Raw materials are the great unknown of the world economy and also of the financial world. All plans and scenarios depend on whether oil, copper or rare earths are available - and at what price. The latter is notoriously difficult for financial analysts to predict. Either the treasures of the earth follow a kind of “pig cycle” in which a rapid rise in prices is followed by an abrupt drop in prices - or they are in a super cycle. In such a mega house, which lasts for several years or an entire decade, price increases are possible in a dimension that previously seemed unimaginable. There are many indications that such a permanent rally is just around the corner.