For investors and collectors, understanding these factors is crucial when considering platinum as part of an investment portfolio. Whether you are looking to diversify your assets or invest in a metal with strong industrial fundamentals, platinum offers compelling reasons for its premium over gold. Since the low point in 2008, the platinum/gold ratio has still not fully recovered, despite slight fluctuations. For investors, this could mean that platinum is currently undervalued compared to gold. Historically, when the economy recovers and demand for industrial metals increases, platinum could rise in value, making it an attractive long-term investment.
While both metals have roles to play for investors and in fine jewelry, platinum‘s prestige is directly tied to its sheer scarcity. Gold is the more abundant precious metal, while platinum will remain in tight supply. This leads to speculative trading, which can also influence the price of both gold and platinum depending on whether buyers or sellers dominate market sentiment at any given time period. The prices often change rapidly based on news headlines or macroeconomic developments worldwide at any given moment, making it difficult to predict how prices will respond to these events. On the other hand, gold has been around since ancient times and is still one of the most sought-after investments today.
What Influences the Gold and Platinum Markets?
The gold price is more than double that of platinum, highlighting a significant difference in their market values. Gold has no yield and doesn’t pay dividends, unlike financial assets like stocks and bonds. Conversely, platinum has which is costly gold or platinum a significantly less liquid market, with less demand and more limited supply that accounts for a much smaller trading volume. Another reason platinum is more costly than gold is that platinum is a considerably rarer metal. Every year, around 1,500 tonnes of gold are mined, but only 160 tonnes of platinum are extracted. Unlike gold which is mined globally, over 70% of the world‘s annual platinum production comes from a single country – South Africa.
While gold is traditionally seen as a safe investment, platinum is driven by industrial demand. The current ratio between gold and platinum, with gold being more than two and a half times as expensive as platinum, suggests that platinum is currently undervalued in historical terms. An advantage of precious metals is that they tend to retain their value over time and often increase in price during economic uncertainty or market volatility. This makes them an excellent choice for long-term investors who want to protect their savings from inflationary pressures while potentially earning returns on their investments over time. While he is deeply passionate about precious metals investing, he is not a licensed financial advisor.
Ease of purchase
While gold remains a reliable safe-haven asset, platinum appears poised to rally strongly from current low levels. This outlook combined with its higher purity makes a compelling case for choosing platinum over gold right now. For investors deciding between platinum or gold, my research suggests platinum may offer more upside potential over the next several years. But overall, as a professional investor, I look to platinum as the more “precious” metal commanding higher values. Gold is used in electronics, dentistry and other industries since it’s a good conductor of electricity.
- It can also create fluctuations in the market depending on the geopolitical climate where platinum is found, such as South Africa, Canada, and Russia.
- Though it’s also possible to purchase gold or platinum options, it’s a complicated and risky method that’s only recommended for experienced investors.
- Electronics manufacturers have long prized gold due to its excellent electrical conductivity properties, allowing it to transmit signals quickly without losing any power.
- So when it comes to assessing rareness, platinum emerges as the obvious winner.
- With this move into the luxury segment, Indian startup Ultrahuman is not only differentiating itself from competitors but also broadening its appeal beyond fitness enthusiasts.
- Platinum and gold have been used as a store of wealth and as a hedge against inflation for years.
Platinum Price vs Gold Price
Both platinum and gold are also used extensively for jewelry making. Although gold and platinum share some similarities, investors should be aware of how they differ when choosing between the two. There have been about 208,000 metric tons of gold and only 6,000 metric tons of platinum mined in human history. Here is an overview of the differences between gold and platinum so you can compare both materials and determine which is better for you. Platinum is also used in jewelry with one hallmark – 950, which means the bar is worth 95% of its face value. This signifies that impurities are virtually absent, and you are looking at a pure metal.
Understanding these factors helps to comprehend why platinum, despite its current market price, holds significant value in various sectors. Its unique combination of physical properties, scarcity, and wide range of applications across industries underlines its status as a precious and high-value metal. The LPPM is instrumental in setting the live spot price of platinum through the Platinum Fix, which is used around the world to help determine the platinum price. The price of platinum is more volatile than that of silver or gold and is subject to industrial demand and changing conditions in the global marketplace.
Dive deeper into precious metals
And its reserves are far less than those of gold, silver, or any other element. It turns out that products containing it are likewise significantly more scarce. The most expensive smart ring I can remember is Oura’s collaboration with Gucci, which I described in my writeup as an eye-watering $950.
Gold tends to be more expensive than other precious metals because it’s seen as a safe haven asset that can protect against inflation or economic downturns. Gold and platinum have come a long way from being used as currencies. Today, these precious metals have expanded outside of monetary uses and are being seen in a variety of other industries due to their unique characteristics. These examples demonstrate how gold and platinum continue to be highly sought-after commodities across multiple industries worldwide.
- However, gold has had a greater long-term return compared to platinum.
- Each silver eagle coin is made of silver mined in the U.S. and is guaranteed by the U.S. government.
- Gold is considered a safe-haven asset that can hedge against inflation and economic uncertainty.
- Its unique combination of physical properties, scarcity, and wide range of applications across industries underlines its status as a precious and high-value metal.
- For investors seeking value, this could present an attractive opportunity to invest in a relatively rare and important metal.
- The ease with which you can buy gold or make a platinum investment depends on which method you use.
- The price of platinum and the price of gold have varied widely at different points in time.
To calculate the premium on a product, subtract the current spot price from the current list price for a single quantity of the product. This way, you can easily compare the premiums on the gold and platinum versions of the item you’ve got your eye on. The primary reason is that precious metals are priced by weight, and platinum is far denser than gold; thus, it will be heavier. The desert rose and dune rings are made of 18-karat gold “sourced from London Bullion Market Association.” These will cost $1,900. Meanwhile, the desert snow ring is “meticulously crafted from pt950 platinum, a metal of exceptional purity and prestige.” It will cost $2,200.