Most Popular
1. It’s a New Macro, the Gold Market Knows It, But Dead Men Walking Do Not (yet)- Gary_Tanashian
2.Stock Market Presidential Election Cycle Seasonal Trend Analysis - Nadeem_Walayat
3. Bitcoin S&P Pattern - Nadeem_Walayat
4.Nvidia Blow Off Top - Flying High like the Phoenix too Close to the Sun - Nadeem_Walayat
4.U.S. financial market’s “Weimar phase” impact to your fiat and digital assets - Raymond_Matison
5. How to Profit from the Global Warming ClImate Change Mega Death Trend - Part1 - Nadeem_Walayat
7.Bitcoin Gravy Train Trend Forecast 2024 - - Nadeem_Walayat
8.The Bond Trade and Interest Rates - Nadeem_Walayat
9.It’s Easy to Scream Stocks Bubble! - Stephen_McBride
10.Fed’s Next Intertest Rate Move might not align with popular consensus - Richard_Mills
Last 7 days
Dubai Deluge - AI Tech Stocks Earnings Correction Opportunities - 18th Nov 24
Why President Trump Has NO Real Power - Deep State Military Industrial Complex - 8th Nov 24
Social Grant Increases and Serge Belamant Amid South Africa's New Political Landscape - 8th Nov 24
Is Forex Worth It? - 8th Nov 24
Nvidia Numero Uno in Count Down to President Donald Pump Election Victory - 5th Nov 24
Trump or Harris - Who Wins US Presidential Election 2024 Forecast Prediction - 5th Nov 24
Stock Market Brief in Count Down to US Election Result 2024 - 3rd Nov 24
Gold Stocks’ Winter Rally 2024 - 3rd Nov 24
Why Countdown to U.S. Recession is Underway - 3rd Nov 24
Stock Market Trend Forecast to Jan 2025 - 2nd Nov 24
President Donald PUMP Forecast to Win US Presidential Election 2024 - 1st Nov 24
At These Levels, Buying Silver Is Like Getting It At $5 In 2003 - 28th Oct 24
Nvidia Numero Uno Selling Shovels in the AI Gold Rush - 28th Oct 24
The Future of Online Casinos - 28th Oct 24
Panic in the Air As Stock Market Correction Delivers Deep Opps in AI Tech Stocks - 27th Oct 24
Stocks, Bitcoin, Crypto's Counting Down to President Donald Pump! - 27th Oct 24
UK Budget 2024 - What to do Before 30th Oct - Pensions and ISA's - 27th Oct 24
7 Days of Crypto Opportunities Starts NOW - 27th Oct 24
The Power Law in Venture Capital: How Visionary Investors Like Yuri Milner Have Shaped the Future - 27th Oct 24
This Points To Significantly Higher Silver Prices - 27th Oct 24

Market Oracle FREE Newsletter

How to Protect your Wealth by Investing in AI Tech Stocks

My Goodness, What Is Happening to Platinum?

Commodities / Platinum Sep 14, 2018 - 06:54 AM GMT

By: MoneyMetals

Commodities

You may have noticed the platinum price has fallen well below gold’s price and it continues to underperform the other precious metals. What is happening in the platinum market?

We see a handful of factors driving the recent declines in platinum. For starters, it is facing the same challenges we find in the gold and silver markets.




utocatalyst (Platinum)The dollar has been getting stronger, interest rates are rising, and traders on Wall Street have rarely been more carefree. Mainstream investors are positioning for economic strength, not looking for safety.

Platinum is trading like the other precious metals, which is to say performing poorly. As of this writing, platinum is down 16% for the year.

Text Box: Platinum is used in auto catalysts,  coins, and jewelry.    Compare that to silver’s decline of 17% and the price action looks pretty much in-line.

There are some other fundamentals behind platinum’s underperformance in the past few years though. Demand from automobile manufacturers is weakening significantly – forecast to be down 6% this year.

The prognosis for diesel cars is even worse, and that has hurt platinum demand more than the other metals. Diesel vehicles demand primarily platinum for their catalytic converters, while gasoline exhaust systems use mostly palladium.

The 2015 scandal involving Volkswagen revealed that diesel is not nearly as clean as thought previously. The car maker had been gaming the emissions testing system, and platinum-based catalytic converters were less efficient at scrubbing out unspent fuel from diesel engine exhaust.

Those revelations have had a serious impact on platinum demand – particularly in Europe where diesel had widespread adoption based on the false assumption that it was dramatically more “green” than gasoline.

Platinum is currently in surplus. Experts anticipate supply will outstrip demand by nearly 300,000 ounces this year.

The foreign exchange markets may also be contributing to platinum’s lower price. Recently the South African Rand has fallen significantly. Miners, who are typically paid in dollars or euros, are realizing much higher prices when those funds are converted to Rand.

For bullion investors looking to speculate as well as diversify their holdings, platinum looks interesting at these levels.

The political environment in South Africa has long been a challenge for miners. It may be about to get far worse. That may mean even more weakness in the Rand, but it can also mean a serious disruption to supply.

We also question how much longer the platinum price will remain at a significant discount to palladium. The two metals are largely interchangeable in automotive catalytic converters. If car makers see a good opportunity to save by switching to platinum, look for them to do it.

By Clint Siegner

MoneyMetals.com

Clint Siegner is a Director at Money Metals Exchange, perhaps the nation's fastest-growing dealer of low-premium precious metals coins, rounds, and bars. Siegner, a graduate of Linfield College in Oregon, puts his experience in business management along with his passion for personal liberty, limited government, and honest money into the development of Money Metals' brand and reach. This includes writing extensively on the bullion markets and their intersection with policy and world affairs.

© 2018 Clint Siegner - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.


© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.


Post Comment

Only logged in users are allowed to post comments. Register/ Log in