Christmas with Noble BC – We Provide the Talking Points

The following 5 developments have the potential to significantly improve our world. They were made possible by the unique properties of technology metals and rare earths.

A unique compound of lead, scandium, and tantalum makes heat pumps significantly more environmentally friendly and more effective at the same time.

The use of neodymium oxide, heavy rare earths, and hafnium brings (almost) free energy supply one step closer!

Thanks to indene, a quantum material derived from indium, the interior of the computers no longer needs to be cooled down as much, allowing them to operate at more normal temperatures and deliver better performance.

The technology of VCSEL lasers, enabled by indium and gallium, could increase the efficiency of AI programs like ChatGPT by up to 100-fold. Artificial intelligence can thereby solve many more tasks.

A radio enhancer made from hafnium oxide increases the radiation absorption of tumor cells, thereby facilitating the treatment of cancer patients.

… And because Christmas is approaching, we have one more invention for you:

Heating strips that interact with gallium nitride semiconductors inside the aircraft allow snow-covered planes to defrost faster and reduce winter delays. Nothing stands in the way of your Christmas family visit!

After some ups and downs, we look back on stable price development for our metals over the past year. Overall, we recorded a price increase of 7.92% for the five technology metals we offer, as well as for the light rare earth neodymium oxide. Neodymium oxide saw a price correction of 42.5%, but this was more than offset by the strong growth rates of the other metals. We recall that China has regulated gallium and germanium with export controls since August 1. This is certainly one reason why the price of gallium rose by 15.5% and the price of germanium by 18.0%. The price of hafnium increased by 13.8% and that of the functionally related rhenium, the star of heat-resistant alloys, by 18.4%. The winner of this year’s rally surprised us all: although not affected by export controls, indium achieved a price increase of 24.3%, leaving all other metals behind. Overall, these are positive developments. We also remain optimistic about neodymium oxide: due to the steadily increasing demand driven by the energy transition, there will be fantastic opportunities for additional purchases next year, especially as China has announced export controls on rare earths.