Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article explores the contemporary financial and economic trends shaping the global rare earth elements market in the context of strategic competition among states for resource and technological leadership. The authors examine how geoeconomic factors, institutional policies, stock dynamics, and investment models are constructing a new architecture of global power distribution around critical minerals, thus determining the conjuncture of the REE market. The study aims to identify the financial and economic preconditions, policy instruments, and national models of the United States, China, Australia, Canada, and African countries amid geopolitical turbulence and technological transformation. Particular attention is given to Ukraine's potential as a future player in the global REE market. The methodological framework integrates approaches from geoeconomics, resource security, sustainable development, and strategic planning. Both quantitative methods (correlation-regression and trend analysis of financial indices (MVIS Global Rare Earth, NASDAQ, etc.) and qualitative methods (systems analysis, comparative policy evaluation, and content analysis) are employed. Empirical findings reveal a close interrelation between the dynamics of the REE market and clean technology indices. The article also outlines emerging global challenges that influence financial and economic trends in the REE sector: China's market monopolization, fragmentation due to "friend-shoring" strategies, uneven investment access, underdeveloped processing infrastructure in resource-rich but undercapitalized countries (notably Ukraine), and the absence of a coherent global regulatory framework. Based on a comparative analysis of national strategies, the authors propose potential directions for Ukraine’s breakthrough and integration into Euro-Atlantic supply chains: the development of a dedicated critical minerals strategy, attraction of foreign partnerships, and formation of localized processing and industrial ecosystems. The authors argue that advancing the REE industry in Ukraine is a vital component of post-war economic recovery and a driver for strengthening the country's geopolitical standing, conditional upon the modernization of scientific, educational, and industrial infrastructure. The study offers a strategic vision of Ukraine’s participation in the global REE market on a par with leading geoeconomic actors.
Language: English
Subfield: Metals and Alloys
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $500
OpenAlex ID: W4415720060