Markets
Why Diversification Makes a Precious Metals Portfolio Stronger
Precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum have many things in common.
They tend to be heavy, durable, ductile, and malleable – all desirable traits for monetary metals. They also tend to be quite rare, which is part of the reason that investors have put trust in these assets as stores of value for hundreds of years.
Despite all these commonalities, the story of each individual metal is actually quite unique. Each metal is driven by its own set of supply and demand characteristics that are unique from the group. As a result, there is a significant amount of variance in the price patterns between each individual precious metal.
Precious Metals Diversification
Today’s infographic comes to us from Neptune-GBX and it showcases the story of each precious metal.
More importantly, it shows why owning them simultaneously is the only way to get exposure to the unique supply and demand drivers behind each of them in the context of the modern market.
The story of each individual precious metal is quite unique:
Gold
Investors and people buy gold bullion or jewelry as a store of value, and the gold price is sensitive to events in financial markets. Its main use is investment, and supply is diversified and global.
Silver
Silver is unique “hybrid” metal that is simultaneously driven by its investment and industrial uses. Its main uses are investment and industrial, and supply is diversified and global.
Platinum
Used in catalytic converters and for other industrial uses. Platinum demand also comes from jewelry and investment sectors. Platinum supply only comes from South Africa, Russia and Zimbabwe, giving it a unique set of supply characteristics.
Palladium
Palladium is a purer industrial metal than platinum, with 80% of demand coming from catalytic converters. It has similar supply issues to platinum.
Because each metal is different, when one increases in price, the others may or may not follow suit. This creates a problem and an opportunity for investors.
Why Diversification Matters
How do investors minimize the volatility of precious metals investments, while still maximizing returns?
It’s a risk management problem that portfolio managers have been dealing with for decades – and they’ve come up with a proven solution: diversification.
Diversification benefits:
- Reduces risk: All eggs aren’t in one basket
- Preserves capital: Protects against major declines in one asset
- Generates returns: Portfolio can grow in boom or bust
Since the four major precious metals are driven by individual demand and supply factors, diversification can allow you get exposure to the unique drivers behind each metal at the same time.
Markets
Graphene: An Investor’s Guide to the Emerging Market
The market value of graphene could reach $3.75 billion by 2030. As the emerging industry shows fast growth, it also faces obstacles.


Graphene: An Investor’s Guide to the Emerging Market
Graphene is an atomic-scale “honeycomb” that is revolutionizing the world of materials and capturing investor attention.
Experts predict that its market value could reach the billion-dollar threshold by 2027 and soar to a staggering $3.75 billion by 2030.
In this infographic sponsored by HydroGraph, we dive into everything investors need to know about this exciting industry and where it’s headed.
Promising Properties
Graphene possesses several unique physical properties which contribute to its wide range of potential applications.
- 200 times stronger than steel
- Harder than diamonds
- 1,000 times lighter than paper
- 98% transparent
- Higher electrical conductivity than copper
- Heat conductivity: 5 times that of copper
- 2,630 m² of surface area per gram
Since its first successful isolation in 2004, graphene’s properties have opened the doors to a multitude of commercial applications and products.
Applications of Graphene
Graphene has permeated numerous sectors like electronics, energy, and healthcare because of its impressive array of end uses.
Industry | Revenue CAGR of Graphene Across Industries, 2022-2027 |
---|---|
Biomedical and Healthcare | 52% |
Electronics and Telecommunications | 34% |
Energy | 25% |
Aerospace and Defense | 16% |
Other End-User Industries | 17% |
Graphene’s antibacterial properties make it highly suitable for medical instruments and implants. Furthermore, it has shown remarkable potential in helping treat diseases such as cancer.
Another one of the material’s applications is its ability to emit high-speed light pulses, or to combine graphene’s thinness and high-conductivity to create the tiniest possible light sources.
All in all, it’s difficult to sum up graphene’s properties and potential applications in one place. The supermaterial has been covered and cited in thousands of academic journals, and comes up with over 2 million search results on Google Scholar.
Graphene Commercialization
Graphene has evolved from a scientific breakthrough to a commercial reality in less than two decades, putting it firmly on the radar of many future-focused investors.
But despite the strides the industry is making, it is still in its infancy, and therefore challenges exist on the path to widespread adoption. Here are the top five commercialization obstacles perceived by industry players.
Obstacle | % of survey respondents |
---|---|
Cost | 31% |
Production Methods, Scaling, and Distribution | 21% |
Material Quality/Consistency | 17% |
Lack of Knowledge/Awareness | 15% |
Dispersion/Handling | 14% |
When transitioning cutting-edge materials from the laboratory to consumer products, challenges like these can be expected. But one company is tackling them head-on.
By producing 99.8% pure graphene, and ensuring batch-to-batch consistency, HydroGraph is helping meet the growing demand for graphene products across industries while addressing challenges like cost, scale, and quality.

Interested in learning more? Explore investment opportunities with HydroGraph now.

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