Rare Earths Americas has reported rock chip assays up to 44.5% total rare earths oxide (TREO) from monazite-bearing sands at its Shiloh project in Georgia, with 13 surface samples collected across the Newbill and Pipeline properties. The 2026 work programme includes more than 20,000 m of sonic, direct push and diamond drilling to define continuity, scale and grade distribution, alongside drone-based radiometric surveys at the nearby Lazer Creek area, where hole 25-DPLC-015 returned 10.84% TREO from 6.1–6.77 m and 3.52% TREO from 7.35–8.63 m. For mine planners and process engineers, the coarse monazite sand style suggests potential for relatively simple mineral sands-style extraction flowsheets if continuity and tonnage are confirmed.

Rare-earth refiner Phoenix Tailings has secured a conditional $500 million long-term loan from the US Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital to build its ‘Freedom Facility’, anchoring an approximately $1 billion financing package for domestic rare earth midstream processing. The plant, targeted to start initial operations in 2028, will provide large-scale separation and metallisation of both light and heavy rare earths from concentrates, recycled materials and secondary feedstocks, complementing existing metallisation sites in Burlington, Massachusetts, and Exeter, New Hampshire. For miners and recyclers, this creates a US-based outlet for mixed rare earth feed, reducing reliance on Chinese processors and tightening mine-to-magnet integration.

Central banks added a net 17 tonnes of gold in April and have accumulated about 1,000 tonnes over the past four years, yet the share stored with the Swiss National Bank has halved to 6% from 12% as institutions diversify away from Switzerland’s traditional neutrality. Nearly 90% of reserve managers expect to increase gold holdings, while 74% expect to cut US dollar reserves within five years, with advanced and emerging economies now aligned on this view. About half plan to fund new gold via local-currency domestic programmes rather than selling dollars, creating a structurally different demand channel for gold miners.