In February we asked, “Will Platinum ever regain its lustre?”

Well, we had to wait several more months since that post, but I’d say, with Platinum up 20% since then, the answer is Yes!

Gold overtakes Euro as global reserve asset, ECB

Central banks continue to accumulate gold at a record pace.

Bullion accounted for 20% of global official reserves last year, outstripping the Euro's 16% and second only to the USD at 46%, an ECB report published on Wednesday showed.

Central banks acquired more than 1,000 tonnes of gold in 2024 for the 3rd year in a row. 20% of the total global annual production and 2X the annual amount of the 2010s.

The stock of gold held by central banks worldwide is approaching

Amplats is now Valterra $VALT.L

Anglo American’s Platinum Spinoff is Off to the Races!

Anglo American $AAL.L has now completed the demerger of Amplats, with the renamed Valterra Platinum Limited trading under ticker symbol VALT in London and on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The spinoff comes at the perfect moment just as Platinum seems to be finally coming out of its funk after years of challenging market conditions for PGM’s.

Anglo distributed 51% of Amplats, with Shareholders receiving 110 shares in Valterra Platinum for every 1,075 Anglo American shares held. Simultaneously, Anglo American underwent a share consolidation, issuing 96 new shares for every 109 previously held. Following the spinoff, Anglo retains a 19.9% stake in Valterra, having already reduced its holding through earlier disposals.

On its first day on the London Stock Exchange, Valterra shares started trading at around 29.30 pence, valuing the world's largest platinum group metals mining company at around GBP 7.77 billion (US$10.45 billion)— and Anglo American's 19.9% retained stake at around GBP 1.55 billion. The stock has increased 10% as Platinum wakes up from its slumber.

Copper Treatment Charges plunge deep below zero

The unrelenting expansion of Chinese copper processing capacity over past few years seems to be the culprit.

Chilean miner Antofagasta Plc has proposed negative charges for contracted supplies to smelters in the second half.

The situation is putting pressure on smelters worldwide, with high-cost facilities facing losses and older European copper smelters at risk, while Japanese plants may be sheltered due to their parent companies' stakes in Chilean mines. 

Granted, the plunge in fees is partly due to relatively slow growth in mine output worldwide— coupled with recent mine failures in the DRC ($IVN.TO) and elsewhere— but it’s primarily driven by the rapid increase in Chinese smelting capacity.