Meeting demand and weathering shocks: Is the mining industry stuck between a rock and a hard place?

Deep Dive into commodities

Strategic metals are defined as all metals and minerals that are deemed vital to modern technology and global industry. Precious metals such as gold and silver are included in the definition as being integral to the global monetary system and a hedge against any disruption to the system that will drive economic development going forward.

The decarbonisation of economies around the world is creating a structural shift in demand for key metals essential in the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy sources, and in limiting the pace of global warming. In the case of many metals, demand is expected to outstrip supply in the short-to-medium term, keeping prices well above longer-term incentivisation prices for some time. This will encourage the development of new mining projects and fuel an exploration boom. The emergence of China as a major manufacturing nation in the late 1990s led to a commodity price 'sup...