Industrial Metals Update Production woes delay iron ore price drop A tropical cyclone and a burst dam will mean lower iron ore output from the three largest producers this year, which we believe will swing the market into a deficit. In our view, this deficit will... 5th April 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Update Oversupply to act as a lid on the price of LNG The recent plunge in the spot price of Asia liquefied natural gas (LNG) in part reflects warmer-than average winter temperatures, but there is a more structural problem in the form of excess supply... 5th April 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Still grounds for caution, despite stronger China PMIs The strength of the latest China survey data may signal that growth there has passed its low-point. But we think there are still reasons to be cautious, with negative implications for most commodity... 1st April 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Update Future SPR buying to have little impact on oil prices We estimate that strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs) in India and China are at record highs and will continue to increase in the years ahead. In contrast, we think that US reserves will slide... 29th March 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Update Are there lessons to be learnt from 2012-13? The spike in oil prices in 2018 followed a similar pattern to the spike in 2012. As such, the price trend in 2012-13 can perhaps tell us something about the likely direction of prices this year. To be... 28th March 2019 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Zinc prices to be blown off course While dwindling exchange stocks have helped to boost the price of zinc in recent months, we think that prices are set to drop appreciably later this year as increased mine output finally starts to... 27th March 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Update Oil stocks are unlikely to fall sharply in 2019 The guiding principle behind OPEC’s recent production cuts is to reduce global oil stocks and to put prices on a firmer footing. In the near term, stocks may decline given that OPEC is now producing... 22nd March 2019 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Silver prices likely to rebound Despite weaker industrial demand, we expect silver prices to rally by more than 10% this year as safe-haven demand returns and mine production falters. 19th March 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Weak industrial production points to lower prices The recent upturn in most commodity prices appears at odds with the negative trend in global manufacturing. Of course, supply factors could explain the divergence, and probably do in the case of oil... 19th March 2019 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Emissions drama returns to the PGM markets This week Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced a recall of almost 1 million vehicles. But even this should be insufficient to prevent palladium or rhodium prices from dropping markedly from... 15th March 2019 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Nickel set to lose its star performer tag Nickel prices have surged since the start of this year, but we think that this leaves the metal particularly vulnerable to the global economic slowdown and higher output. 14th March 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Update High global stocks to weigh on wheat and corn prices Elevated levels of global end-stocks have prompted us to review our price forecasts. We have downgraded our end-2019 corn price forecast but left the price outlook for wheat and soybean unchanged for... 12th March 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s trade not all bad news for commodities China’s imports and exports dropped sharply in February. Admittedly, some of the plunge can be explained by the shift in timing of the Lunar New Year holiday, but we expect trade to remain weak in the... 8th March 2019 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Trade deal will not prevent prices falling Industrial metals prices have risen robustly this year, but we think that the rally is running out of steam. Even if a US - China trade agreement is reached, a slowdown in global growth and an... 7th March 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s unrealistic pledges to import US commodities There has been a surprisingly muted reaction in commodity markets to the latest reports that China and the US are close to a trade deal. We think this reflects a combination of the fact that much of... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Gold still set to shine Despite having risen by over a tenth in the past six months, we believe that the upswing in the gold price has further to run. Our forecast of falling equity prices this year suggests strong demand... 1st March 2019 · 1 min read
