This Rare Earth Junior Is Beginning to Outperform
Source: Jeb Handwerger, Gold Stock Trades  (8/27/12)
"Ucore's use of Solid Phase Extraction technology could mark the first time dysprosium is produced on American soil." More >

Why Graphite Is a Critical Material for the US
Source: MetalMiner, Taras Berezowsky  (8/24/12)
"According to a Canaccord research report, 'annual flake graphite production will have to increase by a factor of six by 2020 to meet incremental lithium carbonate requirements for batteries.'" More >

Final Chinese Rare-Earth Export Quotas for 2012
Source: Gareth Hatch, Resource Investor  (8/24/12)
"Could export quotas be eliminated altogether for Chinese rare earth materials?" More >

China Likely to Boost Rare Earths Imports
Source: Reuters, Fayen Wong  (8/22/12)
"China, the world's largest producer and consumer of rare earths, should boost imports of the materials due to growing demand and to protect domestic resources, the China Daily reported on Wednesday, citing senior industry officials." More >

Big Flakes Finish First in the Graphite Market
Source: JT Long of The Critical Metals Report  (8/21/12)
Flakes are king in the graphite space, where large flake commands a substantial premium. But the path to production can be long and twisted, with many moving parts. Resource and tech investor Ron Struthers met up with The Critical Metals Report and walked us through the funhouse of graphite investment. Read on to find out which companies look good in every mirror. More >

Copper Prices Signaling a Top in the S&P 500
Source: Chris Vermeulen, The Gold and Oil Guy  (8/20/12)
"Recently, copper futures prices have been trading in a relatively tight range, but the longer-term weekly chart demonstrates that a major selloff could transpire." More >

More Rare Earth Players Expected
Source: China Daily, Wang Zhuoqiong  (8/18/12)
"China's preeminent position in rare earths exports is likely to change after a couple of mining operations in the United States and Australia begin to produce the materials next year." More >

Rare Earth Production Lull Hits South China
Source: China Daily  (8/17/12)
"Rare earth production is in the doldrums in many Chinese provinces, including the southern province of Guangdong, which is a major rare earth producer."
More >

Will Your REEs Suffer Molycorp Contagion? Chris Berry Advises Patience
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (8/14/12)
Molycorp's poor performance has impacted the entire rare earth sector. Until the rare earth element "super-cycle" gains steam again, investors need to reset their expectations. In this exclusive Critical Metals Report interview, Chris Berry of House Mountain Partners discusses what really matters in a rare earth element company, and why investors should exercise patience. More >

S&P Downgrades Molycorp on Liquidity Concerns
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (8/14/12)
"Standard & Poor's lowered its ratings on Colorado-based rare earths producer Molycorp from 'B' to 'CCC+' and placed the rating on CreditWatch 'with developing implications.'" More >

China-Malaysia Cooperation at 'Qinzhou Speed'
Source: Rare Metal Blog, Graeme Irvine  (8/13/12)
"'In the future, if I want a project to be finished as fast as possible, I would say to finish it with Qinzhou speed,' said Malaysia's prime minister. Things seem to be happening again in making the joint Chinese-Malaysian Qinzhou Industrial Park a reality." More >

Looming Palladium Shortage May Spark a Price Rally
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (8/13/12)
"HSBC Securities forecasts that the palladium, a critical metal for car production, will move back into a substantial deficit this year based on lower expected exports from Russia." More >

A Specialty Metals Primer: Mickey Fulp
Source: Sally Lowder of The Critical Metals Report  (8/7/12)
You'll never hear Mickey Fulp talk about electric metals, technology metals or rare metals. But he's got plenty to say about specialty metals. While the nomenclature may not seem important, Fulp, who is one of the foremost experts in the space today, believes obscure definitions are confusing investors. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Fulp clears up the confusion and talks about some in-demand elements many investors may have never even heard of. More >

China Cracks Down on Illegal Rare Earth Mining, 50 Arrested
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (8/6/12)
"While China's Guangdong Province is allowed to mine only 2,000 mt of rare earth oxides annually, illegal mining production surpassed 40,000 mt last year." More >

EU and China Race to Greenland's Rare Earths Gold Rush
Source: AFP  (8/6/12)
"The E.U. commissioner approached Greenland for exploitation rights to rare earth metal ores in return for technological and environmental mining know-how—to find Chinese miners already working the ground." More >

Rare Earths and Graphite—The Critical Factors for Success: Gareth Hatch
Source: JT Long of The Critical Metals Report  (7/31/12)
Comparisons are useful in evaluating a company, but in the rare earth market, it's not as simple as a spreadsheet. With so many variables in the mix, no two projects are exactly alike, and each has its relative strengths and weaknesses. But out of hundreds of juniors digging for rare earths and graphite, how can investors evaluate who is likely to be among the handful to finally sell their minerals to end users? In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Technology Metals Research Founding Principal Gareth Hatch examines the supply chain to identify advanced companies with good odds for success. He also shares some telling metrics that help show how companies measure up to their peers. More >

Vertical Integration: The Big Decision for REE Players
Source: REE World Report  (7/26/12)
"For REE miners, life is not so simple as it for those who mine gold, copper, coal or iron ore. You have to go a lot further downstream—but just how far?" More >

Three Steps to Rare Earth Mining Success: Alex Knox
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (7/25/12)
It's a complicated business, but Alex Knox has a simple recipe for successful rare earth mining. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Alex Knox of AWK Geological Consulting discusses some exciting projects with all the right ingredients, as well as a technique that makes processing both profitable and environmentally friendly. More >

New Graphite Mines Coming On-Line Soon
Source: Nick Hodge, Energy & Capital  (7/25/12)
"Prices for graphite were some of the last to respond to the commodity supercycle." More >

South, North Korea Secretly Met Twice over Rare Earth Minerals
Source: Korean KoonAng Daily, Lee Eun-joo  (7/24/12)
"Officials from South and North Korea secretly met twice last year to discuss the joint development of rare earth resources in South Hwanghae Province, on the western coast of North Korea, the South's state-run Korea Resources Corporation (Kores) said." More >

South, North Korea Secretly Met Twice over Rare Earth Minerals
Source: Korean JoonAng Daily, Lee Eun-joo  (7/24/12)
"Officials from South and North Korea secretly met twice last year to discuss the joint development of rare earth resources in South Hwanghae Province, on the western coast of North Korea, the South's state-run Korea Resources Corporation (Kores) said." More >

China's Baotou Plans to Start Rare Earths Trading Exchange
Source: Reuters  (7/23/12)
"China's Baotou Steel will join six other firms to invest over $10M to start a rare earths trading platform in early August." More >

Mongolia Gov't Coalition Fans Fears of Resource Nationalism
Source: Reuters, Michael Kohn  (7/19/12)
"The coalition will include minority parties such as the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and Mongolian National Democratic Party, which both want to limit foreign investment in the booming mining sector." More >

Navigating the Vanadium Market: Sex Appeal Versus Lasting Attraction
Source: Sara Patterson, Mineweb  (7/19/12)
"Vanadium is finding a new niche in storing and distributing electrical energy through the use of vanadium flow batteries, having previously been used almost entirely in steelmaking." More >

Get Dirt-Cheap Critical Metals Exposure in Mongolia: James Passin
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (7/17/12)
Nervous investors are waiting on the sidelines, but the biggest risk is to miss out on the great bull markets where fortunes are made: So says James Passin, hedge fund manager with Firebird Management. Passin likes to get the jump on mainstream analysts on emerging bullish plays, and right now he has his sights set on Mongolia. In this exclusive Critical Metals Report interview, discover which critical elements are being unearthed in the developing country and how technology is playing a crucial role. More >