Indigo Precious Metals works from offices in the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia, where we deal with the trade, delivery, and supply of a wide array of precious metals. We also act as a reliable source of investment news and live pricing for investors and banks. If you want to know more about what we do, then visit our website at https://www.indigopreciousmetals.com/. Today we talk about two of the most precious metals around. No, not gold and silver. Platinum and palladium. You’ve likely heard of the former, but less likely the latter. Both are steadily gaining exposure in precious metal markets as application possibilities increase. But why are they so much rarer than other precious metals? And what can we expect from platinum and palladium in the future?
Rarer than Gold and Silver
When we think about precious metals, gold is likely the one that springs to mind. Similarly, silver is a popular choice for investors as it is far cheaper to gain exposure to, representing a more secure long-term investment than gold. But, in a little-known fact, there are several metals far rarer than both gold and silver. Platinum and palladium are two of the rarest of the precious metals. Platinum, for instance, while it has gained considerable exposure over the last few decades due to its various technological applications. Platinum is so rare, in fact, that so little exists, you could fit all that anyone has ever mined in an average-sized kitchen. Palladium, on the other hand, is even rarer, with extremely tight mining margins.
Is Platinum a Worthwhile Investment?
Most of the world’s platinum quota comes from South Africa, where increasingly volatile mining issues have been affecting spot prices. Platinum miners in South Africa have even undertaken violent protests disputing wages, with many fatalities arising from struggles happening there. Furthermore, platinum mining margins, while they have remained tight, have caused lost Anglo American Platinum multiple mine shafts in recent years. Some have also been sold off, with thousands of jobs lost. With decreasing opportunities for platinum mining, prices are bound to increase, as the market traces becomes scarce. Gold, for instance, is hardly ever at risk in this way, the market often saturated with supplies of the world’s most popular metal. As it stands, there are likely sounder options for investment than platinum at the moment. Times like these drive prices up dramatically, making for substantial investment returns. However, platinum, while rarer, is currently less expensive than gold. We see this as a response to political uncertainty around the world, particularly the US and UK.
Investing in Palladium
Palladium, unlike platinum, has been gaining popularity for decades now. It has been slowly replacing platinum in many of its key functions for several years now. Palladium, though rarer than platinum, gold, and silver, is an extremely low-cost material used primarily for catalytic converters. This is a function previously fulfilled by its cousin platinum, but palladium is often the cheaper alternative. It is highly likely that palladium may become the primary material for catalytic converters used by automobile manufacturers in the future. It doesn’t seem as though palladium is going anywhere anytime soon. Therefore, alternative investments may be a better business decision.