ASX rare earths shares have been among the top performers over the past 12 months.

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) shares, for example, are up 31% since this time last year.

But while Lynas is slipping today, down 0.7%, it's another ASX rare earths miner that's shooting higher.

Namely, American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR), which is up 6.4% at the time of writing but went 12.5% higher in earlier trading.

Why is this ASX rare earths share rocketing today?

Investors are bidding up the American Rare Earths share price today after the company reported a 328% increase to the exploration target at its Halleck Creek project.

The JORC-compliant exploration target estimate is based on the explorer's latest surface sampling and 2022 maiden drilling results.

Located in the state of Wyoming in the United States, American Rare Earths said its new estimates confirm the potential for Halleck Creek to be one of the largest rare earths projects in the US.

According to the release, the new exploration targets outline between 1.01 billion tonnes and 1.27 billion tonnes of rare earths mineralised rocks. That's up more than three-fold from the previously reported targets of 308 million tonnes to 385 million tonnes.

The miner noted that the potential quantity and grade of its Halleck Creek resource are conceptual in nature. It said that to date there has been "insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource" at the project.

Commenting on the upgraded estimates, American Rare Earths CEO Chris Gibbs said:

The Halleck Creek project is shaping up to become a world class asset. The maiden drill campaign was a resounding success, and the new exploration target is massive. Assay results exceeded our expectations with consistent rare earth mineralisation observed throughout the deposit.

We continue to expand the project footprint and the deposit remains open at depth and laterally.

How has the ASX explorer been tracking?

Like many ASX rare earths shares, the American Rare Earths share price has been a strong performer over the past 12 months, up 39%.

That compares to a full-year loss of 9% posted by the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO).

The post Guess which ASX rare earths share is rocketing 13% on a 'resounding success'. Hint: not Lynas appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

It's been a big week for ASX rare earths shares, with many announcing exciting news to the market.

Of course, fans of the sector will be aware of Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)'s US$120 million deal with the United States Department of Defense, announced on Tuesday.

But the ASX rare earths giant isn't one of the shares leaping on Thursday. Let's take a look at what's boosting these stocks higher today.

2 ASX rare earths shares going gangbusters today

Australian Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: AR3)

The Australian Rare Earths share price is launching 20% higher to trade at 42 cents on Thursday.

Interestingly, there's been no news from the rare earths explorer today. However, it did release an update on exploration activities at its flagship Koppamurra Project on Tuesday.

It announced the latest results from two recent drilling campaigns completed at the project.

They show consistent high-grade occurrences of the magnet rare earth elements across thick, near-surface intersections. That's expected to allow for expedient drilling, rapid delineation of JORC-compliant mineral resources, and future low-cost mining.

While the news saw the ASX rare earths share tumble 8.3% on Tuesday, it's possible that it's helping to contribute to today's gains.

American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR)

The American Rare Earths share price is also leaping upwards today, gaining 25% to trade at 27.5 cents.

Tuesday also saw assay results released by American Rare Earths. The stock tumbled 5.4% on the release and a further 15.4% on Wednesday. That's despite the results depicting a potentially exciting future for the ASX rare earth share.

Of 667 samples from the company's La Paz project, located in Arizona, 332 were found to have rock type associated with higher rare earth grades, while two drill holes showed extensive rare earth enrichment.

American Rare Earths CEO and managing director Chris Gibbs said the results showed the project's southwest zone could expand its JORC resource.

"An upgrade [to the JORC resource] gives La Paz the potential to be one of the largest rare earths projects in North America," said Gibbs.

The post Guess which 2 ASX rare earths shares are going gangbusters today. Hint: They're not Lynas appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Key points

• American Rare Earths' shares are rocketing higher today
• A letter to shareholders may have given its shares a boost
• Sky high rare earth prices could also be getting investors excited

The American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR) share price is ending the week in style.

In afternoon trade, the rare earths explorer's shares are up a massive 32% to 37 cents.

Why is the American Rare Earths share price rocketing higher?

There appear to have been a couple of potential catalysts for the rise in the American Rare Earths share price on Friday.

The first is the release of a letter to shareholders this morning. That letter highlights the progress the company has made over the last 12 months, including increasing the size and grades of its La Paz project in Arizona, United States. This puts the project in a position to become one of North America's largest rare earths projects.

The project was also given a boost with the backing of government officials at a national level in March of last year. It even became one of the few projects to be exempted from the Biden Administration's 60-day halt on ground disturbing activity approvals.

Another positive from the letter was the quoting of research from Fortune Business Insights.

It notes that "the global rare earths elements market is projected to grow from US$2.8 billion in 2021 to US$5.5 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.0% in the forecast period."

This demand is being driven by the move to cleaner energy technology, as well as rising global uptake of digital devices, such as smartphones and laptops, in which rare earth elements are used.

What else?

Also potentially giving the American Rare Earths share price a boost today is the release of an update by industry peer Hastings Technology Metals Ltd (ASX: HAS).

In its quarterly update, the company spoke very positively about the rare earths market and the prices that are being commanded.

It said: "During the quarter, global NdPr oxide prices rose 40% to reach US$134.22/kg oxide EXW China. Post-quarter prices continued to climb with sellers showing no intention of lowering prices at this stage. Demand for rare earths required in permanent magnets remained strong, most likely because of recent changes in China on its energy efficiency standards for electrical motors."

This could bode well for American Rare Earths once its La Paz project is operational.

The post Did this just cause the American Rare Earths (ASX:ARR) share price to surge 30% higher? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Key points

• The American Rare Earths share price is plunging on the back of the explorer's latest quarterly activities report
• The company yesterday responded to an ASX price inquiry, putting recent trading movements down to "editorial coverage" of the sector
• Shares rocketed more than 126% from 13-20 January and are up more than 250% over the past 12 months

The American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR) share price has plummeted more than 9% during afternoon trading today after the Australian exploration company released its quarterly activities update this morning. The report comes after the company responded to an ASX price inquiry yesterday afternoon.

At the time of writing, its shares are swapping hands for 39 cents, a fall of 9.3% on yesterday's closing price.

However, despite today's plunge, the American Rare Earths share price is still up 263% over the past 12 months.

So, what's going on? Let's take a closer look…

American Rare Earths quarterly report

Today, American Rare Earths reported the following activities for the quarter ending December 2021:

• Progression of its La Paz Project operations in North America (NA)
• Maiden drill finalised at Halleck Creek Project (NA), which has revealed potentially more resources than La Paz
• Permits for Halleck Creek have been approved, drilling is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2022
• A five-year $3 million promissory note with Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX: COB)
• Incurred exploration expenditure of $313,370
• A cash position of $8.16 million as of 31 December
• A capital raise of $5.7 million with Fidelity International Limited achieved in December
• Appointments of new executive and non-executive leaders to the company

Looking forward to the next quarter, the explorer is aiming to "create the next major rare earth and critical minerals business" and to "restore the supply chain" of these materials to the US.

American Rare Earths responds to ASX

Yesterday afternoon, American Rare Earths responded to an ASX inquiry into the securities' recent trading activity.

For reference, the American Rare Earths share price has increased by more than 105% since 13 January.

However, the explorer declared it was not aware of any information unannounced to the market which could have explained this massive price movement.

Instead, it cited "an increase in editorial coverage regarding the rare earths market in the market segments" in which the company operates.

The explorer added that reporting on the sector had increased since a Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earths Act of 2022 (REEShore) bipartisan legislative bill was introduced to the Senate of the United States.

The REEShore Act would restrict purchases of rare earths from China and encourage the extraction and processing of rare earth metals in the United States.

The increase in coverage could be a factor regarding increasing market confidence in our US based rare earths projects at La Paz, AZ and Halleck Creek, WY.

American Rare Earths share price snapshot

Between January and August last year, the American Rare Earths share price was relatively steady, sitting around 9 to 10 cents a share.

It then experienced an 8% jump back in August, after the company announced the testing of surface samples at its La Paz project.

In the last week, the explorer saw its sharpest rise of the year, increasing by around 105%.

The explorer currently has a market capitalisation of around $150 million.

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The American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR) share price opened higher on Tuesday after the company announced a substantial increase in rare earth grades at its La Paz Rare Earths project.

Its shares shot up 8% to 15.5 cents just after opening before settling to 14.5 cents at the time of writing.

American Rare Earths reveals triple digit increase in grades

American Rare Earths announced the results of its total rare earth elements (TREE) concentration testing of surface samples from the La Paz project in Arizona this morning.

The company said the preliminary test work demonstrates that ore from La Paz can be effectively concentrated using magnetic separation, selective grinding and direct rare earth flotation.

The preliminary test work shows that plant feed material could be reduced by 76.3% while recovering 74.7% of the available TREE and 43.8% of the available scandium.

The company observed that TREE grades would increase from 552 parts per million (ppm) to 1.774 ppm, an increase of 216%. Scandium grades had also increased from 16 ppm to 30.4 ppm, an increase of 90%.

In response to the pleasing results, the announcement said that "increasing grade and reducing ore mass is a very promising economic outcome".

Management commentary

American Rare Earths Managing Director Keith Middleton hailed the results, saying:

ARR is extremely pleased with the preliminary test results at La Paz. These results demonstrate that ore material from La Paz can be effectively concentrated using proven technologies. Reducing ore material by 76% while recovering nearly 75% of TREE, with a 216% increase in TREE grade, is an important step in the technical evaluation of La Paz, where we plan to deliver, low-cost rare earth elements, for the US domestic and military supply chain

About the American Rare Earths share price

American Rare Earths entered into the US rare earths market in 2019 following the acquisition of the La Paz project.

The company's shares surged more than 200% between 5 and 7 October last year, when a new US Presidential Executive Order was released declaring a "national emergency" to increase related mining and processing capacity of critical metals.

More recently, the American Rare Earths share price has surged 88% in August, thanks to a triple-digit surge in indicated resource estimates at La Paz.

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The American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR) share price has jumped into the green today.

At one stage this morning, the shares were skyrocketing by 19%. However, at the time of writing they have partially retreated and are swapping hands for 9.4 cents, still a gain of 11.9% on yesterday's closing price.

The move comes as the company released drilling estimates from its La Paz site earlier today.

Quick refresher on American Rare Earths

American Rare Earths is in the mining and exploration business.

Its geographical footprint lies in the Murray Basin and at Broken Hill, alongside its interests at the La Paz Rare Earth project and the Thackaringa Cobalt project.

American Rare Earths has a market capitalisation of $28.9 million at the time of writing.

What did the company release?

The company outlined drilling at La Paz delivered an "indicated resource estimate increase" of 117%.

Indicated resource estimates exhibited a growth from 16.2 million tonnes (MT) to 35.2MT, whilst JORC compliant resource tonnage increased by 33.1%.

Results of such magnitude demonstrates the La Paz site could be "one of the largest rare earths projects in North America", according to the company.

Assay results obtained from this site also show it is an "environmentally stable resource" compared to "most other projects on the market".

Additionally, American believes the announcement "supports the development of US domestic rare earths supply chain".

Moreover, it also "highlights the strategic value of (the) assets" to the US Government.

Investors have favoured the announcement, pushing the American Rare Earths share price 19% into the green at one point today.

American Rare Earths shares are now exchanging hands at 9.4 cents, well below their 52-week high of 23.5 cents.

American Rare Earths share price snapshot

The American Rare Earths share price has posted a year-to-date return of 9%. It has also gained 317% in the last 12 months.

This has outpaced the S&P / ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)'s return of approximately 26% over the past year.

The post Why the American Rare Earths (ASX:ARR) share price soared 19% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

China controls more than 80 per cent of the world's rare earth supply and heightened tensions with the US could see exports restrictions come into play. Global supply risks combined with the demand-side application of rare earths for industries such as defence, renewables and technology could make rare earth miners the next ASX shares to boom. 

ASX shares in the rare earths sector

Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX: LYC)

Lynas is the largest rare earths producer outside of China with its flagship Mt Weld rare earths deposit in Western Australia and separation plant in Malaysia. The company's FY20 results outlined the heightened spotlight for rare earths and global appetite for a reliable, diversified rare earths supply chain. Lynas has positioned itself as a proven and reliable supplier to key markets, and continues to engage with end users and governments. 

The company is expanding its production and selected Kalgoorlie WA as the location for a new rare earths processing facility. This project was awarded Lead Agency status by the Government of Western Australia and Major Project status by the Australian Government.

Furthermore, Lynas was selected by the US Department of Defence for a Phase 1 contract for a US heavy rare earths separation facility. Phase 1 will involve a detailed market study, planning and design work for a facility in the US. In terms of the breadth and depth of ASX shares within the rare earths space, I believe Lynas is the 'blue-chip' opportunity given its size, track record and revenues. . 

RareX Ltd (ASX: REE) 

RareX is focused on developing rare earth deposits in Australia including its Cummins Range rare earths project in the East Kimberly region of Western Australia.

The RareX share price has soared more than 150% in the last month following a series of exciting announcements. On 30 September, its first batch of assays received returned exceptional thick, high-grade results. Furthermore, on 7 October, it announced the start of drilling at a highly prospective location, 84km north of Lynas Corporation's Mt Weld. RareX represents a highly prospective exploration project and potential nearology play given its drilling proximity to Lynas. However it carries significant risks as do most exploration players. 

American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR) 

American Rare Earths entered into the lucrative US rare earth market in 2019  following the acquisition of the La Paz rare earth project in Arizona. This acquisition secures ARR as the only listed ASX company with direct exposure to the US rare earths market. 

The company has received significant attention in recent weeks following the US President's executive order intended to stimulate domestic production and processing of identified critical materials including rare earths. ARR is in the early stages of its exploration project and presents similar risks to that of RareX. 

Foolish takeaway

China's monopoly on rare earths increases the importance of establishing a reliable supply chain outside China. I believe Lynas has taken the global spotlight as an established producer and could be a strong medium to long term investment.

The post Why rare earth miners could be the next ASX shares to boom  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This morning Australia's leading investment platform provider CommSec released data on the most traded ASX shares on its platform from last week.

While there are once again some familiar faces, there are also a couple of very surprising additions to the top five this week.

Here's the data:

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

This buy now pay later provider was the most popular share on the CommSec platform last week and accounted for 3.7% of total trades. Although just 44% of these trades came from the buy side, it was enough to lift the Zip share price by a sizeable 16.5%. The catalyst for this was news of tax cuts and a positive update from rival Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL).

Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB)

Mesoblast shares were popular with retail investors last week. The biotech company's shares were responsible for 2.7% of trades on the platform. Almost two-thirds of these trades came from buyers, who may believe that a recent crash in the Mesoblast share price has created a buying opportunity. That decline was driven by an unfavourable decision by the US FDA at the start of the month. Mesoblast shares rose 5.6% last week.

American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR)

The first surprise addition to the top five was this small mineral resources company. It accounted for 1.8% of trades on the CommSec platform. The catalyst for this was news that US President Donald Trump had signed an Executive Order which declared it a national emergency for the US to increase its rare earths mining and processing capacity. The American Rare Earths share price rocketed 160% higher over the week.

Estrella Resources Ltd (ASX: ESR)

This junior exploration company is another surprise addition to the top five this week. Its shares were in demand with investors last week after announcing a significant nickel sulphide discovery at its Carr Boyd nickel project in Western Australia. Estrella Resources shares accounted for 1.6% of trades on the platform, with 60% coming from buyers. Those buyers will be pleased to learn that the Estrella Resources share price recorded a weekly gain of over 350%.

Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

Afterpay was popular with investors again last week and was responsible for 1.5% of trades on the CommSec platform. And despite almost two-thirds of these trades coming from sellers, it couldn't stop the Afterpay share price from surging over 12% higher over the five days. A strong update from Sezzle and a favourable Federal Budget appeared to give its shares a lift.

The post Zip and Estrella Resources were among the most traded shares on the ASX last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARR) shares were up 45.9% to 8.9 cents by today's market close. The American Rare Earths share price moved as high as 10 cents in intraday trading, hitting a 52-week high before falling back. This came after an announcement by the company that discussed the US President's executive order in relation to American domestic rare earth production. The executive order was made on 30 September 2020.

What was in the announcement?

According to the company, the executive order by the US President is critically important to the development of the US domestic rare earth supply chain. It also highlights the strategic value of the company's two America-based projects, located in Arizona and Wyoming, to the US government.

American Rare Earths announced that its US-based board and management are well positioned to take advantage of the strategic initiatives being offered by the US government.

According to the announcement, the executive order stated the "importance of cooperation on supply chain issues with international partners and allies." The intention of the bill, according to American Rare Earths, is to immediately strengthen America's domestic rare earth mining and processing capabilities for defence and radiation-hardened electronics usage.

The announcement stated that the company's US team was securing research and development relationships on cutting edge and very promising processing technology. The company stated that leading American universities will soon be testing American Rare Earths' project feedstock in the processing of rare earths. The universities will be testing processes that have been shown to harvest much higher percentages of the elements than previous processes.

American Rare Earths discussed that both sides of American politics have bills that are currently moving through the US congress, each of which contain key elements that the company believes will help it to accelerate its rare earth projects.

About the American Rare Earths share price

American Rare Earths is an Australian exploration company with a focus on rare earth projects in America and Australia. It was previously known as Broken Hill Prospecting and has been listed on the ASX since 2011.

At 30 June 2020, American Rare Earths had cash on hand of $1,433,784. It made a net profit after tax of $923,000 in the year to 30 June 2020.

The American Rare Earths share price is up 709% since its 52-week low of 1.1 cents that it fell to during the March bear market. It is up 345% since the beginning of the year and since this time last year.

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