Not really news but something more positive: Article from...

Not really news but something more positive:

Article from “*” by Barry FitzGerald:

It has been a tough start to the year for the ASX-listed rare earths stocks. Just ask Lynas boss Amanda Lacaze.

The stock got smacked in 2023 and is down another 20% so far this year to $5.70 (mid-week) on continuing weakness in the price of rare earths.

The fall in the leading rare earths stock is despite the company confirming on February 3 it had been talking with the US rare earths group MP Materials about a combination to create a new Western world force to take on the globally dominant Chinese industry.

The good news in the rare earths space is that prices for the all-important NdPr oxide used in high end magnets has stabilised at around $US60/kg, and prices for exchange traded funds covering the sector have turned for the better in recent times.

Demand growth for rare earths for the medium and longer-term remains unchallenged, as does the new driver of interest in the sector – the almighty push by the Western world to encourage new non-Chinese supplies due to ongoing geopolitical concerns.

So while things might be tough for the ASX-focussed rare earths stocks at the moment, the broad expectation is that things could be looking a lot better in the second half of the year, certainly in years to come.