今年,有一种金属的涨幅将所有商品远远甩在身后,甚至比特币(Bitcoin)也未能幸免。投资者面临的挑战是一货难求。
这就是铱。铱是最稀有的贵金属之一,作为铂和钯的副产品开采。自今年1月以来,铱的价格已经飙升131%,远远超过了比特币85%的涨幅。德国贵金属冶炼公司贺利氏集团(Heraeus Group)称,过去一年来,供应中断以及市场对电子屏幕的需求不断增长,是推动铱价格大涨的重要原因。
由于铱的市场规模远不及其他更知名的同类贵金属,因此,一旦铱的生产出现问题,带来的价格波动可能更大。铱的需求主要由工业用户主导,因此,价格押注也存在一定难度。铱不在交易所交易,也不通过交易所交易基金交易,零散买家只能够从少数经销商处购买实物,而少数大型投资者则直接从生产商手中拿货。
Valent Asset Management的投资组合经理杰伊·塔图姆说:“供应方交货时间太长,无法及时增加供应。目前,唯一的解决方案是提高价格,以促使人们出售其手上持有的现货。”
根据Johnson Matthey Plc公司的数据,铱(也可以用于火花塞)的价格已经攀升至每盎司6,000美元,是黄金价格的三倍多。
铱受到追捧的部分原因在于铂金生产投资有限,而铂金主要被用作生产控制汽车尾气排放的车用催化剂。投资者认为,随着向电动汽车的转变,新型氢技术有可能会增加对铂金的需求。
供应紧张的前景也推动了其他铂族金属的价格上涨。钯的价格仅比历史高位低约9%,铑的价格在上周达到创纪录的每盎司29,800美元,钌的价格已经升至近13年高位。(财富中文网)
翻译:郝秀
审校:汪皓
今年,有一种金属的涨幅将所有商品远远甩在身后,甚至比特币(Bitcoin)也未能幸免。投资者面临的挑战是一货难求。
这就是铱。铱是最稀有的贵金属之一,作为铂和钯的副产品开采。自今年1月以来,铱的价格已经飙升131%,远远超过了比特币85%的涨幅。德国贵金属冶炼公司贺利氏集团(Heraeus Group)称,过去一年来,供应中断以及市场对电子屏幕的需求不断增长,是推动铱价格大涨的重要原因。
由于铱的市场规模远不及其他更知名的同类贵金属,因此,一旦铱的生产出现问题,带来的价格波动可能更大。铱的需求主要由工业用户主导,因此,价格押注也存在一定难度。铱不在交易所交易,也不通过交易所交易基金交易,零散买家只能够从少数经销商处购买实物,而少数大型投资者则直接从生产商手中拿货。
Valent Asset Management的投资组合经理杰伊·塔图姆说:“供应方交货时间太长,无法及时增加供应。目前,唯一的解决方案是提高价格,以促使人们出售其手上持有的现货。”
根据Johnson Matthey Plc公司的数据,铱(也可以用于火花塞)的价格已经攀升至每盎司6,000美元,是黄金价格的三倍多。
铱受到追捧的部分原因在于铂金生产投资有限,而铂金主要被用作生产控制汽车尾气排放的车用催化剂。投资者认为,随着向电动汽车的转变,新型氢技术有可能会增加对铂金的需求。
供应紧张的前景也推动了其他铂族金属的价格上涨。钯的价格仅比历史高位低约9%,铑的价格在上周达到创纪录的每盎司29,800美元,钌的价格已经升至近13年高位。(财富中文网)
翻译:郝秀
审校:汪皓
There’s one metal that’s leaving all commodities—and even Bitcoin—in the dust this year. The challenge for investors is buying it.
Iridium, one of the rarest precious metals and mined as a byproduct of platinum and palladium, has surged 131% since the start of January, far beating Bitcoin’s 85% gain. It has rallied on supply disruptions in the past year and rising demand for use in electronic screens, refiner Heraeus Group said.
With a market much smaller than its more famous sister metals, production issues can have a big impact on prices. Betting on it is difficult too, as demand is dominated by industrial users. Iridium isn’t traded on a bourse or through exchange-traded funds, retail buyers are limited to ingots from a handful of dealers and the few major investors dealing in it go straight to producers.
“The lead time on the supply side is too long to increase supply in a timely fashion,” said Jay Tatum, a portfolio manager at Valent Asset Management. “The only near-term solution is higher prices to get people to sell their existing holdings.”
Iridium, which is also used in spark plugs, has climbed to $6,000 an ounce, according to Johnson Matthey Plc data. That makes it more than three times more expensive than gold.
Part of iridium’s appeal comes from the limited investment in production of platinum, which is largely used in autocatalysts to curb emissions, while investors weigh potential increases in platinum demand from new hydrogen technologies against a shift to electric vehicles.
The outlook for tight supply also helped drive up prices of other platinum-group metals. Palladium is about 9% below an all-time high, rhodium reached a record $29,800 an ounce this week and ruthenium has rallied to an almost 13-year high.