REE pricesAt the Neo Materials conference call, I thought that Constantine Karayannopoulos (the CEO of Neo Materials) had a good explanation for the recent pullback on REE prices.
The Chinese authorities are VERY serious about shutting down the illegal mines, and they will trace those black market REEs right back to their warehouses in southern China. As a consequence, the illegal miners are divesting themselves of all their supplies before the government comes knocking on their door.
All in all, this is likely a temporary lull, and prices will start to rise again once this supply is taken out of the market.