Toronto, Feb 14, 2026, 12:31 PM (EST) — The market is closed.
- Ucore Rare Metals slipped 0.3% to close at C$7.03 Friday on the TSX Venture Exchange
- China plans a March 25 briefing with metals companies focused on export controls and compliance measures for rare earths and other strategic minerals.
- With Family Day falling on Monday, Canadian markets are closed. Trading will pick up again Tuesday.
Ucore Rare Metals slipped 0.3% Friday, wrapping up at C$7.03. Shares swung from C$6.82 to C$7.34 during the session, with around 276,843 shares traded.
A small move, sure, but the context couldn’t be louder. Rare-earth supply chains are under the microscope again after Beijing ramped up its checks on exports of strategic materials—a lever that’s been jarring smaller miners and processors beyond China’s borders.
A Chinese metals association has scheduled a policy briefing for March 25 in Beijing, aiming to guide companies on export controls, customs procedures, and regulatory compliance for rare earths along with other key minerals. The event notice indicates commerce ministry and customs officials will be on hand. The agenda touches on China-U.S. trade prospects and covers metals like tungsten, tin, and antimony.
Ucore, one of several North American firms positioning themselves as viable alternatives to China-dominated refining, has secured $18.4 million from the U.S. Defense Department—funding just the first of four planned construction phases at its Louisiana facility. The company’s target: 2,000 tonnes of high-purity rare earth oxides annually by 2026, ramping up to 7,500 tonnes in 2028. Ucore also signed a 10-year supply deal with Critical Metals, sourcing heavy rare earth concentrate from Greenland.
Trade politics keeps clouding the picture. The Trump administration has put a stop to several China-focused tech security actions for now, pausing them before an April meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. That comes after both sides agreed to a temporary halt, with Beijing promising it would hold off on tough rare-earth export curbs. “We are desperately trying to remove ourselves from Beijing’s leverage over rare-earth supply chains,” said Matt Pottinger, a former U.S. deputy national security adviser. Wendy Cutler, once acting deputy U.S. trade representative and now with the Asia Society Policy Institute, didn’t mince words: “It ties the president’s hands.” Reuters
That’s the catch for Ucore investors: policy winds can shift fast, sending the stock moving on headlines rather than actual progress. The company is still ramping up its processing capacity.
The TSX Venture Exchange in Canada will be shut on Monday, Feb. 16, for Family Day, its calendar shows. Activity picks up again Tuesday.
Once trading resumes, investors are watching closely for fresh company filings or any word on the Louisiana build-out and feedstock deals. On the bigger picture, even a small signal from Beijing before the March 25 briefing could shift the group—particularly if there’s talk of stricter customs or compliance requirements.
Investors are watching the March 25 briefing in Beijing, then the Trump-Xi meeting set for April. Both events stand out as likely catalysts, with particular focus on whether the talks could shift expectations for rare-earth export curbs in 2026—and just how severe the impact might be.
