Editor, Robin Bromby
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Cerium at $US38/kg. Neodymium fetching $US145/kg. Dysprosium at $US1,800/kg. Since July, these represent declines of 75 per cent, 68 per cent and 51 per cent respectively. That’s the latest prices news out of Japan via the Nikkei news service. The commentary is that REE demand has been softening because of high prices last year (a theme that
Continue reading "Japanese still worried that dysprosium will be in continuing short supply..." »
Northern Minerals, the Australian-based explorer, is a sponsor of RareMetalBlog. Let’s get that out there at the beginning: what follows is an independent view, and reported mainly because of the analyst’s views on the heavy rare earth scene ratherthan his detailed comments about the company. But David Rijkers at brokers DJ Carmichael in Perth has been following
Continue reading "Heavy rare earths - the 16 most advanced projects" »
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Day Two at the IQPC rare earths and strategic metals conference in Sydney. One surprise: there were two people there from Vale, the Brazilian mining giant. Why a surprise? Because the majors are meant not to be interested in the rare earths sector because (1) it’s too small, a slice of 120,000 tonnes a year being well
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Forget anything you hear about declining interest in rare earths. I’ve just got back from the first day of IGPC’s second Rare Earths and Strategic Metals conference, nowbeing held in Sydney. The number of those attending has soared since the first conference last June, and has attracted a great range of speakers. Interest is growing. By the
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
So, here’s the big question: is the non-China rare earth thrust going to be derailed, or at least delayed, by general financing problems? This issue arises after the thunderbolt today from Australia’s Arafura Resources. Five directors - including CEO Steve Ward - are departing, the company citing the stresses of the global financial crisis. However, this must
Continue reading "The Weekly Review: Mixed signals on REE financing" »
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
We have another signal that the emerging non-China rare earth industry cannot be complacent. All the projects being developed by North American, Australian and other playershave their economics calculated on certain demand assumptions - one of those being the some heavy elements, particularly dysprosium, will be in deficit for the foreseeable future. So much for assumptions. Japan’s
Continue reading "Japan vows it's serious about cutting dysprosium use" »
Monday, February 06, 2012
Gareth Hatch, of Illinois-based Technology Metals Research, has put as his latest estimate that there are 406 rare earth projects, owned by 251 different companies, in 36 countries. Well, he can add one more with a initial public offering now open in Australia for a start-up in Tanzania. Considering that we have only two non-China REE projects
Saturday, February 04, 2012
SAN DIEGO, Feb 03, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Robbins Geller Rudman Dowd LLP (Robbins Geller) ( http://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases/molycorp/ ) today announced that a class action has been commenced in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on behalf of purchasers of Molycorp, Inc. (Molycorp) common stock during the period between March 9, 2011 and November
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Non-China, or rest of world (ROW), rare earths production is expected to increase tenfold between 2011 and 2016 - that is, from 6,000 tonnes a year to 60,000 tonnes. This will approximate ROW demand of 55,000 tonnes, within total global demand of 160,000 tonnes. That was the headline from Dudley Kingsnorth’s latest REE forecasts presented at the
Continue reading "Kingsnorth: Latest 2016, 2020 REE forecasts" »
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Lynas has done it. But all the signs were there that it would. On Thursday morning, the Sydney-based company announced it had been granted its temporary operating licence in Malaysia for the Lynas advanced materials plant (LAMP). As reported here on January 24, under the headline “Lynas closes the deal - and signals Malaysian approval next month”,
Continue reading "Lynas gets Malaysian OK. China monopoly near end" »
Monday, January 30, 2012
Just be careful what you wish for. There may well be joy unconfined at the ruling by the World Trade Organisation that China must dismantle its system of export taxes and quotas for nine industrial metals - rare earths are not included in the ruling, but the implications are there for all to see. The metals that
Continue reading "A potential sting for REE in the WTO tail" »
Thursday, January 26, 2012
China’s rare earth sector continues to be in flux, with what consequences we cannot yet determine. We have, on the one hand, the official industry policy and the aspirations of various players while, on the other there’s the small matter of the faltering global economy that could have severe impact on metals demand. First, the latest developments.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
New York-based investment firm Mount Kellett Capital Management must be sure that Lynas Corp will soon get approval from the Malaysian government for its rare earths advanced materials plant. The firm, run by former Goldman Sachs partners Mark McGoldrick and Jason Maynard, will provide $225 million through convertible bonds that can be exercised for shares at $1.25
Continue reading "Lynas closes the deal - and signals Malaysian approval next month" »
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Two ongoing stories - Lynas in Malaysia and the likely prices for rare earths - and a new one - another potential Asian player - make up this edition of RareMetalBlog’s Weekly Review. Item #1: The report during the week on RareMetalBlog regarding Lynas and a conspiracy theory about Chinese intervention in Malaysia certainly got the comments
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Here’s (maybe) some rare earth news you can use. Well, views, too. I hesitated, indeed paused for some time, before writing the following; after all, there’s some spirited views out there on REE substitutions and magnets. But, what the hell: it’s a report from the reputable Nikkei business news service in Tokyo, so take it up with
Continue reading "News flash: An REE-free motor, a Lynas conspiracy theory, and HREE indicators" »
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Japan and China have agreed to talk on the question of rare earths supplies. However, the problem is - according to the Nikkei news service - that both sides have different goals in mind and you wonder if there can be any meaningful resolution if they each stick to their guns and remain obdurate. Then there’s another
Continue reading "China, Japan to parley on REE - breakthrough in doubt" »
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Earlier this week I posted an item drawn from several Japanese reports that Mitsubishi and TDK Corp had developed - but, importantly, not produced on a commercial scale - a motor/magnet that did not use any rare earth elements. Mitsubishi’s effort was said to have some deficiencies in terms of its acceleration, while the TDK battery was
Continue reading "Magnets without REE? Perhaps, but best not to tempt end-users" »
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Tear up those latest projections for supply-demand balances for rare earths. The Japanese have just moved the goal posts once again. There is breaking news from three large Japanese corporations - Mitsubishi, TDK and Toshiba - andthey againdemonstrate Japan‘s determination, led by new effortsheaded bythe Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, to step up research to develop
Pro-Edge Consultants, publisher of RareMetalBlog, has now launched Graphiteblog.com. This metal is on the brink of following in the footsteps of rare earths and lithium. Over the coming days and weeks, well be building the graphite story - just as we have with rare earths and rare metals.To whet your appetite, here is the first Intel posting
Saturday, December 31, 2011
You know the old proverb “plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose” - the more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, that’s it in spades with the rare earth space. Much has happened in 2011, but looking back at the files of a year ago you just wonder whether in fact all that
Continue reading "The Rare Earth Weekly Review: Was anything actually resolved in 2011?" »
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Since China’s Ministry of Commerce (MofCom) released the figures for the 2012 rare earth export quotas, the preoccupation has been on the tonnages and who will win and lose from the allocations. But there are two other questions. One, will it work? Two, what does it tell us about the present state of China’s rare earth industry?
Continue reading "Doubts growing that China's REE export quotas will work" »
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
December 28 2011 (Source: The Australian) --ALL the signs are that next year is going to be the Year of the Commodities Quandary. It has started down that track already. Take copper. Canadas Scotiabank predicts copper to be the star commodity investment next year, with Chinese fabrication demand pushing the price to nearly $US9000 a tonne. Yet
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
We certainly hear enough on RareMetalBlog regarding the importance of REE to clean/renewable energy technologies. And batteries. And magnets. But gasoline? Not so much. The good news is that the refining business has less to worry about REE-wise than most other rare earth end-users. But complacency would be the wrong attitude. Perhaps a neglected aspect of the
Continue reading "Watching gasoline - another key REE story" »
Thursday, December 08, 2011
When you stop to think about it, the events of the past year have not been good for the rare earths sector. Chinese antics - sorry, export policies - and the consequent soaring of prices, and thatbeingfollowed by the bubble (at least, so far as the lights are concerned) nowbeing deflated, all add up to a year
Continue reading "The unintended consequences of REE politics and price gains" »
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Over on the right-hand side of the RareMetalBlog home page, you will see the logo to click if you want to subscribe to REE World. Wed call itthe sealed section except we think someone else already thought of that. Another edition went out to subscribers this week - theres an in-depth coverage of the South African REE
Continue reading "Accentuating the positive - a REE World taster" »
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Time for a stocktake. After all, things have got a little gloomy of late with all the talk of falling rare earth prices, companies not being able to raise money because they’re seen as being shut out of the very small market by the early birds who will snap up all the non-China business. But, really, it’s
Continue reading "The Rare Earth Weekly Review: Time to Get a Grip" »
Friday, December 02, 2011
Yesterday I posted some analysis by David Rijkers on questions of metallurgy and economics as they relate to the range of rare earth projects. This was by way of introduction to the main thrust of his report for Australian investment house D.J. Carmichael as it relates to one particular company. But we also have views on other
Thursday, December 01, 2011
It’s a report about the achievement of one REE company which the analyst concerned thinks has a special story to tell, but we’ll come back to that tomorrow in a supplementary post. (Blog items are meant to be succinct; well leave long-form journalism to Vanity Fair and magazines of its ilk.) This two-part approachis because the analyst,
Continue reading "A word about metallurgy and REE economics" »
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
November 30, 2011 (Source: The Australian) --JUST so you know, Australia doesnt have a bright future as a producer of rare earths. At least that is the opinion of a leading expert on the subject of the 17 elements that make up this very small but vital metals sector. Quite a few mining companies in Australia would,
Continue reading "Bleak rare earths outlook for mines, shareholders, says Lifton" »
Friday, November 25, 2011
Everyone these days has just about written off the light rare earths. Well, if not writing them off, then being very dismissive about the chances of anyone making much money out of them. Petra Capital of Sydney disagrees. “Light rare earths are correcting but remain attractive,” the brokerage argues in its latest report of emerging Australian producer,
Continue reading "Broker: another supply estimate, nod to Alkane" »
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
For all those RareMetalBlog readers waiting for the next heavy rare earths shoe to drop, this is it. Well, two shoes - and both falling in Australia. First, Hastings Rare Metals (ASX:HAS). It is now claiming to have “one of the world’s richest heavy rare earth deposits”. A scoping study of its eponymous REE deposit in Western
Friday, November 18, 2011
The news, so it would seem, is bad: rare earth prices are falling. After all, The New York Times says so this week. Now Molycorp’s Mark Smith said prices may get solow that others coming up behind his company may not be able finance their projects - which sounds just a tad like getting to the top
Continue reading "The Weekly Review: REE gloom exaggerated" »
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Dysprosium prices being paid by Japanese auto makers have fallen by more than 30 per cent since July. In early November, buyers were paying about $US2500/kg for the rare earth element, that being down 16 per cent since early October and 32 per cent below the July peak. They’re still highby historical standards: in the period January
Continue reading "Dysprosium continues easing; big question mark over future Dy output" »
Friday, November 11, 2011
China is not standing still in the rare earth space. There are rumours in the market that the December export quota announcement could contain quite a surprise. Meanwhile, Beijing is looking - like just about everyone else - to improve its REE security by finding non-China supplies (a factor which feeds into a new theory about China’s
Saturday, November 05, 2011
There is a growing number of brokers following the rare earths and rare metals space. From London, Libertas Partners seem to be well across the subject. “Another set of splendid drill results” is how they report progress by Australia’s Peak Resources (ASX:PEK) at its Ngualla rare earth project in Tanzania. The analyst notes the intersecton over 170
Continue reading "Brokers assess Lynas, Molycorp, Peak, Namibia RE, Tertiary" »
Thursday, November 03, 2011
You are never left in any doubt when Jack Lifton decides to give his views about the rare earths industry. And he is quite precise as quoted by Reuters: fewer than 4 per cent of the 244 companies now hoping to become REE producers will turn out to be profitable. His case is that it is all
Continue reading "The Weekly Review: is the doom being overdone?" »
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
As with rare earths, so with speciality and rare metals - China is tightening its grip in metals in which it dominates global supply. From Beijing comes news that China will cut export quotas for tin, tungsten, antimony and molybdenum in 2012, all of which it is the world‘s top producer (in the case of antimony, accounting
Continue reading "Speciality metals: China squeezes, investors grab" »
Monday, October 31, 2011
The rare earths scene of 30 years ago seems unrecognisable. In the latest development regarding China’s tightening control on rare earths, China Daily is reporting todaythat a new specialized invoicing system is proposed for REE exports, aimed at further crimping illegal production - and cutting off further supplies to the rest of the world. Yet, back in
Continue reading "Looking back when China was keen to sell REEs " »
All Australian resources companies should, as of today, have filed their quarterly returns with the stock exchange. While we post regular material on the main players as it is released here on RareMetalBlog, these three-monthly reports give us a chance to update readers on some of the other companies in the rare earth and rare metal space.
Friday, October 28, 2011
(The WeeklyReview is a new feature on RareMetalBlog; each week, I shall be taking one - or more - issues that have arisen during the week and trying to offer some insight or opinion.) This week: what is critical? I ask this after the publication of two reports that assess future supplies of certain metals. One, by
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
October 19, 2011 (Source: The Australian) -- WE may pride ourselves on the sheer power of Australias mining sector, but its China that is holding many of the trump cards. The British Geological Survey has compiled what it calls Risk List 2011, a rating of the 52 mineral elements needed to maintain the economies and lifestyles in
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Extraordinary news out of China: rare earth production is to be interrupted to put a floor under prices. It seems that, contrary to all indications by previousofficial announcements, China’s rare earth sector is still far from orderly. Now we have an announcement made through the Shanghai Stock Exchange that indicates that Beijing has been unable to rein
Continue reading "Report: China cuts off REE supplies for a month" »
Last year, about this time, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6160, the Rare Earths and Critical Materials Revitalization Act of 2010 with, it was said, bipartisan support. The aim of the bill was to get widespread rare earth mining going in the U.S. within five years. So how’s that going? I ask only because, living
Continue reading "What a difference a year makes - well, maybe not" »
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Why hasn’t Russia played a more front-row role in the global positioning over rare earth supplies? That remains one of the most intriguing questions of the moment, especially in light of the political considerations involved. Several months ago I reported here on RareMetalBlog.com regarding a number of projects in Russia that could be advanced (this is reprinted
Continue reading "Remember Russia? Notice the REE silence?" »
Friday, October 14, 2011
Read too many rare earths forecasts and commentaries and you could well conclude the game was over: those that are coming into production within the next year or two will close the gate behind them, filling all the world’s requirements and leaving nothing for those explorers coming up behind. We have heard of REE going into “permanent
Continue reading "REE surplus ahead? Try telling that to Berlin and Tokyo" »
Thursday, October 13, 2011
It’s no wonder that your average reader is all confused about rare earths. Some of those writing about themappear to be the same. Take an article sent out this week from Reuters news agency. The premise of the pieceis that, to cut U.S. oil imports, America needs to foster alternative energies, and they require rare earth elements
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Prices of some rare earths, like cerium and lanthanum, may be falling but don’t forget that the several heavy rare earths are bound for deficits for years to come. The Japanese have certainly not forgotten that, as they are clearing taking very seriously the theory that REE riches (and resource security) lies beneath the ocean floor. Some
Continue reading "Prices down, but Japan's REE search continues" »
Thursday, October 06, 2011
It looks like the U.S. Department of Defense is about to intervene in the effort to rebuild the country’s rare earth processing. In its Annual Capabilities Report to Congress, the department lays down several policies it sees as important for the regular supply of REE. What is particularly interesting are the figures on how much REE the
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
It should not have come as a surprise to RareMetalBlog readers that there’s been an REE discovery in Brazil. The country is a producer with a long history, the Brazilian government has been encouraging the search for REE, and - most of all - Brazil is a country with mineral riches only some of which have so
Continue reading "Brazil seeks to revive its REE industry" »
Monday, October 03, 2011
There’s a tendency in the REE sector to think of rare earths as something different from the rest of the metals complex, a mystique, if you will. The word “mystique” combines mystery, awe, power, secrecy and something baffling. This derives in part from the fact that, until recently, not too many people knew much about them; and
Continue reading "No mystique for REE when it comes to market sentiment" »
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