Jul 20, 2025
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The U.S. has just opened its first rare earth mine in more than 70 years.
On July 11, Ramaco Resources officially opened the Brook Mine outside Ranchester, Wyoming. The northern Wyoming deposit is a trove containing six of the 17 rare earth elements — called “rare” not because they’re scarce, but because extracting them from raw materials is so challenging.
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Ramaco CEO Randall Atkins says the site could supply the U.S. with rare earth materials for the next 150 years.
“We will be mining it here, we will be processing on this site, and we will sell it to domestic customers — and that will be our answer to China,” Atkins told FOX 5.
Rare earth elements are used in everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military systems and wind turbines. FOX noted that each F-35 stealth fighter — produced by Lockheed Martin — contains about 920 pounds of rare earth minerals.
Currently, China mines around 70% of the world’s rare earth supply and processes roughly 90% of it. In retaliation for President Donald Trump’s tariffs, China halted exports of rare earth metals — exposing a critical supply chain vulnerability.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright believes this new mine marks a turning point.
“Not only do we get coal here — we are going to get those rare earth elements that are going to break our dependence on China,” Wright told FOX News from the site.
Soaring shares
Ramaco shares have rallied strongly following the release of a full independent preliminary economic assessment of the Brook Mine, which confirmed the project is both commercially and technologically feasible.
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With the high-profile ribbon cutting, the market’s enthusiasm has only intensified. The stock is up roughly 100% year to date.
It’s worth noting that Ramaco isn’t a pure rare earth play. The company also operates and develops metallurgical coal assets — and officials remain optimistic about coal’s role in the energy mix.
“Coal has been the biggest source of global electricity for over 120 years and it remains today by far the biggest source of global electricity,” Wright said at the announcement of the site. “It will remain that way for the rest of our lifetimes. So, to believe that coal somehow is bad or somehow is going away is just nonsense and destructive nonsense.”
If you’re interested in exploring mining stocks like Ramaco — or want to diversify into other sectors driving America’s resource independence — getting started has never been easier.
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With investing platforms like Robinhood, you can buy and sell stocks, ETFs and their options commission-free, track your portfolio in real time and get 24/7 access to customer service.
For those starting small, the app also lets you buy fractional shares for as little as $1, making it easy to build a diversified portfolio without breaking the bank.
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A golden hedge
While rare earths are critical to the technologies of tomorrow, gold — a precious metal rather than a rare earth — has served as a store of value for thousands of years.
Today, the yellow metal remains as relevant as ever for a simple reason: Unlike fiat currencies, gold cannot be printed out of thin air by central banks.
It’s also long been viewed as a classic safe haven. Gold isn’t tied to any one country, currency or economy, and in times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty, investors often flock to it — driving prices higher.
Over the past 12 months, the price of the precious metal has surged by more than 35%.
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Ray Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, recently highlighted gold’s importance as part of a resilient portfolio.
“People don't have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,” he told CNBC. “When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.”
One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an option for those looking to help shield their retirement funds against economic uncertainties.
When you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can receive up to $10,000 in precious metals for free.
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Jing is an investment reporter for MoneyWise. He is an avid advocate of investing for passive income. Despite the ups and downs he’s been through with the markets, Jing believes that you can generate a steadily increasing income stream by investing in high quality companies.
