Molybdenum, indium, germanium, cadmium, manganese
If one deal in the mining industry raised eyebrows in recent years, it was molybdenum producer Blue Pearl Mining Co.'s $575-million acquisition of Thompson Creek Metals Co. last October. It raised two questions: How did a molybdenum company raise half-a-billion dollars? And, what the heck is molybdenum?
In fact, the Blue Pearl deal delivered a clear message: that this commodity boom stretches far beyond the "primary" metals. While gold, copper, nickel, coal and zinc get most of the attention, demand for secondary metals such as lead, molybdenum, indium, germanium, cadmium and manganese has been very strong as well.
The most visible of the bunch has been molybdenum, or moly, a silvery-white metal with anti-corrosive properties that has applications in the steel and energy industries. The emergence of pure-play moly companies such as Blue Pearl (now called Thompson Creek Metals) and China Molybdenum Co. Ltd. highlighted the soaring demand for the metal. Even renowned investor Eric Sprott set up a holding company to invest in moly assets....MORE
