The latest on Strategic Metals: Retire Overseas Conference in Orlando, Florida

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

retire-overseas-conference-logo-2With a month to go, time for a reminder of this event. Strategic metals are still a relatively new investment group for private investors. To provide in-depth information on the metals, their applications and price developments, I will be speaking at the “Retire Overseas” conference in Orlando, Florida, on behalf of Tradium GmbH of Germany.

Tradium is a large industrial wholesaler supplying electronics and technology companies around the world with Rare Earth Elements and Strategic Metals. The company added private investments just a few years ago and backed it up by launching Metlock, a bonded high-security storage facility in Frankfurt, Germany.

The conference is hosted by Kathleen Peddicord and Lief Simon, who for many years have offered services and education surrounding retirement and investment planning.

Read more about the conference here: LINK

Looking forward to seeing some of you there!

NY Times: Platinum Demand faces Impact from Electric Car Growth

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

 

nyt-t-logoThe New York Times just picked up my Reuters discussion from last week. Generally happy to see that the relevance of this movement is gaining foothold in people’s mind. They might have done without the letters “IPMI” in the title. While it’s true that I am the current IPMI chairman, this interview was a personal one and not an official statement by the institute. Here is the link. 

 

Here is the NASDAQ version of the same event.

And here is Yahoo’s version 🙂

Investing.com ….

Reuters Interview / Q&A on the impact of Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles on Platinum

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

Reuters BannerFuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) vs. battery electric vehicles (BEV) – the precious metals industry is rightfully concerned about this battle. While FCEVs will utilize platinum in their fuel cells, BEVs need none, and each electric vehicle sold of either kind means that one less standard emission control catalyst has been sold. Reason for Reuters to inquire about the scale of the potential effects.

I sometimes feel like a doomsday prophet when I’m just tallying up statements and facts from people and governments in charge, that inevitably lead to one conclusion: electrification is near, and there is no sufficient hydrogen supply infrastructure to counter the expansion of electric charging.

Better to deal with the issue now than staring into an abyss a decade down the road. Precious metals, combined with rare earth elements and other “strategic” metals, are indispensable in making a sustainable planet a reality. So let’s focus on a vision for this world in 2040, and start working towards it.

To read a transcript of the Q&A session please click here.

Update: I just discovered the direct link to Reuter’s summary: click here to read.

Metallic Hydrogen – a new Era in Fuel Storage?

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

Since the Hindenburg disaster, hydrogen has been known more for its risks than its uses as a fuel component. In its liquid form it has of course been used as rocket fuel, and more recently it has made an entrance as a potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries in cars. Not only is lithium-ion not free from hazards itself, the batteries also add more weight and volume to a device than a tank full of H2. Setting up a supply infrastructure remains an issue, and storage risks make people uncomfortable.

Diamond Anvil

What if hydrogen could be produced in its metallic form? A metal, easy and safe to transport and store? What if this metal could be readily re-converted to its liquid state as needed to be used in fuel cells? A vision of a distant future, perhaps, but professor Isaac Silvera of Harvard University claims to have just taken the first step, the creation of metallic hydrogen. I had a very interesting conversation with him, the product of which was just published on Kitco News. Here is the link: http://www.kitco.com/commentaries/2017-03-21/Metallic-Hydrogen-a-New-Area-in-Hydrogen-Storage.html

 

Cobalt – from secret ingredient to superstar

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

Cobalt started coming into focus when the industry became aware of its crucial importance to lithium-ion technology. Since then, several Tech Metal Insider articles on Kitco News have dealt with the subject:

Cobalt – the secret ingredient in lithium ion batteries: https://bodoalbrecht.com/2015/10/02/cobalt-the-secret-ingredient-in-lithium-ion-batteries/

BYD (Build your Dreams) – cobalt vs iron oxide technology: https://bodoalbrecht.com/2016/04/28/byd-disrupting-the-markets-for-lithium-and-cobalt/

Ethical concerns on cobalt mining raised by Amnesty International: https://bodoalbrecht.com/2016/10/10/cobalt-prices-on-the-rise-amidst-ethical-concerns/

mitch-smithThe latter topic in particular raised the question of ethical alternatives for cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that just declared it had to postpone democratic elections for lack of funds. One company promising such an alternative is Global Energy Metals of Vancouver, Canada. Mitchell Smith, president and CEO of GEM who is also a very active supporter of alternative energy in social media, told me more about the company and its plans. Click here to read the interview on Kitco News.

 

Is this the Big One? Tech Metals showing signs of a Turnaround

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

picture1It looks like the moment we have all been working towards is near: more than three years have passed since my first “Tech Metals Insider” report appeared on Kitco News; 14 months since Kitco launched the Strategic Metals page providing daily price feeds and customizable analytical tools for 11 metals; and 4 months since the inception of Tradium’s “Investor Baskets”.

Around the same time, four months ago, several technology metals started to show movement away from their long time lows. As of today it is fair to say that we are witnessing a sustained upward trend of almost all of the metals reported on, and more. Technology metals are bucking the trend of precious metals right now and are showing their potential as an alternative investment.

This week’s “Tech Metals Insider” report, which is featured in Kitco’s “Outlook 2017” section, deals with detailed statistics and specifics behind this event. Please click here to read the report: http://www.kitco.com/commentaries/2016-12-19/Is-this-the-big-one-Tech-Metals-showing-signs-of-a-turnaround.html

 

Hydrogen is here – my interview with Trevor Milton of Nikola Motors

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

Nikola – Mr. Tesla’s first name, chosen not by chance, I suppose, as the name for the “other” electric car company completely focused on heavy duty trucks. Interestingly, although the canikola_one_10-87a4458ec7068a27e4fb41f4f9f91d4f9137d5ce938b9b917021f02663db242frs are – strictly speaking – battery powered, Trevor Milton and his team chose to add a hydrogen fuel cell for clean charging, and range extension.

And it doesn’t stop there – Nikola Motors wants the hydrogen to be produced in sustainable ways, too, and is therefore building a network of solar farms across the country to do so.

Click here to read my interview with Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola Motors, on Kitco News.

Emergency Offshore Summit in Panama

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

With the “Live and Invest Overseas” conference just finished, the next event is already on the horizon. Lief Simon’s “Emergency Offshore Summit” is aimed at investors worried about the political future of the United States after the elections in November. One way or another, instability may be a result, and the conference focuses on legal precautions private investors have at their disposal to hedge against such effects.

The conference will be from October 24-26 in Panama City, Panama, and I will be speaking on two topics: physical investments in strategic metals, and in precious metals. Let’s not make it one of these:

To register for the event please click here. Looking forward to seeing you in Panama!

Investing in Strategic Metals for Wealth Preservation – Upcoming Conference

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

roc-topHappy to announce that I will be speaking about opportunities and risks of strategic metal investments as part of wealth preservation strategies at a conference on “Retiring Overseas” in Las Vegas. Date is the 31st of August. Click here for conference details. Hope to see you there!

Platinum Group Metals: staring down a cliff?

Posted on by Bodo Albrecht

TecDay Road to the Future – Drive TrainOne topic of my annual “Metal Megatrends” paper at the recent IPMI conference in Phoenix was sustainable mobility, and its impacts on metal consumption. In fact, if you read the story of how my column for Kitco News started four years ago (see the “Welcome” page of this blog), we have now reached a point where we can answer the question: “What if all cars in the world were electric?”.

The answer is now online on Kitco News (click here to read).

While my paper (available through the IPMI in a little while) was also critical regarding Tesla executives’ role in trash talking hydrogen it should also be disclosed that I am on the long list of people having pre-ordered a Model 3, and I share the admiration of Elon Musk by those who say he is shaping the world by his visions, perhaps in more significant ways than Steve Jobs ever has.

As a result of adding up all the facts in front of us the only logical conclusion is that the era of the internal combustion engine is coming to an end. There will be a long tail, of course, with cars being passed on from some regions of the world to others, and with heavy duty engines as an unresolved issue. What about collector’s cars? Will a “boutique” style infrastructure emerge where we buy fuel in new ways, or is it back to the pharmacy like in the early days of the automobile?

Last but certainly not least: what will happen to pgm markets in the meantime? Assuming that the fuel cell will eventually gain traction, the loss of platinum on emission control catalysts might be offset by the growth of the FCEV. Palladium, which is already used in some fuel cells, might once again play a role as a substitute. Only for rhodium the direction is unclear in this environment.

That said, the unique properties of precious metals have always made them desirable, if not irreplaceable, in technology applications. I am optimistic that new uses will emerge as technologies advance further.