Watching insiders: the biggest breadcrumbs lead to rare earths

By ‘watching insiders’, I mean the BIG players in the industry.

That is the directors of multi-billion dollar companies, mining magnates and executives from investment banks tied up in mega-deals that shake the industry.

It seems simple: follow an insider and invest accordingly.

So why don’t more people do it?

Well, small-time investors want instant returns, especially in the mining sector.

They’re also quick to pull the sell trigger when stock prices decline.

But week-to-week share price volatility matters little to these big-time investors. In fact, MAJORS often get market timing wrong.

But that matters little… The big wigs position for long-term growth… The megatrends.

Gina Rinehart: A Mining Insider Worth Watching

I found it interesting that Gina Rinehart was one of the only Aussies invited to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago celebration following his election victory last year.

She’s a vocal supporter of Trump’s policies, calling for Australia to have its own MAGA push. But Trump and Rinehart both have something else in common…

A fondness for Rare Earth Metals

As you probably know, Trump has been pushing hard on critical minerals in 2025, specifically Rare Earth Metals (REEs). You’ve undoubtedly heard about the mineral deal with Ukraine trying to get hold of the country’s vast Rare Earth reserves.

I explained the fallacy of Ukraine’s ‘supposed’ Rare Earth deposits in a previous update here. 

However, that push follows Trump’s Greenland ambitions, which are also centred on REEs and other critical minerals. There’s also speculation about a JV deal between Russia and the US to access the country’s untapped REE reserves from its vast Siberian wilderness.

So, should we be taking notice as an investor?

What’s interesting here is that Trump’s moves align precisely with Gina Reinhart’s big push into REEs. Was Reinhart getting into Trump’s ear about Rare Earth’s when she visited Mara-Lago last year?

Who knows.

But there’s no denying that Australia’s richest person is pivoting to REEs in a big way:

In December 2022, she invested $60 million in Arafura Rare Earths (ASX: ARU). Giving her a 10% stake in the company. Gina also backed Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX: BRE), grabbing a 5.8% stake ahead of its IPO listing in 2023.

Then, in 2024, Gina Rinehart picked up a 5.3% stake in MP Materials Corp, a major player in the US rare earth sector. At the same time, she also picked up a 5.8% stake in Australia’s only REE producer, Lynas Rare Earths [ASX: LYC].

An insider buying frenzy! So it begs the question…

Does Reinhart know something that the rest of us don’t?

You can count on it!

The world’s most influential investors are intimately aware of long-term growth drivers. It’s the key element that separates billionaires from the average punter.

Insiders are privy to the global dealings between suppliers, buyers, and policymakers. This gives them intimate knowledge of the future direction of supply and demand.

They usually have a team of analysts and high-level contacts at their disposal. The rich get richer by using this information, not by luck or an intuitive punt on the stock market.

It’s the key reason you should be following these insiders’ lead.

Now, Gina is not the only insider worth paying attention to... Andrew Forest amassed a fortune by pivoting to iron ore in the early days of the China-led infrastructure boom.

Right at a time when no one was paying attention to resources or growth in China. But Forest is another example of an iron-ore billionaire shifting into certain critical metals.

His family-owned business, Wyloo Metals, has steadily acquired projects worldwide as it looks to become a multi-commodity powerhouse tied to the critical metal theme.

These insiders actively participate in metal contracts, mining acquisitions, and exploration developments. They’re also major stakeholders at high-level meetings between suppliers, policymakers, and buyers, not just in Australia but in every major mining hub across the globe.

That’s why you need to watch the insiders and follow their lead.

And right now, the biggest breadcrumbs are leading to Rare Earths.