Tag Archives: cobalt

What do cobalt, uranium, helium, titanium, and fluorspar have in common? According to the U.S. government, these are all minerals that are deemed critical to both the economic and national security of the country. The list of 35 minerals (listed below) includes those that are important for defense, economic, and industrial purposes – and it keys in especially on minerals that are not produced in substantial quantities domestically.

The Ubika Battery Metals Index, composed of 10 lithium and 10 cobalt companies, has rallied 56% over the past year, with some company valuations surging more than 100%. With an implied shortage of lithium and cobalt in the market, we examine which producing companies are best positioned to rise from this battery frenzy.

Tesla just activated its battery gigafactory, and China is moving to hoard the world’s cobalt supplies at the same time that Trump promises a military build-up that can only happen with the precious metal. This all means supply panic for everything from the electric car break-out to the military industrial complex. Right in the middle of this we have small-cap North American explorers—our new potential barons-in-the-making—in whose hands our energy revolution now lies.

A recently unearthed 2007 United States Geological Service survey appears to have discovered nearly $1 trillion in mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself. Words: 1291