Precious metals are a group of highly valuable metals characterized by their chemical stability, corrosion resistance, and rarity. Unlike base metals, they hardly react with oxygen or other substances, which prevents them from rusting or tarnishing. This makes them extremely attractive for both industrial applications and as a form of investment.
Gold is the most well-known precious metal and has been used for thousands of years as currency, jewelry, and a store of value. Due to its rarity, excellent conductivity, and corrosion resistance, it also plays a role in high-tech industries such as electronics and aerospace.
Silver is considered the most industrially important precious metal. Besides its historical significance as a means of payment, it is used in solar modules, battery technologies, and medical technology due to its high electrical conductivity. The increasing demand for renewable energies and electric vehicles has made silver a strategic metal.
Platinum and Palladium belong to the group of platinum metals and are particularly important in the automotive industry. They are used in catalytic converters to reduce emissions and play a central role in the chemical industry and fuel cells. Platinum is also used in jewelry manufacturing, medicine (e.g., in cancer drugs), and hydrogen technologies.
The demand for precious metals is influenced by various factors, including economic uncertainties, inflation, industrial uses, and geopolitical developments. While gold often serves as a crisis protection and store of value, silver, platinum, and palladium are increasingly key metals in the green energy transition and modern technologies.
This unique combination of value stability, industrial relevance, and scarcity makes precious metals an indispensable asset class and a strategic raw material in the global economy.