Category Archives: Critical Materials

Majors Focus On Acquiring Large Polymetallic PGM Projects In North America

Majors Focus On Acquiring Large Polymetallic PGM Projects In North America
For weeks I highlighted that the low valuations in the junior resource space will attract large miners especially in the platinum and palladium (PGM) space which has a huge supply demand imbalance. This past week Antofagasta offered $.45 per share for junior miner Duluth Metals Twin Metals Ni-PGM deposit in Minnesota. The Twin Metals Deposit is similar to this junior in the Yukon. Dundee put out a research note after the transaction which showed if this junior was bought out at the same valuation as Duluth it would be priced at $1.85 share. Today's price in the mid fifty cent range is quite cheap especially as we see the growing interest in Platinum and Palladium sources outside South Africa.
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Did Tesla Choose Nevada To Be Close To This Junior Lithium Miner Up 450% in Past Year?

Did Tesla Choose Nevada To Be Close To This Junior Lithium Miner Up 450% in Past Year?
For years I have been bullish on the growth of the lithium-ion battery in its use in smartphones, tablets, laptops and electric vehicles. It is becoming the battery of choice as the consumer looks to power up on the go. Weeks ago I wrote about a game changing M&A event that could spark a huge rally in the lithium and graphite sector. When Albermarle (ALB) paid $6.2 billion to buy Rockwood (ROC), the world's largest publicly traded lithium producer, I knew it was only a matter of time before our carefully selected junior miners get noticed by the smart money and large institutional funds. Now our feature graphite miner was just acquired. Is it just a matter of time before our featured lithium miner is taken over?
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Junior Graphite Miner in Mexico Bought Out by Flinders

For many weeks I have been alerting my readers to increased acquisitions in the graphite sector as Tesla announced big plans in the near term to build a gigafactory in North America to increase production of lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles. The announcement of a Tesla Lithium Ion Gigafactory in North America has jumpstarted the junior mining graphite sector as I predicted in this article more than two weeks ago. In the article, I stated that graphite is a large component of lithium ion batteries. The graphite miners are still undervalued and the M&A boom may be just beginning as there could be a major increase in demand for these batteries critical for cars, smartphones, tablets and laptops. The public is not yet aware about the exponential rise in demand for the lithium-ion battery sector which could more than double over the next ten years. A few weeks ago, I highlighted an unknown junior graphite miner, who already sold amorphous graphite in Mexico but took a huge leap forward when it acquired a Graphite Mine and Mill in Mexico. It was a past producer but shut down in 2002 when the Chinese knocked down the price of graphite. Now I see across the wires that it was bought out...
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Why Nickel is The Leading Base Metal in Performance in 2014

Why Nickel is The Leading Base Metal in Performance in 2014
Remember the price spike in palladium (PALL) in 1999? Or the run up in uranium prices (URA) in 2007? Even more recently the move in silver (SLV) and gold (GLD) in 2011? Commodities and the mining stocks have a tendency to breakout into price spikes and frenzies. In late 2013 I told you that nickel was about to rebound.I am excited by the fantastic move this year in nickel from the low $6 range to above $9 making over a 50% move in 2014. It has pulled back for the past three months and may be on the verge of making a second leg higher.
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Could Wellgreen Platinum be the Next Stillwater Mining?

Could Wellgreen Platinum be the Next Stillwater Mining?
Since the second half of 2012, I have been bullish on platinum and palladium (PGM). I have focussed on a North American producer Stillwater Mining (SWC) and a junior developer Wellgreen Platinum (WGPLF) in the Yukon. Labor strikes in South Africa combined with economic sanctions on Russia could spark a renewed interest in North American PGM production. Remember South Africa, Russia and Zimbabwe are the world's largest supplier of this valuable metal and all these jurisdictions are extremely volatile right now. South Africa is the leading platinum producer and Russia is the world’s leading palladium exporter. Both these metals are outperforming in 2014 and the rally could just be beginning because demand for these metals are rising annually. PGM's are both a monetary metal as well as an industrial metal used in catalytic converters to reduce noxious emissions. Palladium is outperforming platinum and gold breaking through the $850 mark and platinum is also breaing. Watch nickel which exploded from the $6 area to over $9.50. The three reasons nickel is soaring in price is because Indonesia the largest nickel producer announced an export ban, Russia a large nickel producer has economic sanctions against it and existing producers such as Vale are announcing production problems. We have already seen nice gains in Royal Nickel (RNX) and Stillwater Mining (SWC) which have already made doubles and triples. The breakout move in nickel, palladium and platinum is just beginning and incredibly Wellgreen Platinum (WGPLF), which is highly leveraged to all three of these metals is sitting with a market cap below $50 million. Wellgreen has not yet participated with the rally in nickel and palladium, but that could change soon as they just announced a new resource estimate which shows the massive size of this deposit.
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U.S. Must Secure Heavy Rare Earths From This Alaskan Mine

U.S. Must Secure Heavy Rare Earths From This Alaskan Mine
Wars are being fought all over the world over control on natural resources. Attention is focussed on Eastern Europe and the Middle East particularly Iraq. I am greatly concerned that not enough is being done by the U.S. to secure critical materials of heavy rare earths needed for cruise missiles and our latest military technologies. We still rely completely on China despite their export cuts and warnings to the West to mine and refine your own rare earths. Heavy rare earths are increasingly needed in permanent magnets crucial for some of our defense technologies. China has been warning the world for years that they will cut exports. The U.S. can't be reliant on another country for these basic elements. One day we could wake up left out in the cold and naked if we don't start getting our act together. The Alaskans understand the importance of strategic metals and are financially supporting this junior heavy rare earth developer...
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Why This Niobium Company Is Up Close to 500% in the Past Year

Why This Niobium Company Is Up Close to 500% in the Past Year
For over two years since this major CBMM multi-billion dollar niobium deal with the emerging Eastern nations I have tried to educate investors about the importance of niobium. I found Iamgold's Niobec asset but wanted to see if there were any similar opportunities in the junior market as that is where a studious investor can find the greatest leverage to the metal. In late 2011, I found an asset in Nebraska that looked even better than Iamgold's Niobec as it is higher grade. I recommended it to my subscribers and bought a position in early 2012. Since that time the company has soared more than 400% far outperforming the S&P500.
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Ucore Rare Metals Marches Closer To Production On Alaskan Bond Approval

Ucore Rare Metals Marches Closer To Production On Alaskan Bond Approval
Attention must be paid to the heavy rare earth sectors which is dominated by the Chinese. Tensions are increasing between the West (US, Europe and Japan) and the East (China and Russia) over trade, territories and natural resources. No where is this more apparent than in the rare earth metals. These metals are critical for our high tech military applications, permanent magnets and green energy. The U.S. imports close to 100% of this material from China. This may soon change as the Alaskan Legislature unanimously approved a $145 million bond which will allow Alaska to issue bonds for Ucore Rare Metals (UCU.V or UURAF) Bokan Heavy Rare Earth Deposit. All 38 Alaskan representatives in attendance voted in favor of the bill which would allow Alaska to fund the infrastructure and capital costs at the mine.
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Palladium Breaks $800 As Economic Sanctions Stifle Russian Miners

Palladium Breaks $800 As Economic Sanctions Stifle Russian Miners
For weeks, I warned you that palladium was on the verge of a breakout past $800. Now it is hitting new two year highs as the U.S. threatens Russia, the world's largest supplier of this precious and industrial metal used to control pollution from automobiles. In addition, strikes from miners in South Africa, the second biggest palladium producer is putting strain on the supply side. Demand for automobiles is growing most notably from China who needs palladium desperately to reduce toxic air emissions in their smog filled urban areas. Demand is exceeding supply now for several years.
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Battery Market Is Powering Up Demand For This Lithium Asset In Nevada

Battery Market Is Powering Up Demand For This Lithium Asset In Nevada
The recent news that electric car maker Tesla (TSLA) is planning to construct the biggest lithium-ion battery plant right here in the USA may be validating our long term buy and hold investment thesis in this once ignored sector. Tesla has announced that they are planning to produce an affordable electric car for the US market within three years. This is a huge catalyst for the North American lithium and graphite miners who will be able to supply companies like Tesla. Battery manufacturing could be a major area of economic growth over the coming decades. Similar to the internal combustion engine, lithium-ion batteries could revolutionize transportation over the coming decades and reduce the world's carbon emissions. Tesla has a market cap of $31 billion and may now be on the lookout for some of our lithium and graphite juniors in North America that we have been writing about for many years that are still trading for pennies on the dollar but are on the verge of major breakouts.
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