Molycorp Shares Popped: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of rare-earth metals miner Molycorp (NYS: MCP) are rallying 10% today on the heels of a better-than-expected earnings report from China's largest rare-earth miner.

So what: Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare Earth Hi Tech Co. (say that three times fast, I dare you) reported that its revenue jumped by 119% while earnings spiked 363%. Although the company's results were incredibly strong, it did caution that weakening prices have shown no sign of flattening out and could impact earnings in the second half of the year.

Now what: With China still gobbling up the majority of rare-earth metals, which are used in the production of all types of electronics, today's results bode well for the overall health of the rare-earth industry. The entire sector is seeing a nice boost today, but most notable is Molycorp's move. Being one of very few rare-earth mines already in the production stage, Molycorp holds a definitive advantage over Avalon Rare Metals (ASE: AVL) and Rare Element Resources (ASE: REE) , which are still in the exploratory stages of developing their mines and could be years away from tangible results. I'm still a bit concerned about those falling rare-earth prices, but Molycorp still could be a nice value here around $32.

Craving more input? Start by adding Molycorp to your free and personalized watchlist so you can keep up on the latest news with the company.

At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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