ICE starts London platinum and palladium futures alongside gold and silver

[SMM Precious Metals Flash] Spot gold fell 0.9% to US$4,140.06 an ounce by 18:33 GMT on 2 October and was down about 3.4% for the week, Reuters reported. US gold futures settled 1% lower at US$4,162.30. Bullion reversed an earlier gain of more than 1% despite weaker-than-expected September US payroll growth, as elevated Treasury yields and the dollar’s weekly strength pressured non-yielding metals. The reversal shows that weaker employment data alone was insufficient to overcome pressure from interest-rate expectations and long-dated bond yields. Platinum also fell 2% to US$1,692.90, while palladium declined 0.5% to US$1,165.75, with all major precious metals heading for weekly losses. These figures are Reuters’ stated 2 October market snapshots, not current live quotations.

[SMM PGM Flash] Generation Mining has begun early construction at its Marathon copper–palladium project in northwestern Ontario. Work started after the company posted a C$6.5 million bond covering construction-phase site rehabilitation. Its wider early-works programme is planned to include access-road upgrades, water-management structures and temporary power through late 2026 and into 2027. The start moves a potential North American palladium and platinum source into physical site work. Generation’s feasibility study estimates about 2.16 million payable ounces of palladium and 488,000 ounces of platinum over a 13-year mine life; these are forecasts, not production. The company also expects to make about C$30 million in initial equipment payments, subject to final contracts and approvals.

[SMM PGM Flash] Platinum Group Metals said on 1 October that independent testing by the Battery Innovation Center had validated its Lion Battery subsidiary’s platinum- and palladium-based electrodes in prototype lithium-sulphur cells. Compared with cells without the catalysts, the prototypes showed better capacity and rate capability, with palladium-rich formulations performing best overall. Platinum Group and Valterra Platinum, which own Lion 52% and 48% respectively, have approved funding for the next phase. The result offers a possible new use for PGMs beyond vehicle exhaust catalysts, but remains a prototype milestone. Lion plans to make and test pouch cells, refine the catalysts and assess applications including drones. Commercial performance and demand for significant PGM volumes have yet to be established. The work is relevant to Southern African suppliers: Valterra produces PGMs in South Africa and Zimbabwe, while Platinum Group is developing South Africa’s Waterberg project.