Palladium Overview
PALLADIUM: Distinctly Unique
Palladium (element), symbol Pd, silvery-white, soft metallic element, with an atomic number of 46 and an atomic weight of 106.4. It is one of the transition elements of the periodic table. Palladium is flexible and resistant to corrosion.
Platinum and palladium are the most widely used of the six platinum group metals (PGM); the group also includes rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, and iridium.
Platinum and palladium are among the world's scarcest metals. Only about 4.5 million troy ounces of platinum and approximately 5 million ounces of palladium entered Western markets in 1994. By comparison, worldwide mine production of gold totaled approximately 70 million ounces in 1998, while supplies of newly mined silver totaled approximately 440 million ounces.
Palladium as an Investment
Palladium has traded at over $1,000 per ounce. Perhaps another emerging precious metal investment alternative for this century.
" .. Defined by their stability and enduring international assessment, precious metals have captured the imagination of investors not just during this century but throughout our history .."
Portfolio Diversification
The foreign currency market once provided the ideal portfolio diversification vehicle to protect against market fluctuations, but as the US dollar drops, currency around the world is also devalued. Therefore, professional money managers seeking to diversify their investments have extended into hard assets like Palladium bullion, which provides a safe/secure investment that can be easily turned to cash at any time.