Demand for rare metals such as lithium and cobalt will rise in 2018, The Fund Manager ETF Securities refers to crucial and imminent changes in society such as autonomous cars and energy storage as well as automation
Even more rare earths are expected to get a good boost in demand next year.
"Although most people do not know that, this group has become important in creating modern technologies in many industries, including medicine, defense, transport and energy production as well as key components of our daily lives such as electronics and mobile devices," said James Butterfill , Head of Analysis at ETF Securities.
For more traditional commodities such as gold, pricing is expected to remain unchanged in 2018. Rare earth metals - or rare earth elements (REE) - are a group of 17 elements, all of which are metals. The need for these metals has increased sharply over the past twenty years, as demand for green and smart technology has increased.
In addition to being used in everyday electronics, they are important for modern green technology, such as wind turbines and electric vehicles. Today, most of the world's rare earths produce China, where more than 97 percent of global recovery occurs. Due to the high demand, more funds are needed to secure supply, not least for the EU, whose industries depend on the availability of REE.
The same goes for the prospects of oil where the price is expected to have a limited time due to the problems between the US and the Opec countries, ETF Securities states in its annual outlook report.
Source: Va-Finans, etc.
