Rare Earth Metals Powering the Commodities Boom

Imagine a world without smartphones...  The mobile casino South Africa would be redundant and instant communications a distant memory.  We would even have to resort to maps for navigation.  Why consider a digital-free future?  It has to do with a finite source of rare earth metals.

What are Rare Earth Metals?

Rare earth metals (REMs) are an alphabet soup of chemical elements.  They are key components used in the production of rechargeable batteries, smartphones, laptops and medical devices.  Together with the platinum group metals (PGMs), these rare and sought-after elements are driving a new commodities boom.

Why have REMs taken on a glitter reminiscent of gold bull runs?  The reasons are twofold.  The minable deposits are scant and predominantly located in a handful of countries.  Where they do occur, the actual concentrations of a particular type of metal are spread over vast areas.

Getting the likes of promethium, erbium, lutetium and yttrium out of the ground is tricky and expensive.  When one considers the scale at which REM mining is required to satisfy current demands, any smartphone-enabled mobile casino South Africa, such as Springbok Casino, may well be in jeopardy.

When Rare Earth Metals Run Out

With that in mind, what is the worst-case scenario?  Well, we wouldn’t refer to playing Springbok Casino games on a laptop or desktop quite like that – but it could be a potential consequence of the dwindling resources.

The good news is it that it will probably never get to that point.  Someone really clever will find new ways of producing even smarter devices, using materials we haven’t even dreamt of.

In reality, that places our mobile casino South Africa firmly on safe ground.  So too are night vision goggles, GPS navigation systems, precision-guided warheads and armoured vehicles – all of which typically contain REMs.  When reliable sources of neodymium, lanthanum and samarium are exhausted, the world will find a way.  It always does!

Increased Demand for Platinum Group Metals

Rare earth metals may be the more exotic drivers of the current commodities boom but there are other actors involved.  Utilitarian alloys like copper, iron ore and cobalt are hitting record prices.  So too are lithium, palladium and rhodium.

Why is demand for industrial elements skyrocketing?  Besides the rising popularity of electric vehicles, the shift to green energy is adding a lustre to these versatile and hardworking minerals.  In fact, without copper there would be very little clean energy at all.

Copper, and to a lesser extent, nickel, is not only a vital material in most electrical products, it is critical in the production of clean energy infrastructure.  Solar panels, wind farms, batteries and EVs all contain copper in one form or another.

If anything can interfere with the ongoing existence of Springbok Casino, it will be that fatal day in the future when copper dries up as a minable commodity.  Without power, nothing can operate… and that includes our top ranked mobile casino South Africa!

Green Infrastructure Build a Boon for Industrial Alloys

The construction of green infrastructure is behind massive commodity price increases.  Iron ore, for example, is currently trading at more than $200 a metric ton.  That is off the back of $94 per metric ton, the same time last year!

Our versatile friend, copper, has more than doubled in price to around $10,500 per ton.  With demand expected to surge by around four times the current levels by 2040, minable deposits of industrial metals will be at a premium.

PGMs Key to Low-Carbon Component Production

In addition, ordinary alloys and PGMs are playing a role in the production of low-carbon components.  Catalytic converters, which convert up to 90% of toxic vehicle exhaust fumes into harmless emissions, are produced from palladium and rhodium.  As a result, kilogram prices of the metals are currently pegged at around $66,000 and $347,000, respectively.

Cobalt has a diverse range of applications, chief of which is its use in the manufacture of the electrodes in rechargeable batteries.  Without a consistent supply of cobalt, smartphone batteries would eventually die. Access to Springbok mobile casino South Africa would be denied, along with all the other apps and websites.

Even now, lithium, the primary ingredient in the EV power pack is in tight supply.  As a result, the current price for the highly reactive alkali metal has soared to over $28,000 a ton.  It may be the highest price on record – but the demand for EVs is on an upward trajectory.  With world-wide registrations of EVs increasing by as much as 40% in 2020, lithium prices are likely to continue to surge.

In reality, the sky is the limit when determining future commodity prices.  Metals required for power generation, the green economy and rechargeable EV batteries are destined to eclipse precious metals in value.  Maybe one day, we’ll be wearing rings and jewellery made from scandium, cobalt and rhodium rather than silver, platinum and gold!

Time to Exploit the Current Commodity Upswing?

Is there still time for investors to capitalise on the commodity upswing?  As a person who enjoys gambling and being a regular patron at the best mobile casino South Africa, we bet you’d put my money on REMs and PGMs outpacing all expectations!

If you’re looking for a promising investment opportunity, now is the time to focus the long and the short of it on Rare Earth and Strategic Metals.  Although – unlike most commodities – they can’t be traded as futures, it would be smart to seize investment opportunities in the companies that extract and refine the metals.

Springbok Mobile Casino South Africa Will Keep Going!

The Fourth Revolution has just begun.  As such, there are many more fantastic gadgets, devices and innovations coming our way.  As for our mobile casino South Africa, Springbok Casino?  Well, it can only go one way… and that is from great to excellent!

As we’ve mentioned, there will always be a brainiac ready to solve whatever problem we have to keep devices running.  So, go on and sign up at Springbok Casino.   Along with our high-performance gaming platforms and RTG developed online casino games, there are plenty of bonuses and promotions available as high value player perks!