Energy Update US natural gas prices to rise next year Stronger demand should help to boost US natural gas prices next year. But an increase in supply and high stocks will limit the increase. 20th December 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Mixed picture for metals stocks in 2016 Aside from a 14% m/m jump in copper inventories, there haven’t been any big changes in stocks over the past month. However, the year-to-date picture is more mixed, with the aluminium, tin and zinc... 15th December 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Fed tightening still consistent with strong commodity demand Yesterday’s US rate hike was widely anticipated, which probably explains the relatively muted responses in commodity markets. We expect the Fed to accelerate the pace of tightening in 2017, which... 15th December 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China Industrial Metals Demand Monitor (Nov.) China’s activity data for November painted a positive picture for metals demand. However, there are signs of a slowdown in the all-important construction sector which, coupled with official efforts to... 14th December 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Oil prices jump on the prospect of output cuts The price of oil rose sharply as oil producers surpassed market expectations by agreeing to cut supply by 1.8m barrels a day from January. Meanwhile, industrial metals prices rose further as investors... 13th December 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Limited upside for platinum prices in 2017 Platinum has substantially underperformed its sister metals – palladium and rhodium – this year as its higher correlation with gold has seen its price fall sharply since the US presidential election... 9th December 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s commodity imports bounce back China’s commodity import volumes jumped in November, despite markedly higher US dollar prices and a weaker renminbi. Trends in activity suggest that import demand will remain robust in the near-term... 8th December 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Palladium market to continue to tighten in 2017 The performances of the three main platinum group metals (PGMs) – platinum, palladium and rhodium – have diverged sharply over the past few months. Palladium has seen the biggest gains in the year-to... 2nd December 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Stocks continue to dwindle It has been a quiet month for stock movements, with the exception of copper. However, the drop in LME copper stocks and surge in Shanghai inventories can be largely explained by price arbitrage... 29th November 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update OPEC deal looks even more perilous Oil prices have been buffeted over the last week by hopes and concerns about the outcome of tomorrow’s OPEC meeting, but we still think that the group will manage to reach a face-saving deal. 29th November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Weakness in China’s metals imports could prove temporary China’s metals imports remained subdued in October as higher dollar prices and some further depreciation of the renminbi weighed on volumes. 25th November 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update Growing oil demand quietly rebalancing the market The focus of oil markets over the last few months has been squarely on the potential for OPEC to cut supply. However, growth in demand will have just as big an impact on oil prices over the next year... 24th November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China Industrial Metals Output Monitor (Sep./Oct.) China’s refinery output continued to grow in October, bolstered by rising prices. However, we think producers are overestimating demand, in which case production could fall back in coming months. 21st November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Trump victory proves divisive Industrial metals prices were already rising ahead of Donald Trump’s election to the US Presidency, but his victory appeared to provide new grounds for optimism as markets focussed on his plans for... 17th November 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Gold down, but not out? Right now the decision to nudge up our forecasts for the gold price in the wake of Donald Trump’s shock victory in the US presidential election may not look like a smart one. Indeed, the price of the... 16th November 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Investors turn positive on metals The prices of industrial metals have risen strongly in the last month on optimism about demand and a surge in investor buying. In contrast, sentiment has turned negative in the oil market as investors... 15th November 2016 · 1 min read
