Despite US-China Rare Earth Metal Deal, MP Materials Attracts 1.1 Trillion Won Investment

Shares of MP Materials Corp (NYSE: MP) jumped 8.56% on the New York Stock Exchange on the 13th, closing at $69.29. In a single session, its market capitalization swelled by approximately $1.15 billion (roughly KRW 1.5–1.6 trillion), and trading volume topped 6.9 million shares, significantly above the daily average.

Despite recent progress in U.S.–China trade negotiations—including rare-earth supply talks—raising questions about MP Materials’ medium- to long-term growth, domestic and international retail investors are driving the stock higher on hopes that it will emerge as the primary beneficiary of a U.S.-based rare-earth and magnet supply chain. On Wall Street, analysts are reevaluating the potential for U.S. government support and orders from major customers such as Apple, debating whether the rally that began last year can continue.

The company has scheduled its Q3 2025 earnings release for November 6, highlighting a possible turnaround fueled by firm rare-earth prices and expanded production. In Q2 2024, MP Materials beat revenue forecasts and narrowed its losses, leading investors to preemptively price in gains from supply-chain realignment.

MP Materials is the only fully integrated rare-earths company in the U.S., operating from mining and refining to magnet manufacturing at its Mountain Pass mine in California. Founded in 2017 after acquiring the mine assets following Molycorp’s bankruptcy, the company went public via a SPAC merger in 2020. As strategic industries—including defense, electric vehicles, robotics, and energy—increasingly depend on rare earths, MP Materials and its founder, James Litinsky, have become central players in the U.S. government’s supply-chain security strategy.