Cobalt will replace oil, look at early Chinese art to... People have been dependent on oil for far too long. Why? Because it's been the primary source of energy for the past century.
Now, oil is being phased out of many local economies. No longer will oil be the primary source for heating, and driving. Instead, cars will be powered by electric batteries and renewable energy, and cobalt will replace oil's role in civilization. With home batteries, and the innovation behind companies like Tesla, this market will exponentially grow, as renewable energy has the potential to replace nearly all forms of traditional energy, and that's significant.
This is not a short-term play. If anything, we are at the tip of an iceberg, and the dependency and size of the mountain below will surely continue to surprise. This is still early investment territory to get in on the cobalt craze.
Cobalt is far more scarce, a point many still have not grasped. As a leading International Chinese Art investor and Consultant, and more a point of interest than anything else (and definitely a unique perspective no mutual fund expert will give you), I can tell you that early Ming dynasty (1368-1644) deposits of cobalt have long vanished and depleted - hence the skyrocketing price of early Ming porcelain wares, where potent high-grade cobalt was used for the exquisite blue and white painting (ie: dragons and lotus flowers).
Cobalt is a scarce commodity, with varying grades, and the highest grades have long disappeared from world supplies, particularly after the Qianlong reign. Some of the finest porcelains fetch *millions* in the auction market, and at the end of the day, their price highly reflected in the quality of the cobalt blue and white painting, and depletion (extinction) of high grade supplies. Says something about supply and demand, scarcity, and where cobalt prices can go.
A fresh perspective, but the point being, Cobalt is not like bronze, or silver, or gold, or oil. It's unique, and forms the foundation of the electric age ahead. And it's fairly limited, and is a primary material for supply and production.
Cobalt has and will continue to become the primary material, the oil for the new century.
It's also no surprise that Cobalt is the number one investment target for numerous mutual and capital funds. Given the reserves in North America, and demand around the world, Cobalt has the opportunity to be a saviour and new direction for our economy.