Investors

Selected experience

Trusted advisors for investors and traders

For the investment sector, SFA (Oxford) provides critical metals intelligence for global investment banks, funds, commodity trading houses, institutional and private investors and family wealth offices, and has completed comprehensive global due diligence appraisals on behalf of investors. SFA’s tailored Board-level Market Intelligence Briefings provide executive management with in-depth, forward-looking intelligence covering the current and future trends and influences acting on global commodities – information essential for future business planning and strategic decision-making. Our reports are often delivered to coincide with scheduled Board meetings and reporting requirements, providing management with a concise digest of all the key industry facts, figures and forecasts.

Case studies

Analysis of the unique properties of platinum

Platinum application showcases

An analysis was carried out of the unique properties of the metal and its value-adding contribution to the processes and reactions required for many mission-critical, high-performance, and everyday products.

Debt finance

Industry and market analysis for global investment banks

SFA (Oxford) has completed PGM industry analysis and market intelligence for global investment banks that provide debt finance to mining companies.

Long-term market intelligence for nickel, cobalt, lithium

Equilateral thinking

SFA (Oxford) produced long-term forecasts and detailed market analytics for the three primary battery metals, nickel, cobalt and lithium. Independent supply and demand market balances and price forecasts to highlight the changing evolution of battery technologies, market consumption, substitution and recycling threats across the different end-use markets.

Development of mineral rights portfolios

Global investment appraisal

Comprehensive strategic appraisals of global exploration projects have been completed by SFA (Oxford) on behalf of an investor.

Enhanced Investment Memorandum

Linking the use of PGMs in strategic applications with favourable investment returns

SFA (Oxford) assisted in the production of an Investment Memorandum (IM) for a client, providing clear insight into the benefits of PGM, how the use of PGM in innovative new technologies is rising.

Quarterly strategic reviews and outlook for lithium, nickel and cobalt

Regular battery metal market price risk intelligence

Major carmakers, investors and suppliers use the SFA (Oxford) team to track the rapidly evolving nature of government policy, electric vehicle (EV) roll-out plans, the battery industry value chain, and key market players to provide up-to-date risks to metal markets and prices.

Quarterly assessments track changes to the evolution of battery chemistries and cathode developments, commercialisation timing, regional appraisal of battery supply chain forces, battery plant investments, OEM EV and hybrid roll-out successes, risks to new EV products and OEM companies, developments in EV infrastructure, evolving changes in the hydrogen economy and the fuel cell market, latest metal supply chain developments, project supply forecasts, technological breakthroughs, battery-grade metal supply risks, China's dominance on intermediates and battery precursor materials, and a five-year price outlook

PGM: Joining the dots between metal flows and price setting

The real world of PGM pricing

The PGM: Joining the dots between metal flows and price-setting report contains unrivalled insight, with over 300 pages of detailed analysis, commentary and charts providing unique exploration of the purchasing dynamics between market participants, the complexity of the associated price web and which factors drive metal prices for platinum, palladium and rhodium.

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Gold marketing intelligence

Gold cost study

SFA (Oxford) provided gold market intelligence to hedge funds on a quarterly basis, including macroeconomic developments, price forecasts, and market fundamentals. SFA’s analysts have managed databases, researching and compiling detailed production and cost data on over 340 gold mines and projects.

Contextualising prospects for the hydrogen economy — for a Family Wealth Office

Hydrogen market assessment

A market evaluation including assessing how technology shifts, legislative changes, and environmental issues will impact markets, and evaluation of niche applications in new end-uses and the long-term sustainability of these applications.

Nickel and copper due diligence in Eurasia

Evaluation for acquisition

Conducted a three-month on-site due diligence of a major nickel-copper mine cluster and processing complex.

Solutions for investors

SFA offers a broad spectrum of services for investors in PGMs, battery metals and materials, green hydrogen and fuel cells, applying our strategic focus and bespoke approach to meet your needs.

Due diligence studies and PGM commercial advisory

Working with clients and third parties, SFA has a long track record of providing technical due diligence and financial modelling support to help secure funding.

PGM mergers, acquisitions, and corporate defence

Clients have used SFA to provide the analytical link with banks and financial institutions to support PGM investment decision-making and provide market support.

Covid-19 PGM market analysis and scenarios

With extensive experience covering the PGM markets and industry fundamentals, SFA can provide you with our latest market outlook and the window of scenarios.

PGM strategy, planning and Board support

SFA is a trusted advisor to Board members and senior management of significant stakeholders and provides regular assistance to strategy and planning efforts.

PGM price forecasting and project incentive pricing

SFA can provide accurate short-, medium- and long-term PGM price forecasts to support your business plans and contract negotiations.

PGM markets and supply risk dashboards

SFA provides regular data flows of mine supply and metallurgical pipelines, basket prices, mine economics, and PGM demand to assist strategic decision-making.

'Black-box' PGM and macro scenario modelling

Clients approach SFA to run their own supply and macro modelling demand inputs to see the impact this has on the medium- to long-term PGM market balances.

PGM investor Board packs and roadshows

SFA supports its clients on global roadshows to assist on capital raisings and converse with fund managers, institutional investors and family wealth officers.

Black swan events and PGM market impacts

The SFA team is constantly providing rich insights for its clients on structural events moving the PGM markets, particularly when the situation continues to change.

Corporate ESG strategy and PGM stewardship

SFA works closely with value chain players to understand how materially significant ESG issues can be integrated into their wider company strategy.

Peer-group ESG benchmarking for PGMs

SFA's benchmarking of PGM producers on material ESG factors generates high-resolution insights for sustainability-conscious investors.

Cradle-to-grave ESG recycling studies

SFA's analysis of environmental footprints from recycled material in terms of greenhouse gases, waste generation and processing is helping secure new investments.

Macroeconomics and precious metals

For many years, SFA's extensive expertise in analysing the changing dynamics of global economies, financial markets and precious metals has enabled us to deliver bespoke research to enhance your next strategy.

PGM trade flows and stock reconciliation

SFA analyses the physical movements of PGMs for demand-side and supply-side participants, how futures contracts are priced and traded, and quantifies above-ground PGM stocks from key sectors.

Closed and open-loop PGM market evaluation

SFA can provide you with the most insightful 360-degree research covering the secret closed-loop market sectors by quantifying installed capacities, system losses and top-up requirements by company and sector.

Formulating regional trading desk strategies

SFA has significant experience mapping regional and localised end-use markets for PGMs to assist clients in discovering new trading opportunities and client targets by volume and sector.

Due diligence studies and commercial advisory

Working with clients and third parties, SFA has a long track record of providing battery metals technical due diligence and financial modelling support.

Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate defence

Clients have used SFA to provide the analytical link with banks and financial institutions to support investment decision making and provide robust market support.

Strategy, planning and Board support

SFA is a trusted advisor to boardrooms and senior management to major stakeholders and provides regular assistance to battery metals strategy and planning.

Price forecasting and project incentive pricing

SFA provides accurate short- to long-term battery metal price forecasts to support your business plans and contract negotiations, backed by our extensive research.

Black swan events and market impacts

The SFA team is constantly providing rich insights for its clients on structural events moving the battery metals markets and battery technology substitution.

Investor Board packs and investor roadshows

SFA regularly supports clients on roadshows to assist on capital raisings and converse with fund managers, institutional investors and family wealth offices.

Battery life cycle analysis and ESG impact

SFA evaluates the long and complex life cycle analysis of battery metals and materials to improve the recycling opportunities available for market stakeholders.

Automotive powertrains and battery metals demand

SFA delivers detailed insights into market risks of automotive technologies for light-duty, heavy-duty, off-road and fuel cell vehicles to meet emission targets.

Energy storage to support renewable energy strategies

The pressure for renewable energy generation will require intermittent chemical energy storage solutions to support international climate change objectives.

EV charging and infrastructure deployment

With charging infrastructure lagging behind EV sales, SFA is on hand to help determine which localised markets will support battery electric vehicles.

EV recycling opportunities and value chain assessment

Growing electric vehicle production and the build out of lithium-ion battery factories has led to the emergence of players, supply chains and processing technologies in battery recycling.

Joining the dots for other battery metals & materials

SFA evaluates the strategic opportunities of other strategic battery materials such as manganese, vanadium, copper, graphite, silica, and rare earth elements.

Battery technologies – opportunities and threats

SFA analyses the emergence of the new and competing cathode, anode and electrolyte technologies, market adoption and the fall-out this has on battery materials.

Corporate ESG strategy and battery metals stewardship

SFA works closely with value chain players to understand how materially significant ESG issues can be integrated into their wider company strategy.

Peer-group ESG battery metals benchmarking

SFA's benchmarking of battery metal producers on material ESG factors generates high-resolution insights for sustainability-conscious investors.

Strategy, planning and Board support

SFA works with value chain players to navigate green hydrogen opportunities, energy solutions, market risks and emerging zero-carbon technologies.

Due diligence studies and commercial advisory

SFA identifies investment and commercial opportunities for players across the hydrogen value chain, and where green hydrogen can be best utilised for investment.

Renewable energy and green hydrogen economics

SFA evaluates electrolyser and competing technology economics, growth opportunities and market risks for PGM based-technologies and thrifting.

Green metals for the hydrogen economy

SFA provides long-term precious metal supply security outlooks for platinum, iridium and ruthenium using detailed modelling of mine supply and recycling.

Hydrogen transport and energy storage

With SFA’s Hydrogen Mobility Watch, we can help you track the development of hydrogen fuel cell initiatives and infrastructure development projects underway.

Industry mapping the hydrogen landscape

SFA is closely following the green hydrogen water electrolyser and mobility players and projects underway across the industry, and national strategy developments.

Green hydrogen project benchmarking

SFA is developing its capabilities to benchmark individual green hydrogen projects to assess the long-term viability of industrial players becoming more competitive.

The legislative landscape around green hydrogen

SFA assesses the main international legal frameworks for green hydrogen development, penalties and incentives, implications and end-use sector opportunities.

Investor Board packs and roadshows

SFA is a trusted advisor to the Boards and senior management of major stakeholders and provides regular assistance to hydrogen strategy and planning efforts.

North America's hydrogen and fuel cells market

North America has an ambitious hydrogen roadmap, leveraging decades of scientific and engineering developments, particularly in California.

Europe's green hydrogen and fuel cells market

Europe is home to some of the most innovative technologies, ambitious decarbonisation targets and national strategies, and strongest value chain networks.

Japan's green hydrogen and fuel cells market

Japanese companies continue to be pioneers in developing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, as the country seeks to strengthen its energy security.

Market outlook reports for investors

The PGM Quarterly Market Report and Price Outlook

Released every three months, this price risk-focused report details-impacting factors for platinum, palladium and rhodium markets for the next three years.

PGM Market Report and Price Outlook to 2040

Our highly detailed market view provides current and long-term trends and influences acting on the global PGM markets.

The 2050 PGM Market Report and Price Outlook

SFA's new ground-breaking forward-looking report analyses the influences, market risks and trends on the PGM markets out to 2050.

The Iridium Market Report and Price Outlook

A comprehensive quarterly report on iridium market fundamentals and integration of future technologies for new and existing end-users.

The Ruthenium Market Report and Price Outlook

Stay up-to-date with a quarterly 5-year forecast on ruthenium's technological developments and underlying evolution of supply, demand and end-use applications.

Green Hydrogen Metals Market and Price Outlook

A proprietary report unlocking the current and future demands for precious metals (Pt, Ir, and Ru) used in electrolysers and fuel cells for the hydrogen economy.

Heraeus Precious Appraisal and Market Spotlights

In collaboration with Heraeus, this weekly report makes sure all the key precious metal and macroeconomic developments are fully analysed by the SFA team.

Joining the Dots between the PGM markets & prices

Unrivalled insights and definitive answers to PGM purchasing dynamics, metal flows, trading and pricing factors affecting platinum, palladium and rhodium.

Spent Autocatalyst PGM Recycling Mapped

A comprehensive study of recycled autocatalysts from scrapyards, collection, decanners, smelting and refining players, technology developments and economics.

North America PGM Market Outlook

An assessment of PGM purchasing, trade flows and end-use consumption as well as mapping key industry players for strategic investment.

China PGM Market Outlook

Bottom-up evaluation of the precious metals trading environment, regulatory framework, end-use markets, recycling volumes and key players.

Southeast Asia PGM Market Outlook

A critical impact study of PGM consumption by country of major-end uses, and future metal requirements by company.

India PGM Market Outlook

Detailed market intelligence on PGM demand and supply, major players and the recycling market to assist strategic planning.

The Long-term Chrome Market Outlook

Our bespoke chrome report gives our latest view on supply, demand, and pricing out to 2026 and analyses the impact of chrome on mine profitability.

Battery Metals Quarterly Report and Price Outlook

Our quarterly price risk-focused report details factors impacting the lithium, nickel and cobalt markets for the next five years and future battery technology trends.

Joining the dots between Lithium, Nickel and Cobalt

The SFA team completes a deep dive into the short- to long-term opportunities enabling the success of electric vehicle production across supported regions.

Quarterly Lithium Market Report and Prices Outlook

Released four times a year, SFA's lithium price risk report details short- to medium-term factors impacting the lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide markets.

2040 Lithium Market Outlook

This ground-breaking, forward-looking report analyses the trends and influences on the lithium market and battery technologies out to 2040.

Quarterly Nickel Market Report and Prices Outlook

Released each quarter, SFA's nickel price risk-focused service details the factors impacting nickel sulphate demand, MHP and refined nickel for the next five years.

Nickel Market Outlook to 2040

This ground-breaking, forward-looking report analyses the trends and influences on the nickel market and battery technologies out to 2040.

Quarterly Cobalt Market Report and Price Outlook

Released each quarter, SFA's cobalt price risk-focused report details cobalt supply and demand impacting factors for the next five years.

Long-term Cobalt Market and Price Outlook to 2040

This ground-breaking, forward-looking report analyses the trends and influences on the cobalt market and battery technologies out to 2040.

North America Battery Materials Market Outlook

Significant long-term opportunities exist along the value chain as more supportive legislation drives EV growth, with greater awareness of ESG pressures.

China Battery Materials Market Outlook

China has the largest electric vehicle market in the world, so how can China co-exist with the rest of the world in this sector?

Europe Battery Materials Market Outlook

European automakers need greater involvement in the battery supply chain to source raw materials and precursor components to improve supply security.

Australia Battery Materials Market Outlook Report

With Australia's abundance of battery raw materials, long-term challenges exist to develop its beneficiation strategy towards battery-grade precursor products.

The Lithium Triangle in South America

Argentina, Bolivia and Chile have long been low-cost sources of lithium supply for electric vehicles but greater ESG scrutiny means new processes must be adopted.

India Battery Materials Market Outlook

With high car ownership, dense cities, and the need to improve urban air quality, how can India adopt more electric vehicles and can city infrastructure cope?

Investor news and insights

How can we help you?

SFA (Oxford) provides bespoke, independent intelligence on the strategic metal markets, specifically tailored to your needs. To find out more about what we can offer you, please contact us.

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