U.S. Companies Challenge China’s Graphite Dominance - Pushing for EV Battery Mineral Independence

American firms are mounting a serious challenge to China's graphite stronghold—the critical mineral that powers every electric vehicle battery on the planet.

The Great Graphite Gambit

While Wall Street analysts debate whether this is genuine supply chain diversification or just another ESG play to boost stock valuations, companies are actually building domestic processing capacity. They're cutting reliance on Chinese imports and bypassing geopolitical risks that could strangle the entire EV revolution.

From mining to manufacturing, the push spans the entire supply chain. New facilities are coming online faster than expected—because nothing motivates like the threat of being locked out of the battery market entirely.

Of course, this all assumes electric vehicles will actually replace combustion engines faster than crypto replaced traditional finance—which, given current adoption rates, might be the most optimistic prediction since 'Bitcoin to $100k by December.'

Key Takeaways

• Oscar Health shares popped again Wednesday, and have gained 35% over the past three days.
• Piper Sandler analysts upgraded their rating on the health insurer, and said it should be able to gain market share and improve profitability even if ACA subsidies expire at the end of the year.

Shares of Oscar Health (OSCR) jumped Wednesday, the latest big gain for the health insurer after Piper Sandler analysts upgraded their rating of the stock in a recent note to clients.

The analysts upgraded their rating to "overweight," and lifted their price target to $25 from $13 previously. Piper Sandler is now the lone "buy" rating on Oscar among the six analysts tracked by Visible Alpha, alongside one "hold" and four "sell" ratings, and an average price target of $15.

Oscar shares were up 9% in late trading Wednesday at around $18.20, and have gained about 35% this week alone.

Oscar and several other health-related stocks surged Monday following a report that the WHITE House was considering including an extension of subsidies that lowered the cost of Affordable Care Act plans in its yet-to-be-released plan to revamp the U.S. health care system.

Why This Matters

The extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies WOULD lower costs for millions of Americans and help health care companies by keeping enrollment rates steady. Oscar Health appears well-positioned to navigate any policy scenario, according to analysts at Piper Sandler.

The Piper Sandler analysts said that even if those subsidies expire at the end of this year, they think Oscar could grow both its market share and profitability. That's because the company has "designed and priced CY26 products to perform in adverse operating environment," and is currently "executing against a thoughtful education and enrollment campaign" for the open enrollment period for 2026.

"We think OSCR is entering a compelling two year earnings recovery in the worst case secular scenario," the analysts wrote. "We believe OSCR management is capable of designing and pricing product to perform in any policy regime. We believe CY26 products have been designed and priced to perform in a worst case secular scenario."

Related Education

Before its recent rally, the stock had been NEAR unchanged for the year. With the latest gains, Oscar shares are handily outpacing the performance of the S&P 500 year-to-date.