State Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF

XME

Market cap $3.92B

Aluminium prices fell sharply on Friday as Emirates Global Aluminium said it had restarted its alumina refinery in the United Arab Emirates after a ​3-1/2-month outage, in a further sign that metal production in the ‌Gulf is set to ramp back up.

The industrial metals trade has quietly become the most interesting corner of the commodity market, and the choice between iShares Silver Trust (NYSEARCA:SLV), United States Copper Index Fund (NYSEARCA:CPER), and SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (NYSEARCA:XME) carries real performance consequences.

A market that keeps climbing on thin volume tends to make careful investors nervous, not confident. That's the setup Chris Rowe, founder of True Market Insiders, says he's watching heading into the back half of 2026.

I maintain a buy rating on State Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF due to strong price action and attractive valuation. XME benefits from lower energy costs, a moderate 17.6x P/E, and a compelling sub-1.0 PEG ratio, supporting the bullish case. The ETF is concentrated in U.S. small-cap materials, offering high EPS growth but elevated volatility and economic sensitivity.

If you eyeballed metals and mining a month ago, the headline almost wrote itself.

America's rare earths problem is often framed as a mining problem.

Family offices poured more than $3 billion into tech, media, and telecom companies. But materials attracted the most capital—$4.8 billion.

AI, Alternative Energy and Commodity stocks are all leading this market as a confluence of economic developments drive growth and constrain supply.

Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to hold talks in Canberra ​on Monday with Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, ‌at which energy security and rare earths cooperation are likely to be high on the agenda.

ISM shows strongest expansion since 2022 — but inflation is a big problem