Energy Update No let-up for oil anytime soon The latest leg-down in oil prices is not so surprising given that demand is collapsing at a time of rising supply. We think oil prices will only pick up if, as we expect, economic activity revives... 30th March 2020 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly Supply cuts unlikely to lift prices yet Commodity prices are still highly volatile, but they have remained in the doldrums this week despite the rally in other risky assets, notably equities. We have argued for some time that until the... 27th March 2020 · 7 mins read
Commodities Update For now, the worst-case scenario will be avoided We think there will be some permanent loss of commodity consumption in 2020 owing to virus-related disruption to activity, but we do see prices picking up later this year as economic growth starts to... 26th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Commodities Weekly Commodity prices still on thin ice Industrial commodity prices slumped this week amid virus-related economic disruption in the US and Europe and rising concerns about a deeper economic downturn in Asia, particularly China. Meanwhile... 20th March 2020 · 7 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report The latest US stocks data went largely unnoticed today as prices continued to plunge on concerns about the spread of coronavirus. But, for what it is worth, we expect stocks to climb in the coming... 18th March 2020 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly Still some way from the bottom Commodity prices tumbled this week, echoing moves in other financial markets. Oil was among the worst performers as Saudi Arabia and Russia announced that they will ramp up output from April, after... 13th March 2020 · 7 mins read
Commodities Update Gold to find its feet later in the year In the last few weeks, we have revised down our forecast for global economic growth this year owing to the hit to activity from the coronavirus. At the same time, we now expect looser global monetary... 13th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update It’s a war for market share, not price Against a backdrop of a coronavirus-related slump in demand, Saudi Arabia appears to have abandoned efforts to balance the oil market and is instead aiming to protect market share. Its pledge to... 9th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Commodities Weekly Oil prices plunge as Russia refuses to play ball Oil prices closed below $50 per barrel this week for the first time in two years as Russia refused to rollover or deepen OPEC+ output cuts at the latest meeting with OPEC in Vienna. As a result, we... 6th March 2020 · 7 mins read
Metals Chart Pack Don’t rule out further price falls February was another poor month for industrial metals. However, prices fell by less than in January and policy loosening seems to have stabilised prices more recently. That said, the outbreak of COVID... 6th March 2020 · 7 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report US crude stocks continued to edge higher this week as a rise in domestic crude output and lower refinery activity offset a fall in net imports. Product demand remains healthy for now, but if COVID-19... 4th March 2020 · 2 mins read
Commodities Chart Pack Prices still searching for the bottom Commodity prices continued to fall in February as the coronavirus, which started in China, spread to most other regions of the world and sparked fears of a slowdown in global economic activity. We... 4th March 2020 · 8 mins read
Commodities Update China’s PMI readings prompt hopes of stimulus China’s PMIs slumped in February, and a particularly worrying drop in the employment component suggests that a swift recovery is not on the cards. The data do, however, bolster our case that economic... 2nd March 2020 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly Virus is prompting a rethink of forecasts The prices of almost all commodities plunged this week amid fears that the coronavirus is morphing into a pandemic, with negative implications for global economic activity and commodities demand... 28th February 2020 · 7 mins read
Commodities Weekly Markets to remain concerned about China’s demand Industrial commodity prices trod water this week as investors struggled to assess the extent of the economic fallout from COVID-19. That said, the lingering sense of uncertainty put wind in the sails... 21st February 2020 · 7 mins read
Commodities Update Strong dollar not necessarily a major headwind Our forecast for the US dollar to remain strong in 2020 suggests downward pressure on commodities prices. However, we would argue that there are instances when commodity prices can still rise -... 18th February 2020 · 3 mins read