Better Mining Stock to Buy Before 2026 Ends: USA Rare Earth vs. Freeport-McMoRan
In my opinion, one stock wins over the other in terms of risk-adjusted returns.
Overview
USA Rare Earth (NASDAQ: USAR) is a fine and worthy investment option for investors seeking a high-risk, high-reward play on the solution to securing a domestic supply of rare-earth materials. However, on a risk/reward basis, I think copper miner Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) is a better investment right now. Here's why.
To be clear, this isn't an argument about preferring a lower-risk, lower-reward option. Instead, it's based on the idea that Freeport-McMoran offers a better expected return than USA Rare Earth, given the potential upside and downside of the stocks.
Details
The investment case for the rare-earth company is based on its vertically integrated "mine-to-magnet" business model. However, it's somewhat unusual in that it's almost a back-to-front process, whereby the company will develop and ramp up metals and magnet production at its Stillwater, Oklahoma, manufacturing plant before commercial extraction from the Round Top, Texas, deposit begins in 2028.
Source
Originally published at www.fool.com.