During the Chinese New Year holiday this week, most rare earth producers temporarily suspended external shipments, maintaining pre-holiday price levels. Overseas inquiries increased in terms of trading activity, while domestic enterprises selectively took orders. Some companies, lacking spot resources, halted external shipments.
Overseas Prices This Week
Oxide Prices:
Lanthanum Oxide FOB: $870-930/mt
Cerium Oxide FOB: $1,718-1,802/mt
Cerium Oxide CIF (Rotterdam): $2,375-2,385/mt
Praseodymium Oxide FOB: $137-141/kg
Neodymium Oxide FOB: $165-195/kg
Neodymium Oxide CIF (Rotterdam): $235-255/kg
Dysprosium Oxide FOB: $280-330/kg
Terbium Oxide FOB: $1,140-1,230/kg
Metal Prices:
Lanthanum Metal FOB: $3-3.1/kg
Praseodymium Metal FOB: $180-186/kg
Neodymium Metal FOB: $163-183/kg
Terbium Metal FOB: $1,400-1,480/kg
Yttrium Metal FOB: $33-38/kg
Overseas Rare Earth News This Week
AI Wave Strengthens Strategic Role of Rare Earths
At the India AI Impact Summit concluded this week in New Delhi, although the focus was on models and chips from tech giants like OpenAI and Google, the discussion essentially pointed to the physical foundation driving these digital technologies—rare earth permanent magnets. Permanent magnets such as NdFeB are core components in data center cooling systems, EV motors, wind turbines, and industrial robots. As AI deeply penetrates physical automation, demand for high-performance rare earth magnets is expected to show structural growth, further cementing the critical material role of rare earths in the energy transition and technological revolution.
Asia: India Launches Domestic Magnet Plan, Geopolitical Tensions Persist
Indian Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy officially announced that domestic rare earth permanent magnet production is expected to commence by the end of 2026, targeting an annual capacity of 6,000 mt with funding support of 72.8 billion rupees (approximately $800 million). The plan aims to shift from the current practice of exporting rare earth raw materials for overseas processing, enhance the domestic value chain, and negotiations have begun for constructing processing parks in states such as Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, geopolitical fluctuations continued; US Senator Rubio met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi during the Munich Security Conference, where they discussed China's trade control measures, underscoring that rare earth supply chain security remains a core topic in US-Japan economic security dialogue.
Americas: Advancing Project Development and Supply Chain Integration
In Brazil, St George Mining acquired 166 hectares of industrial land near its Araxa project in Minas Gerais, laying infrastructure groundwork for its large-scale niobium and rare earth mine development. The company is expected to release an upgraded resource report this quarter. The project has identified 40.6 million mt of rare earth oxide resources at a grade of 4.13%, positioning it as a potential key rare earth supply source in South America. North America achieved a breakthrough in supply chain development, with REAlloys forming a strategic partnership with the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) to jointly establish North America's first commercially scaled, vertically integrated processing complex with heavy rare earth (dysprosium, terbium) separation and smelting capacity, directly addressing bottlenecks in Western magnet manufacturing. Additionally, Canada's NFM signed an agreement to acquire a 90% interest in the Pomme rare earth-niobium project in Quebec, further expanding its resource footprint in North America. Exploration also yielded new discoveries, as Canada's Globex Mining Enterprises confirmed significant rare earth mineralization at the Gem Hills property in Nevada, US, with an average grade of approximately 1.7% TREO.
Europe: Multiple Countries Accelerate Development of Local Refining and Mining Capacity
Romania's Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan explicitly stated the country plans to establish rare earth refining capacity, aiming to become a player in the global critical materials industry. The strategy's core is a joint venture with US-based Critical Metals Corp., which plans to process rare earths from Greenland deposits at the Fildiola plant, a project expected to receive up to 3 billion euros in EU funding. The Finnish government announced a 65 million euro investment in the state-owned mining group to advance the feasibility study for the Sokli mine in Lapland, described as one of Europe's most significant rare earth sources. Initially targeting phosphate and iron ore concentrate production, the study will also explore rare earth extraction feasibility. Meanwhile, European Resources (formerly Prospech) intersected high-grade rare earth mineralization during drilling at its Koshnaas lead mine project in Finland, further enhancing the area's resource potential.
Technological Breakthroughs and Strategic Adjustments
Australia's Critaly achieved a major metallurgical breakthrough at its Jupiter clay-hosted rare earth project in Western Australia, successfully producing high-grade mixed rare earth carbonate via conventional sulphuric acid baking, with strong recovery performance for key magnetic elements (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium), paving the way for commercial development. In Russia, by appointing Ksenia Shoigu to lead the Mendeleev Valley Fund and committing to a 35% subsidy, the country clarified its goal of establishing a complete domestic rare earth system from mining to magnet production, targeting an annual output of 3,000 mt by 2030 to address reliance on external technology.
Summary
This week's global rare earth developments highlighted that the strategic importance of rare earths continued to rise, driven by both artificial intelligence and green energy demands. National actions revealed clear trends: major consumer and manufacturing countries, such as India, accelerated import substitution and local manufacturing; resource-rich nations, including Brazil, Australia, and Finland, intensified project development and technological innovation; while Europe and the United States focused on building independent, resilient regional supply chains through strategic cooperation and investment to reduce reliance on single sources. Geopolitical factors continued to inject uncertainty into the supply chain landscape, making rare earths a central focus in global industrial competition and security dynamics.
![Rare Earth Prices Fluctuated Relatively Little, While Downstream Procurement Demand Remained Weak [SMM Rare Earth Weekly Review]](https://imgqn.smm.cn/usercenter/OJyAn20251217171745.jpeg)
