Gina Rinehart, owner and CEO of private Australian mining company Hancock Prospecting, has become the largest shareholder of rare earths company MP Materials (NYSE:MP).

Rinehart’s stake in MP, which she owns via Hancock, now stands at 8.4 percent.

According to Bloomberg, Hancock added 1 million shares to its MP position in the third quarter. After MP’s share price doubled during the period, it became the top holding in Hancock’s portfolio.

MP owns and runs the Mountain Pass rare earths mine in San Bernardino County, California. The mine was revived by MP in 2017 and achieved first rare earths concentrate production in 2018.

In 2024, the company produced a record 45,455 metric tons of rare earth oxides in concentrate, as well as 1,294 metric tons of neodymium-praeseodymium (NdPr) oxide, also a record amount.

Mountain Pass is currently the only operating rare earths mine in the US, and is gaining attention as the US seeks to establish a rare earths supply chain outside of China. In July, the US Department of Defense (DoD) agreed to buy US$400 million worth of preferred stock in the company, a move that MP called a ‘transformational public-private partnership.’

On Wednesday (November 19), MP deepened its DoD relationship with a partnership to establish a joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden); together they will develop a rare earths refinery in Saudi Arabia.

‘This agreement will be beneficial to MP and our industry, and it further aligns U.S. and Saudi interests,’ said James Litinsky, MP’s founder, chair and CEO, in a press release shared by the company that day.

‘The formation of the joint venture also underscores MP Materials’ role as an American national champion, and it demonstrates how our fully integrated platform can project U.S. industrial capability abroad.’

Earlier this year, the Trump administration said Dateline Resources’ (ASX:DTR,OTCQB:DTREF) Colosseum mine, located 10 kilometres from Mountain Pass, could continue operations under its existing mine plan.

A bankable feasibility study is currently being completed for Colosseum, and is due for completion in early 2026.

Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Elliott Investment Management has reportedly taken a large stake in Barrick Mining (TSX:ABX,NYSE:B), the Financial Times reported on Tuesday (November 18), adding activist pressure to the gold producer, which is already dealing with escalating operational problems and a leadership shakeup.

The moves comes just weeks after the abrupt September exit of former CEO Mark Bristow, and as Barrick’s new chief executive, Mark Hill, begins overhauling the company’s regional structure.

In an internal memo seen by Bloomberg, Hill said Barrick will fold its Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic into its North American division and merge its Latin America and Asia Pacific operations to improve performance.

Elliott’s investment also comes during a challenging phase for Barrick.

The company has been hit by rising costs at key North American assets and the loss of its most profitable operation, the Loulo-Gounkoto mine in Mali, after the military junta seized control earlier this year.

The dispute, which was tied to Mali’s new mining tax code, resulted in 3 metric tons of gold being taken by the state and the detention of four Barrick employees. The asset loss also triggered a roughly US$1 billion writeoff.

The setbacks have left Barrick trailing behind its peers despite a powerful gold price rally. Company shares are up 117 percent in the past year, compared with an average 130 percent gain among major rivals.

Barrick’s performance has company executives weighing their options.

As mentioned, a split into two companies is being considered. Four people told Reuters that this could involve one firm focused on North America and another holding assets in Africa and Asia. Another option would involve selling Barrick’s Africa portfolio outright, along with the Reko Diq project in Pakistan once financing is secured.

Barrick is also trying to resolve its dispute with Mali before pursuing a sale of that operation.

Investors have pushed similar ideas before, but were stifled due to the company’s North American footprint.

The company’s core US asset is Nevada Gold Mines, which it operates in partnership with Newmont (NYSE:NEM,ASX:NEM), and the sentiment has been that “there is not much of value” in Barrick’s remaining mines.

Bloomberg reported last month that Newmont was looking at whether a transaction could give it control of the Nevada operations it shares with Barrick, but discussions have not advanced since then.

Elliott, meanwhile, has a long record of targeting miners, including Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF) and Kinross Gold (TSX:K,NYSE:KGC), and often pushes for structural changes.

For Barrick, the challenge now is stabilizing its operations, while deciding how far to go with strategic restructuring in today’s historically high gold price environment.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.