Commodities Update No respite for commodities yet Commodity prices have continued their decline over the past month, with both the GSCI and Bloomberg commodity indices falling to levels last seen in mid-2009. As a result, the gulf between returns... 17th August 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Will the fall in aluminium prices lead to output cuts? The sharp fall in aluminium prices this year could be expected to lead to output cuts across the industry. But with China’s production less sensitive to prices, output cuts are more likely elsewhere... 14th August 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Q2 World Gold Council Demand Trends In its latest World Demand Trends report, published today, the World Gold Council depicted a challenging time for gold in Q2. Demand was weak across all sectors but supply also fell, meaning that... 13th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Boost to US harvests puts prices under more pressure Higher estimates by the USDA for US corn and soybean production this year (2015/16) have seen crop prices plummet. But with ample world supplies and rising stocks, we think prices can fall further. 13th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What China’s ‘‘devaluation’’ means for commodity prices All else equal, a weaker renminbi means that US dollar-denominated commodities will be more expensive in local currency terms for Chinese buyers. However, with the renminbi unlikely to go into... 12th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Further fall in Brazilian real could add to sugar’s woes Continued weakness in the Brazilian currency could undermine the price of sugar further. However, we think greater ethanol production and consumption in Brazil will provide some support to the price... 11th August 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update Additional cuts in investment to help oil prices rise next year The renewed decline in oil prices has prompted another round of investment and job cuts in the sector. Slower growth in non-OPEC output should therefore support a partial recovery in prices over the... 11th August 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Investor sentiment shows tentative signs of improvement The prices of precious metals (PMs) have fallen sharply since mid-July as sentiment towards commodities in general plummeted. A further slump in Chinese equities and unexpectedly weak Chinese PMI... 10th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Malaysia Monthly Palm Oil Data (Jul.) Data released earlier today by Malaysia’s Palm Oil Board show that crude palm oil production in July reached its highest monthly level since October last year. Stocks also rose sharply, adding to... 10th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s commodity import volumes hold up well China’s commodity import volumes were generally strong in July, for the second consecutive month. Although low prices probably encouraged buying, it is also likely that government stimulus is starting... 10th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Corn prices to fall, despite lower EU harvest Despite a large downgrade to the outlook for the EU’s 2015 corn harvest, global supplies and stocks are likely to remain high. As such, we think the price of corn will fall further this year. 7th August 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Currency depreciation won’t help producers much longer Depreciating producer currencies have played a major role in cushioning mining companies’ margins in recent years. However, with the prices of most precious metals below production costs even in local... 7th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Weak demand to push soybean prices lower The continued fall in China’s pig herd is likely to undermine soybean demand growth over the second half of the year. Coupled with ample supplies, we think soybean prices will end the year lower. 6th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Investor sentiment wanes Surging prices of a number of agricultural commodities from mid June to early July saw investors increase the number of net long non-commercial positions. However, recent improvements in the prospects... 6th August 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update Obama and the EPA escalate the “war on coal” The rules set out by the US Environmental Protection Agency should ultimately serve to reduce demand for coal and put downward pressure on prices, even if there are lengthy legal challenges. 4th August 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Plenty of upside for the price of lumber The price of US lumber fell almost 30% between the start of the year and mid-May, weighed down by a poor start to the year for US housing starts. After a brief rally in June, the price has slumped... 31st July 2015 · 1 min read
