What makes platinum different
Two structural facts dominate. Supply is concentrated:the large majority of primary platinum comes from South Africa's deep, power-hungry Bushveld mines, with Russia the other significant producer — so electricity, labor and politics in one country move the global supply curve. Demand is industrial: the largest single use is autocatalysts for diesel and gasoline vehicles, alongside chemical, glass, medical and jewelry demand, with hydrogen electrolysis and fuel cells as the structural wildcard. Unlike gold, platinum has almost no central-bank bid and a far smaller above-ground stock — which cuts both ways: less cushion in deficits, less monetary premium in panics.
OunceDesk coverage status
A Platinum Stress Index — exchange inventories, lease and futures conditions, South African supply signals, physical premiums — is in methodology development, and per our rules no score ships before its inputs and calibration are defensible. Live pricing on this page is already real, the weight converter handles PGM math, and platinum research will join the desk as the dataset matures.