Commodities Update Latest news from China unsettles commodities Another set of lacklustre China PMI surveys and recent falls in the renminbi against the dollar are weighing on the prices of many commodities again today. China’s economic recovery should still pick... 1st June 2016 · 1 min read
China Economics Update What difference would MSCI inclusion make? A decision to include mainland Chinese shares in MSCI’s global equity indices would cause ripples rather than waves in Shanghai and Shenzhen. 31st May 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update How low could gold and silver go? If precious metals continue to take their lead from the currency markets and if the US dollar surges in response to a June or July hike from the Fed, then the price of gold could slump to as low as $1... 31st May 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Cobalt prices should benefit from strong demand We have been positive on the outlook for cobalt demand for some time but, if anything, prospects are continuing to improve. Lithium-ion batteries, the majority of which contain cobalt, are rapidly... 31st May 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Few surprises expected at OPEC meeting This week’s OPEC meeting in Vienna is likely to pass without any major surprises. Policymakers should be a little happier heading into the meeting than they were at the previous one in December –... 31st May 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigeria: Crisis escalates The situation in Nigeria has deteriorated significantly over the past month. The latest national accounts figures show that the economy contracted by 0.4% y/y in Q1, a much worse outcome than had been... 30th May 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Gulf equity markets stumble, despite oil rally Equity markets across the Gulf have struggled over the past month, in spite of a further recovery in oil prices. At the same time, speculation has increased that Saudi Arabia will devalue the riyal... 30th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Rising oil doesn’t necessarily lift all prices Oil prices have continued to recover, with Brent at least briefly topping $50, but this positivity was not replicated across the board. Indeed, the recovery in oil probably contributed to the weakness... 27th May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Q2 slowdown isn’t just about Alberta wildfires After a strong start to the year, the economy likely ended the first quarter badly and we now believe that it shrank significantly this quarter, partly because of significant disruptions to oil... 27th May 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update What are the prospects for Latin American oil? Declining output of crude in Latin America is one factor supporting our view that the global oil market will return to balance on a more sustainable basis by the end of 2016. That said, we think it is... 27th May 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Silver price to benefit from increasing focus on solar Strong growth in the number of solar installations in China and the US should see silver demand from the sector increase by over 20% y/y in 2016. While solar power currently accounts for just a small... 27th May 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: Analysing President Buhari’s first year The fall in global oil prices made an economic slowdown in Nigeria inevitable. But the country’s current crisis is largely self-inflicted. Government policy has made a bad situation much worse. 27th May 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response China and India’s gold imports (Apr.) Overall demand from the world’s two largest consumers of gold remained subdued in April. While gold imports were more resilient in China, there was a further sharp fall in shipments to India. But we... 26th May 2016 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Five quick points on Brent at $50 The recovery in oil prices should be a net positive for the global economy but is not without its downsides, including the support it might provide to the hawks at the Fed. 26th May 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Lat Am currencies rattled more than most Currencies across Latin America have been caught up in the EM-wide sell-off in recent weeks, triggered by the US Fed signalling that a June interest rate hike is still on the table. But a combination... 26th May 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report A slight easing of refinery demand was overshadowed by a sizable drop in net oil imports which weighed on the level of US crude inventories last week. 25th May 2016 · 1 min read
