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December 2010
12/15/2010
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Germanium Market Update - December 2010
A combination of low inventories and market speculation resulted in an unexpected rise in germanium prices over the past few weeks. Prices for Chinese germanium have increased between 15 to 20 percent since early November. The influence of rising inflation in China and the financial effects of quantitative easing on international commodity prices have likely encouraged greater participation in what has been a fairly inactive market over the past two years, as traders and end-users are choosing to hold greater inventories rather than hold US dollars. With little inventory on-hand, some of the largest germanium producers are withholding offers until January. SMI Ltd. expects prices for germanium metal to remain over US$ 1075/kg and germanium dioxide to remain over US$ 700/kg into the new year
Chart courtesy of: www.metal-pages.com
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