Commodities Weekly Commodities pause for breath Most commodity prices were little changed this week despite strong activity data from China. Indeed, the only industrial metals to record gains were tin and lead whose prices were buoyed by ongoing... 21st October 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Steel Production (Sep.) World Steel Association (WSA) data, released this afternoon, show a 2% y/y rise in global steel output in September, slightly stronger than the 1.9% y/y growth a month earlier. After a weak start to... 20th October 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Aluminium Production (Sep.) According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), global primary aluminium output rose by 1.2% y/y in September. However, in a reversal of the trend that has prevailed for much of this year... 20th October 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Fed drives a wedge between metals prices The performance of industrial and precious metals prices has diverged in the last month. Industrial metals have benefited from more positive economic data out of China while precious metals have... 20th October 2016 · 1 min read
Global Markets Outlook Will the Fed rock the boat? We expect risky assets to fare well in 2017/18, even as the yields of US Treasury bonds continue toclimb in response to tighter-than-expected Fed policy. We think the stock market in the US will only... 19th October 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Crude oil and gasoline stocks diverged last week with a large drop in net-imports dragging crude stocks down and a fall in demand helping gasoline inventories build. 19th October 2016 · 1 min read
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
Commodities Outlook Near-term risks largely on the downside The recent more positive tone in commodity markets has been helped by a number of tailwinds that may be about to fade, if not reverse. The boost to Chinese demand from policy stimulus now already... 18th October 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi Arabia to ease pace of austerity in 2017-18 Saudi Arabia’s upcoming international bond issuance and the recent OPEC agreement have put the spotlight back on to the country’s adjustment to low oil prices. One point that is often overlooked is... 18th October 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly US dollar appreciation constrains prices The prices of most industrial commodities fell this week, as the US dollar continued to appreciate. Doubts about whether OPEC’s plans for an output quota will lead to any meaningful cuts to supply... 14th October 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report (13th Oct. 16) The negative impact on prices of a large rise in crude inventories was more than offset by sharp falls in stocks of gasoline and distillates as refinery utilisation dipped again. 13th 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
Metals Data Response South Africa’s Mine Production (Aug. 16) South Africa’s total mine production continued to fall in August, but PGM output recovered as miners took advantage of higher prices. Looking ahead, we think there is a risk of supply disruptions in... 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
Metals Watch What would a Trump victory mean for metals prices? We don’t pretend to know how the political race in the US will develop or who will eventually win the presidency, but in this Metals Watch we aim to shed some light on the potential impact on metals... 12th October 2016 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC production ramps up as Nigeria and Libya return OPEC production rose in September as Libya and Nigeria ramped up exports. Saudi Arabia’s output did fall, but this is likely to be a seasonal effect rather than a policy shift. 12th October 2016 · 1 min read
