Mama Tried, But China’s Still The Rare Earth Bully

Companies Mentioned: MP Materials, Apple, Tesla, Piedmont, Ford, Umicore, Redwood Materials, EcoGraf, CF Industries, ExxonMobil, Electric Hydrogen, YPP Corporation, Petronas, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Terengganu Inc., CoreWeave, OpenAI, Veolia, Indorama, BlackRock, Eni, LanzaJet, BYD, NVIDIA, Eaton
Commodities Mentioned: Rare Earths, Lithium, Nickel, Graphite, Cobalt, Neodymium-Praseodymium, Rare-Earth Magnets, Batteries, Hydrogen, Ammonia, Methanol, Cobalt (Recycled), Tin (Recycled), Gold (Recycled), Ethanol, CO₂, Electricity, Plastic, PET, Gasoline

1st Topic of the Week: Control of materials is increasingly defining geopolitical leverage and industrial dominance, with MP Materials leading America’s strategic race for rare earth material security and resource independence.
2nd Topic of the Week: Green hydrogen’s promise is unraveling as economic headwinds, policy drift, and overbuilt supply chains expose a sector chasing ambition faster than demand and price premiums can materialize.
Otherwise – AI-driven electricity demand is poised to stress power grids increasingly, Veolia makes some recycling model adjustments, Blackrock invests in Eni CCS, and we discuss ethanol trade between Brazil and the US.

Exhibit 1: China dominates every critical stage of the rare earths supply chain, while rivals scramble for independence.