Availability: By far, the most significant area of focus for platinum is its low occurrence in the Earth's crust. The rarity of platinum compared to other metals has spawned a number of creative attempts to illustrate just how scarce the metal may be, i.e. Imagining that all the platinum mined would fit in an average swimming pool or living room.
Regional Concentration: In addition to its apparently limited supply, a huge percentage of current mining is also confined primarily to South Africa and Russia, leaving the door open for the possibility that any political concerns or regional unrest could disrupt supplies. An excellent example of this possibility was illustrated by the concern over limited electricity supply to mining companies in South Africa and the likelihood that refining and production would be interrupted - an event which contributed significant volatility to the market.
Applications: New applications, as well as an increase in the existing technologies which employ platinum, could shift the supply and demand dynamics rather quickly. The continued efforts to control emissions are significant in that platinum plays an important role in catalytic converters - however, new technologies have enabled the automotive catalyst creators to substitute other PGM metals, something which may impact the overall percentage use of platinum.
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