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Guest Post: Why All The Fuss Over Rare Earths?
We continue on the topic of Rare Earth Elements, first presented to the broader audience by our very own Travis, with a guest submission by Doug Hornig, Senior Editor of Casey's International Specualtor
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aaa would read again
13D Research has been publishing this info for months.
That truth is inconvenient, but truthy indeed.
Interesting - thanks.
Also... for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Relative_abundance_of_elements.png
Hybrid cars also contain neodymium in their motors and batteries.
See this recent piece from Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE57U02B20090831
I've been driving hybrids for 7 years now and one of my favorite features (besides 50MPG) is the auto-stop feature. I feel cheated if my car doesn't turn off when I come to a red light.
Because the electric motor is used to start the ICE (as compared to the starter/solenoid we are all used to, no cranking!) I wouldn't be surprised to see all vehicles with an ICE incorporate "hybrid" elements in the near future. Having the auto-stop feature on all vehicles and eliminating idling at stop lights would save millions of gallons of fuel. Not to mention big bucks.
More pressure on rare elements...
NASA using Obama stimulus money to develop outer space taxis.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE57944520090810
I seem to recall that REEs were noted in some of the Lunar samples in the form of KREEP rocks. These were enriched some 20-100 times compared with a chondrite composite. Except for Europium, which is typically sharply depleted compared with the rest of the lanthanides.
Perhaps it's a good thing that the President is spending money on space taxis. It may be one of our wiser investments in the future.
Perhaps GoldMan Sacks has 411, that someone has invented a magnetic motor and they are cornering the market, before the free energy machine is released.
sorry to threadjack, but another friday, another 50% loss severity for an FDIC insured bank...
www.fdic.gov
Fascinating and I was completely unaware of those facts. TY again ZH.
I am so going to dominate the REE industry in the US.
Ok, in my dreams, but I do have a dream.
I am Chumbawamba.
As someone inside mining, REE's are near and dear. I will make a tidy sum on my past stock purchases in rare earths mining companies.
If REEs ever become a strategic resource the companies that mine and process them might be nationalized and the investors nuked.
Not sure when that happens. But what if both peak oil and global climate change are elevated as national security issues, there is a big run on corrective and strategic technologies, and governments start converting their military (of course) to roll on hybrid technology? Sounds sweet, but if the ice gets too thin they might panic and simply take what they can reach.
cougar
Well cougar, that is why the stock is Aussie and Canadian.:)
Damn..when I went to school they were called lanthanides ..
Guess that's outdated....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanthanoid
rt
This was news to me as well (chemist). It must have happened after I graduated from college in 2004.
This was another good recent piece from another source:
http://www.goldstockbull.com/articles/how-to-invest-in-rare-earth-metals/
Glad to see sensible articles that aren't pure pumping even in a likely short-term bubble. But these are very impressive charts showing accumulation.
As long as we leave the GS's of the world below the next layer of Iridium I'll be happy.
Great topic ZH. Thanks for posting
OT:
FINRA Starts Examining Options Desks
http://www.tradersmagazine.com/news/options-trading-finra-exams-104412-1...
From what I have heard it is not a supply issue at all, but more an environmental problem. We have regulations that keep mining of rare earth elements costly as does most of the world, but China doesn't have environmental concerns, so now we have stats like 95% or rare earth elements are mined in China. It is not that we can't get them, we just can't produce as cheap as China because they are willing to poison their own people are we are hesitant to. If prices rise because China limits supply then we will be able to mine once again in US.
+
interesting indeed, who knew? Fiber optic cables don't typically contain erbium, rather, erbium doped fiber lasers must be what the writer is refering to.
that was a good piece...casey research is the best investing advice around bar none. no one even comes close..sorry TD..have been following them for years....anyway people if you are interested in REE also check out Commerce Resources TSX symbol CCE...
Unlike the precious metals, the rare earths are true commodities and are therefore subject to industrial demand parameters. IMO there is high risk/reward here. For my part, since I suspect a severe equity sag is on the horizon, and since, as the article relates, a lot of money has been chasing them, I will not be indulging in any REE stocks any time in the immediate future. I have also noted some anecdotal evidence of articles touting these types of stocks, as if expecting what I expect and searching for a greater fool. War with China may come, but later rather than sooner.
Yet another indicator that America will have to re-industrialize itself, despite continued mainstream dominance of the myth of the all-service economy. Want fries with those Rare Earths?
Hey, wait a minute Margin. You mean we're NOT going to get rich taking in each others's laundry? Doing each other's plastic nails? I feel duped!
http://www.molycorp.com/shareholders.asp
That's right. The only REE producer in the US. The Squid got to it first.