Commodities Update Trade escalation and G7 do not change our oil view While the US-China trade war has escalated, we had already expected the two countries’ dispute to deepen. Meanwhile, although a thawing of US-Iran relations could mean a return to the market of... 27th August 2019 · 3 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Lead price rally to go into reverse We think that a recovery in refined lead production, ailing demand, and elevated trade tensions should cause the price of lead to drop by almost 15% by end-2019. 23rd August 2019 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update Is the services sector relevant to commodities? So far, the current global economic downturn has been driven by a marked decline in manufacturing activity, with obvious negative implications for commodities demand and prices. Less intuitively, we... 23rd August 2019 · 2 mins read
Energy Update Any UK petroleum reserve sell-off would be small beer A no deal Brexit later this year could mean that the UK government decides to substantially reduce its strategic reserves of petroleum products. But even after a reduction, the UK’s reserves should... 23rd August 2019 · 3 mins read
Energy Update Brent-WTI price spread to remain low The dramatic narrowing of the spread between the prices of Brent and WTI oil in the last month, reflects a structural change in the market as logistical bottlenecks in the US are being resolved. As... 20th August 2019 · 2 mins read
Precious Metals Update Palladium and rand dent platinum’s prospects We forecast that a weaker South African rand coupled with the high prices of by-products at platinum mines will mean that the price of platinum stays firmly in the doldrums over the next couple of... 19th August 2019 · 3 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Copper caught up in the global malaise Copper prices are hovering near two-year lows, reflecting investor concerns about the outlook for global growth. While dwindling mine supply should put a floor under prices, deteriorating investor... 16th August 2019 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update USDA estimates for supply disappoint grains markets The higher-than-expected forecasts for wheat and corn production in 2019/20 included in the USDA’s latest projections have sent prices tumbling. While we think that agricultural markets are right to... 13th August 2019 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Cobalt prices to soar Glencore’s decision to temporarily close the world’s largest cobalt mine by the end of this year has given cobalt prices a shot in the arm. As a result, the price of cobalt could rally by more than 60... 13th August 2019 · 3 mins read
Energy Update Little respite for LNG prices likely before 2021 The raft of liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the works suggests that the downward pressure on prices from surging global supply will continue this year and next. But with demand growth set to... 13th August 2019 · 3 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Nickel’s rally is premature Nickel prices have surged in recent weeks, owing to optimism over future demand from the electric vehicle sector and speculation that Indonesia’s ban on nickel ore exports could be brought forward... 9th August 2019 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update Upturn in China’s imports flatters to deceive China’s commodity imports jumped in July, but this comes after pitifully low volumes in prior months and, in some cases, merely reflected improved availability. As such, it is unlikely to mark the... 8th August 2019 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Back to normality for iron ore Iron ore prices have plunged by a sixth so far in August and we think that rebounding output and slower Chinese demand growth will mean that prices will fall by a further 20% to $80 per tonne by end... 7th August 2019 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update Metals in firing line of latest US tariffs Commodity prices plummeted yesterday in a knee-jerk reaction to the news of more US tariffs on Chinese goods. We have argued for some time that the US-China trade war was likely to escalate, and it... 2nd August 2019 · 3 mins read
Precious Metals Update Q2 & H1 2019 World Gold Council Demand Trends Central bank buying and ETF inflows underpinned robust demand for gold in the first half of 2019. While we think that strong official sector buying will continue, ETFs may start to see outflows as... 1st August 2019 · 3 mins read
Energy Update A flood of LNG to keep a lid on EU natural gas prices In this Update we are launching our coverage of the European TTF natural gas price. In short, we think that surging global supply of liquefied natural gas will keep EU markets amply supplied over the... 1st August 2019 · 4 mins read
