However, the Canadian Mining Eye index — which tracks the performance of 100 Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange mid-tier and junior mining companies — dropped 8% in the three months to March 2018.
Lack of clarity on environmental rules, overlapping federal and local taxes, and regulations that vary from province to province continue to loom over proposed mines.
The transaction is the world's first cobalt-nickel streaming deal on a producing mine, Cobalt 27 said in a statement.
Niocorp's $1 billion Nebraska scandium-niobium-titanium project would reduce US dependence on Russia and China for superalloys used in defence industry.
Chinese cobalt producers such as Jinchuan Group and Wanbao Mining said they were ramping up production to sate an anticipated demand boom from EVs.
Chengdu-based Tianqi is seeking to almost triple production capacity through 2020.
The new era of big batteries has already drawn scrutiny after fiery electric-car crashes across America and Europe.
Uranium and key rechargeable battery metals lithium and cobalt are on a final list of 35 critical minerals that the US deems essential to national security.
The World Platinum Investment Council sees oversupply in the platinum market of 180,000 ounces in 2018.
Vancouver-based Strongbow Exploration expects the London listing to help it raise 25 million pounds ($34 million) over the next 18 months, which will use to study the feasibility of resuming production at the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall.