Uranium miner and processor Energy Fuels (UUUU 7.16%) had quite a run over the last few days on the stock market. Thanks to a top-down government initiative, investors piled into the stock to leave it with a nearly 25% gain on the week, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
The nuclear option
On Monday, at the annual conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that the country should increase its strategic uranium reserve. Since that's a core business of Energy Fuels, this quickly ignited interest in the stock.
Image source: Getty Images.
Such a move would achieve several goals. First and foremost, it would support the domestic nuclear industry, which is a critical aspect of the Trump administration's energy policy. This is deemed necessary because of the sharply increasing need for energy sources in the country, at a time when resource-hungry artificial intelligence (AI) technology is in high demand.
Another aim of the government is to reduce dependence on a country that's currently considered an international pariah, Russia.
"We're moving to a place -- and we're not there yet -- to no longer use Russian-enriched uranium," Wright stated explicitly in his remarks.
From policy to reality
As with any stated goal by public officials, there can often be a gap between intention and execution. So it remains to be seen whether the national uranium stockpile indeed gets a boost from an actual government initiative.
Yet administration officials seem very determined to boost U.S. nuclear power, so we shouldn't be surprised if such a move gets implemented, and in the very near future. Investors were justified in their enthusiasm for Energy Fuels and other nuclear-linked companies this week.
