Archive | Element 17

China Northern cut its rare earth concentrate price for the first time in seven quarters. The drop was 0.62%

Jul 15, 2026

•

5 min read

China Northern cut its rare earth concentrate price for the first time in seven quarters. The drop was 0.62%

Heavy rare earths are moving opposite to the benchmark concentrate index. The rally is shifting form, not ending.

Lynas Is Putting a Magnet Factory Next to Its Refinery in Malaysia. China Built Its Dominance the Same Way

Jul 13, 2026

•

5 min read

Lynas Is Putting a Magnet Factory Next to Its Refinery in Malaysia. China Built Its Dominance the Same Way

The $35 million Gebeng project would complete a mine-to-magnet chain – 3,000 tons of NdFeB per year – on a single Malaysian site. First production is expected in late 2027, with heavy rare earth separation added separately

China named the two American companies it wants out of rare earths

Jul 10, 2026

•

5 min read

China named the two American companies it wants out of rare earths

MP Materials and USA Rare Earth have received hundreds of millions in federal backing. Beijing just put both on its export control blacklist — and they're already suing each other.

Six months into China's rare earth ban, Japan still can't replace what it lost

Jul 8, 2026

•

5 min read

Six months into China's rare earth ban, Japan still can't replace what it lost

Toyota and Hitachi survived the 2010 cutoff in two months. Japan's own consultants now say the pain from this one won't peak for months yet.

The Army Just Turned Five Military Bases Into Rare Earth Factories

Jul 6, 2026

•

5 min read

The Army Just Turned Five Military Bases Into Rare Earth Factories

Five installations. Four companies. No taxpayer dollars. The Army just did something it's never done — and a January 2027 federal deadline is the reason why.

America's Only Defense Samarium Supply Is a French Stockpile With Two Years Left

Jul 3, 2026

•

4 min read

America's Only Defense Samarium Supply Is a French Stockpile With Two Years Left

The US defense industry pulled its samarium from a defunct French plant. The DFARS ban hits in six months. After that, the only American maker of these magnets has nothing to fall back on.

China Detained Two Japanese Nationals Over Rare Earth Exports

Jul 1, 2026

•

5 min read

China Detained Two Japanese Nationals Over Rare Earth Exports

Two detentions in Dalian. The same country that cut off exports in 2010 is now jailing people over them — and this time there's no expiration date.

Pentagon puts rare earth plants on Army bases

Jun 29, 2026

•

4 min read

Pentagon puts rare earth plants on Army bases

The Army is building rare earth plants on military bases before China’s export-control pause expires.

China owns mine-to-magnet. One Utah company just bet $1.9 billion it can build the same.

Jun 26, 2026

•

5 min read

China owns mine-to-magnet. One Utah company just bet $1.9 billion it can build the same.

Terbium trades at $1,406/kg outside China against $970 inside — a $436 spread that measures exactly how squeezed non-Chinese buyers are right now.

China Blacklisted the Two Companies America Built to Escape Its Supply Chain

Jun 24, 2026

•

4 min read

China Blacklisted the Two Companies America Built to Escape Its Supply Chain

In 2010 Beijing turned off rare earth shipments to Japan over a fishing boat. This week it aimed the same weapon at the Pentagon-backed firms built to make that impossible.

The Pentagon Bans Chinese Magnets in January. Congress Just Introduced Its Answer.

Jun 22, 2026

•

4 min read

The Pentagon Bans Chinese Magnets in January. Congress Just Introduced Its Answer.

A bipartisan bill covers every link — oxide, separation, finished magnets, rare-earth-free alternatives. $1.7 billion is already committed.

The Pentagon just put $500 million behind the rare earth step that killed Molycorp

Jun 19, 2026

•

4 min read

The Pentagon just put $500 million behind the rare earth step that killed Molycorp

Phoenix Tailings will build the Freedom Facility in Massachusetts — taking ore in, shipping pure metals out, and keeping China out of the middle.

SEE MORE BRIEFINGS

China Northern cut its rare earth concentrate price for the first time in seven quarters. The drop was 0.62%

Lynas Is Putting a Magnet Factory Next to Its Refinery in Malaysia. China Built Its Dominance the Same Way

China named the two American companies it wants out of rare earths

Six months into China's rare earth ban, Japan still can't replace what it lost

The Army Just Turned Five Military Bases Into Rare Earth Factories

America's Only Defense Samarium Supply Is a French Stockpile With Two Years Left

China Detained Two Japanese Nationals Over Rare Earth Exports

Pentagon puts rare earth plants on Army bases

China owns mine-to-magnet. One Utah company just bet $1.9 billion it can build the same.

China Blacklisted the Two Companies America Built to Escape Its Supply Chain

The Pentagon Bans Chinese Magnets in January. Congress Just Introduced Its Answer.

The Pentagon just put $500 million behind the rare earth step that killed Molycorp

Your Daily Edge on the Rare Earths Market.