Commodities Update Industrials looking vulnerable to a turn in sentiment Commodity prices have generally risen in the last month, despite a further appreciation of the US dollar. That said, the likelihood of a US interest rate hike before end-2016 weighed on precious... 19th October 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Recent fall in stocks suggests metals markets are tightening Exchange stocks of metals have fallen across the board over the past month. In most cases, dwindling mine supply, rather than strong demand, was responsible for the decline. While there might well be... 13th October 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s September commodity imports hold up rather well A renewed contraction in China’s import bill grabbed the headlines this morning, but China’s commodity import volumes were actually surprisingly strong last month. 13th October 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update What might the US election mean for energy commodities? The initial uncertainty created by what would now be a shock win for Donald Trump in November’s US presidential election would surely be negative for the prices of industrial commodities, including... 12th October 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Nickel prices on increasingly shaky ground The price of nickel has had a good run, but ultimately stocks are high, demand is unexciting albeit solid and supply prospects may improve. As such, we suspect that prices will struggle in the near... 10th October 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Central banks resume gold buying in August The latest data suggest that gold buying from the official sector recovered somewhat in August but overall demand in the year to date remains subdued. That said, we think that the case for gold as a... 7th October 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Is China’s appetite for gold faltering? The slump in China’s imports of gold in August has raised concerns about the country’s appetite for the yellow metal. However, the bigger picture is one of relatively robust demand so far this year... 30th September 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update US natural gas prices unlikely to rise much further Stronger supply and weaker demand from utilities over the next few months, assuming normal weather, should help keep the price of US natural gas steady until the end of the year. 30th September 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Resilient Chinese economy supports prices Industrial metals prices have profited in the last month from relatively upbeat economic data out of China as well as the Fed’s decision not to raise interest rates just yet. We expect China’s economy... 29th September 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update What do higher coking coal prices mean for iron ore? The recent doubling of coking coal prices has been cited as good news for the price of iron ore. However, we think quite the contrary. A supply shock has underpinned the rally in coking coal prices... 26th September 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China’s metals imports remained subdued in August August was another weak month for China’s metals imports. In some cases, lower supply and higher prices have weighed on import volumes. However, relatively soft underlying demand could have also... 22nd September 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update What to make of promises of more output from Libya and Nigeria Planned increases in output from Libya and Nigeria makes it even less likely that major oil producers will agree an output freeze next week in Algeria. But the output gains will have to be sustained... 22nd September 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Dollar strength weighs on sentiment A stronger dollar, a reduction in risk appetite and a scaling back of expectations that oil producers will actually limit output made it a tough month for most commodities. However, the price of gold... 20th September 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China Industrial Metals Output Monitor (Jul./Aug.) Detailed Chinese industrial production figures for August paint a mixed picture of refining activity. While refined copper production was growing strongly, there were sharp downturns in tin and nickel... 20th September 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update Spare oil production capacity ample for now We think that concerns about the lack of spare capacity in the oil market are overdone as supply is already ample and stocks are high. However, as the market tightens over the next few years, low... 15th September 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Rising stocks weigh on copper prices The ongoing surge in LME copper stocks was the key development last month and contributed to renewed bearish sentiment towards the metal. In contrast, stocks of all the other metals have fallen over... 15th September 2016 · 1 min read
