Archives for Commodities - Page 13
I have followed a small group of ASX stocks whose main, or an important, focus is cobalt. This is by no means a definitive list and does not include those companies that may have cobalt interests that are subordinate to other commodities in their portfolio. I started investing in the…
I have followed a group of 57 Australian lithium stocks for the past 18 months. This is not a definitive list of companies involved in lithium, the cut-off date for inclusion was July 2016. Several companies have effectively moved onto other metals, while still retaining lithium interests. The headline…
Vanadium’s fastest growing use is in vanadium redox batteries. This technology is almost certain to replace lithium ion batteries for fixed storage, although unlikely to compete in the electric vehicle market. The future demand growth for lithium, graphite and cobalt is therefore likely to be much more muted than the…
Silver is thought to have been first used as money in Mesopotamia around 3,000BC. The silver was initially in the form of rings worn as jewelry that also functioned as currency. Coins were subsequently minted using the sexagesimal system (this system, based upon 60, is still used today to measure…
Scandium (“Sc”) is element 21 on the periodic table, next to titanium at 22. It is a soft, white transition metal that has some properties that are similar to rare-earth elements, as does yttrium. Both are in the same row of the periodic table as the rare-earths. Although scandium is…
Properties All garnet minerals are alumino-silicates, the following table lists the most common types of garnet minerals. Note that these are “end member” formulas, it is possible for replacement to occur. For example, the calcium in grossular is often replaced by iron. Mineral Formula Specific Gravity Hardness (Mohs) Almandine…