Like it or not, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is carried by mining companies.
Australia is fortunate to have a massive amount of land, and that gives the nation a huge advantage when it comes to finding mineral deposits.
So there are some pretty reliable players in the sector that investors can lean on for decent returns.
Here is a pair that the analysts at Wilson Asset Management are rating as buy right now:
China's arrested development
The fortunes for iron ore are closely linked with how China's economy is going.
China kept its extremely strict COVID-19 lockdown rules for much longer than other nations. So when those restrictions were finally relaxed late last year, all and sundry expected an economic boom.
But it's since proven to be an anti-climax.
"This recovery has faded and the iron ore price fell accordingly," investment analyst Anna Milne said in a Wilson video.
"Now the government is stepping in, announcing a lot of stimulatory measures to really push that recovery along."
This is why her team likes mining companies at the moment, as they can be picked up fairly cheaply with Chinese demand set to rise in the coming period.
"Our biggest holding is in BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP). BHP is a buy."
The undeniable fact is that even when the world talks of a slow Chinese economy, it is a relative descriptor. In absolute terms, it's still humming.
"They're still growing. They're growing at 5% [per annum]."
The case for BHP is also bolstered by its alluring 8.6% dividend yield.
Share price just doubled, but it's still cheap
Despite a tumble in the global price over last summer, lithium remains an important long-term play.
And Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) is one of the biggest producers of the mineral.
Despite the stock more than doubling over the past 12 months, it's still a buy for equities dealer Will Thompson.
"It's still quite cheap, even though the valuation does look big sometimes," he said in another Wilson video.
Thompson reckons Pilbara deserves a premium on its share price anyway.
"It's a great strategic asset that a lot of the big players might have a look at. There's been rumours about that," he said.
"Importantly, the growth profile is massive. And that's what investors are looking for."
Pilbara Minerals can sustain the growth and the free cash flow, he added, and the lithium price has excellent long-term momentum upwards.
"They're going to keep printing cash. Especially where the lithium price is at the moment, and the move towards EVs… and China [is] going really hard on it."
