Čo ak sa zlato a striebro skonfiškuje?

V súčasnosti ešte možno trochu bizarná téma pre tieto PMs, avšak v turbulentnom a nevyspytateľnom prostredí človek už nemôže zanedbávať ani túto možnosť. Jedným z ekvivalentov pre zlato a striebro, ktorý asi nebude v popredí prípadnej konfiškácie by mohla byť platina a paládium.

But all this talk of gold confiscation has a lot of my readers asking me -- what "precious" energy resources could never be confiscated? Are there other "hard currencies"?

So, I'm nominating palladium and platinum (PGMs) - the twin metals many investors know little about. But that's changing as investors look for other forms of "hard currency." And it's hardly surprising.

Anyone who kept a dollar under the mattress since WWII now has a piece of paper worth seven cents. But governments cannot print PGMs, so investors are all but immune to monetary worth-shrinking. There are so many good reasons to hold PGMs right now that it’s hard to know where to start.

Platinum is rarer than gold -- 15 times rarer. It's been said that all the platinum ever mined on Earth would fit into an area the size of your living room. And palladium is even rarer than platinum.

Both metals serve as catalysts for chemical reactions, and since both are used to reduce emissions, the global auto industry is a major market. As nations around the globe keep getting tougher on vehicle emissions, the demand for both metals continues to rise.

Palladium may even have an advantage over platinum. The catalytic converters in most autos only work when hot. The problem? Most tailpipe emissions happen before they heat up. So automakers are moving the converter closer to the engine to cut warm-up times. And palladium, more heat-tolerant than platinum, is better suited to this design.

25.06.2010