The long-anticipated switch to a limited use of platinum in petrol engines is a certainty due to the shortage of palladium, the preferred metal in anti-pollution devices, a report by the World Platinum Investment Council reads.

The negative consequences on the market arising from the spread of the Covid-19 virus, which had its epicentre in Wuhan in China, could be muted if the outbreak is contained “in a matter of months”, the World Platinum Investment Council said...