Commodities Weekly A busy week ahead … It was a relatively quiet week on the news front, at least until the US labour data on Friday. The 33,000 drop in non-farm payrolls came as a surprise, even though markets had expected hurricane... 6th October 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Ample supply weighs on agriculturals There were some sharp moves in metals prices this week, as investors took positions ahead of the weeklong holiday in China. Meanwhile, oil prices edged higher on speculation that OPEC will extend its... 29th September 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Has the Fed spoiled the party? Much of the focus this week was on the outcome of the Fed’s FOMC meeting. In the event, it seems that a clear majority of Fed officials continue to expect another rate hike in 2017. This was a factor... 22nd September 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Profit-taking evident in metals There were some big gains this week in some of the agricultural commodities, primarily as a result of supply concerns. In contrast, weak Chinese August activity and spending data weighed on the prices... 15th September 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Is this the end of the price rally in metals? The impact of hurricanes in the US provided direction for many commodities this week. The price of crude oil started to recover as refineries in Texas restarted, but some agriculturals made gains on... 8th September 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly China data support metals rally The prices of most commodities rose this week. Another set of strong manufacturing PMIs in China supported industrial metals prices whilst a flare-up in tensions between the US and North Korea boosted... 1st September 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Metals on a roll The prices of most commodities – notably industrial metals – rose this week. While fundamentals have been supportive, we think that the most recent rallies in prices have been exaggerated by... 25th August 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Speculators give a boost to industrial metals prices The performance of commodities was mixed this week. Softer Chinese activity and construction data for July did little to cool the rally in industrial metals prices whilst increasing geopolitical risks... 18th August 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Rising geopolitical tension takes its toll on prices After a strong start to the week, most commodity prices fell back on Friday as concerns about the inflammatory rhetoric between the US and North Korea prompted investors to move out of riskier assets... 11th August 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Better economic news boosts industrial commodities A sharp rise in China’s July manufacturing PMI boosted the prices of most commodities last week, but we don’t think that the upturn in China’s economic activity will be sustained, given the increasing... 4th August 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Oil and copper lead the way This week, the prices of most commodities benefited from a further weakening of the US dollar and data showing that China’s growth accelerated in Q2. But individual fundamentals also played a role. In... 28th July 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly The weaker dollar bolsters commodities This week started on a positive note for industrial commodities with strong June activity and investment data out of China. A weaker US dollar was also supporting commodity prices, more generally... 21st July 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly All good, for now … The prices of most commodities, with the exception of agriculturals, rose this week. Data showing strong Chinese import demand gave a boost to the prices of industrials, while a further drop in US... 14th July 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly The focus will be on US policy This week started on a positive note with news that both the official and unofficial China manufacturing PMIs turned up in June. However, a bumper increase in US June non-farm payrolls on Friday... 7th July 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Dollar weakness helping to prop up prices It has been a relatively quiet week although the prices of most commodities rose, supported by a further depreciation of the US dollar. The precious metals were the relative underperformers, perhaps... 30th June 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Oil slides on oversupply concerns The price of Brent fell below $45 per barrel this week, reflecting investor concerns about oversupply. In contrast, the prices of most industrial metals rose, despite little in the way of positive... 23rd June 2017 · 1 min read
