There's a major helium shortage affecting a host of industries — and it's not clear how anyone is going to solve it.
There is no helium futures market, but a U.S. government auction carried out by the Bureau of Land Management last September saw crude helium prices jump a whopping 135 percent on-year for its 2019 delivery, according to Gasworld.Meanwhile, overall U.S. production has also fallen as the bureau has been rationing supply since February 2018 after a group of countries lead by Saudi Arabia announced an economic embargo of Qatar.
Helium is used as a cooling agent in MRIs and in manufacturing processes. Because helium is stable and does not react with other elements, it is also used in the making of semiconductors to create a contamination-free environment. Party City posted revenue gains and locked in 41 percent in gross margins last year. Still, the company's share price has tanked by 30 percent in the last six months. According to Motley Fool's Bylund, that's primarily because it's been hit by the dwindling supplies of helium gas, one of its key raw materials.
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Hmm...tough call. On one hand you have ... scientific research... but then...balloons...