Energy Transition Minerals has a suite of offshore assets in the critical minerals space, including the large-scale Kvanefjeld rare earths project in Greenland, where it is locked in a legal battle with the Greenland government over its rights to an exploitation licence for the project.

The company recently told the ASX in a statement that the matter would return to court on January 12.

The company also has lithium projects in Canada and a tin and rare earths project in Spain.

Aiming for a US listing

Energy Transition Metals said in a statement to the ASX on Friday that it had appointed Ballard Partners as strategic advisors in the US.

As the company explained:

Ballard Partners' mandate will include advising on public policy and regulatory issues which shape the global rare earths supply chain, with a focus on long-term value creation for shareholders and supporting ETM's role as a responsible commercial participant in critical minerals markets. The appointment reflects Ballard Partners' extensive experience advising clients in the critical minerals sector on how to protect and advance their strategic interests. Ballard's expertise in the critical minerals policy space, and the firm's close connections with key decisionmakers in Washington, underscores its capability to advance ETM's engagement strategy with US investors and strengthen the Company's international position as a commercial entity.

The appointment follows the company's announcement in late December that it had appointed Cohen & Company Capital Markets, which would be advising it on seeking a listing on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange in the US.

Energy Transition Minerals Managing Director Daniel Mamadou said on Friday:

As we look to expand our engagement with US stakeholders and explore ways to list on Nasdaq, it is essential that we have leading specialists to guide us through the unique challenges of this market. Appointing local public affairs experts will help ensure that we have the right support to navigate regulatory and investor relationships, accelerating our North American engagement and furthering our international strategy.

Greenland has been in the news again this week, with US President Donald Trump again reiterating that the US needs the island nation for its defence ambitions.

Energy Transition Minerals shares were 25% higher at a new 12-month high of 20 cents early on Friday.

The company was valued at $317.1 million at the close of trade on Thursday.

The post Which rare earths company, with a major project in Greenland, has seen a share price uplift on new US move? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In early trade, the ASX small cap stock is up 54% to a 52-week high of 8 cents.

This latest gain means that the rare earths explorer's shares are now up approximately 100% since the start of the year.

Why is this ASX small cap stock rocketing?

Investors have been buying the company's shares this year amid excitement over its flagship Kvanefjeld Rare Earths Project in Greenland.

The gains have been so strong this year that this morning the ASX small cap stock was hit with a speeding ticket from the Australian stock exchange operator. It asked:

Is ETM aware of any information concerning it that has not been announced to the market which, if known by some in the market, could explain the recent trading in its securities?

While the answer to this question was a "no", the company did add colour to why it thinks investors have been buying its shares in recent sessions.

What's going on?

As some readers may be aware, as well as wanting to make Canada the 51st state of the United States, Donald Trump has his eyes on Greenland.

He recently stated his ambition to take control of the Danish autonomous territory and yesterday suggested that he could use military force to do it. Trump stated: "We need Greenland for national security purposes."

It seems that some investors think that US control of Greenland could be good news for the company's rare earths ambitions.

In response to the speeding ticket, the ASX small cap stock stated:

The Company notes that there has been significant global media coverage this week stemming from recent statements by incoming US President Donald Trump that owning and controlling Greenland is an "absolute necessity" for the United States. Mr Trump made the comments in a social media post announcing the appointment of PayPal cofounder Ken Howery as his choice for US ambassador to Denmark. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

The Company notes that Mr Trump's comments (which have since been repeated) and the associated media coverage, have been reported in online stock market forums and commentary on ETM during the week. This together with other factors including the upcoming elections in Greenland, scheduled for no later than 6 April this year, indicate more positive investor sentiment about the prospects for the Company's flagship Kvanefjeld Rare Earths Project in Greenland, one of the largest and most strategic undeveloped rare earths deposits globally.

The post Guess which ASX small cap stock is jumping 54% on Wednesday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are tumbling lower:

Greenland Minerals Ltd (ASX: GGG)

The Greenland Minerals share price has crashed 34% to 8.3 cents. This morning the rare earths explorer revealed that the Greenland Government has passed new legislation concerning uranium mining. The new legislation prohibits preliminary investigation, exploration, and exploitation of uranium. It defines this as uranium content which occurs at 100 parts per million (ppm) or greater in the total resource. This essentially bans rare earths production, which can contain radioactive elements including uranium and thorium.

Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR)

The Liontown Resources share price has fallen a further 3.5% to $1.58. Investors have been selling this lithium share following the release of its definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the Kathleen Valley Project. While the release notes that the project has a post-tax net present value (NPV) of $4.2 billion, investors appear concerned with the lofty long term lithium price the company is using as part of its valuation model.

Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA)

The Nearmap share price is down a further 3% to $1.83. This aerial imagery and location data company's shares have come under pressure since the release of its guidance for FY 2022. Nearmap advised that it expects annual contract value (ACV) of between $150 million and $160 million on a constant currency basis in FY 2022. This is up from $128.2 million in FY 2021 and represents growth of 17% to 24.8%.

Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

The Pushpay share price has continued to sink and is down a further 7% to $1.41. Investors have been hitting the sell button this week after the payments company downgraded its full year operating earnings guidance. Pushpay now expects operating earnings of US$62 million and US$67 million. This compares to previous guidance of US$66 million and US$71 million.

The post Why Greenland Minerals, Liontown, Nearmap, and Pushpay shares are tumbling lower appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In morning trade, the rare earth-focused mineral exploration company's shares were down as much as 38% to 7.7 cents.

The Greenland Minerals share price has since bounced back a touch but currently remains down 29% at 8.9 cents.

Why is the Greenland Minerals share price crashing?

The Greenland Minerals share price crashed today after Greenland's parliament passed new legislation concerning uranium mining.

The new legislation prohibits preliminary investigation, exploration, and exploitation of uranium, which it defines as uranium content which occurs at 100 parts per million (ppm) or greater in the total resource.

In addition, the legislation permits the Greenland Government to extend that prohibition to other unspecified radioactive elements by imposing permitted limit values on those elements. It also serves to reverse initiatives, policies and legislation adopted by successive governments over the past decade.

But there are no uranium projects in Greenland?

The company notes that there are no active primary uranium projects in Greenland. Therefore, the legislation is directed at the production of rare earth materials and other critical metals, where it is common for ores to contain radioactive elements including uranium and thorium.

Given the company's hopes of developing the Kvanefjeld rare earth project in the country, this is a bitter blow. Particularly given its belief that the project has the potential to become the most significant western world producer of rare earths.

However, the news is not unexpected. In April the Greenland Minerals share price crashed lower after Greenland's left-wing environmentalist party won the country's election. During the campaign, the the Inuit Ataqatigiit party vowed to stop the project.

What now?

Management advised that it is seeking clarity as to how the new legislation will effectively modify existing approvals or authorisations.

It also notes that it is not aware of any technical, radiological, or health and safety reasons why the Greenland Government has selected a threshold level of 100ppm uranium for the legislation.

Management highlights that a comprehensive radiological assessment of the Kvanefjeld Project was undertaken by independent specialist consultancy Arcadis. It concluded that "the Kvanefjeld Project is expected to release only small amounts of additional radioactivity to the environment and is not expected to result in an adverse effect, or significant harm, to wildlife or people that live or visit the area."

Time will tell whether that will be enough for the Greenland Government to allow the project to go ahead.

The post Why the Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price is crashing 38% on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the Greenland Minerals share price is down 15.24% trading at 8.9 cents.

Let's take a closer look at today's news from the rare earth miner.

New coalition formed; Greenland Minerals future still unknown

Today's news comes in an update from the company on its battle to keep progressing the development of its Kvanefjeld Project.

The company says there are reports that a coalition government, made of Greenland's Inuit Ataqatigiit and Naleraq parties, has been created in the wake of the nation's election on 6 April.

The miner states it will begin discussions with the Government – whose leadership has declared its intention to stop the development of the Kvanefjeld Project.  

The BBC reported the snap election was initiated after a huge public backlash of the project caused a collapse of the previous government. 

The former government had supported the development, saying it would generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the country. Thus, allowing Greenland greater independence from Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory.

Always a wrangle

Greenland Minerals has been operating in the nation since 2007, when it first acquired the mine site.

Since then, the company has applied for an exploration licence, which it's still yet to receive.  

A multi-year investigation concluded in December 2020, when the former government approved the company's environmental and social impact assessments.

Greenland Minerals was then to begin a process of public consultation, which quickly became its undoing. The public consultation was originally scheduled for completion by June 2021.

Now, the future of the project is in the hands of a government seemingly determined to put it to bed.

Greenland Minerals share price snapshot

The Greenland Minerals share price has been plunging on the ASX lately, with the latest news adding to its collapse.

Currently, the Greenland Minerals share price is down 51% over the last 30 days.

It's also down by 68% year to date and 12% over the last 12 months.

The company now has a market capitalisation of around $140 million, with approximately 1.3 billion shares outstanding.

The post Down 51% in a month, the Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price is still sinking appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Greenland Minerals share price is now up a lofty 44.44% since last Thursday. However, the picture is less rosy for Greenland shareholders if we zoom out a little. This was a company trading at 34 cents a share back in January. In fact, Greenland was asking 18 cents a share just last week. 

So what is this company? And why are Greenland shares bouncing so hard off such a sudden low today?

Greenland far from home

Greenland Minerals is a rather interesting company. It's an Australian miner that has operated exclusively in the Danish province of Greenland since 2007. Its major asset is the Kvanefjeld rare earth project in southwest Greenland, which houses a significant deposit of the minerals collectively known as 'rare earths'.

Rare earths are a series of elemental metals, including yttrium, lanthanum and neodymium. These metals have a wide range of modern manufacturing applications, most prominently in rechargeable batteries, electric motors, magnets, renewable energy generation and smartphones.

They are so central to today's economy that governments worldwide are scrambling to secure supplies for the future. We have seen this in action with the ASX's fellow rare earths miner Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC).

Last year, Lynus signed a supply contract with the US Department of Defense, which underscores the importance that countries like the US are placing on rare earths.

Greenland Minerals' Kvanefjeld project houses many of these rare earths, as well as deposits of uranium, fluorspar and zinc.

The project will consist of a mine, a concentrator and a refinery for processing these minerals. Once up and running, the company expects rare earths to make up 80% of Kvanefjeld's revenues, with the remaining 20% coming from uranium, zinc and fluorine.

What's with the Greenland Minerals share price?

As we touched on earlier, this company has had a wild ride over the past few weeks. Most of this volatility came last week when the Greenland share price plummeted 45% in one day.

As we reported at the time, this was a result of a recent election. The environmentalist Inuit Ataqatigiit party reportedly won 37% of the vote. One of its election pledges was to halt the mining project on the basis that it would cause environmental pollution, especially that from uranium, which is radioactive. 

As such, the path forward for Kvanefjeld looks to be in tremendous jeopardy.

However, today's Greenland Minerals share price performance appears to be a continuation of a 'bounce back' the company has been enjoying since 9 April. On that date, Greenland Minerals released a market statement addressing investors' concerns. 

All is not lost

In this statement, Greenland Minerals highlighted that the Inuit Ataqatigiit would still need to form a coalition government seeing as it did not obtain an outright majority. 

It also stated the following:

Uranium at Kvanefjeld occurs at relatively low grades compared to most primary uranium mines. However, it can be recovered at low incremental cost during rare earth production. It is not of great economic significance to the Kvanefjeld Project.

However revenues along with those from other by-products would serve to reduce rare earth production costs. In the leadup to the election, the IA Party leadership expressed an anti‐uranium position and has reaffirmed this position since the election win…

Greenland Minerals Ltd has operated its 100%‐owned Kvanefjeld rare earth project effectively under all successive Greenland Governments since commencing operations in 2007. The company looks forward to engaging with the new government once it has been established.

As such, it looks as though Greenland Minerals is implying it can make modest adjustments to the mines' operations that will result in Kvanefjeld remaining online and viable.

We will have to wait and see how this unfolds. But judging by the Greenland Minerals share price performance today, it appears as if investors are keeping an open mind.

On the current Greenland Minerals share price, the company has a market capitalisation of $174.4 million. 

The post ASX stock of the day: The Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price is up 18% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This comes after the ASX rare earths share crashed 45% yesterday before entering a trading halt pending today's announcement.

We look at that announcement, and what's been driving Greenland Mineral's wild share price swings, below.

What did Greenland Minerals announce today?

Greenland Minerals' shares are soaring after the company released an announcement to calm investor fears about the recent election in Greenland.

For a spot of background, the ASX listed resource share has been operating in Greenland since 2007. The company's predominant focus is developing its Kvanefjeld rare earth project in that nation.

Atop of rare earth elements – including neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium – the company also had plans to recover uranium during its rare earths production at the project. And that plan may have largely been responsible for yesterday's 45% share price retreat.

That's because Greenland's newly elected government, the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, won 37% of votes. And the environmentally friendly party has pledged to stop the Kvanefjeld project amid concerns from locals about radioactive waste polluting the nearby farmland.

In response, this morning Greenland Minerals stated:

Greenland Minerals Ltd has operated its 100%‐owned Kvanefjeld rare earth project effectively under all successive Greenland governments since commencing operations in 2007. The company looks forward to engaging with the new government once it has been established.

The company said it has operated in strict accordance with Greenland's Minerals Act and that the project was "shaped by extensive Greenland stakeholder engagement at a community and government level".

Greenland Minerals noted that the Inuit Ataqatigiit party had "expressed an anti‐uranium position" during the campaign and maintains that position after its election win.

It highlighted that uranium "is not of great economic significance to the Kvanefjeld Project, however revenues along with those from other by‐products would serve to reduce rare earth production costs".

Greenland Minerals share price snapshot

Still struggling to regain yesterday's massive selloff, Greenland Minerals shares remain down 4.5% over the past 12 months. But comparison the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 33% since this time last year.

So far in 2021 the Greenland Minerals' share price is down 63%.

The post Why the Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price is rocketing 17% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here's why they are tumbling lower:

Aurelia Metals Ltd (ASX: AMI)

The Aurelia Metals share price is down 2.5% to 40 cents. This is despite the release of a positive announcement out of the gold-focused mining and exploration company this morning. That announcement advises that following scoping studies, the company has decided to proceed with the definitive feasibility study at its Federation project. Management notes that Federation represents one of the most significant discoveries in the Cobar Basin in recent decades.

Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

The Brickworks share price has fallen 2.5% to $20.49 despite there being no news out of the building products company. This decline may have been driven by profit taking after some strong gains in recent weeks. In fact, on Wednesday the Brickworks share price hit a record high.

Greenland Minerals Ltd (ASX: GGG)

The Greenland Minerals share price crashed 45% lower to 8.8 cents before being placed into a trading halt. Investors were selling the Greenland-based mineral exploration company's shares following an unfavourable result in the country's election. Overnight, Greenland's left-wing environmentalist party won the election and vowed to block the development of the company's Kvanefjeld rare earth project.

Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG)

The Resolute share price has dropped almost 4% to 46.2 cents. Investors continue to sell this embattled gold miner's shares following a terrible few months. A disappointing full year result, weak guidance, and the termination of its mine licence by the Ghanaian government are all weighing heavily on the company's shares.

The post Why Aurelia Metals, Brickworks, Greenland Minerals, & Resolute are tumbling lower appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The rare earths focused mineral exploration company's shares crashed 45% to 8.8 cents before being placed into a trading halt this morning.

Why is the Greenland Minerals share price crashing lower?

As its name implies, Greenland Minerals is a Greenland-based mineral exploration company aiming to develop the Kvanefjeld rare earth project in south west of the country.

Management has previously said that Kvanefjeld has the potential to become the most significant western world producer of rare earths.

Unfortunately for the company, its aspirations were dealt a massive blow overnight when Greenland's left-wing environmentalist party won the country's election.

According to the BBC, the Inuit Ataqatigiit party won 37% of votes and vowed to halt the mining project.

The media outlet notes that many locals had raised concerns about the potential for radioactive pollution and toxic waste in the farmland surrounding the proposed mine.

The outgoing Siumut Party believes the controversy surrounding the Kvanefjeld mine was one of the main reasons for its election loss. It was supporting the mine, arguing that it would generate hundreds of jobs and significant revenue for the country over several decades.

However, Inuit Ataqatigiit's leader, Múte Bourup Egede, stated that: "The people have spoken."

What now for Greenland Minerals?

While nothing has been finalised at this point, it looks set to be a tough road ahead for Greenland Minerals following this election result.

The company has yet to respond to the news but requested its trading halt late this morning in order to prepare an announcement.

It commented: "The trading halt is requested pending an update to the market regarding the results of the recent election in Greenland. The Company requests that the trading halt be lifted on the earlier of the release of an announcement to the market or on the commencement of normal trading on Monday, 12 April 2021."

The post Why the Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price is crashing 45% lower today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Although November hasn't been kind to shareholders, with shares down 3.6% so far this month, the company has performed strongly this year.

Shaking off a 46% share price plummet during the wider COVID-market panic in February and March, shares are currently up 108% year-to-date.

By comparison the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up less than 1%.

What does Greenland Minerals do?

Although Australian based, Greenland Minerals' main project is the development of the Kvanefjeld rare earth project in Greenland. The company has been operating in Greenland since 2007.

Once developed, the company forecasts that Kvanefjeld will be a large-scale and low-cost source of rare earth minerals to support the burgeoning clean energy revolution.

Why did Greenland Mineral's share price gain 4% today?

Greenland Minerals emerged from a trading halt yesterday after announcing it had received firm commitment for a $30 million capital raising via a share placement to institutional, sophisticated and professional investors. The placement was priced at 24 cents per share.

Yesterday, the company's first day of trading since Friday, this announcement saw shares sell off from Friday's 30-cent closing price, losing 10%.

Today's gains likely came as investors sensed value.

Although capital raisings can be dilutive (this one will see 125 million new shares issued), they can also add value if the company puts the new capital to good use.

Greenland Minerals reported it will use the new capital to finalise licencing and permitting; to convert its optimised feasibility study to a definitive feasibility study; to advance offtake and project funding discussions; and to accelerate pre-development work.

Commenting on the capital raising, Greenland Minerals' managing director John Mair said:

The Kvanefjeld rare earth project is globally unique in terms of scale and favourable metallurgy, combined with large, low-cost output of all critical magnet rare earths, and has Greenland well-positioned to be a cornerstone to future international rare earth supply.

A strong level of international investor support in the capital raising is testament to the growing profile of Kvanefjeld… The capital raising comes on the back of important permitting milestones, and will allow us to accelerate all pre-development work program at a pivotal time with the demand for rare earths set to surge substantially through the coming years…

The post Why the Greenland Minerals (ASX:GGG) share price rebounded today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Following another 13.5% gain this morning, the company's shares have now rallied a massive 150% higher since the end of March.

What is Greenland Minerals and Energy?

Greenland Minerals and Energy is an exploration and development company focused on developing high-quality mineral projects in Greenland.

Its flagship project is the Kvanefjeld Rare Earth Project which has the potential to be developed as a long-life, low cost, and large-scale producer of rare earth elements. These are key enablers to the electrification of transport systems.

Why are its shares up 150% in two months?

There have been a couple of catalysts for its impressive share price performance over the last couple of months.

The first is the trade war between the United States and China. There is speculation that China may cut off the supply of rare earths to the United States in retaliation for tariff increases and the Huawei ban.

This has sent the shares of rare earth producers such as Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX: LYC) and Greenland Minerals and Energy hurtling higher.

In addition to this, earlier this month the company released an update on the performance of the optimised rare earth refinery circuit for the Kvanefjeld Project and its positive economic implications.

The company's managing director, Dr John Mair, was very pleased with the performance.

He said: "Recoveries and operating costs have now been finalised for the optimised Kvanefjeld Feasibility Study, and the results are exceptional. The low operating costs reflect the large output and simple, highly efficient processing that are key project advantages."

He added: "The improvements are the result of customised metallurgical program led by our major shareholder Shenghe Resources and have the project on track to be a high output, low cost producer of rare earths, over an initial 37-year mine life. We anticipate updates on the optimised capital costs in the coming weeks."

All in all, Dr Mair believes the "case continues to strengthen for Kvanefjeld to be developed as a major supplier of magnet metals – critical to the electrification of transport systems, wind energy, and green technologies."

The post The Greenland Minerals and Energy share price is up 150% in 2 months appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Lynas share price is up 0.7% to $1.59 at the time of writing, with the report showing the company is making ground operationally.

Cash flows from operating activities are up 57% on the June quarter to $32.8 million with sales revenue up 15.2% to $105.6 million as the company has leveraged off a strong demand for rare earths coming through from Japanese customers.

Lynas has battled some water supply issues at its Malaysian plant for the third time in 2018 during the quarter which may lead to reduced production in the December quarter and it will remain to be seen whether this continues to curb investor appetite in the stock.

Lynas has few ASX rivals in the rare earths space, with small caps Greenlands Minerals and Energy Limited (ASX: GGG) and Alkane Resources Limited (ASX: ALK) trailing well behind at present.

The post Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX:LYC) shares back in black on quarterly reports appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

First, we need to understand what exactly it is that Lynas produces, and why the Trump administration's position on Chinese trade could wind up being good news for this under-the-radar Aussie miner.

The name "rare earths" is given to a collection of elements highly sought after for their unique physical, magnetic and chemical properties. They are used in a number of different technologies including smart phones, hybrid cars, wind turbines and energy efficient lightbulbs. As the global demand for these types of digital and environmentally friendly technologies continues to grow, so too does the demand for rare earths.

Despite the name, rare earths aren't actually particularly rare. They do tend to be quite dispersed throughout the earth's crust, however, which makes finding a deposit concentrated enough to be profitably mined quite difficult. Consequently, most of the world's supply of rare earths is fed from a limited number of sources.

According to a 2018 report by the US Geological Survey, China accounted for almost 81% of global rare earth production in 2017. Australia was next highest on the list, contributing a little over 15% of the global supply. The same report also stated that the US imported $150 million worth of rare earths in 2017, a steep rise on the $118 million imported in 2016.

A sign of just how dependent the US is on Chinese rare earths is that they were left off the list of imports the Trump administration is taxing in its increasing trade war with China. Rare earths are particularly important for the US due to their use in military aircraft.

All this is to say that, given the current global political and economic climate, the US could be in need of new trading partners in rare earth minerals. And although Australia places a distant second to China in terms of production, Lynas could still be poised to take advantage.

Lynas shares have been seesawing for weeks due to uncertainty around a review of its Malaysian operations by the new coalition government there. Lynas currently mines rare earths at its Mt Weld mine, located north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, but refines them at its plant in Malaysia. The previous Malaysian government awarded Lynas a 12-year tax exemption due to its investment in the nation, but this tax break is now coming under review as the government searches for more sources of revenue.

However, last Friday it was revealed that a particularly harsh critic of Lynas from within the Malaysian government would not be participating in the review. Shares in Lynas surged almost 10% higher on the news.

Prior to the uncertainty caused by the Malaysian government, Lynas had been having a breakout year. In FY18 the company posted its first ever full year profit. For the year ended 30 June 2018, Lynas recorded NPAT of $53.1 million against revenues of $374.1 million. Reported EBITDA was up over 300% to $121.9 million.

This makes it by far the most bankable rare earths miner in Australia, easily fending off small cap rivals like Alkane Resources Limited (ASX: ALK), Greenland Minerals and Energy Limited (ASX: GGG) and Hastings Technology Metals Ltd (ASX: HAS), none of which are currently profitable.

Foolish takeaway:

With demand for rare earths set to increase in coming years due to their use in green technologies like electric cars and wind turbines, as well as smartphones, Lynas could be in for a period of growth. As one of the only profitable rare earths producers on the ASX, Lynas may be the one company that could really take some of the global market share away from China.

There is some risk due to the looming Malaysian government review, but even that is less threatening now that friendlier politicians will be heading it up. Still, it should be noted that the company may incur significant relocation costs if it is forced to move its refinery back onshore.

The post Why I think this Australian miner could be set to grow appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Lynas has a portfolio of assets to develop, explore, mine and process rare earth elements, with its main project at Mt Weld in Western Australia.

Rare earth miners have received plenty of attention recently, with experts speculating the advent of new technologies will see demand for rare earth elements increase exponentially in the near future.

Things have been fairly quiet on the announcement front for Lynas, but its continued share price surge could potentially be due to news out of the Australian Financial Review last month that China has slashed its production quota for the rare earth minerals crucial to high-growth industries– providing a potential boom for Australian mines which account for 15% of global output.

With Lynas going great guns investors should keep an eye on movement out of other rare earths players such as Arafura Resources Limited (ASX: ARU) with Arafura shares up 4.7% to 11c per share at the time of writing and Greenland Minerals and Energy (ASX: GGG) – also up 2.3% to 8c per share today.

The post Why Lynas Corporation Ltd shares are zooming today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

President Trump and Australian Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull are reported to have had discussions about how to loosen China's stronghold on the rare earth elements used in missile production, iPhones and satellite imaging technology, to name a few.

Several ASX-listed companies are poised to take advantage of the impetus that may result from the US calling upon Australia to capture a larger proportion of the rare earths sector, and speculative investors should keep these names on their watchlist as the situation unfolds.

Arafura Resources Limited (ASX: ARU)

Rare earths mineral exploration company Arafura Resources Limited may only have a current market cap of $63.3 million, but its flagship project, the Northern Territory's Nolan's Rare Earths Project, appears to have solid potential.

Arafura released its half-year results on March 1, reporting a net loss for the six months to December 31 2017 of just over $1.5 million, up from a loss over the previous corresponding period of around $1.2 million, which the company pegged to a reduction in the non-capitalised portion of the R&D rebate received.

Arafura has been busy reducing overheads and expenditure in the last financial year, but will shift its focus on de-risking the Nolan's neodymium-praseodymium project to reposition the company to take advantage of an upcoming industry supply deficit that is expected.

Arafura's share price is down 4.55% at the time of writing to 10c per share up from 0.05c at this time last year with a high of 15c per share in October 2017.

Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX: LYC)

All eyes will be on rare earth mineral miner Lynas Corporation Ltd as it hands down its half-year results to December 31 2017 on March 5.

Lynas has a market cap of $1.25 billion and Thomson Reuters have recently revised earnings per share estimates downwards as the results presentation looms, which may have contributed to the share price being knocked down from $2.13 in late February to $2.09 at the time of writing.

Lynas has been a standout ASX-listed rare earths performer in the last 12 months, with the share price on an upward trend from just 75c per share at this time last year and the company able to capitalise on a cut back in production from its main Chinese rivals in 2017.

Investors will be focused on company cash flows when results are handed down, but this mid-weight rare earths corporation is certainly one to watch.

Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd (ASX: GGG)

Shares in exploration and development company Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd are up 2.13% to 0.09c per share at the time of writing, after a volatile 12 months of share prices and a failure to go anywhere near its March 2017 high of 16c per share.

Greenland Minerals has a focus on the Kvanefjeld multi-element project in Greenland, which is picking up pace with discoveries in rare earth oxide, uranium and zinc on the rise.

Greenland was focused on its relationship with Chinese partner Shenghe Resources over the last 12 months, but with the Kvanefjeld project process now simplifying, updates about prospective output are expected in the next few weeks.

The grey mud in Greenland is well known for its richness in rare earth elements and as Greenland Minerals' Kvanefjeld project moves into its next phase, movements out of the company will be worth watching, with the mine expected to produce large and scalable output over a very long mine life.

It will also be interesting to watch if micro-cap rare earths miners such as Victory Mines Ltd (ASX: VIC) and Peak Resources Ltd (ASX: PEK) are able to capitalise on greater interest in Australian rare earth miners by the US.

Shares in Victory Mines have experienced a volatile 12 months of pricing to sit at 0.01c at the time of writing, and the company is working to broaden its portfolio of copper, base metals, rare earth elements, uranium, gold and platinum group elements throughout Western Australia.

Peak Resources shares are down to 0.04c per share at the time of writing, a disappointing drop from 11c per share at this time last year and an 8% slide from yesterday, with speculative investors watching closely as the $30.79 million micro-cap rare earths miner's Ngualla project in Southern Tanzania begins to make ground.

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Growth opportunities for the companies who are mining and manufacturing these precious minerals are boundless, with all research suggesting demand for these elements will rocket as rare earth supplies become in demand.

Investors looking to beat the market in this sector should keep a close eye on these two emerging rare earth companies, despite the fact they remain high risk.

Arafura Resources Limited (ASX: ARU)

Mineral exploration company Arafura Resources, with its flagship Nolan's Rare Earths Project, has a strong focus on neodymium-praseodynium (NdPr) – used in the automotive, portable electronics, clean energy, aerospace and healthcare sectors.

Arafura opened up 5% at 10.5c a share today, about the same price it was a year ago, with a few short surges up to 15c noted last October and a 2018 high of 14c in mid-January.

Arafura's quarterly activities report, released in January, detailed the company had completed an environmental impact assessment for the Nolan's NdPr project – a key milestone in the advancement towards a final investment decision.

The Nolan project still has two more components of approval in the works, but Arafura has named it as one of the largest and richest deposits of NdPr in the world with the company aiming to meet 5%-10% of global demand for the rare element.

Arafura announced an institutional investor placement of $3.17 million has helped to boost its cash position at end December 2017 to $12.7 million.

Greenland Minerals and Energy Limited (ASX: GGG)

Exploration and development company Greenland Minerals and Energy Limited has a focus on the Kvanefjeld multi element project, with rare earth elements, uranium and zinc on its radar.

Greenland's share price opened at 0.089c today, with the share price being on a fairly steady slide in the past 12 months from a February 2017 high of 19c per share.

It's January 31 released activities report for the quarter to December 31 2017 highlighted good results from the company's collaborative optimisation program with Shanghai stock exchange's Shenghe Resource Holdings Co Ltd.

Greenland is very much focused on its growth strategy with a successful capital raising from Asian and Australian institutional investors pouring in $10.25 million before costs.

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That's good news, with rare earths prices reportedly increasing steadily thanks to reforms to the industry in China, including a crackdown on illegal production. Rare earths prices are also increasing thanks to their use in the renewable energy sector and electrification of transport systems – in other words – electric cars.

Greenland Minerals also reports that demand for rare earths has returned. That should also bode well for fellow rare earths explorers, miners and producers including Lynas Corporation Limited (ASX: LYC) and Alkane Resources Limited (ASX: ALK). While the Lynas share price is sinking today, Alkane's share price has also surged higher, adding 17% to 30.5 cents.

It's still early days for Greenland Energy though, and investors are likely to face a long wait to see the company generate revenues and a profit. That's not what I call investing – it's speculating. Below might be some better ideas for investors looking for less-risky shares for their portfolios.

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Ignoring for a moment the meteoric rise of the pot stocks like Stemcell United (ASX: SCU) this week alone, the following five stocks have all produced stellar returns for their shareholders.

Here's a closer look at the 5 companies.

Source: Google Finance, S&P Global Markets Intelligence

Lithium is a hot commodity now and Kidman Resources holds the Mt Holland lithium and gold project in Western Australia. The company's Earl Grey lithium deposit could be as large as Australia's largest producing lithium mines – no wonder investors are excited.

BluGlass has released several positive news announcements regarding its technologies that are used in the production of LEDs, power electronics and concentrated solar cells. Analysts think the market opportunity for BluGrass is large and expect the company to start producing revenues from the 2018 financial year.

Greenland Minerals is building the world's fifth largest uranium mine as well as the world's second-biggest rare earths operation in Kvanefjeld, Greenland. Market interest is obviously rising for both commodities as the world turns away from fossil fuels.

Clean TeQ is developing the Syerston nickel/cobalt/scandium project in NSW. In February, the company's shares began trading on the OTCQX market in the US, and later that month announced a strategic partnership with China's Pengxin Mining to fast track development of the project.

And finally, Mod Resources has discovered a significant new copper project in Botswana with current value estimated at between US$180 and US$297 million. New copper and silver mineralisation have also since been discovered, adding to the good news.

Foolish takeaway

Despite the share price rises, not one of the companies above have any profits or earnings to share with investors yet. That means the risks of the share prices crashing are high and investors might want to look elsewhere for better opportunities.

The post Why these 5 stocks have jumped more than 360% in the past year appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Here's a closer look at those 10 companies.

Source: Yahoo Finance, S&P Global Markets Intelligence

Interestingly, a whopping nine out of ten of the companies are smaller resources companies involved in several commodities from iron ore, potash, lithium, boron, nickel and cobalt to scandium, copper and gold. Just one company, Sky and Space Global Ltd develops nanosatellites and associated communications infrastructure. Clean TeQ Holdings' primary focus is the Syerston nickel/cobalt/scandium mining project in NSW, despite its Environmental and Facilities sector allocation.

Huge demand for renewable energy

It's clear that investors think rising demand for raw materials used by the renewable energy sector for products like batteries, electric cars, electricity storage, wind turbines and many other similar products will be of enormous benefit to these companies. Potash is also expected to be in demand as a raw ingredient in fertiliser to increase the world's food production as the population grows.

The only problem for investors is that most small resource plays never end up making it into the big league because they run out of cash, get taken over by those with larger pockets, or their projects end up being unprofitable.

Foolish takeaway

For those who want to speculate, feel free to have a punt, as long as you realise the odds are against you. For my money, I'd stick to proven industrial stocks over the long term.

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