Precious Metals: Heavy Demand Beyond the Obvious

Understand the demand for gold, silver, and other key metals--so you can invest in metals far more successfully.

Market watchers closely follow precious metals futures, whether purchased through the commodities market or ETFs. Precious metals directly affect many aspects of the market, including currency valuation, and their value responds immediately to news. Metals, however, aren’t merely speculative tools: They’re widely used in manufacturing. This article examines demand for six key metals: gold, silver, copper, aluminum, platinum, and palladium....