New York, Jan 14, 2026, 19:27 EST — After-hours
- Shares of Critical Metals jumped sharply in after-hours trading following the release of fresh drill assay results from its Tanbreez rare earth project in Greenland.
- Investors are weighing if the new grades back an updated resource estimate and could speed up mine-planning efforts.
- Attention turns to upcoming assay results and potential updates on offtake negotiations scheduled for early 2026.
Critical Metals Corp shares jumped roughly 33 percent to $17.93 in after-hours trading Wednesday, following a wild day that saw prices fluctuate between $13.03 and $19.05 on heavy volume. Around 60 million shares changed hands.
Washington remains focused on critical minerals supply chains as President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he would delay tariffs on rare earths and lithium for the time being. Instead, he urged officials to work on securing supplies from abroad — a stance that has investors closely watching miners and processors linked to non-China sources.
Critical Metals announced it has received the initial assay results from its 2025 drilling campaign at the Fjord Deposit and Upper Fjord zones of the Tanbreez rare earths project in Greenland. The program aims to expand known mineralization and feed into a revised resource estimate plus subsequent mine planning. CEO Tony Sage described the findings as “very encouraged,” highlighting what he called “consistent mineralization” throughout both areas. GlobeNewswire
Assays are lab tests that quantify the metal content in rock samples. Simply put, these numbers determine if a drill hole is purely geological data — or a figure investors and offtake buyers can actually value.
Critical Metals highlighted steady grades and a significant heavy rare earth element presence, along with strategic metals like gallium and hafnium. The company noted it is still awaiting further assay results from the 2025 field season.
Sage told Reuters late last month that Critical Metals aims to finalize the remaining 25% of offtake agreements for Tanbreez by early 2026 and is open to a U.S. government investment. “Would welcome it, even though we didn’t ask for it,” he said. The company plans to start mining in 2027, targeting first production by mid-2028, with capital costs around $500 million in Greenland. Meanwhile, its Austrian lithium project remains on hold, awaiting a rebound in lithium prices. Reuters
Still, the stock remains exposed to development risks. A mineral resource estimate doesn’t guarantee a mine, and slight shifts in grade, metallurgy, costs, or permitting schedules can upend project economics. On top of that, the company’s website lists a Form 144 filed Jan. 14 — a notice insiders submit before selling restricted stock — introducing more uncertainty in a stock that’s already volatile.
Volatility is baked into early-stage miners. News tends to come in fits and starts, and the market frequently treats each update as if it tells the entire story.
Thursday’s regular session will test if after-hours gains can stick as liquidity ramps back up. How much momentum follows through—or doesn’t—will be just as crucial as the drill tables themselves.
After the next open, investors will focus on two key near-term triggers: more assay results from Tanbreez, and updates on the timing for the revised resource estimate and mine-planning efforts. Progress on the remaining offtake agreements, which management expects in early 2026, will also draw attention.
