5 Top Rare Earth Stories for Q1 2015

Thursday April 9, 2015, 2:45pm PDT

By Teresa Matich+ - Exclusive to Rare Earth Investing News

At the start of 2015, it certainly looked like it would be another tough year for rare earths companies outside of China.

 

However, there are certainly companies looking to crack into the space, and with prices for some of the more in-demand rare earths on the rise, things could be looking up for the rare earths market.

 

Here’s a look at some of the top stories from Rare Earth Investing News from the first quarter of the year. On the list are market commentaries from analysts, a look at companies that attended PDAC and an article on recent discoveries in the sector.

 

At this year’s Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, Jon Hykawy, president and director of Stormcrow Capital, took some time to speak about the rare earths market and what’s in store for rare earths prices this year. He also spoke about what strategic investors might be looking for in terms of projects outside of China and mentioned Rare Element Resources (TSX:RES) and Australia’s Arafura (ASX:ARU) as two companies that checked some of his boxes. Click here to watch the full video interview.

 

Although export prices for rare earths from China fell last year, Hykawy noted in conversation with Resource Investing News that prices for materials used in rare earth magnets had actually risen. Those rare earths include neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, dysprosium and didymium, a blend of praseodymium and neodymium. “That doesn’t put them at all-time highs, but it’s at least a positive change,” he said. Click here to read the full article.

 

Molycorp’s (NYSE:MCP) share price is still nowhere near its all-time highs, but the stock saw some positive action in early February in response to its Q4 production results. The company doubled production at its Mountain Pass operations in California relative to the previous quarter, and trading volumes were still coming in at about twice the daily average on Tuesday. Since then, shares of Molycorp are up another 27 percent, or 13 cents, at $0.609. Click here to read the full article.

 

This year’s PDAC conference had over 550 exhibitors, so Resource Investing News put together a few lists to help investors get an idea of the companies attending from different sectors. Companies from the rare earths space included Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV:UCU), Commerce Resources (TSXV:CCE), GeoMegA Resources (TSXV:GMA), Namibia Rare Earths (TSX:NRE) and Rare Element Resources (TSX:RES). Click here to read the full list.

 

At the end of January, there were a couple of new discoveries in the rare earths sector, and at least one company that expanded mineralization at its project through additional drilling. Search Minerals (TSXV:SMY) reported a new rare earths discovery at its Port Hope Simpson district in Labrador, while US-based private company RioSol and its Peruvian arm, Compania Minera Rio Sol, made a sizable rare earths discovery in Peru. Meanwhile, Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV:UCU) reported a respectable expansion to mineralization at its Bokan-Dotson Ridge project in Alaska. Click here to read the full article.