Our 2023 Review – Production-Critical Metals in the Spotlight

We grew significantly in 2023. The Noble Group welcomed four new, highly motivated employees: Micha (Sales), Line (Back Office), Gunter (Finomet), and Robert (Sales). More people means more talent and more contributions, but also less space. Unfortunately, our beloved shared breakfast had to be reduced to once a week. Fortunately, we still have the office at Fidicinstraße 34, which at least minimized the need to play musical chairs with workstations.

Our “laser competency” has grown. Sales specialist Rolf Unferfert completed training on the laser fluorescence pistol and can now scan metals. His successful examination certifies that he can now verify the authenticity of our metals upon receipt without accidentally removing tattoos, hair, or moles from bystanders.

Since autumn, in addition to technology metals and rare earths, we also offer precious metals. For these, we were able to acquire a dedicated warehouse in Frankfurt with the renowned company Metlock, providing us with a large, exclusive area for gold, silver, and platinum group metals.

When all our phones suddenly started ringing simultaneously, we already suspected that something big must have happened. Then came the news: a treasure of over a million tons of rare earths was found in Kiruna, Sweden! What our calling friends in their euphoria didn’t know was that it would almost certainly take more than 10 years until these metals become available to the market. Raw materials specialist Andreas Kroll explained all questions regarding this in an article in Sachwertmagazin.

The political newspaper “Das Parlament” published an article providing information on production-critical metals. This demonstrates how the topic of supply security—which has become increasingly popular since the COVID-19 crisis and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine—is beginning to reach the mainstream of society.

Like a bolt from the blue, we received the news that Credit Suisse, one of 10 systemically important banks, could no longer stand on its own feet and had to be acquired. Other banks were also affected by the banking turmoil, and experts feared a widespread crisis. This offered deep insights, reminding some of the 2008 crisis. This near-banking crash vividly demonstrated how thin the ice our financial system stands on truly is.

Since August 1st, every Chinese company exporting gallium or germanium must first submit an application. Already upon the announcement in July, many companies tried to stock up on both metals through panic buying. This naturally led to price increases, strangely enough, even for a metal that had nothing to do with the controls. Handelsblatt dedicated a lengthy article to the topic, in which we were also quoted.

Our commodities specialist Andreas Kroll guided us through three crises of our time in a video contribution. A small spoiler before you watch the video: commodities can protect your assets!

The crypto trade magazine BTC-Echo showed great interest in the digital fund utilization control system from Finomet that we use. In a very informative article, the magazine demonstrated how blockchain technology can ensure transparency and security in metal trading.

Our sales representatives now offer tours of our Freeport Berlin-Brandenburg warehouse more frequently. Our visitors can experience our technology metals and rare earths directly and get to know them up close. Interested parties can arrange an appointment with us at any time using the contact details on our website.

As the topic of technology metals and rare earths reaches mainstream society, the number of interested investors is also increasing. To give more people the opportunity to benefit from the anticipated rising prices of these special metals, we have also enabled a monthly savings plan since July. With this plan, buyers can invest in production-critical metals starting from a monthly contribution of just one euro.

At the end of the year, we received a forecast from Goldman Sachs. According to this, the coming year is expected to be the year of commodities. The NEX should therefore pick up significantly again, allowing buyers of technology metals and rare earths to look forward to attractive opportunities for substantial returns.