Against a backdrop of intensifying global geopolitical competition and accelerated industrial chain restructuring, rare earth magnets are increasingly prominent as critical strategic resources, with related sectors consistently becoming key areas for market capital allocation. Among these, the popular product—Huatai-PineBridge Rare Earth ETF (516780)—has attracted a cumulative net inflow of 340 million yuan this year, with its latest scale reaching 3.165 billion yuan, a 22% increase from the beginning of the year, demonstrating significant liquidity advantages.
From a strategic value perspective, rare earths, often referred to as "industrial gold," are indispensable core raw materials in high-end manufacturing sectors such as satellites, robotics, and the low-altitude economy. Their value is directly linked to industrial chain security and the international competitive landscape. With the rapid development of new economic industries, downstream demand continues to expand, providing strong support for rare earth prices.
On the supply side, as the dominant player in the global rare earth industrial chain, China continues to implement export controls on rare earth-related items and key technologies, effectively regulating the global supply rhythm. In April 2026, the "First Batch of Total Control Plans for Rare Earth Mining and Smelting Separation in 2026" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Natural Resources showed that mining quotas increased by only 2% year-on-year, while smelting separation quotas remained flat compared to the previous year, further tightening rigid constraints on industry supply.
Driven by the ongoing tightening of supply and demand dynamics, the rare earth market is experiencing a sustained warming trend and a "price increase wave." Since the fourth quarter of 2024, two major domestic rare earth giants have consecutively raised rare earth concentrate transaction prices for seven consecutive quarters, indicating a clear and strong upward trend. According to the latest market data released by the Yangtze River Nonferrous Metals Network on April 21, 2026, the domestic intermediate price for praseodymium oxide has climbed to 857,500 yuan per ton, a significant increase of 2,500 yuan from the previous trading day, with momentum for further price increases expected to continue.
It is reported that Huatai-PineBridge Rare Earth ETF (516780) is the market's first rare earth industry-themed ETF. It closely tracks the CSI Rare Earth Industry Index, which selects listed company securities involved in businesses related to rare earth mining, processing, trading, and application as components to reflect the overall performance of listed companies in the rare earth industry. Its top five constituent stocks are
The product's 2025 annual report showed that as of December 31, 2025, the number of holders of Huatai-PineBridge Rare Earth ETF (516780) reached 60,300, making it the only rare earth-themed ETF in the market at that time with over 50,000 holders.
Huatai-PineBridge Fund, as one of China's first ETF managers, has been deeply involved in the index investment field for over 19 years. It has created benchmark index tools for investors such as the Huatai-PineBridge CSI 300 ETF (510300) and the Huatai-PineBridge A500 ETF (563360), known for their transparent investment objectives, convenient trading, and low fees. By the end of 2025, the ETFs under the company had generated cumulative profits exceeding 164 billion yuan for holders over the previous two years, making it one of only four fund companies in the entire market during that period to achieve cumulative profits over one hundred billion yuan. Regarding fee structures, ETFs accounting for 77.8% of the company's scale adopt the lowest tier fee structure currently available in the market for equity index funds (management fee of 0.15% per year + custody fee of 0.05% per year).
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