Global Palladium Deficit Looms

 | Jun 09, 2016 09:33AM ET

Reputed investment bank Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) revised up the projected price for palladium in 2016 from $550 to $575 per ounce and in 2017 from $600 to $700. Previously the British financial group Standard Chartered (LON:STAN) revised up the forecast for palladium price in Q4 2016 to $660 an ounce. At the same time, it projects the average year price to reach $610 an ounce up from the current $545. Will the palladium price advance?

In industry palladium is mainly used to produce catalysts for car engines. China raised the import of the metal by almost 45% to 9.35 tonnes in January-April this year compared to the same period of 2015. Prices were relatively small in January-February and the Chinese imports rose 85% and 200% respectively. In April it advanced only 2.2% which made prices retrace. The Japanese car industry may raise demand for palladium in order to increase output as tax hike was postponed for 2-1/2 years. The British Johnson Matthey (LON:JMAT), world leader in making catalysts, predicts the twofold rise in global palladium deficit in 2016 to 843 thousand ounces from 447 thousand ounces in 2015 году amid the mix of the following factors – palladium is widely used in industry and for investment purposes as a precious metal.