The IAEA also reported that its investigators had found a discrepancy of 44 pounds, or about 20 kilograms, of raw uranium metal at an Iranian laboratory.

WSJ: Iran Is Ramping Up Nuclear-Fuel Output

Investors had been further spooked by an explosive bubble in the uranium market, the metal used to fuel nuclear reactors.

FORBES: Magazine Article

In the commodity world the momentum has been found in such areas as rare earth, precious metal, coals and uranium however the steel names have not performed as one would expect.

FORBES: Goldman's Good Cheer. Long AKS

Even if the strong dollar hurts Penrice's profits, the mining boom does have some benefits: the company sells some of its soda ash to miners, such as Uranium One, which will mine the metal in South Australia and export it, probably to Japan and elsewhere.

ECONOMIST: Petri-dish economies

Until 1968, only the federal government could own uranium in the U.S. Although investors still cannot physically possess uranium and there is no formal exchange for the metal, as there is for gold, oil and copper, they can legally own it, if only on paper.

FORBES: Uranium Market Glowing Green

Experts at Ux Consulting (UxC), which produces what has become the industry standard price index for uranium, noted that while underlying fundamentals remain strong, financial speculation and the possible dumping of supplies into the market could keep prices for the yellow metal suppressed in the short to medium run. (Read Uranium and Nuclear Stocks Feel The Shock Waves Of Fukishima Meltdown).

FORBES: Speculators Push Uranium Prices Down, China Keeps Long Term Prospects Intact

One metal, though, which has received little attention but poses atomic possibilities, is uranium.

FORBES: Forget Gold and Oil, Buy Uranium!