MEET A US START-UP TRYING TO BREAK CHINA'S RARE-EARTH MONOPOLY

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

There is too little money to be made in rare earth to be of much interest to mining giants, so the challenge of reestablishing a domestic industry in the US has fallen to small companies. Metal prices have risen in recent months as China has restricted exports in response to US tariffs. It will be difficult for local startups to compete as China's grip on the industry is tight, and it is known to sell rare-earth metals for less than it costs to produce them. The biggest question is whether the US government will continue to subsidize the domestic industry, and at what level.