U.S.-China trade tensions intensified last week. U.S. stocks ended sharply lower on Oct. 10, 2025, after President Donald Trump threatened higher tariffs on Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of becoming “very hostile” with new restrictions on rare earth metals — a vital resource for technology and defense industries, as quoted on CNBC.
Last week, Beijing imposed new export restrictions, requiring foreign companies to obtain a Chinese government license to ship products containing more than 0.1% rare earth content.To obtain the license, foreign companies must disclose the intended use of the products. Most of these restrictions will be in effect from Dec. 1 (as quoted on Aljazeera).
Against this backdrop, a few rare earth-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and lithium ETFs rallied massively on Oct. 13, 2025. Thanks to export restrictions on rare earth, the reason for the rally in those ETFs is understandable. The lithium-based rally can also be credited to China.
China commands over half of the world’s lithium refining capacity, putting Western economies in a vulnerable position. The U.S. government is striving to reduce dependency, by proposing nearly $1 billion in new funding for critical minerals development and allocating over $3 billion in grants to domestic EV battery projects, as quoted on Investing News.
Below we highlight a few metal and mining ETFs that soared by double digits on Oct. 13, 2025.
ETFs in Focus
iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF ILIT – Up 14.2% on Oct. 13, 2025
The underlying STOXX Global Lithium Miners and Producers Index comprises of U.S. and non-U.S. equities of companies primarily engaged in lithium ore mining and lithium compounds manufacturing. The fund charges 47 bps in fees and yields 4.51% annually. China takes about of the fund.
VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals REMX – Up 14.3% on Oct. 13, 2025
The underlying MVIS Global Rare Earth/Strategic Metals Index tracks the overall performance of companies involved in producing, refining, and recycling of rare earth and strategic metals and minerals. The fund charges 58 bps in fees and yields 1.44% annually. The fund added about 7% in after-hours trading on Oct. 13, 2025.
Sprott Lithium Miners ETF LITP – Up 12.7% on Oct. 13, 2025
The underlying Nasdaq Sprott Lithium Miners Index seeks to track the performance of companies that derive at least 50% of their revenue or assets from mining, exploration, development, or production of lithium. The fund charges 65 bps in fees and yields 4.57% annually.
Sprott Critical Materials ETF SETM – Up 10.6% on Oct. 13, 2025
The underlying Nasdaq Sprott Critical Materials Index tracks the performance of a selection of global securities in the critical materials industry. The fund charges 65 bps in fees and yields 1.16% annually. The fund added about 2.7% in after-hours trading on Oct. 13, 2025.
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VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Me (REMX): ETF Research Reports Sprott Critical Materials ETF (SETM): ETF Research Reports Sprott Lithium Miners ETF (LITP): ETF Research Reports iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF (ILIT): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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