Always listen to the doctor.

Dr. EyjoG, the resident economics guru of EVE Online has stepped in to ward off a potential economic crisis. Unlike the current world economy, EVE's economy can be reconfigured somewhat on the fly when undesired trends rear their ugly heads. Apparently there is a condition with inventions that is putting considerable strain on two moon minerals and unchecked could lead to serious issues. First EVE's take on the issue:

”In particular, two rare moon minerals - dysprosium and (to a lesser extent) promethium - are becoming ever-more expensive as increased demand puts pressure on a limited supply. This is likely to become an increasingly large issue as time goes on, with prices for these minerals continuing to rise due to demand, and the increased price being passed on to the consumer of the final product.

As luck would have it, EVE has found a way to fix the problem and provides players with a narrative on the solution:

”We've created six new reactions which allow you to create key intermediate materials without relying on the rarest moon minerals. This isn't, of course, an efficient process! Each rare mineral has been assigned a more common counterpart, which can be used in the place of the rare mineral in these new reactions at a ratio of 20:1, which roughly approximates the difference in moon count between the rare mineral and the common mineral in each case.”

In a well written explanation of the reasoning and thought process, players should understand the situation, but I'm sure the ones cornering the current market will cry foul. I know I would (but I like unfair advantages). For more information on the change, go to My EVE Online.