Cobalt has a name with a more eccentric origin than most metals. It comes from "kobold", the goblins of German folklore, who 16th-century Saxon miners believed they were spoiling the copper or silver they were originally looking for. The ore looked promising, sickened the miners, and yielded nothing of value at the time. The obvious culprit: goblins.

Manganese has a somewhat ironic name. It comes from “Magnes”, meaning magnet in Latin, because it is often found in minerals which exhibit magnetic properties, without being magnetic itself. It is being spoken about more and more, along with its sidekicks nickel and cobalt (articles coming soon about them as well).

In early March 2026, aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange climbed to around $3,544 per tonne, their highest level in four years. Although it is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust.

Gold is not classified as a critical or strategic material on major national lists, nor is it explicitly featured in the outlooks of the International Energy Agency. But there is an angle that is often forgotten when talking about gold - it's not irrelevant role in the energy transition.

Picture of Molybdenum - By Alchemist-hp (Wikipedia) Molybdenum, or “moly”, as it is called in the industry, is a one of the unsung heroes of our modern industrial time. A quiet enabler, powering the industry and the energy transition from the shadows, often overlooked and little spoken about.