(Feb 25): Lynas Rare Earths Ltd has overtaken Australian blue-chip stalwart Qantas Airways Ltd by market capitalisation, as concerns about China’s dominance of critical minerals lift the miner’s stock. Both companies are set to report annual results on Thursday (Feb 26), with net income estimates for the airline of A$1.03 billion (RM2.85 million) set to dwarf the A$112 million forecast for Lynas. However, the miner’s shares have surged more than a third this year — compared with a tepid 2% rise for Qantas — to make it the more valuable company. Lynas produces a small volume, by mining standards, of rare earths used in electric vehicle motors, smartphones and defence technology from a mine in Western Australia, which it refines in Malaysia. “Lynas is quite different from your typical mining company,” Reg Spencer, a metals and mining analyst at Canaccord Genuity Australia Ltd, said by telephone.

Source: The Edge Markets February 25, 2026 06:03 UTC