Obviously HM is going to be more of a copper play, but I think that what is good for gold juniors/explorers is probably good for LBSR, too:

- “Majors who have done portfolio optimization will look at some of the juniors and say, ‘Here’s a chance for us to acquire a potentially better asset than we’ve sold and to mitigate the loss of production,’” says Barclays' Paul Knight.

- "With the gold mining sector at its cheapest relative value in at least two decades (according to Bloomberg), investment bankers are sniffing around in hope of a rebound in M&A deals. There were just $10.1B in gold producer deals last year, 4.4% less than 2012, and the lowest total since 2004. A pickup in activity, however, was seen in December, with both Goldcorp (GG -0.9%) and Newmont Mining (NEM -1.7%) saying they're looking to add low-cost operations."