Economic Trends in the Platinum-Group Metals Market

This paper examines the consumption, production, and pricing patterns of the platinum-group metals (PGM) for the years 1980-2000. The aim is to better understand the happenings in the PGM market of recent years and to project the likely trends and economic impacts for the future. Hypotheses about the PGM market are generated and tested using correlation coefficients, linear regression, and instability index methods on the annual time series data for PGM consumption, production, and prices. The likely impacts of the PGM market trends on South Africa's economy are considered. The main points arising from the paper are summarized and are followed by concluding remarks.