Between January and July 2025, NewGold ETF was still the busiest investment product of all ETFs on the Botswana Stock Exchange(BSE), with investors trading about P186 million worth of it, according to market data from the BSE.
Despite a lower volume of trades, NewGold ETF delivered a 37% price increase in the first seven months of 2025, up from 24% over the same period last year, according to Botswana Stock Exchange data. The ETF tracks the price of physical gold, allowing investors to benefit from movements in the metal’s market value.
By comparison, NewPlat ETF outperformed, with its price rising nearly 42% over the same period, rewarding investors with higher gains. The performance highlights platinum’s stronger returns relative to gold in the first half of the year.
Trading in NewPlat ETF surged sharply, rising from just P16 million last year to over P108 million in the first seven months of 2025, according to Botswana Stock Exchange data. The ETF, which tracks the price of platinum, has attracted significantly more investor attention alongside its strong price gains.
See also: Scarce & Shining: Investors Cash in On Platinum…But…
In a July note, the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) said platinum prices hit their highest level in ten years, climbing above $1,420 an ounce by 26 June. That’s a big jump, considering the metal had spent years stuck between $900 and $1,100 an ounce.
According to Edward Sterck of the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC), platinum’s price doesn’t change demand or supply very much. In other words, even if prices rise sharply, buyers still want it and miners can’t easily dig up more. This means demand will stay ahead of supply, leaving the platinum market short of metal.
Read also: Shifting Gears: Key Trends Shaping the Future of Platinum and Palladium ETFs
The world has been using up more platinum than it produces for three years in a row. This year alone, WPIC notes shows that the shortfall is expected to be about 966,000 ounces, after gaps of nearly a million ounces in 2024 and 896,000 ounces in 2023. Looking ahead, the platinum council expects shortages to continue every year right up to 2029.
Sterck wrote in the WPIC note that if these yearly shortages continue, the world’s stockpiles of platinum could be used up by 2029. At the same time, getting new supply is proving difficult — both from mining and from recycling old platinum.
“At the same time, the demand outlook is robust,”
he wrote.
“Demand for hybrid vehicles and slower-than-expected battery electric vehicle adoption is supportive of platinum automotive demand, while strong demand growth in both investment and jewellery is being experienced in China.”
See also: 2025 ETF Outlook: Gold On The Rise, Platinum Steady, Palladium to Drop
