Markets
The Collapse of Commodities in One Simple Chart
The Collapse of Commodities in One Simple Chart
This chart from Macquarie puts the year in perspective for commodity investors. It covers various asset classes including equities, FX markets, bonds, and commodity prices, and charts them YTD in terms of US dollars and expressed as a percentage.
For a simple chart, there is a lot of information here to consider.
For starters, on the far right is the prime culprit in stymying commodity markets: the Dollar Index. The US dollar, which commodities are priced in, has had a big year with close to a 10% return YTD. While the US economy is still suspect at best, it has served as a safe haven for investors this year over markets such as Europe, China, and Japan. As a result, the USD has had the best performance of all of these asset classes listed on the chart.
The other market on the right worth noting is the Nasdaq, home to many of the tech stocks that have kept the US economy chugging along. While some are skeptical of the true value of some of the companies in Silicon Valley, it cannot be denied that the Googles, Facebooks, and Amazons of the world are the key to keeping US growth intact in any capacity.
To the left of the zero mark, things get dire fast.
Precious metals such as gold and silver are down, but this can be mostly attributed to the strength of the dollar. Energy and industrial metals, on the other hand, have been thoroughly routed due to a combination of dollar strength and slowing Chinese growth. Many agricommodities have struggled as well.
The biggest losers of the bunch include rhodium, nickel, iron ore, and lean hogs, all which are down more than 30% YTD.
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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