The Royalty Giants Pay for Optionality. Tungsten Just Showed What It Is Worth
Some of mining's largest royalty companies have built their businesses without operating mines. They acquire contractual interests in future production, sometimes before an asset is fully developed, while another company funds and operates the mine. The value lies partly in timing: securing exposure before drilling, development or commodity prices reveal what it may be worth.Tungsten is the latest case study. Its price rose about sixfold between January 2025 and April 2026, the largest increase among the critical minerals assessed by the International Energy Agency. China mined roughly 79 ...