by Fred Fuld III
You should be looking at the technology metals, sometimes called minor metals, strategic materials, and critical materials.. These include such elements as Gallium, Germanium, Hafnium, Indium, and Rhenium, and are essential for:
- Semiconductors,
- Solar panels,
- Aerospace components,
- Telecommunications,
- Batteries and energy storage.
Technology metals are a group of elements critical to modern, high-tech industries. They are essential for manufacturing advanced electronics, semiconductors, telecommunications equipment, renewable energy systems, and aerospace components. Unlike base metals (like copper or iron), technology metals are typically used in small quantities but enable key functions in cutting-edge devices, including smartphones, solar panels, electric vehicles, fiber optics, and jet engines. Their strategic importance stems from limited supply chains, specialized extraction, and the lack of viable substitutes in many applications.
Industrial Uses of Five Key Technology Metals
Gallium
Gallium is primarily used in semiconductors, especially in the compound gallium arsenide (GaAs), which is essential for high-speed electronics, solar cells, and LEDs. It also plays a key role in 5G networks, radar systems, and satellite communications. Gallium is not mined directly—it is typically extracted as a byproduct of aluminum or zinc processing. Since Jan 2020 Gallium is up over 235%.
Germanium
Germanium is crucial in fiber optics, infrared optics, and semiconductor technology. It’s used in photodetectors, thermal imaging devices, and solar panels (especially in space applications). Germanium is also added to alloys to improve conductivity and corrosion resistance. Like gallium, it’s a byproduct—mainly from zinc refining. Since Jan 2020 Germanium is up over 110%.
Hafnium
Hafnium is used in nuclear reactors due to its ability to absorb neutrons without swelling or becoming brittle. It’s also vital in the aerospace industry, where it improves the heat resistance of superalloys used in jet engines and space vehicles. In microelectronics, hafnium oxide is used as a high-k dielectric material in advanced transistors, enabling smaller and faster computer chips. Since Jan 2020 Hafnium is up over 169%.
Indium
Indium is best known for forming indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductor used in touchscreens,LCDs, solar panels, and smartphone displays. It’s also used in low-melting solders and thermal interface materials. Indium is rare and primarily obtained as a byproduct of zinc mining, making its supply vulnerable to fluctuations in base metal markets. Since Jan 2020 Indium is up over 135%.
Rhenium
Rhenium is a rare and heat-resistant metal used mainly in superalloys for jet engine turbines and rocket components, where it enhances strength at high temperatures. It’s also used in platinum-rhenium catalysts for refining high-octane gasoline. Due to its extremely high melting point and scarcity, rhenium is both strategic and expensive, often recycled from spent catalysts and alloy scrap. Since Jan 2020 Rhenium is up over 69%.
Technology Metals Stocks
There are several publicly traded companies involved in the mining and production of technology metals such as gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, and rhenium. While few companies focus exclusively on these metals, many extract them as byproducts of other mining operations or are expanding into these areas due to increasing demand.
Publicly Traded Companies Involved in Technology Metals
1. Rio Tinto (RIO)
Rio Tinto is a global mining giant that has recently ventured into gallium production. In collaboration with Indium Corporation, they successfully extracted their first primary gallium at Indium Corp’s R&D facility in New York. The project aims to scale up gallium production to pilot levels, with plans to produce up to 40 tonnes annually at their Quebec refinery, potentially contributing 5%-10% of the global supply.
The company has a $97.3 billion market cap, trades at 8.5 times trailing earnings, and a 6.72% forward dividend yield.
2. MTM Critical Metals (MTMCF)
An Australian company, MTM Critical Metals has achieved a breakthrough in recovering gallium and germanium from semiconductor industry waste. Their proprietary FJH technology has achieved recovery rates of approximately 90% for gallium and 80% for germanium, positioning them as a potential key player in sustainable sourcing of these critical materials.
3. MP Materials (MP)
MP Materials owns and operates the Mountain Pass mine, the only operating rare earth mine and processing facility in the United States. While their primary focus is on neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) used in magnets for electric vehicles and wind turbines, their operations also yield other rare earth elements that are critical in various high-tech applications.
The company has a $3.8 billion market cap, and is currently generating negative earnings.
4. Teck Resources Ltd (TECK)
Teck Resources Ltd, traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbols TECK.A and TECK.B, and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol TECK, is a prominent Canadian resource company. The company stands as one of the world’s largest integrated producers of germanium. Teck Resources processes germanium-bearing concentrates at its fully integrated lead/zinc refinery situated in Trail, British Columbia. Through this established refining process, Teck Resources has solidified its position as a significant and primary producer of germanium within the global market.
The company has a $16.7 billion market cap, a very high price to earnings ratio of 675, and a forward dividend yield of 1.03%.
5. Tronox Holdings plc (TROX)
Tronox Holdings plc, traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker TROX, is a leading global producer of high-quality titanium products, which includes titanium dioxide pigment, specialty-grade titanium dioxide products, high-purity titanium chemicals, and notably, zircon. Tronox engages in the mining of titanium-bearing mineral sands and operates upgrading facilities to produce various high-grade materials. The company reports a substantial zircon production capacity of 117,000 metric tons per year from its operations located in Australia. Similar to Iluka Resources, Tronox’s significant production of zircon establishes it as a primary miner of hafnium, given the consistent association of hafnium with zircon within mineral sands deposits. The company has a market cap of $775 million, is generating negative earnings, and has a forward dividend yield of 9.42%.
6. Adex Mining Inc. (ADXDF)
Adex Mining Inc, traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol ADE and over the counter [OTC] as ADXDF, is a mining exploration company actively engaged in the development of its Mount Pleasant Mine property located in Canada. The Mount Pleasant deposit is recognized as “North America’s largest tin deposit and the world’s largest reserve of indium”. While Adex Mining’s exploration activities target tin, zinc, molybdenum, and tungsten in addition to indium, the sheer scale of the indium reserves at its flagship project strongly suggests a primary focus on the potential mining of this technology metal, although the project is currently in the exploration and development phase. This is a $4.9 million micro cap, micro penny stock.
7. Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NAK)
Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol NDM and on the NYSE American under the symbol NAK, is a mineral exploration and development company primarily focused on the Pebble Project in Alaska. The Pebble deposit is reported to contain a significant resource of rhenium, in addition to substantial quantities of copper, gold, molybdenum, and silver. In fact, the Pebble Project has been described as hosting the world’s most significant rhenium resource. While the Pebble Project is currently in the development phase and is subject to regulatory processes, the immense rhenium resource it holds positions Northern Dynasty Minerals as a potential primary miner of rhenium in the future, should the project proceed to operation. The company has a $568 million market cap and is currently generating negative earnings.
If you are looking for an ETF, VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF (REMX) is an ETF that provides exposure to companies involved in producing, refining, and recycling rare earth and strategic metals globally.
Technology metals are a high-potential but niche investment category, driven by growing demand from semiconductors, clean energy, and aerospace, yet constrained by limited supply and geopolitical risk. This industry is well worth taking a closer look.
Source for metals returns: https://strategicmetalsinvest.com/current-strategic-metals-prices/
Please note: Many of the above stocks are penny stocks and should be considered extremely seculative.
Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written.
