The next strategic competition in markets may depend less on oil and more on the minerals needed to make what defines the modern economy.
Rare earths are used in permanent magnets, electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, aerospace systems, and defense applications. The problem is not only in finding reserves: extraction, separation, refining, and component manufacturing require highly specialized industrial capabilities.
The concentration of this chain is high. In 2024, China accounted for about 60% of mined production of magnetic rare earths, 91% of refining, and 94% of the manufacturing of permanent magnets.
This transforms minerals into a much larger economic issue. A supply disruption can affect automobiles, electronics, energy, defense, and other high-tech sectors.
That is why countries and companies are trying to diversify mining, processing, refining, and recycling. The IEA points out that projects outside the main refiners can significantly expand mining by 2035, but refining and magnet manufacturing capacity is still growing more slowly.
The real strategic asset is not only the reserve in the subsurface. It is the ability to turn that reserve into technology.
Explore the related assets below to track companies and sectors exposed to rare earths, mining, technology, and strategic materials.
#Mineração #oil #Geopolitics #economy $MPC.US
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