This article will focus on some relevant aspects of rare earths within the context of the mineral economy. It starts with a conceptual presentation of rare earths addressing both governmental actions, and the private sector. Then, briefly describes their chemical characteristics and their main applications. Finally, more emphasis will be given about some economic aspects: the supply chain structure, the mineral reserves, the production profile, the demand, supply and price analyses, both in the international and Brazilian contexts, and the exports and imports, highlighting China's participation in the rare earth market and concluding with the existence of a Chinese monopoly in the production of this product.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.