Critical Metals Rises 3% as Rare Earth Stocks Extend Rally; USA Rare Earth Climbs 3%, MP Materials Gains 2%
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
Rare earth stocks are extending their rally, and Critical Metals (NASDAQ:CRML) is keeping pace with a group that had pulled well ahead of it. Critical Metals stock is at $5.47, up 3% in morning trading. The Greenland-focused developer is still down 20% year to date (YTD), and it has trailed its peers’ recent rebound, so part of the gain looks like catch-up.
Broader market conditions are softer, which makes the group’s strength stand out. The small-cap Russell 2000 is down 2%, and the materials sector is among the weakest groups, down 1%. That leaves Critical Metals and its rare earth peers moving against both their sector and small caps generally.
Critical Metals Moves With the Rare Earth Trade
Critical Metals’ gain tracks the sector, with rare earth and critical mineral names rallying as a group. These stocks remain a high-beta trade, meaning they tend to amplify market moves and respond quickly to headlines about U.S. supply chains and China’s export controls. Rotation into that theme while the wider materials sector slides is the best-supported explanation for the move.
On November 11, Critical Metals issued a press release titled “Critical Metals Corp Delivers 2026 Objectives.” That announcement precedes the current move, which is following the broader rare earth group.
What the Peer Group Says About Critical Metals
USA Rare Earth (NASDAQ:USAR) stock is at $8.35, up 3%. USA Rare Earth is moving with the group as the rare earth rally extends.
Shares of MP Materials (NYSE:MP) are at $38.11, up 2%. That’s the smallest gain of the three featured names, even though MP Materials is the most established producer in the group.
Results from November 5 set the backdrop for MP Materials. The company reported Q3 2026 revenue of $147.66 million, up 175.7% year over year (YoY), and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.04, ahead of expectations for a $0.01 loss. A one-time $31.6 million sale boosted the quarter. The sale was of SEG+ heavy rare earth material to a U.S. aerospace and defense customer, though core volumes grew without it, with neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) sales volume up 94% to 1,020 metric tons.
United States Antimony (NYSE:UAMY) is the exception among critical mineral names, slipping 2% to $2.86 in morning trading. Critical Metals, USA Rare Earth and MP Materials offer the cleaner read on the rare earth trade.
How Critical Metals Differs From USA Rare Earth and MP Materials
As a pre-revenue developer, Critical Metals has no mine in production, but the company’s core asset is the Tanbreez rare earths project in Greenland, and it also owns the Wolfsberg lithium project in Austria.
USA Rare Earth is building a vertically integrated chain. It runs from mining in Brazil and Texas through metals and alloys in the U.K. to magnets in Oklahoma. MP Materials already mines and separates rare earths at Mountain Pass in California and has started making magnets in Texas, and of the three, MP Materials is furthest along, while Critical Metals carries the most project risk.
United States Antimony shares the non-China supply chain theme but sells antimony and zeolite instead of rare earths. Antimony’s uses in defense and flame retardants give the company a different set of price drivers.
Can Critical Metals Close the Gap With Its Rare Earth Peers?
Critical Metals now faces the question of whether the rare earth rebound holds long enough for the stock to narrow its gap with USA Rare Earth and MP Materials. Critical Metals gives the bulls a binding lithium hydroxide offtake with BMW that includes a $15 million advance payment, plus a pending amendment that would raise its Tanbreez ownership from 42% to 92.5%.
On the other side, the bears focus on funding and timelines. In its half-year results, Critical Metals disclosed substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern, and the company reports no operating revenue. Mineral development at Tanbreez is targeted to begin by the end of 2028, a long runway for a stock that swings hard on headlines.
Investors can watch for fresh U.S. supply-chain or China export-control headlines, which tend to move Critical Metals and its peers together. Critical Metals stock could stay volatile until the gap with its peers closes.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
David Moadel is financial writer specializing in stocks, ETFs, options, precious metals, and Bitcoin. David has written well over 1,000 articles for leading online publications, helping investors understand markets, income strategies, and risk. His work has appeared in 24/7 Wall St., The Motley Fool, InvestorPlace, U.S. News & World Report, TipRanks, ValueWalk, Benzinga, Market Realist, MarketScreener, TalkMarkets, Finmasters, and others. With a master’s degree in education, David has taught at the elementary, high school, and college levels. That teaching background shapes his writing style: clear, educational, and practical. David has also built a loyal social-media audience by providing trustworthy financial content on YouTube, X/Twitter, and StockTwits.
