence as Rare Earths Scare Continues
- Australia, United States Sign Critical Minerals Agreement
Ways to invest in rare earths: Types of rare earths
There are a number of ways to categorize and better understand REEs. For example, rare earths are often divided into “heavy” and “light” categories based on their atomic weight. Heavy rare earths are generally more sought after, but light REEs can, of course, be important too.
Rare earths can also be grouped together according to how they are used. Rare earth magnets include praseodymium, neodymium, samarium and dysprosium, while phosphor rare earths — those used in lighting — include europium, terbium and yttrium. Cerium, lanthanum and gadolinium are sometimes included in the phosphor category as well.
You can click here to learn more about heavy and light rare earths, and here for more information about the different uses of rare earths.
One thing that is common to all the rare earths is that price information is not readily available — like other critical metals, rare earth materials are not traded on a public exchange. That said, some research firms do make pricing details available on occasion, sometimes for a fee.
Ways to invest in rare earths: Supply and demand
As mentioned, each REE has different pricing and supply and demand dynamics. However, there are definitely overarching supply and demand trends in the sector.
Perhaps most notably, China accounts for the vast majority of the world’s rare earth element supply. As the world’s leading producer, China accounted for 132,000 metric tons (MT) of produced rare earths in 2019, with the US coming in a very distant second at 26,000 MT.
The Chinese monopoly on rare earths production has created problems in the rare earths metals market in the past. For instance, rare earths prices in the global market spiked in 2010 and 2011 when the country imposed export quotas.
The move sparked a boom in global rare earth metals exploration outside of China, but many companies that entered the space at that time fell off the radar when rare earths prices eventually fell again.
Molycorp, once North America’s only producer of rare earths, is one notable failure in the drive to produce the metals outside of China. It filed for bankruptcy in 2015 — however, news hit in mid-2020 that the company that now owns its assets is scheduled to go public in a US$1.47 billion deal. Concern about China’s dominance resurfaced in 2019, when the US/China trade war was raging.
For its part, China no longer has REE export quotas in place. In 2014, the World Trade Organization ruled against them, and China removed the restrictions in 2015.
Despite its key role in the rare earths space, China has long had problems with illegal mining. As part of its 12th Five Year Plan, the country closed 14 illegal rare earths mines as well as 28 companies.
The overhaul of the sector is expected to continue during the 13th Five Year Plan, which will run from 2016 to 2020. As part of its efforts to curb illegal rare earths mining, China announced that it will limit its annual rare earths output to 140,000 MT by 2020. China is currently drafting its 14th Five Year Plan with no word yet on how rare earths mining will be handled.
Outside of China, one of the world’s leading rare earth producers is Australian company Lynas (ASX:LYC,OTC Pink:LYSCF). The company mines for rare earth metals and then sends the raw materials for refining and processing at its plant in Malaysia.
Many analysts believe demand for rare earths will boom from 2020 onwards as growth rates for top end-use categories accelerate, including from the electric vehicle market and other high-tech applications.
Demand for dysprosium, a key material in steel manufacturing and the production of lasers, has grown as countries increase their steel standards.
Rare earth raw materials have long been used in televisions and rechargeable batteries, two industries that accounted for much of the rare earth market share before the proliferation of new technology.
Other rare earth metals are used in wind turbines, aluminum production, catalytic converters and many of the high-tech products used everyday.
Securing rare earth supply is an increasingly important issue. In addition to traditional rare earth mining, there has been growth in the rare earth recycling industry, which aims to recover REE raw materials from electronics and high-tech products in order to reuse them in new ways.
Exploring and extracting rare earth materials from deep-sea mud is one of the newest recovery methods and is gaining traction as more mining companies look offshore for resources.
Ways to invest in rare earths: How to invest
The possibility of higher rare earths prices in the coming years has been one of the catalysts for investors wondering how they can invest in rare earth materials. Unfortunately, investors looking for exposure to the rare earth metals market do not have many options — buying physical rare earths is not possible, and few exchange-traded funds offer exposure to the metals.
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For that reason, the most strategic and direct way to invest in the rare earths industry is through mining and exploration companies. While many such companies are located in China and are not publicly traded, there are still some that are accessible. Below is a list of rare earths-focused companies trading on the TSXV, TSX and ASX; all had market caps of over $50 million as of July 23, 2020.
- Alkane Resources (ASX:ALK,OTCQX:ALKEF)
- Greenland Minerals and Energy (ASX:GGG,OTC Pink:GDLNF)
- Hastings Technology Metals (ASX:HAS)
- Midland Exploration (TSXV:MD)
- Neo Performance Materials (TSX:NEO)
- Northern Minerals (ASX:NTU,OTC Pink:NMEX)
- Pensana Metals (ASX:PM8)
Some small-cap REE companies are also listed on those exchanges. Here’s a list of rare earth companies listed on the TSXV, TSX and ASX that had market caps of less than $50 million as of July 23, 2020:
- Avalon Advanced Materials (TSX:AVL,OTCQB:AVLNF)
- Canada Rare Earth (TSXV:LL,OTC Pink:RAREF)
- Gambier Gold (TSXV:GGAU)
- Commerce Resources (TSXV:CCE,OTC Pink:CMRZF)
- Defense Metals (TSXV:DEFN,OTCQB:DFMTF)
- GeoMegA Resources (TSXV:GMA,OTC Pink:GOMRF)
- Leading Edge Materials (TSXV:LEM,OTCQB:LEMIF)
- Medallion Resources (TSXV:MDL,OTC Pink:MLLOF)
- Mkango Resources (TSXV:MKA)
- Peak Resources (ASX:PEK)
- Search Minerals (TSXV:SMY)
- Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV:UCU,OTCQX:UURAF)
If we missed a rare earths company that meets the above criteria, please let us know in the comments.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Gambier Gold and Medallion Resources are clients of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.