Now that Barack Obama has been elected president and has promised change in almost every way possible, it’s high time to take a look at the effects that his administration could have on the economy, specifically platinum and the precious metals market. Regardless of how investors may feel about the overlying politics of this shift in government policies and attitudes, platinum stands to benefit immensely from a greener economy. All it takes is a little foresight and planning to take advantage of the biggest increase in platinum consumption in American history.

Hundreds of billions of dollars are being printed right now to help bailout the financial sector of America. Historically, this amount of cash injected directly into the economy has created inflation and a very lucrative environment for precious metals investors. Assuming at the very least that a small inflationary reaction will occur in the US economy sometime in the early months of the Obama presidency, it is little wonder that all signs point to precious metals. But an even greater boon is about to appear for precious metals, and platinum has the most to gain.

Mandating more fuel-efficient vehicles will likely be one of the biggest boosts to platinum consumption occurring under the Obama administration. Platinum is used in emission-control systems like catalytic converters as well as spark plugs and other high temperature automotive applications. As emissions restrictions tighten, people will look for ways to burn fuel more efficiently while creating less toxic waste. Platinum consumption will subsequently rise due to the initial rise in demand for products containing the white metal.

Another industry that uses a huge amount of platinum is the computer industry. As technology becomes more and more advanced, computers are needed to control the functions of almost every critical piece of everyday life. From iPods to in-car navigation computers to mainframes to computers that regulate wind farms and power distribution; these systems all use platinum, along with other precious metals in many of their most basic components. While trying to increase energy efficiency, increasing amounts of products containing platinum and other precious metals will be used.

America still has the enormous hurdles of a credit crisis and a possible inflationary economic cycle to overcome, yet it is clear that where there are plans for green energy alternatives, there should also be plans to benefit from the increased use of products containing platinum. In 2009 this precious metal phoenix is will rise from the current economic and political ashes. No other economic or cultural paradigm shift offers platinum investors more opportunity and potential for gains than that currently being planned by Obama’s administration. Federal money will be spent on many of these green energy projects, which could indirectly lead to a mini bailout for anyone keen enough to observe the potential explosion in demand for platinum.