At a Glance

As a coolant, water filter, and means of producing “green” hydrogen, gallium is a metal with a future. It is no wonder that prices exploded in the face of short-term delivery stops. Import has only recently become possible again. Temporary dips in the price curve, such as the one caused by the lifting of the Chinese export ban, remain excellent buying opportunities for a good 8 to 10 years.

Rhenium is one of the rarest technology metals found in the Earth’s crust. For this reason alone, price drops offer a good opportunity to buy more. The recovering aviation industry offers this metal good prospects, as does its increasing use for liquid gas turbines and applications in medicine.

The slump in aviation during the pandemic led to a low hafnium price, which is currently beginning to correct itself. Supply chains are recovering and more flights are being booked again. Hafnium continues to be required for heat-resistant alloys, so that price dips still offer excellent buying opportunities for a good 8 to 10 years.

Injected gadolinium compounds are used as contrast agents in MRI scans. Gadolinium oxide is also found in X-ray machines.

Hard and light – that is how alloys should be in both bicycle and aircraft construction. This is where scandium oxide is used, as well as in stadium floodlights.

Yttrium oxide plays a key role in many high-tech sectors. It is primarily used as a stabilizer for zirconium oxide ceramics, in phosphors for displays/LEDs, as high-temperature resistant technical ceramics, and as a matrix material for laser and superconductor applications.

Praseodymium oxide is a central material for high-performance permanent magnets, which are indispensable in electric motors and wind turbines. The heavy dependence on Chinese supply chains regularly causes price fluctuations. As demand rises in the long term due to electromobility and renewable energies, temporary declines continue to offer attractive buying opportunities.