2011 has been a pretty good year for commodities overall as a weakened dollar, supply concerns, and strong growth in emerging markets, have combined to keep many products in high demand. While key commodities such as corn, gold, and copper often dominate the spotlight, a group of metals known as ‘rare earths’ have truly been the star performers so far this year. In fact, some of the top metals in the group, such as Neodymium, Dysprosium, Yttrium, and Erbium, have put up gains that would make metals such as silver or gold’s performances in 2011 look down-right bearish. For example, of the four rare earths outlined above, the worst performer has put up a gain of ‘just’ 50% while several have seen their prices surge by over 200% in year-to-date terms, suggesting to many investors that a bull market is alive and well in some commodities despite the global economic malaise.