Rare Earth Stocks Shine. The Metals Company up 7.3%; NioCorp Developments up Nearly 4%; MP Materials up 3.6%

Rare earth stocks shined in premarket trading. The Metals Company rose another 7.3% after a 13% rally in prior session; NioCorp Developments up nearly 4%; MP Materials up 3.6%.

Wedbush upgraded The Metals Company to Outperform from Neutral and raised its price target to $11 from $6 given a stronger U.S. government support and a faster path to commercial deep-sea mining following a recent executive order.

The brokerage said an order signed by President Trump in April could allow TMC to bypass the UN-affiliated International Seabed Authority and accelerate production in the Clarion Clipperton Zone.

That shift, combined with more than $120 million in recent capital raises, including $85 million from Korea Zinc, strengthens the company’s financial position and timeline, Wedbush said.

“TMC is well-positioned to emerge as a critical enabler of US supply chain independence through increased urgency from intensifying trade tensions with China, particularly around rare earths and critical minerals,” analysts said on its first-mover advantage in deep sea mining.

Wedbush also pointed to growing momentum from the automotive industry. Recent announcements from Ford and GM, in partnership with LG, indicate a shift toward LMR battery technology, which uses more manganese, a key component in TMC’s polymetallic nodules, than the widely used LFP alternative.

The firm said U.S.-China trade tensions have further raised the urgency of domestic supply chain development, making companies like TMC potential strategic assets in reducing reliance on Chinese rare earths.

Wedbush called the company a likely winner in a government-backed effort to establish a U.S.-centric supply chain for critical minerals, saying it is “gaining traction” as deep sea mining becomes a geopolitical and industrial priority.