Tungsten Copper Metals

The 10 Most Crisis-prone Metals
Over the last few years, the rare earth market has taught investors about the dangers (and rewards) of geographically concentrated metals.
One nation — China — produces 86 percent of the planet’s rare earths. This dominance caused a panic in the market when Chinese exports were disrupted by government policies aimed at keeping rare earths in the country for domestic use.
Fear of a massive supply disruption subsequently drove prices of the metals higher, also lifting share prices of producing and exploration companies to dizzying heights.
A similar story unfolded recently in the graphite market. The top three graphite-producing nations control some 88 percent of global output. Again, this monopoly has raised fears of a supply crunch.
Which metal is next?
New data released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) last month provides some clues.
The USGS information shows the breakdown of global production for over 80 metals and other mineral commodities, revealing which markets are the most geographically concentrated — and thus the most primed for supply crises due to political, social or geological problems in the biggest producing nations.
The mineral monopolies
Resource Investing News conducted its own exclusive analysis of the USGS data, compiling the numbers to tease out two metrics:
What percentage of global production is controlled by the top producing nation in the market?
What percentage of production is controlled by the top three producing nations as a group?
The table below shows the metals that are most tied to the fate of one or a few countries as well as metals that may be at risk of future supply shocks similar to those experienced by the rare earths and graphite markets.