During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the tech boom triggered a surge in demand for critical materials used in electronics and networking equipment:
- Copper – to carry electricity and data
- Tin – used in electronic soldering
- Gold – used in corrosion-resistant connectors
- Rare earth elements – used in disk drives, displays, and fiber optics
The explosion of internet infrastructure, personal computers, and networking hardware meant the world suddenly needed far more metals than usual.
But mining and refining capacity couldn’t expand overnight. The result was a classic supply bottleneck.
But this metals shortage also created hidden investment opportunities.
This post originally appeared at InvestorPlace.