Something else as bright as gold?

THE ALCHEMIST

Investors looking for opportunities arising from the World Cup in South Africa have bought plays on security, tourism, travel and media.

The Rainbow Nation has already benefited from the soaring gold price. But there may be another short term opportunity, with platinum. South Africa, along with Russia, is the world’s biggest producer of platinum, the high-gloss metal that is as critical to dozens of industrial processes as it is prized in the jewelery trade. Platinum, like that of other metals, has leapt higher on the back of strengthening economic growth in many developing countries, notably in Asia. But mining generally, and platinum in particular, is an energy hungry beast. For years, power outages have been comm...