P.M. BRIEFING : Fusion Tests Spur Palladium Prices

LONDON — A flurry of speculative buying of palladium, recently used in nuclear fusion experiments in the United States and Europe, today pushed the price of the metal in Europe to its highest level in more than eight years, about $178 an ounce.

Palladium prices have jumped almost 27% since late March when two scientists, one American and one British, claimed to have sustained a nuclear fusion reaction at room temperature in an experiment using palladium and heavy water.

If the results of the experiments are confirmed, the breakthrough could herald a new era of cheap nuclear power and create a major market for palladium. Some speculators see this situation as a potentially golden opportunity to make money on the metal.