Rare earth market update on July 21, 2025
At the beginning of the week, the domestic rare earth market maintained a sideways trend, with a slightly strained negotiation atmosphere between buyers and sellers due to the interplay of bullish and bearish factors, resulting in moderate market transaction volumes. Bullish factors include: On July 19, China held a meeting to advance a special operation to combat the smuggling and export of strategic minerals, proposing a “zero tolerance, heavy-handed” approach to strategic mineral smuggling. On July 18, the Ministry of State Security published an article titled “Key Point! It’s Not Ordinary Soil,” stating that it would cut off illegal channels for rare earth-related items exiting the country, effectively safeguarding China’s resource security.
Bearish factors include: Downstream demand remains weak; according to the South China Morning Post, China’s rare earth imports reached a record high, which is unfavorable for domestic rare earth price increases. In the first half of 2025, Brazil’s rare earth exports to China tripled in volume, with export value reaching $6.7 million, three times that of the same period in 2024.
According to the Baotou Rare Earth Products Exchange, on July 18, 2025, China Northern Rare Earth’s online transaction results for praseodymium-neodymium metal were as follows: praseodymium-neodymium metal transacted at 572,000 yuan per ton for 100 tons, with the transaction price unchanged from July 17, both reaching the alert price.
According to Global Times, data released by the General Administration of Customs of China on July 20 showed that in June, China, the world’s largest producer of rare earth magnets, exported 352.8 tons to the U.S., a 660% increase from May. China exported 3,188 tons of rare earth magnets globally last month, a 157.5% increase from May’s 1,238 tons, but a 38.1% decrease compared to the same period last year. Analysts suggest that with more exporters obtaining licenses in June, China’s rare earth magnet shipments may further increase in July.
Price of rare earth products on July 21, 2025
Neodymium oxide picture
