Since the epidemic, the global economy has been affected, and many factories have suspended production intermittently, resulting in insufficient supply of many products, including the supply of chips in high-end manufacturing. Global chips have entered a period of supply shortage, and even a "core" is difficult to find.
Recently, affected by the outbreak of the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the global supply chain has been frustrated again, and the supply of chips has become more tight. Companies such as Toyota have said they have had to cut production due to chip shortages.
Coupled with the epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the supply of chips is already under pressure. On March 18, the headache of the global semi-chip industry occurred, and spot palladium rose by 2% during the day, up nearly $50, and is now quoted at $2566.42 / ounce. It should be known that palladium occupies an important position in the production process of chips, and the rise in the price of palladium may lead to an increase in the price of chips. All chip-related products will also increase prices, and the global inflation situation will become more severe.
Palladium is one of the rarest precious metals in the world, does not fade, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and good ductility and other excellent qualities make palladium very widely used, the demand is also very strong. However, the reserves of palladium are very small, only 1/6 of platinum, and the total annual production is also very small, less than 1/8 of gold. What's more, a handful of countries in the world, such as Russia and South Africa, produce palladium.
Today's rise in palladium prices may actually be due to Russian-Ukrainian tensions. Russia produces about 40% of the global palladium and exports 35% of the world's palladium. Therefore, the dependence of semiconductor manufacturers on Russian palladium is very high. Now that the fourth Russia-Ukraine negotiation has been "protracted", the patience of the market has been smoothed out, and the mood has shifted from the initial positive to negative.
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