If niobium is just a novelty fad that will soon go the way of...

If niobium is just a novelty fad that will soon go the way of the bell bottom pants and safari suit then please give me a plausible explanation for the following 2 questions:

1. why did Regal recently tip in 15 mill @17 bucks in the recent CR and continue to buy on market to build a stake of over 10% of the company?

2. why is niobium near the top of the critical mineral list of nearly every developed western nation?

I agree the market is full of stories of companies that are super stars for a day as well as would bes if they could bes. But history is not necessarily always a guide to the future. Perhaps you could start by looking at the supply side as well as the demand side and also consider what nations are currently supplying and where they are positioned in a tense global geopolitical environment. That might give you a clue as to why it is western nations who have niobium listed as critical.