Metal Could Help Strengthen Investment a? 3 (NAPSA)—An expected shortfall of stockpiles has investors eyeing a aes little-known but commonly used metal as a way to improve the mettle of their portfolios. Germaniumis a brittle, silverwhite metalloid that has many properties similar to silicon. It’s used in a variety of commercial applications, including fiber optics, and is a particularly important semiconducting material paving the way for smaller and more capable electronic chips. It also plays a significant role as a lifesaving commodity to the U.S. military, providing vastly superior night vision capabilities. In fact, germanium was added to the National Defense Stockpile in the early 1980s. But why the recent germanium interest by investors? China. The country controls the lion’s share of the world’s germanium reserves and has imposed restrictions on germanium sales and dis- tribution. Currently, America’s stockpile of germanium is expected to be depleted within two years, and demand is only expected to increase. As a result, North American-based germanium miners seem like an attractive pick for investors. For instance, the publicly traded company War Eagle Mining (TSX: WAR/Pink Sheets: WARGF) recently announced its focus on becoming the germanium market leader in North America. “Germanium is playing an increasingly importantrole for the An international squeeze on stockpiles of a certain metal has boosted interest in North Ameri- can mining companies. military and consumers, and the Chinese germanium market has a distinct lack of transparency. That could make Chinese investments seem like a risky choice,” says Terence F. Schorn, the company’s president. “Our background and experience leaves us well positioned to lead the North American market.” Today, the companyis actively exploring and developing new sources of this precious by-product in Chihuahua, Mexico—and investors have taken notice. Addingto the firm’s attractiveness are the recently expanded uses for germanium,includingnight vision applications for luxury cars, LED’s, SiGe semiconductor technology, IBM’s flash change memory, and a boom in the Asian fiber- optic market. Investors can learn more about germanium,its uses and the germanium market at the Web site www.wareaglemining.com.
