A Review of the Commodities Crash Playbook As Another Phase of Selling Ends

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) Commodities across the board have suffered mightily during the stock market’s recent correction. In the first phase of the sell-off (from late July to early August), a few commodity-related stocks triggered buys by erasing all … Read more

The Market Is Ignoring These Insider Purchases, But You Should Not

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) Since the market swoon began in earnest in August, I have become increasingly interested in the stock market’s reaction to the news of insider buying by company executives. In many cases, I have made the … Read more

JP Morgan Reduces Upside Target on Molycorp from 100% to 25%

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) On Tuesday, September 20, a JP Morgan (JPM) analyst slashed his price target on rare earth producer Molycorp (MCP) from $105 to $66. This reduction in upside from 100% to 25% helped plunge MCP to … Read more

Investors in Great Western Minerals Urge CEO to Choose Dilution for Funding Needs

On the morning of September 14, Great Western Minerals Group (GWMGF.PK) President and CEO Jim Engdahl held the company’s fourth CEO conference call. I became interested in Great Western through a friend who follows the rare earths industry very closely. According to the company: “Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. is an integrated Rare Earths processor. … Read more

Unimpressed By CEO’s Purchase of Molycorp Shares

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) I usually interpret insider buying by company executives as an extremely positive development. However, I am unsure what to think of CEO Mark Smith’s recent purchase of shares of Molycorp (MCP) stock (hat tip to … Read more

Seagate Is Not Likely to Find “Ruthenium-Like” Relief from Soaring Rare Earth Prices

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week (July 22) I summarized Seagate’s earnings commentary partially blaming a “bubble” in rare earth prices for causing a margin squeeze for the company. Seagate management claimed that the soaring prices of rare earth … Read more

Seagate Blames A “Bubble” In Rare Earth Prices for Causing A Margin Squeeze

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) For some time now, rare earth supply, demand, and prices have been hot topics of discussion and debate. While these elements are critical components in many high-tech products, they usually represent a very small part … Read more

Lynas Stumbles While Molycorp Continues Recovering – Sobering Reminders of Rare Earth Challenges

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha July 5, 2011. Click here to read the entire piece.) On June 29, 2011, the New York Times ran a story called “The Fear of a Toxic Return” that provided lurid accusations of environmental mismanagement at the Malaysian rare earth refinery owned … Read more

Chinese Academic’s Rare Earth Forecasts at Odds with Industry Experts

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week, an article from China Daily titled “Rare-earth supplies expected to grow” was blamed for the weakness in several rare earth stocks like Molycorp and Lynas Corp. Ltd on June 16th. The article contains … Read more

Chart Review: Molycorp Plunges Into Oversold Conditions

The recent trading action in Molycorp (MCP) has deeply disappointed MCP bulls. The stock has gone from a bullish technical setup to today’s oversold conditions in the space of two weeks. Inserted into this sell-off was MCP’s move to get a stock offering and convertible deal done. The announcement created a tremendous overhang on the … Read more