Skip to main content
Erschienen in: Journal of Business Ethics 4/2016

06.08.2015

Wealth Effects of Rare Earth Prices and China’s Rare Earth Elements Policy

Erschienen in: Journal of Business Ethics | Ausgabe 4/2016

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

Rare earth elements (REEs) have become increasingly important because of their relative scarcity and worldwide increasing demand, as well as China’s quasi-monopoly of this market. REEs are virtually not substitutable, and they are essential for a variety of high-tech products and modern key technologies. This has raised serious concerns that China will misuse its dominant position to set export quotas in order to maximize its own profits at the expense of other rare earth user industries (wealth transfer motive). In fact, export restrictions on REEs were the catalyst for the U.S. to lodge a formal complaint against China in 2012 at the World Trade Organization (WTO). This paper analyzes possible wealth transfer effects by focusing on export quota announcements (the so-called MOFCOM announcements) by China, and the share price reactions of Chinese REE suppliers, the U.S. REE users, and the rest of the world REE refiners. Overall, we find limited support for the view of a wealth transfer in connection with MOFCOM announcements only when disentangling events prior to and post the initiation of the WTO trial, consistent with the trial triggering changes to China’s REE policy and recent announcement to abolish quotas. We do find, however, that extreme REE price movements have a first-order effect on all companies in the REE industry consistent with recent market trends to enable hedging against REE price volatility.

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Anhänge
Nur mit Berechtigung zugänglich
Fußnoten
1
Deng Xiaoping was the “de facto leader” in China from 1979–1997. See Baotou National Rare Earth Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (2013).
 
2
Premier of the State Council of China, 2003–2013.
 
3
A Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture (CJV) is a joint venture between a Chinese and a foreign company within the territory of China. The Chinese company usually provides the labor, land use rights, and factory buildings; the foreign company is required to contribute the necessary technology and key equipment, as well as capital.
 
4
The quotas are as follows: December 27, 2011: 9095 t (L) and 1451 t (H); May 17, 2012: 9500 t (L) and 1190 t (H); August 22, 2012: 8537 t (L) and 1233 t (H); December 28, 2012: 13,561 t (L) and 1938 t (H). L: light rare earth elements; H: heavy rare earth elements; t: tons.
 
6
We decompose the sample of the U.S. companies by industry by using Fama–French industry codings based on forty-eight industries obtained from the companies’ SIC codes. The decomposition reveals that only 2.58 % of the sample companies are classified as either “Precious Metals” or “Non-Metallic and Industrial Metal Mining.” This implies that our sample of the U.S. companies consists of firms located further to the end of the supply chain, i.e., REE users. As a robustness check, we excluded these firms, and obtained virtually identical results. The tables are available from the authors upon request. Industry classifications are from Kenneth French’s website: http://​mba.​tuck.​dartmouth.​edu/​pages/​faculty/​ken.​french/​Data_​Library/​det_​48_​ind_​port.​html.
 
7
We examined whether the detected extreme price events coincide with the thirteen MOFCOM announcements in Table 1, and find that none of the ± 1.5- or ± 2-standard deviation extreme price events took place at the same time. For ± 1-standard deviation extreme price events, we found there were two MOFCOM announcements two and three days before we recorded the extreme price event. To determine whether those events alter our results, we reran the event studies for the extreme price events defined by ± 1-standard deviation excluding those two events. Our results were virtually the same.
 
8
Note that we found no events of extreme price reductions on the lower bound.
 
9
In total there are 65 regressions, which is for 13 MOFCOM events times five event windows.
 
10
Detailed tables including the coefficients of all control variables are available from the authors upon request.
 
11
An enlarged table including the coefficients of the control variables is available in the Online Appendix (see Table OA9).
 
12
Note again that the table containing the coefficients of the control variables can be accessed in the online appendix. Please see Table OA9.
 
Literatur
Zurück zum Zitat Anstett, T. F. (1986). Availability of rare-earth, yttrium, and related thorium oxides—market economy countries. A minerals availability appraisal. Bureau of Mines Information Circular IC 9111, United States Department of the Interior, Washington. Anstett, T. F. (1986). Availability of rare-earth, yttrium, and related thorium oxides—market economy countries. A minerals availability appraisal. Bureau of Mines Information Circular IC 9111, United States Department of the Interior, Washington.
Zurück zum Zitat APS Panel on Public Affairs and The Materials Research Society. (2011). Energy critical elements: Securing materials for emerging technologies. Washington: American Physical Society. APS Panel on Public Affairs and The Materials Research Society. (2011). Energy critical elements: Securing materials for emerging technologies. Washington: American Physical Society.
Zurück zum Zitat Boehmer, E., Musumeci, J., & Poulsen, A. B. (1991). Event-study methodology under conditions of event-induced variance. Journal of Financial Economics, 30(2), 253–272.CrossRef Boehmer, E., Musumeci, J., & Poulsen, A. B. (1991). Event-study methodology under conditions of event-induced variance. Journal of Financial Economics, 30(2), 253–272.CrossRef
Zurück zum Zitat Brown, S. J., & Warner, J. B. (1980). Measuring security price performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 8(3), 205–258.CrossRef Brown, S. J., & Warner, J. B. (1980). Measuring security price performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 8(3), 205–258.CrossRef
Zurück zum Zitat Brown, S. J., & Warner, J. B. (1985). Using daily stock returns. The case of event studies. Journal of Financial Economics, 14(1), 3–31.CrossRef Brown, S. J., & Warner, J. B. (1985). Using daily stock returns. The case of event studies. Journal of Financial Economics, 14(1), 3–31.CrossRef
Zurück zum Zitat Evans, J. (2011). A critical issue. Chemistry & Industry, pp. 21–23. Evans, J. (2011). A critical issue. Chemistry & Industry, pp. 21–23.
Zurück zum Zitat Hurst, C. (2010a). China’s ace in the hole. Rare earth elements. Joint Force Quarterly, 59, 121–126. Hurst, C. (2010a). China’s ace in the hole. Rare earth elements. Joint Force Quarterly, 59, 121–126.
Zurück zum Zitat Information Office of the State Council of The People’s Republic of China. (2012). Situation and policies of China’s rare earth industry. Beijing: Foreign Language Press. Information Office of the State Council of The People’s Republic of China. (2012). Situation and policies of China’s rare earth industry. Beijing: Foreign Language Press.
Zurück zum Zitat Johnson, N. J. (1978). Modified t tests and confidence intervals for asymmetrical populations. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 73(363), 536–544. Johnson, N. J. (1978). Modified t tests and confidence intervals for asymmetrical populations. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 73(363), 536–544.
Zurück zum Zitat Long, K. R., Van Gosen, B. S., Foley, N. K. & Cordier, D. (2010). The principal rare earth elements deposits of the United States – a summary of domestic deposits and a global perspective. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010—5220. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5220/. Long, K. R., Van Gosen, B. S., Foley, N. K. & Cordier, D. (2010). The principal rare earth elements deposits of the United States – a summary of domestic deposits and a global perspective. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010—5220. http://​pubs.​usgs.​gov/​sir/​2010/​5220/​.
Zurück zum Zitat Looney, R. (2011). Recent developments on the rare earth front. Evidence of a new technocratic mercantilism emerging in China? World Economics, 12(1), 47–78. Looney, R. (2011). Recent developments on the rare earth front. Evidence of a new technocratic mercantilism emerging in China? World Economics, 12(1), 47–78.
Zurück zum Zitat Lu, X. (2009). A Chinese perspective: Business ethics in China now and in the future. Journal of Business Ethics, 86(4), 451–461.CrossRef Lu, X. (2009). A Chinese perspective: Business ethics in China now and in the future. Journal of Business Ethics, 86(4), 451–461.CrossRef
Zurück zum Zitat MacKinlay, A. C. (1997). Event studies in economics and finance. Journal of Economic Literature, 35(1), 13–39. MacKinlay, A. C. (1997). Event studies in economics and finance. Journal of Economic Literature, 35(1), 13–39.
Zurück zum Zitat Monahan, K. (2012). China’s rare-earth policies erode technology profits. Bloomberg Government Study. Monahan, K. (2012). China’s rare-earth policies erode technology profits. Bloomberg Government Study.
Zurück zum Zitat Pitelis, C. N. (2013). Towards a more ‘ethically correct’ governance for economic sustainability. Journal of Business Ethics, 118(3), 655–665.CrossRef Pitelis, C. N. (2013). Towards a more ‘ethically correct’ governance for economic sustainability. Journal of Business Ethics, 118(3), 655–665.CrossRef
Zurück zum Zitat Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. (2012). The rare earth challenge - How companies ract and what they expect for the future, Stuttgart. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. (2012). The rare earth challenge - How companies ract and what they expect for the future, Stuttgart.
Zurück zum Zitat Velasquez, M. (2009). Development, justice, and technology transfer in China: The case of HP and Legend. Journal of Business Ethics, 89(2), 157–166.CrossRef Velasquez, M. (2009). Development, justice, and technology transfer in China: The case of HP and Legend. Journal of Business Ethics, 89(2), 157–166.CrossRef
Zurück zum Zitat WSJ (2015): World news: China ends quotas on rare-earth exports. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), 06 January 2015, A.6. WSJ (2015): World news: China ends quotas on rare-earth exports. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), 06 January 2015, A.6.
Metadaten
Titel
Wealth Effects of Rare Earth Prices and China’s Rare Earth Elements Policy
Publikationsdatum
06.08.2015
Erschienen in
Journal of Business Ethics / Ausgabe 4/2016
Print ISSN: 0167-4544
Elektronische ISSN: 1573-0697
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2773-3

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 4/2016

Journal of Business Ethics 4/2016 Zur Ausgabe

Premium Partner