NioCorp stock jumped over 10% after CEO Mark Smith announced on CNBC that trade agreements for critical minerals between the U.S. and allies like Japan, the EU, and Mexico could be announced 'literally any day.' This follows President Trump's 180-day deadline to address national security concerns regarding imported processed critical minerals. The company is pursuing its Elk Creek Project to produce rare-earth elements, with potential price floors expected to enhance project financing and returns.

Greenland Mines Ltd announced a strategic investment in AnorTech Inc., acquiring a 9.9% stake with an option to increase to 19.9%. The move signals a shift in critical-minerals strategy from upstream mining to midstream processing and conversion, positioning the company to capture value through industrial processing rather than just resource extraction. This aligns with broader Western efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese processing dominance in critical materials.

NioCorp Developments shares rose after B. Riley initiated coverage with a buy rating and set a $12 price target, citing the company's Elk Creek project as one of the most de-risked critical minerals development projects in the U.S. However, the analyst cautions that the project is still in development with no certainty of profitability, making it suitable only for high-risk investors.

Western governments are mobilizing capital around critical minerals supply security. Greenland Mines' Skaergaard PGM-gold deposit in Southeast Greenland, valued at approximately $68 billion, is advancing from technical study to active project execution. The deposit contains 25.4 Moz palladium-equivalent and 23.5 Moz gold-equivalent, equivalent to 13-15 years of U.S. palladium consumption. Other Western critical minerals developers including NioCorp, MP Materials, Critical Metals, and USA Rare Earth are also advancing projects amid rising palladium and rare earth prices and increased government support.

Western Star Resources has submitted a DIBC application for its past-producing Rowland tungsten property in Nevada, secured a €200,000 European investor relations mandate with Plutus, and launched CMETC-eligible flow-through financing. These moves position the company to capitalize on the U.S. defense procurement cliff (effective January 1, 2027) that prohibits Chinese tungsten in defense supply chains, with a maiden drill program planned for 2026.

Western governments committed $12.1 billion in mining project capital through 30 partnerships at the 2026 PDAC conference, while the U.S. launched its FORGE coalition with 54 nations. Global export restrictions on critical raw materials have hit record highs, with supply concentration for cobalt, lithium, and rare earths exceeding 90% among top three producers. The critical minerals market is projected to nearly double to $715 billion by 2035, with North American investment growing fastest.

Tungsten prices have surged 900% over 12 months to ~$3,185/MTU amid Chinese export restrictions and a January 2027 U.S. defense procurement ban on Chinese tungsten. Western Star Resources submitted a DIBC application for its Rowland tungsten property in Nevada, positioning itself to capitalize on the urgent need for domestic U.S. tungsten supply before the federal deadline. The company is planning a maiden drill program in 2026 and securing non-dilutive financing through flow-through shares.

The rare earth elements (REE) market is projected to grow from $4 billion in 2024 to $6.3 billion by 2030, driven by EV adoption and renewable energy expansion. Apex Critical Metals reported strong drill results at its Rift project in Nebraska, including 81.6m at 2.02% REO with a highly enriched NdPr zone. Other industry players are advancing projects: USA Rare Earth commissioned its magnet production line, MP Materials selected a site for its 10X manufacturing campus in Texas, and NioCorp began construction on its Elk Creek project portal.

The U.S. Department of Energy launched a $500 million initiative for domestic mineral processing, with the 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial mobilizing over $30 billion in government-backed capital. This structural shift aims to address supply chain vulnerabilities and accelerate onshore critical minerals projects. Multiple companies are advancing permitted or near-permitted assets including silver, graphite, niobium, and rare earth element projects across the United States.

The U.S. government is implementing a $2.5 billion Strategic Resilience Reserve and issuing major defense contracts to secure domestic critical mineral supplies. Ares Strategic Mining won a $169 million Pentagon contract for fluorspar, Centrus Energy received a $900 million DOE award for uranium enrichment, and other domestic producers are benefiting from federal offtake agreements and Defense Production Act financing to reduce import dependencies.

NioCorp Developments (NB) rose over 2% after analyst Vitaly Kononov from Freedom Capital Markets initiated coverage with a buy rating and $8.70 price target (31% upside). The bullish case is based on U.S. government support for rare-earth mining, strong domestic industrial demand, quality deposits, and advantageous offtake contracts.

The U.S. government is launching an aggressive strategy to reduce dependence on Chinese mineral supply chains by investing billions in domestic mineral production and opening federal lands for resource extraction.