Mining stocks are shares in the companies that dig up the raw materials everything else is built from — copper, iron, platinum, lithium and more. Their earnings follow commodity prices they do not set, and their mines sit wherever the deposits are, which brings a political risk most sectors do not carry. Below, our model ranks every US-listed mining stock by score and momentum.
| Stock | Momentum | Score | To target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nucor CorporationStrong | 83 | 225 | +10% |
| Compania de Minas Buenaventura SAA ADRStrong | 30 | 213 | +38% |
| Rio Tinto GroupAverage | 42 | 206 | +23% |
| Anglo American Platinum LimitedAverage | 27 | 195 | -5% |
| Sibanye Stillwater LimitedAverage | 21 | 195 | no target |
| Sibanye Gold Ltd ADRAverage | 18 | 192 | +47% |
| GoGold Resources IncAverage | 47 | 181 | no target |
| Hochschild Mining plcAverage | 19 | 177 | no target |
| Vale S.AAverage | 35 | 164 | +31% |
| Hecla Mining CompanyAverage | 13 | 156 | +59% |
| McEwen Mining IncWeak | 17 | 127 | +113% |
| MP Materials CorpWeak | 15 | 55 | +88% |
| Lithium Americas CorpWeak | 6 | 51 | +156% |
| TMC the metals company IncWeak | 4 | 14 | no target |
| Critical Metals Corp. Ordinary SharesWeak | 8 | 14 | +104% |
The theme covers the diversified giants and the specialists. Rio Tinto mines several commodities across several continents, which spreads the risk of any one price. Nucor sits further down the chain, turning scrap into steel. Sibanye and Anglo American Platinum are concentrated in precious and platinum-group metals, and Buenaventura and Hochschild operate in single regions — where one government decision can matter more than the commodity price.
The commodity price, amplified. Costs per tonne are largely fixed, so a price move lands almost entirely on the bottom line.
Chinese demand. For iron ore and copper in particular, one country's construction and manufacturing set the direction.
Country risk. Tax changes, permits and unrest in the producing country can hit a single company hard without warning — and it is not diversified away by owning several miners in the same region.
Grades and capital projects. Ore quality falls over a mine's life, and replacing it costs years and billions before the first tonne comes out.
Gold and silver miners have their own theme, because they behave differently: gold is bought as a hedge, while copper and iron follow industrial demand. A gold miner can rise in exactly the conditions that hurt a copper miner.
Because several commodities and several countries rarely go wrong at the same time. A single-mine company has no such cushion — one operational or political problem is the whole business.
Sometimes, since raw materials often rise with inflation. But mining costs — energy, labour, equipment — rise too, so the benefit is not automatic. Look at the cost base, not only the commodity price.
After every close. Score, momentum and price targets are recalculated automatically, so the order always reflects the latest trading day.