With so many markets, strategies, and risk management techniques out there, it’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly searching for the “next best thing.” Tweaking and improving your trading strategy is a good thing. But jumping ship every time you hit a losing streak?
That’s a one-way ticket to failure.
Successful traders have something in common: discipline, consistency, and strong habits.
• Discipline keeps them from making impulsive decisions.
• Consistency helps them refine their edge over time.
• Good habits like journaling, reviewing trades, and planning ahead allow them to learn and improve.
The key isn’t just knowing these things—it’s about actually applying them in your trading.
How Do You Find and Stick to a Trading Strategy?
Finding a good strategy is easy. There are thousands of them on YouTube, blogs, and trading forums. And guess what? Many of them work.
The real problem? Most traders don’t stick to them long enough. They either:
• Don’t fully understand the strategy.
• Execute it poorly.
• Give up after a few losing trades.
This gets worse when traders risk too much. One bad trade, emotions take over, and suddenly they’re off searching for another “better” strategy.
Neither supply nor recycling are getting any better…
Last week, the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) revealed 2025’s deficit will be higher than previously expected due to weak supply from the recycling sector and lower production SA miners.
Northam’s CEO, Paul Dunne echoed this sentiment in a recent investor webcast. He forecasts a 1-million-ounce platinum deficit – or 15% of 2025’s demand – as SA’s output slips from a historic 5.4 million ounces to 3.8 million ounces.
However, it wouldn’t surprise me if SA’s platinum output came in lower. After all, an 8% rise increase in platinum’s price this year is nowhere near higher enough to support loss-making mines.
In other words, we need much higher prices to drive production. Otherwise, more mines could be forced to close until prices sufficiently rise.
Already, Impala Platinum is considering early mine closures in Canada due to low prices. If things stay the same, we could hear about further mine closures throughout the year. So, keep an eye out for that.
And what about platinum demand?
While the WIPC expect demands to fall, the overall supply deficit would still sit at a whopping 848,000 ounces, according to WIPC’s calculations.
However, I think future platinum demand may surprise to the upside. After all, more and more automakers are pushing back their EV targets. Last year, Toyota and Volvo halted EV production plans and switched to boosting hybrid vehicle production. More recently, reports indicate that VW and Audi may continue to produce combustion engines beyond 2033.
Then you also have to consider the emerging “hydrogen economy”, which is gaining traction across the world – albeit slower than anticipated. Hydrogen is mostly used in agriculture (chemical) and petrol refining. But the bigger potential lies in using hydrogen as a clean fuel.
Platinum (and other PGMs) are used across the hydrogen value chain in a variety of applications. The largest being hydrogen fuel cells to generate power and PGM catalysts in proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology.
According to forecasts, hydrogen applications will use around one million ounces of PGMs by 2030.
Simply put – don’t be surprised to see higher prices in 2025. For more on critical metals, renewables and other megatrends, make sure you’re signed up to South African Investor.
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