Toronto, Feb 15, 2026, 12:49 PM (EST) — The market has closed.
- Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV: UCU) finished Friday at C$7.03, slipping roughly 0.3%.
- The TSX Composite in Canada climbed 1.9% Friday, with commodity-linked stocks getting a boost after softer U.S. inflation data.
- Stock markets in both Canada and the U.S. stay closed Monday, with trading and major data releases picking back up on Tuesday.
Ucore Rare Metals Inc closed out Friday at C$7.03 on the TSX Venture Exchange, slipping C$0.02, or 0.28%. The stock traded in a range from C$6.82 to C$7.34 during the day. (Stock Events)
The small-cap stock falls under the “rare metals stocks” category—a segment that often trades in tandem with shifts in risk sentiment and policy talk about critical minerals. Ucore, for its part, claims to be working on rare earth separation technology and building a processing plant in Louisiana. Reuters data indicate zero revenue reported by the company in recent years. (Reuters)
Commodity stocks had the wind at their backs on Friday. Canada’s main index surged 1.9%, while materials names soared 4.4%. Gold jumped back through $5,000 an ounce, lifted by fresh hopes for rate cuts after tamer U.S. inflation numbers, according to Reuters. “If inflation continues to trend lower over the next few months it makes a strong case for a June cut,” said Ian Chong, portfolio manager at First Avenue Investment Counsel. (Reuters)
Ucore didn’t follow the rebound. Traders usually chalk up this sort of split to thin liquidity and factors specific to the stock, not to any new move in the rare earth narrative.
Friday saw gains for major U.S. rare earth players. MP Materials closed up 1.3% at $58.03. USA Rare Earth tacked on 1.7%, ending at $19.395, according to market data.
The upcoming session brings a scheduling twist: Canadian exchanges shut down Monday for Family Day, while U.S. markets also pause for Washington’s Birthday/Presidents Day. Trading picks back up on Tuesday. (TSX.com)
Metals markets kept a close eye on trade news. The White House shot down speculation about possible exceptions to President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs, insisting there would be no adjustments unless Trump made an official announcement. “Unless officially announced by the Administration … any reporting about changes to our current tariff regime is baseless speculation,” a White House official said. (Reuters)
But it’s a double-edged setup for junior critical-minerals stocks. Should rate-cut bets falter or commodity prices slip, thinner names can tumble in a hurry. And with a holiday-shortened week, swings can appear exaggerated.
Next up on investors’ radar: Canada’s January CPI hits on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Then, the Federal Reserve follows with minutes from its late-January meeting the next day, Wednesday, Feb. 18. Both could move yields and hit “long duration” names in commodity and critical-minerals stocks. (Statistics Canada)
