Rare earth prices rallied, but the rebound may not sustain

Light and heavy rare earth prices diverged last week. Pr-Nd product prices kept dipping. Long-term contract delivery tightened spot Pr-Nd oxide supply, making holders willing to sell at low prices, while alloy plants and magnetic materials still tried to lower purchase prices, making it hard for actual traded prices to hike. Long-term contract delivery and demand from large plants gave a small boost to medium-heavy rare earth prices last week.