RARE EARTH EXCHANGES® WEEKLY INVESTOR UPDATE | OCTOBER 5-9, 2026: The West Is Building, China Still Holds the Clock.

Highlights

• Arafura broke ground at Nolans targeting 4,440 tonnes of NdPr oxide annually, marking a shift from financing to physical construction
• U.S. defense sourcing restrictions under DFARS take effect January 1, 2027, nine days before Washington's temporary trade arrangement with Beijing expires
• India launched a $752 million magnet manufacturing incentive program targeting 6,000 tonnes per year of sintered NdFeB capacity across four regional corridors
• REEx Structural Momentum Index rose to 5.9/10 as processing investment improved, but China's strategic pressure score held at 8.5
• Heavy rare earth prices outside China show severe fragmentation, with terbium reportedly above $12,000/kg and yttrium specialty transactions far above Chinese reference prices