Using the Energy Fuels-VAC merger as a lens, this article analyzes the U.S. playbook of acquiring de-risked, international rare earth assets. Despite sovereign backing creating a $110/kg price floor for non-Chinese supply, structural bottlenecks in heavy rare earth refining and limited market share (~15%) mean China’s dominance remains unshaken in the near term.

Taking Energy Fuels' $1.9 billion acquisition of Germany-based VAC as a starting point, this article systematically reviews the US's recent acquisition trajectory for mature international rare earth assets. From taking a controlling stake in the Serra Verde heavy rare earth mine in Brazil and acquiring the UK's LCM alloy plant, to securing capacity from Australia's Lynas, the US is leveraging state capital to bypass lengthy certification cycles through cross-border acquisitions, building a non-China "mining-refining-magnet" supply chain. The article notes that although the $110/kg government price anchor has rewritten project IRR models, Western magnet capacity accounts for only 15% of the global total, and the heavy rare earth closed loop cannot be verified until after 2027, making it difficult to shake China's dominance in the short term.

NexMetals Mining announced a nearly 70% resource upgrade at its Selkirk copper-nickel-PGE project in Botswana, boosting its indicated category to approximately 1.1 billion lbs of copper equivalent (78.2 million tonnes at 0.66% CuEq) through successful re-assaying and twin drilling. The total contained metal inventory surged 63% from the 2024 estimate, driven by improved metallurgical recoveries and the inclusion of cobalt, silver, and gold as payable metals. Although the C$114 million market cap company saw its shares briefly jump 10% before paring gains amid broader market weakness, the significantly upgraded project is now positioned to be a major driver of its regional growth strategy.

This week, ferrous metals fell continuously. During the week, there were many disturbances from unverified market rumors, but overall macro sentiment was weak, and expectations of rate hikes outside China continued to weigh on commodity sentiment. Earlier, rumors of a strike at BHP caused a slight rebound in iron ore; in the latter half of the week, Tangshan issued a notice on the "Tangshan Industrial Source Emission Reduction Plan for H2 2026," and combined with post-holiday inventory accumulation of the five major steel products, market sentiment was weak, and ferrous metals fell again. In the spot market, the off-season characteristics for end-users became more evident, market demand continued to weaken. While spot prices remained relatively firm, the spot-futures price spread widened somewhat, and positions in both futures and spot markets were unwound. Transactions were concluded at prices below market levels, further dragging down market prices......

This week, the overseas rare earth market remained stable overall. Quotes for cerium oxide, lanthanum oxide, Pr-Nd oxide, dysprosium and terbium oxides, and corresponding metals on FOB/CIF terms were largely steady. The mild adjustments in China’s domestic prices had not yet been transmitted outside China, with sluggish trading and continued shrinkage in deliveries. On the project front, the focus was on building non-China supply chains in the West: Australia’s Iluka Eneabba refinery secured a A$1.65 billion federal non-recourse loan and signed a four-year, 1,200 mt magnetic material rare earth offtake agreement with an unnamed global automaker; US-based Energy Fuels planned to acquire German magnetic material producer VAC for $1.9 billion, complemented by a combined $1.45 billion dual-line loan from the US Strategic Capital Office and the Department of Defense to expand capacity at its White Mesa facility; Canada’s Ucore shipped NdPr oxide samples with 99.5% purity for downstream qualification; in South America, Aclara received environmental approval for its Penco project in Chile; local processing projects in Nigeria and South Africa also advanced simultaneously.

[Demand Support Next Week's Grain-Oriented Silicon Steel Prices Generally Stable with Slight Rise] This week, cold-rolled grain-oriented silicon steel spot prices remained stable, with smooth and orderly market trading. After the steel mills' earlier price hike policy took effect, the market entered a digestion period. Mainstream quotations held steady, with no significant price change. Supply side, steel mills maintained a stable production pace, mainstream resources were released normally, supply was ample and orderly, social inventory stayed within a reasonable range, with no pressure of large inventory buildup or rapid destocking, and supply and demand maintained a weak balance. Demand side, transformer and power equipment enterprises made just-in-time procurement as a normal practice, end-users replenished stock in batches as needed, with no concentrated stockpiling. Transactions were dominated by just-in-time orders, demand provided solid support, and there was no price-cutting to boost volume.

[Cost Support Weakens Further Non-Oriented Silicon Steel Faces Price Cut Expectations Next Week] This week, cold-rolled non-oriented silicon steel spot prices in the Shanghai market operated in the doldrums, and overall market transactions were sluggish. Market feedback indicated that this week, the futures market continued to weaken, dragging down market sentiment, and the supply pressure of non-oriented silicon steel remained significant. Traders showed a strong willingness to sell, but downstream motor enterprises mainly purchased as needed and lacked willingness to restock.

As the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, 2026 marks a critical phase for the global copper industry, characterized by supply-demand restructuring, technological innovation, and green transition. Constrained by multiple factors—including resources, costs, and geopolitics—copper supply growth is limited, while new energy, new-type power grids, and AI computing power are generating substantial copper demand. The supply-demand gap continues to widen, and copper's strategic value becomes ever more prominent. Guided by the "High-Quality Development Plan for the Copper Industry (2025–2027)," China's copper industry is accelerating its high-end, intelligent, and green transformation. Against this backdrop, , will be grandly held on 28-30 October at the Shangri-La Hotel, Nanchang, Jiangxi . SMM , in partnership with Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd. , invites you to attend . The conference will focus on the high-quality development of the copper industry, gathering participants from industry, research, and finance to discuss technological innovation and resource coordination, promoting China's copper industry's shift from scale advantage to dual leadership in technology and value. Click the to register now; we look forward to meeting you at the conference. Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd. ("Shandong Humon Smelting") was founded in 1988 and is dedicated to becoming a world-class precious metals smelting enterprise that ensures employee well-being, customer satisfaction, and environmental harmony. It was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on May 20, 2008 (stock code: 002237). In 2019, Jiangxi Copper Corporation became its controlling shareholder. Building on the momentum of reform and opening-up and leveraging its expertise in technological innovation, the company has steadfastly pursued market-oriented and international operations. After more than 30 years of persistent entrepreneurial efforts, it has remained China's largest gold smelter for 12 consecutive years. In 2025, it achieved operating revenue of 110 billion yuan and produced 100 mt of gold. As a pioneer and leader in pyrometallurgy, the company is rooted in fire-based processes and integrates the entire chain, developing a comprehensive "cyanide-free pyrometallurgical environmental technology system." This system has been recognized with two second prizes for National Science and Technology Progress and twelve first prizes at the provincial/ministerial level. Focusing on the transformation and upgrading of gold mining and smelting, the company has put forward the strategic vision of "Unlocking Infinite Value from Limited Resources, Leading Green Development in Gold Mining and Smelting." While producing gold and silver, it also achieves the comprehensive extraction of metals such as copper, lead, zinc, antimony, selenium, tellurium, and platinum, forming a diversified development pattern encompassing gold mining, metal smelting, international trade, and high-purity materials. Looking ahead, guided by the lines, principles, and policies of the Party and the state, the company will integrate global mineral resources to create wealth for China in this era, embarking on a new journey of high-quality, leapfrog development and striving unremittingly to become a world-class precious metals mining and smelting enterprise. Contact: Wang Lu 0535-4631040 Email: manage@hbyl.cn Address: No. 11 Jinzheng Street, Shuidao Town, Muping District, Yantai City Scan to Register SMM Conference Contact Li Chongshan 173 4975 4665 lichongshan@smm.cn

SMM Weekly Stainless Steel Futures Review — week of June 22–26, 2026. Lingering Fed hawkishness and softening off-season fundamentals dragged the SHFE main contract down RMB 390/mt ($57/mt) this week, but firm producer pricing and a modest supply pullback kept the spot market relatively resilient.

This week, nickel prices experienced a sharp drop triggered by macro tightening expectations and a supply-side policy reversal. At the beginning of the week, nickel prices were still trading around 136,000 yuan/mt, but were subsequently pressured by a steadily rising US dollar index and higher US Treasury yields, which weighed on base metals prices. Adding to this, market rumors that Indonesia would significantly increase its full-year RKAB nickel ore quota reversed the previous supply contraction narrative of "quota tightening." Under the dual impact of macro and policy shocks, nickel prices fell below multiple support levels, including 130,000 and 127,000 yuan/mt. As of Friday, the cumulative weekly decline was nearly 6%, marking the largest weekly drop in recent months; LME nickel dropped to $16,700/mt, with a weekly loss of about 5%. In the spot market, the average price of SMM #1 refined nickel this week was 131,600 yuan/mt, down 8,250 yuan/mt WoW. The premium for Jinchuan nickel remained stable at 1,300-1,500 yuan/mt, while mainstream electrodeposited nickel discounts were in the -400 to -300 yuan/mt range. Affected by the steep decline in futures prices this week, downstream point-price activity was active and trading improved. On the macro front, the biggest headwind this week came from the strong hawkish signal sent by the US Fed's June FOMC meeting. On June 18, the Fed left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75%, marking the fourth consecutive pause in interest rate cuts. The Fed's Summary of Economic Projections raised the median forecast for the federal funds rate in 2026 to 3.8% from 3.4% in March. This hawkish pivot boosted the US dollar index and pushed US Treasury yields higher, exerting significant pressure on base metals. Domestically, China's LPR quotes on June 22 remained unchanged, with the 1-year LPR at 3.0% and the 5-year and above LPR at 3.5%, continuing expectations of pro-growth policies. On the inventory front, Shanghai bonded zone inventory this week stood at about 2,700 mt, flat WoW. China's social inventory was approximately 129,000 mt, up 2,700 mt WoW. Nickel prices are currently under triple pressure from an abrupt shift in policy expectations, resonance of macro headwinds, and persistently high inventory overhang. The most-traded SHFE nickel contract is expected to trade in a core range of 125,000-135,000 yuan/mt next week.