In early trading today, the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets opened higher and continued to rise in the areas of rare earth, building materials and liquor. The Shanghai index rose more than 1% to nearly 2600 points. The GEM index rose nearly 2%, and then fell back. In terms of industry, most of the sectors are red, and the sectors such as nonferrous metals, building materials and winemaking are among the top gainers. Only the insurance sector that led the gains yesterday fell. The concept section is full of red, rare earth permanent magnets, scarce resources and railway infrastructure are among the top gainers.

According to the Notice of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Industry and Information Technology jointly issued in 2018 on the 2018 annual rare earth ore tungsten mining total control index (the first batch): the first batch of rare earth minerals in the country in 2018 (rare earth oxide REO) The total mining control index is released according to 70% of the 2017 annual indicator. The first batch of rare earth ore mining total control index was 73,500 tons, of which the ionic type (mainly medium and heavy rare earth) rare earth mineral index was 12,530 tons, and the rock type (light) rare earth mineral index was 60,970 tons. It is reported that the first batch of rare earth mining total control indicators planned by the state in 2017 is 52,500 tons. Compared with last year, the first batch of rare earth mining this year increased by 40%.

According to Reuters, a company in the Netherlands that closely tracks the rare earth industry said that China has limited the production of rare earths in the second half of this year to 45,000 tons, the lowest level in five years, and only enough to supply domestically. According to the report, this data means that China's rare earth production index in the second half of this year has been cut by 35 percent. Industry analysts said that in the current development of China's rare earth resources over-exploitation and rapid reduction of reserves, this measure is conducive to the implementation of rare earth resource reserve strategy. And foreign media said, where will the new US weapons that rely heavily on China's rare earths go?

The big thing that has happened or is likely to happen in the second half of the year is that China wants or will cut rare earth production. Some experts said that this move by China may incite the global rare earth industry. Things are like this. Recently, Adamas Business Company said that China will reduce its rare earth production in the second half of this year and will control it at 45,000 tons. According to data tracking in previous years, this will be the lowest point of China's rare earth production in more than five years. This is likely to reduce China's rare earth exports, which in turn leads to rising rare earth prices. As a result, manufacturers may be forced to look for alternatives to rare earth supplies on a global scale, as there is little research on rare earth substitutes. Therefore, analysts believe that this may be more likely to be US companies, especially the US military, because they have no other source of supply, and the consumption of rare earths is still very large.

According to the US media report, the B-2 was first deployed to the Pearl Harbor-Hickam joint base in Hawaii, USA, to complete the normal deployment, or to test the Chinese radar. In response, netizens said that the B-2 is coming again, and China can pass Is it prohibited to export rare earth counterattacks?

A few days ago, the US Department of Defense announced the report "Assessing and Strengthening the Flexibility of the US Manufacturing and Defense Industry Foundation and Supply Chain." The report said that the US defense industry is heavily dependent on foreign countries and contains nearly 300 kinds of foreign military products. Among them, the demand for rare earth and other materials and spare parts in China is particularly large, such as military solar cells and aircraft LCD screens. Therefore, there are sayings that "Beijing is a major risk" and take the words that China needs to influence the US national defense security. However, it is clear that this is just a ridiculous rhetoric and a "reason" for the United States to strengthen the "China threat theory." The "drunken man's intention is not in the wine" in the United States is clear!

The black tungsten ore reserves of the rare earth kingdom rank first in the world, and the reserves of ionic rare earth resources are also very rich. Do you know this rare earth kingdom in which corner of the world is located?

Today, our impression of Baotou is no longer limited to “Going West”, but also “Rare Earth Capital”, “Rare Earth High-tech Zone”, “China Magnetic Capital” and “China Magnetic Valley” and so on! Although, the perseverance of the West Exit and the generosity of the Mongolian nation have been integrated into the blood of the city of Baotou, leaving an immortal legend.

Rare earth price in China maintains stability. The recent growth of the rare earth price of magnets directly leads to magnetic material enterprise’s procurement difficulties of rare earth raw material.

China’s Fanya Metal Exchange has listed three rare earths contracts for dysprosium, terbium and neodymium oxide in Xiamen, southeast China, through the newly founded Xiamen Fanya Mercantile Exchange, it emerged late last week.

The Xiamen Free Trade Trail Zone was opened on 27 February and the Xiamen Fanya Merchandise Exchange will trade in the Xiayu free tax zone of Xiamen city, Fujian province, China.

The zone is the second free trade in China after Shanghai and aims to become a global trading centre.

Quanxun Chen, the director of China Non-ferrous Industry Association, said at the opening ceremony that he hoped the exchange could help to improve China’s rare earths price system and exert an influence in the global rare earths market.

The exchange signed deals with three dealers and eight banks and all three contracts, worth a total of Chinese renminbi (Rmb) 30m ($4.8m*), sold out in under three seconds, according to local media reports.

In exploration news, TSX-V-listed Geomega Resources Inc. has created a private subsidiary business under the name Innord Inc.

Geomega will transfer its separation rights and laboratory equipment to Innord, which will conduct all of the company’s future research and development initiatives, starting with the scale-up of Geomega’s proprietary separation process.

"The goal of Innord Inc. (…) is to optimise the value of the separation process by facilitating its development through direct investments of key financial partners," said Geomega’s CEO, Simon Britt, on announcing the spin-off.

Speaking to IM at the PDAC 2015 meeting in Toronto, Canada, today, Britt said: "It makes much more investment sense to have internal rare earth processing technology – otherwise it’s just sent off to processing companies in China for poor returns and no global supply advantage."

Fellow TSX-V-listed Ucore Rare Metals Inc. has successfully separated individual rare earth elements (REEs) at what it described as "high purity" levels from feedstock taken from its Bokan-Dotson Ridge project in southeast Alaska, US.

The company said that rare earth carbonates, or salts, were produced from a pregnant leach solution, using a proprietary molecular recognition technology (MRT) developed by Utah, US-based IBC Advanced Technologies.

Purity levels for the separated elements consistently met or exceeded 99% purity, Ucore said. The separation procedure, which employed a customised SuperLig hydrometallurgical process, was performed across the entire lanthanide series, the company added.

"The separation of high purity REEs, without the use of environmentally costly ad capital intensive solvent extraction methodologies, is a much sought after goal in the technology metals sector," said Jim McKenzie, Ucore’s CEO. "MRT offers a means of separating REEs to high purity in a rapid and cost-effective manner, and with an exceptional level of selectivity and precision."

In Australia, Northern Minerals Ltd has said that its definitive feasibility study (DFS) on the Browns Range rare earths deposit in Western Australia has confirmed the project as a "viable and profitable source of the critical heavy rare earth element, dysprosium".

The DFS also outlined a $106m increase in the project’s net present value to $552m, with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 34% and a payback period of 3.2 years.

Browns Range now has an estimated life of mine of 11 years, thanks to additional minerals resources at the Wolverine and Banshee areas of the project, as well as an optimisation in mining methods which improved recoveries from 88% to 93%.

Dysprosium output over the total life of mine is calculated at 3.13m kg (3,130 tonnes) and a 6% reduction in operating costs has been balanced by a 5% increase in estimated capital costs, thanks in part to increased spending on equipment, Northern Minerals said.

Also in Australia, multi commodity producer and explorer Alkane Resources Ltd has recorded a net profit after tax of Australian dollar (A$) $3.3m ($2.6m) for the half-year ended 31 December 2014, down from A$4m for the same period a year ago.

Profits were attributable to the company’s Tomingley Gold Operation (TGO) which produced 41,537 ounces of gold at an all in sustaining cost of $991/ounce for the six months. The company is using cash generated from TGO to help develop its A$1bn Dubbo zirconia and rare earths project (DZP) in New South Wales (NSW).

Alkane recently received advice that the NSW Planning Assessment Commission had completed its review of the project and had recommended it could be approved, subject to certain conditions. Alkane said that its initial internal review of the PAC recommendations did not indicate any material concerns for the development of the DZP.

Guernsey-registered Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd has been granted a mining licence for the Gakara rare earths project in Burundi by the country’s Ministry of Mines and Energy.

Rainbow’s mining licence is valid for an initial period of 25 years and is renewable thereafter. This was approved by a Burundian Council of Ministers following Rainbow’s submission of all requisite feasibility studies and the completion of all environmental and social impact assessments.

The company said that terms for a mining convention have also been negotiated and approved by Burundi’s government. Once the administration process has been completed, Rainbow will look to commence mining operations.

The mining convention addresses legal, fiscal and economic terms as well as rights and obligations which have been agreed by both parties. As stipulated in this convention and in accordance with the Mining Code of Burundi, the state will hold a non-dilutable 10% interest in Gakara project.

In financial news, Canada-based Quest Rare Minerals Ltd has accepted a committed private placement financing offer from Canadian private investor Ekagrata Inc. to purchase secured convertible notes worth Canadian dollar (C$) 2.5m ($2m).

The notes will be purchased direct by Ekagrata or one of its affiliates and will mature either on 31 December 2016, or when Quest receives payment for resource tax credits from the Quebec government – whichever is earlier.

Separately, the Quebec government has adopted a decree authorising Investissement Quebec to invest C$600,000 in Quest. The investment will consist of common shares and an equivalent number of common share purchase warrants.

Earlier this month, the company received a payment of C$3m for the refundable Quebec resource tax credits and mining duty credits for fiscal years 2010-2012.

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