Industrial Metals Update Rising protectionism poses a real threat to cobalt Profit-taking and deteriorating investor sentiment were the main drivers of the recent fall in the price of cobalt. As such, for now, we are sticking with our end-year forecast of $100,000 per tonne... 10th July 2018 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Gold: short-term pain, long-term gain Despite mounting trade tensions, the price of gold has slumped in recent weeks prompting some commentators to question its safe-haven appeal. While we expect gold to remain under pressure in the short... 6th July 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What can China’s equities tell us about commodities? We do not think that the latest slump in China’s equity prices will make a meaningful difference to the country’s commodity demand. However, it does suggest that investors are coming round to our long... 3rd July 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s PMIs signal weaker demand China’s unofficial and official manufacturing PMIs point to a somewhat softer economy in June. We expect further weakness ahead, which will continue to weigh on the prices of most commodities. 2nd July 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Trade tensions cast a wide net Concerns about the escalation in trade tensions and the potential negative implications for global GDP growth have sparked a sell-off in commodity markets this month. However, even if fears of a trade... 27th June 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Prices to fall further The prices of industrial metals have been caught up in the general market sell-off following the ramping up of trade tensions between the US and China. We expect prices to continue to trend lower over... 21st June 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update Will tariffs dampen oil demand? The retaliatory tariffs which China has threatened to impose on oil imports from the US would not in themselves change the balance of supply and demand in global oil markets. But if China chooses to... 18th June 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update Oil and coal prices to fall, but gas to remain strong We think that differing outlooks for demand will cause the prices of energy commodities to diverge over the rest of this year, despite their recent close correlation. 14th June 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Lower production to support grains prices Adverse weather this year has prompted us to revise down our estimates of the forthcoming global grain and soybean harvests. Stocks remain at comfortable levels, but we have also nudged up our price... 14th June 2018 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Fed tightening to put a cap on gold prices in 2018 Somewhat counterintuitively, the price of gold edged higher following the Federal Reserve’s decision to hike US interest rates for the second time this year. But we don’t think this is the start of a... 14th June 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Copper rally won’t last The ongoing wage negotiations at several copper mines are likely to keep prices well supported in the short term. However, we think that growing supply and only subdued demand will weigh on copper... 12th June 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Weakness in China’s oil imports only temporary China’s commodity import volumes rebounded in May owing to a pick-up in demand for metals. However, imports of energy commodities remained weak. We still think that commodity import growth is likely... 8th June 2018 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Silver’s outperformance won’t last While a jump in US Treasury yields has weighed on the price of gold over the past month, the price of silver has rallied. However, we doubt that silver will outperform gold for long. 7th June 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Will the lead rally be sustained? Over the past month, the price of lead has surged. This appears to be the result of a clampdown on recycling plants in China, which has reduced scrap lead supply since the start of the year. However... 6th June 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update Brent-WTI spread to narrow again The dramatic surge in US oil output so far this year has weighed on the price of WTI and widened the Brent-WTI spread. But we still expect US production to grow strongly in 2018-19. An increase in... 5th June 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Divergence with the dollar unlikely to last In the last month, commodity prices have risen or held steady, despite a sharp appreciation of the US dollar. We think that the long-run inverse relationship will be restored in the second half of... 5th June 2018 · 1 min read
