The Rare Earths MMI (Monthly Metals Index) witnessed yet another steep increase month-over-month. Indeed, supply disruptions remain a massive concern in the rare earths industry, so rare earth magnets and other materials witnessed renewed bullish strength across the board over recent months.
In August, market worries arose prior to a planned environmental inspection of China’s Jiangxi province. The Chinese region serves as a major location for Chinese rare earth supplies. Along with this, Chinese stimulus efforts managed to boost rare earth production (although this cannot add long-term support to the index).
Following this, Myanmar’s Kachin State suspended mining activities. Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a pinnacle producer of global rare earths and rare earth magnets, and any change in Burmese mining activity can significantly alter the market. Therefore, the mining suspension led to stockpiling ahead of peak consumption and caused Chinese rare earth prices to hit their highest point in over 20 months.
As a result of all of this, the index jumped up by 6.62%