Commodities Update Oil market to feel the weight of rising inventories Low OECD commercial oil inventories have so far provided OPEC+ some cover to raise output, but we suspect that a softening in global demand and increases in OPEC+ supply will lead to commercial oil... 16th September 2025 · 5 mins read
Commodities Update OPEC+ desire to pump will lead to oil prices falling OPEC+ seems to be cautiously optimistic on the strength of the oil market as it remains committed to unwinding voluntary output cuts. However, we suspect it will become increasingly clear that the oil... 8th September 2025 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update Are data centres driving up US electricity prices? Electricity prices in the US have been hitting the headlines, with some laying the blame at the feet of the AI rollout and data centre construction. This Update answers key questions on what is... 3rd September 2025 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update Weak Chinese LNG imports to loosen overall market Weak Chinese LNG demand has been a striking feature of the LNG market in 2025, and we suspect demand will remain soft into next year. Given China is the world’s largest buyer of LNG, weaker Chinese... 11th August 2025 · 3 mins read
Emerging Europe Economics Update The Trump-Putin meeting & implications for the Ukraine war The announcement that Presidents Trump and Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday has increased the possibility of a scenario in which the Ukraine war ends on terms favourable to Russia. That could... 11th August 2025 · 4 mins read
India Economics Update Trump takes a jab at India and the oil market If the extra 25% tariff that President Trump has announced on imports from India remains in place, India’s attractiveness as an emerging manufacturing hub will be hugely undermined. Global oil prices... 6th August 2025 · 5 mins read
India Economics Update Can India wean itself off Russian oil? India could in principle find suppliers other than Russia to meet its energy needs relatively easily with little economic impact. Indeed, Indian oil refiners are reportedly reducing their purchases... 5th August 2025 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update What are the next steps for OPEC+? We suspect that OPEC+ will have to take a break before unwinding the next layer of voluntary cuts or otherwise face a ballooning surplus in the oil market. Our base case is that the group will begin... 4th August 2025 · 4 mins read
Global Economics Update New US tariff regime still not the end of the story President Trump’s latest flurry of tariffs implies that the US effective tariff rate will rise to about 18%, from 2.3% last year. That is a little higher than we assumed and so presents modest... 1st August 2025 · 5 mins read
Commodities Update Gold’s evolving role in asset allocation One key driver of the rise in gold-backed ETF holdings appears to be increased demand from institutional investment managers. Given the weaker relationship between gold prices and US TIPS yields... 31st July 2025 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update How quickly have OPEC+ been increasing output? Despite some question marks being cast over whether the eight OPEC+ producers unwinding voluntary are keeping pace with the increases in quotas, our assessment is that they have added supply to the... 23rd July 2025 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update Low EU gas storage levels to push prices up this year European natural gas stores are low and efforts to refill them will support prices over the rest of this year. Further ahead, increased supply should bring prices down to a below consensus €25 per MWh... 15th July 2025 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update Can energy markets eat secondary tariffs on Russia? In light of President Trump's announcement of a reduced deadline of 10 to 12 days for Russia to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine, we are re-sending this Update assessing the... 14th July 2025 · 6 mins read
Commodities Update US copper tariffs mask soft underlying fundamentals The looming imposition of tariffs on copper by the US will continue to support prices in the US. But for all the attention on the surge in prices there, it won’t be long before fundamentals snap back... 9th July 2025 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update US agriculture to remain resilient in face of headwinds The combination of exposure to retaliatory tariffs, upward pressure on input costs, and heavy reliance on “unauthorised” labour means that the outlook for the US farming sector is highly uncertain... 9th July 2025 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update Oil market fundamentals snap back into focus The Israel-Iran ceasefire is likely to prove fragile. But so long as both parties show themselves unwilling to attack export-related energy infrastructure and/or disrupt shipping flows through the... 24th June 2025 · 3 mins read
