Commodities Update Weak demand adds to pressure from ample supply The S&P GSCI Agriculture Commodity Price Index has begun 2015 the same way it finished 2014 – on a downward path. The index has fallen 4% since the start of the year, dragged down by a near 10% drop... 23rd January 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Silver to out-perform gold as both climb further An environment of rising gold prices and improving sentiment towards the global economy should see the price of silver out-perform its fellow precious metal. We are raising our forecasts for silver... 23rd January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Weak demand to push the price of cocoa lower Falling cocoa grindings in Europe, North America and Asia suggest that the world has lost some of its sweet tooth. We expect weaker demand and ample supply to push the price of cocoa lower. 23rd January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China and Euro-zone Flash Manufacturing PMIs (Jan) The flash PMIs for China, the euro-zone and Japan all rose in January. Admittedly, the increases were small, but signs of stronger domestic growth in China and a stabilisation in the euro-zone economy... 23rd January 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Mine closures to boost lead prices The lead price has mirrored falls in copper in recent months. Whilst demand growth is set to remain unspectacular in 2015, and sentiment may be weak, recent and impending mine closures will provide a... 22nd January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What does QE in the euro-zone mean for commodities? The European Central Bank’s decision to launch a large-scale programme of government bond purchases under quantitative easing (QE) is unlikely to provide a major boost to the prices of global... 22nd January 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update Fall in US oil rigs should lead to a fall in output, just not yet The fall in the number of rigs drilling for oil in the US is the latest sign that firms are beginning to respond to the collapse in oil prices by cutting back on investment. However, we expect US oil... 21st January 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Gold price on track for $1,400 The continued recovery in the gold price to $1,300 per ounce today means that it has already hit our (relatively bullish) target for the end of this year. Looking ahead, one big unknown is the market... 21st January 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update US steel prices should rebound in 2015 Recent weakness in US steel prices has mainly been driven by supply-side factors, not least Chinese supplies flooding the world market, as well as lower input prices. Considering the protectionist... 20th January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Will gold’s strong start to 2015 be sustained? The resilience of gold in the face of a surging dollar and collapsing oil price supports our view that the precious metal will recover further this year and next. The prospects for silver look... 14th January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Rising stocks to undermine soybean and grain prices World soybean production remains on track for a record harvest and is set to exceed consumption for the third year in a row. With stock levels and the consumption-to-stocks ratio rising, we expect... 13th January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s commodity imports holding up well The latest Chinese trade data show a rebound in most commodity imports in December, led by oil. While some buying was probably opportunistic, taking advantage of lower prices, the data also support... 13th January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What to make of the latest slump in oil prices There is no compelling reason why oil prices cannot fall further in the near term, but the current market panic looks increasingly overdone. Other commodity prices have held up relatively well. We... 6th January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Fall in US natural gas prices likely to be temporary Despite the recent weather-related fall in the price of US natural gas, we still expect prices to trend upwards over the next few years due to higher demand both at home and from overseas. 23rd December 2014 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Who is most exposed to the debts of oil majors? The fall in oil prices has raised concerns about oil majors’ ability to service debts accumulated during the good times. Risks are concentrated in Latin America, but there is plenty that both... 22nd December 2014 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Impact of Russian wheat restrictions should be limited As a major exporter of wheat, any measures imposed by Russia to keep more supplies at home arelikely to result in higher global prices, though current market conditions should limit the upside... 18th December 2014 · 1 min read
