With some recent SEC rule changes, a physically backed platinum and palladium ETF may soon be trading on the NYSE.  Traders believe the move clears the way for the ETFS Platinum and ETFS Palladium Trusts to begin trading sooner rather than later and that has sent prices of those metals higher with an anticipation of higher demand.

The funds would buy up platinum and palladium and put it in storage to back the ETF shares which seek to track the price of the metal.  It’s a nice way for investors to trade the price of the underlying metal without actually having to physically own the metal.

If you don’t want to wait for the metal backed platinum ETF, there are currently two ways to play platinum prices through ETN’s (that don’t physically hold the underlying metal). 

One way is through the iPath Platinum Trust (PGM)
The other is the E-Tracs Long Platinum ETN (PTM)

Both aren’t all that liquid and trade under 100K shares a day, but liquidity is improving and the spread and between the bid and ask isn’t all that significant.