In case you missed it, ahead of a Russia-South Africa meeting a month or so from now, Sergei Donskoi, Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources, suggested the two countries buy the metal through their central banks to affect prices, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday.

Consider the main alternative: platinum and palladium miners getting together to form a true cartel.

Here the PGM houses would have to coordinate and control production, somehow addressing the politically thorny issue of unprofitable shafts; stick to said production plans; and then agree, presumably, only to sell for a fixed price.

Cue anti-trust battles, calls of market collusion and anti-competition suits.

You understand why the producers would never do it. It’s a regulatory non-starter in a world that has become increasingly bound by bilateral and regional trade regulations.

Available: http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/content/en/mineweb-platinum-group-metals?oid=255790&sn=Detail