This REE (Rare Earth Elements) industry that has been making more noise in the last few weeks is a bit of a mystery to most people.  The recent US-China trade war sparked the latest resurgence in pricing.  Before this event, the REE industry outside of China was pretty much a non-event.  The most promising story in town, which was that of Arafura Resources was almost a sunset industry.  In a matter of a few words from the Chinese government, the diminishing light at the end of the tunnel suddenly became a bright light of sunshine. I must admit that I have not been a fan of this sector because you are entirely at the mercy of the most significant player in town, The Chinese Panda.  Cute as he may be, but when he sits on you, you are not getting up.  In saying that, I do feel that the complete dominance of this sector by China does open up opportunities of being the one of few that the rest of the world will support. The REE sector is very tight, and those that have been in the game the longest will surely benefit the most.  A few searches on the internet and you will learn quickly about the dominance of China in this sector. Now that there is more excitement happening, there are some players that may well take full advantage of the uncertainty because of this tug of war between the US and China. What is Fueling this REE sector? One of the biggest and if not most significant uses of REE is in the permanent magnet industry.  According to a site called, Tech-FAQ ,  a  permanent magnet (ferromagnet) is a material that produces a magnetic field. Permanent magnets are made from ferromagnetic materials, such as iron. They are created when the material is placed inside a magnetic field. When the magnetic field is removed, the object remains magnetised. Permanent magnets have a continuous magnetic field and do not turn on and off as electromagnets do. Permanent magnets are the oldest type and are still used for a wide variety of applications today. These magnets have electrons moving in the same direction, and as more electrons align themselves, the magnetic field increases and become stronger. Standard magnets have electrons moving in a random manner.  This is as simple an explanation that I can come up with to explain the phenomenon of permanent magnets. If you are still wondering why they are so important, think about power generation and electric motors. The induction process for turbines and generators needs permanent magnets to turn mechanical motion into energy. They are also crucial for electric motors in many electronics using the reverse of the induction of electrical current to make mechanical energy. As you can see without the permanent magnet, we would not be able to take full advantage of the capabilities of electricity in modern devices. In our time of EV (Electric Vehicles), these little “slippery critters” are critical.  Currently, the whole EV story needs permanent magnets. Which ASX companies are involved? As I mentioned, I have not followed this sector in great detail, and I have just included the companies that I am familiar with for the moment.  I have chosen the better-known companies.  Lynas Corporation and Arafura Resources have been singing this song for a long time.  Hastings Technology was a bit later in the game.  The others I have just noticed and I have put them in my list to get some context.  I learnt about Greenland Minerals a while ago and it is a fascinating company. Alkane Resources is a gold miner with a polymetallic REE project in NSW.  In this instance, Alkane Resources will probably never make a play for this sector.  I can’t see that happening but they could get value from teh project if they were to JV it to a willing participant. Northern Minerals and Peak are pretty much unknown entities to me but I wanted to include them as they may be positioned in this sector better than I know. Lynas Corporation Limited (ASX :   LYC) Market Capitalisation:  AUD 1.5B Shares Outstanding: 662.50M Top 20 shareholders:  70.20% (2019) Arafura Resources Limit ed ( ASX:  ARU) Market Capitalisation:  AUD 51M Shares Outstanding: 639.90M Top 20 shareholders:  54.60% (2019) Hastings Techno logy Metals Limited (ASX:  HAS) Market Capitalisation:  AUD 160M Shares Outstanding: 711.50M Top 20 shareholders:  84.10% (2019) Northern M inerals (ASX:  NTU) Market Capitalisation:  AUD 100M Shares Outstanding: 1.15B Top 20 shareholders:  55.40% (2019) Alkane Resources Limited (ASX:  ALK) Market Capitalisation:  AUD 116M Shares Outstanding: 506.10M Top 20 shareholders:  51.50% (2019) Peak Resources Limited (ASX:  PEK) Market Capitalisation:  AUD 29M Shares Outstanding: 799.20M Top 20 shareholders:  42.60% (2019) Greenland Minerals Limited (ASX:  GGG) Market Capitalisation:  AUD 79M Shares Outstanding: 1.1B Top 20 shareholders:  62.70% (2019) My Thoughts. I am familiar with Arafura Resources and Hastings only because I had to deal with the company in the past. In 2015, while I was evaluating a project in the Gascoyne, I was put on notice that Hastings was doing a lot of drilling around an REE project.  This went on for a while, and when I read their story now, they are well advanced.  It is good to see that the company had the perseverance to hang around and had continued to do work on the ground.  I am sure they are all pleased to know that their time for picking the fruits may be close. For Hastings , I am surprised to see that the Top 20 shareholding is so high at 84.10%.  I am guessing that in the bad times, those shareholders that put in money would have been rewarded with cheaper shares.  Looking at their market capitalisation of 160M, the company does not appear to be overly expensive.  With the sector experiencing some buoyancy, I think this may be an exciting company. However, I think Arafura is looking more interesting from a market capitalisation point of view.  A market capitalisation of AUD51M is not very high.  I have seen some exploration companies with that kind of capitalisation and has nothing to show for it :-).  The share register appears to be more liquid and for a company with the Nolans project at the stage that it seems to be relatively cheap. Greenland Minerals have an enormous project in Greenland. So big that it will tip the scale of world REE monopoly.  For once, I will agree that this is a world-class deposit.  However, on the other side of the waterway, there is also another project that is held privately, which is a world-class deposit. How this pans out in the future, I am not sure.  There is no doubt that the projects are “gianormous proportions”, but I am not sure if they will take off.  Greenland Minerals have been playing here for a long time, and they don’t seem to be moving fast.  One will need to ask why is that so? I won’t comment on the other companies as I am not too intimate with their journey.  I am sure readers will DYOR for now.  I think this sector will be exciting, going forward.  Looking at the history of the industry, the recent brush with “death” may likely be a thing of the past.  The US-China trade war and the Chinese reaction may be sufficient for the industry to make sure they will not be hostage to one supplier.  This can be the same as the cobalt industry where the majority is coming out of the Congo. I do believe that the REE sector may have learnt a valuable lesson where the guarantee of supply must be protected.  Hence, those that can get to production quickly may become part of the protected species. Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au . About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 3 with Paul Werndly, our resident food scientist This week, Coffee with Samso is all about superfoods and lupins.  An article from The West Australian about a local company making food products from Lupin inspired this episode. In this episode, Samso speaks to our resident food scientist, Paul Werndly, about the good sense of infusing lupin into our diet.  Lupins have a low glycemic index and are high in protein. As a product, Lupin is making a lot of business sense for aspiring entrepreneurs to get into this business.  Remember that the world population is now facing a diabetic epidemic of hundreds of billions of adults all over the world who are facing Type II diabetes.  To ignore this market is like neglecting the business sense of embracing the internet. The message from Coffee with Samso is that there are companies out there that are supplying these healthy alternatives.  It sure is more fun snacking on a packed of lupin chips than sliced carrots or slice celery sticks… Well, the thought of munching on “chip” feeling snacks is more appealing. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee With Samso Episode 4 with Thomas Redicliffe The latest episode of Coffee with Samso is a conversation that I have wanted to do for a long time.  Thomas Redicliffe is someone who has a wealth of knowledge in this sector. Tom is still working in the industry and seems to be the only diamond geologist in town 🙂.  In this episode, Samso talks to Tom about all facets of the industry. We focused on the following topics, What are the diamond exploration and mining sectors like these days? You were involved in the discovery of two of the best if not the world’s most significant mines in Argyle and Ellendale, can you share with us the journey and any noteworthy events? You mentioned to me before about how each mine has a characteristic that keeps them afloat, can you share with us some examples? What are your thoughts on the exploration industry now? Where would you go to start? Do you think that there will be another Argyle in Australia? Or in the world? Hope readers enjoy the conversation. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 5 with Miguel Maron & Bryan Raeburn, Area5football and Australian Minifootball Federation In this episode of Coffee with Samso, we meet Miguel and Bryan, the President and Vice President of the Australian Mini Football Federation.  They are are the organisers of the 2019 Mini Football World Cup to be played in October 2019.  The World Mini Football organisation announced the go-ahead earlier this year. Viewers will find that this is a great concept.  The Mini Football World Cup could be a great way for entrepreneurs to get involved. The last world cup in Tunisia had a worldwide audience of 800M.  With this kind of audience, there are a lot of opportunities for brands to get noticed, especially local Brands in Western Australia and Australia. Bryan Raeburn is a director at Area5football and Vice President at Australian Minifootball Federation. Miguel Maron is a director at Area5football and President at Australian Minifootball Federation Australian Mini Football Federation Area 5 Football PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 6 with Bruce Counts, CEO,Lithoquest In this session of Coffee with Samso, Lithoquest is telling us about the exciting story of what they are doing in one of the most impressive diamond exploration regions in the world.  The unique manner in which diamonds are transported to the surface limits its occurrence.  The fact that Lithoquest has discovered micro-diamonds and Kimberlitic indicator minerals is encouraging in itself already.  Samso speaks to Bruce Counts, the CEO of Lithoquest, on a cold and wet afternoon along the Canning River, in Perth Western Australia. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 7 with Scott Williamson, Managing Director, Blackstone Minerals Limited (ASX:BSX) In this session of Coffee with Samso, the conversation is all about Nickel and what Blackstone Minerals Limited (ASX:  BSX) are doing.  Scott Williamson who is the Managing Director of the company is sharing a coffee at Cherry and Grapes in West Perth.  Scott gives us a brief on himself and what the company is doing with their nickel project in Vietnam. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 8 with Ed Mead, Executive Director, Artemis Resources Limited (ASX:ARV) The latest episode of Coffee with Samso brings Samso to talk with Ed Mead. Ed Mead is the Executive Director of Artemis Resources Limited (ASX:  ARV).  This conversation is about the company’s recent acquisition of the South Telfer Gold and Copper project.  The discussion focused on several topics such as, South Telfer Project Paterson Range The historical drilling results for the project The fact that infrastructure is not an issue for exploring in the Paterson Range. Exploration is all about a systematic process. The conversation was fun and brought out some myth busters about the Paterson Range. This is a shorter version of the conversation. This segment is the introduction to the South Telfer project and why Ed feels it has interesting merits. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 9 with Richard Charlton, Electro.Aero In this episode of Coffee with Samso, the conversation is all about Electronic Propulsion.  Electro.Aero is a start-up based at the Jandakot Airport in Perth, Western Australia, by Richard Charlton and Josh Portlock.  Samso speaks to Richard Charlton about the company and what it is doing to revolutionise the light aircraft industry.  Samso was taken on a flight over the airport and experience first-hand the simplicity in an electric aircraft.  There are many aspects of this company that really should be on the list of every interested investor. When you break down what Electro.Aero means to your average investor you will understand why I use the term Google.  When you have a “start-up” that is already delivering products to the industry and is at the forefront of the electronic engine for light aircraft, you cannot ignore the fact that great things lie ahead for the company. There are a lot of advantages to being the first to market and especially when you go to the market with a product that actually works. I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with Richard and look forward to future updates. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 10 with Mike Young In this episode of Coffee with Samso, I was delighted to have a conversation with Mike Young about the Uranium business.  I believe that this is going to be the future of clean and efficient energy.  Unfortunately, this is such a topical subject that the mention of the word “uranium” strikes abundant negative connotations to the general public.  Two major disasters in this nuclear sector have created a universal fear of the most efficient and cleanest energy source. There is no argument that there is risk involved in having nuclear energy.  However, there are risks involved in everything. There are countless disasters that have left a long term footprint on this planet that is not related to nuclear. However, that has not stopped continued activity within those sectors.  With the increasing momentum in the renewable energy sector, one should look at nuclear energy to reduce our energy costs. In this conversation, Mike Young gives Samso a great insight into what is little know about the uranium industry and what is happening around the world. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 11 with Christian Price, CEO, Resource and Energy Group Limited (ASX: REZ) In this episode of Coffee with Samso, Christian Price, the CEO of Resource and Energy Group Limited (ASX: REZ), talks about exploration in an area that has high-grade historical results. Christian tells us about the good historical drill intercepts from the Menzies Goldfields and the high-grade Radio Mine.  In addition,  Samso and Christian talk about the potential and the market sentiment for projects at the greenfield level. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 12 with Steve Rosewell, Mak Corp Episode 12 of Coffee with Samso is about a very important aspect of all investors, market research.  Steve Rosewell talks to Samso about the way his business Mak Corp works for all scales of investors.  When Steve talked to me about the business I was immediately intrigued as I could see how easily one can use this platform to get a lot of market information.  Most investors need to search for information to make investing decisions. The Mak Corp platform is very affordable for retail investors and the content is almost sufficient for the general enquiries. About Mak Corp The MakCorp platform was born in 2017. MakCorp provides market intelligence on all ASX & TSX/TSXV Resource companies, projects and people. MakCorp has; Over 8,000 mining, oil & gas projects Over 4,000 directors Over 20,000 Top 20 shareholders Lots of financial information And more market insights PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso

Coffee with Samso Episode 14 with Vincent Algar, Managing Director Australian Vanadium Limited (ASX: AVL) The latest episode of Coffee with Samso is all about the business of Vanadium. Vincent Algar who is the Managing Director of Australian Vanadium (ASX: AVL) Limited speaks to Samso about the Vanadium market and how to look at the different types of vanadium resources. Samso and Vincent discuss several topics on what completes the Vanadium market such as what the vanadium business is all about from the supplier side and what constitutes a good deposit. We also discuss the potential of the Redox Flow Battery in regards to the future uses of vanadium. PODCAST Disclaimer The information or opinions provided herein do not constitute investment advice, an offer or solicitation to subscribe for, purchase or sell the investment product(s) mentioned herein. It does not take into consideration, nor have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, risk profile, tax position and particular, or unique needs and constraints. Read full Disclaimer. www.samso.com.au If you find this article informative and useful, please help me share the information.  I try and write about topics that are interesting and have the potential to be of investment value.  It is not easy to find stories that fit those parameters. If you or your organisation see the benefit of what Samso is trying to achieve and have a need to share your journey, please contact me on noel.ong@samso.com.au. About Samso