There’s an ETF for That? Platinum and Palladium

Platinum ETFs

Platinum is often associated with jewelry and collectible bars or coins, but its economic role extends far beyond adornment. Unlike gold, platinum is not a meaningful central bank reserve asset. Its importance comes primarily from industrial demand.

Platinum is widely used in catalytic converters to reduce vehicle emissions, in chemical and petroleum refining, in glass manufacturing, and in medical applications such as cancer drugs and surgical equipment. It also plays a role in hydrogen fuel cells.

Even if you have never bought platinum directly, you have likely encountered it in your car’s exhaust system, electronics, or medical devices without realizing it.

The largest platinum ETF is the Aberdeen Physical Platinum Shares ETF PPLT, with $3.27 billion in AUM. For its 0.6% expense ratio, the ETF tracks the spot price of platinum, less expenses, during market hours when the fund is trading.

Like many spot precious metals ETFs, PPLT is structured as a grantor trust registered under the Securities Act of 1933. This structure is commonly used for physical commodity exposure.

One feature that stands out, and one I personally prefer, is the level of transparency. Aberdeen publishes a detailed bar list on its website, along with independent vault inspection reports. Investors can see exactly what is held and where it is stored.

Palladium ETFs

Aberdeen also offers a full suite of physical precious metals ETFs covering gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. For palladium exposure, the flagship option is the Aberdeen Physical Palladium Shares ETF PALL, which has $1.28 billion in AUM and the same 0.6% expense ratio.

Palladium is even rarer than platinum and far less well known among retail investors. Like platinum, it can be purchased in physical form, but the ETF structure is often the simplest way to gain exposure.

Palladium is used extensively in catalytic converters, particularly for gasoline-powered vehicles, as well as in electronics, dentistry, and certain chemical processes. If you drive a gas-powered car or use modern electronics, you are likely benefiting from palladium’s properties without ever seeing it.

Structurally, PALL is nearly identical to PPLT. It is a grantor trust under the Securities Act of 1933, holds physical bullion, and tracks the spot price of the metal minus expenses.

There are no derivatives, no leverage, and no income overlays. It is about as plain vanilla as a commodity ETF gets, which I find refreshing in 2026, given the explosion of complex, derivative-heavy products elsewhere in the ETF market.

Buying the Whole Basket

For investors who want broader precious metals exposure beyond just gold or silver, the go-to option is the Aberdeen Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF GLTR. The ETF has $2.92 billion in AUM and carries the same 0.6% expense ratio as Aberdeen’s single-metal funds.

GLTR holds physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in a single vehicle, using the same 1933 Act grantor trust structure as the rest of the lineup. Rather than making a concentrated bet on one metal, this ETF offers diversified exposure across the precious metals complex.

Viewed that way, GLTR functions as a multi-allocation precious metals ETF. It captures two overlapping themes that these metals share. The first is currency debasement and the role hard assets can play when confidence in fiat money erodes. The second is industrial demand, where platinum and palladium sit alongside gold and silver as critical inputs across transportation, electronics, energy, and manufacturing.

For investors who want exposure to the theme as a whole rather than a single metal, this basket approach keeps the implementation simple.

Please note this article is for information purposes only and does not in any way constitute investment advice. It is essential that you seek advice from a registered financial professional prior to making any investment decision.