Graphite is the Next Big Thing for resource investors, but as in any sector, due diligence is a prerequisite for success.

With so many moving variables in the rare earth space, how can investors evaluate investment opportunities? S

China's sudden cuts to rare earth export quotas and domestic production marked the beginning of a Rare Earth Economic War, proposes Jacob Securities' Senior Mining and Metals Analyst Luisa Moreno.

Sometimes the most exciting investment opportunities fly under the radar. James Passin of Firebird Management LLC combs the world for emerging opportunities in often overlooked areas.

The list of once-obscure metals and minerals that are becoming "strategic" seems to be growing daily. However, population growth and rising living standards in developing countries are driving demand for most raw materials

Graphite, once the stuff of pencil lead, figures prominently in post-paper-age consumer electronics, and escalating spot prices reflect its critical role in electric vehicle manufacturing.

Success in the critical metals sector depends on finding the trends—how the metals will be used, where market share is allocated—and on familiarity with the companies you invest in, from who is on the management team to how much cash they have on hand.

China's tight grip on rare earth elements supply may loosen as other deposits around the world come to fruition in 2012.

Shrinking Chinese export quotas and market sentiment have made for unpredictable prices for rare earth elements, but the real opportunity lies with mining stocks.

Just as the Bronze Age catapulted human civilization to new levels, so are critical metals changing the way we live in the modern world.

Despite the name, rare earth elements are actually quite plentiful in the earth's crust—it's the companies that are close to producing these critical metals outside of China that are truly rare.

The companies in a race to produce critical heavy rare earth elements by 2016 are already way ahead of their smaller competitors.