Commodities Update Three reasons to be wary of the latest surge in oil prices The continued recovery in the price of crude oil has lifted Brent close to $50 per barrel, prompting a wave of positive headlines and upward revisions to analysts’ forecasts. However, for now we are... 16th May 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: Oil disruptions add to economic woes The sharp fall in Nigeria’s oil production could, if sustained, shave more than 1%-pt off GDP growth this year. Lower oil output will also add to the country’s fiscal and current account problems. 16th May 2016 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch Latest OPEC Report offers no surprises Although OPEC production rose last month, the increase was contained by numerous supply disruptions. This suggests that, once the outages have been resolved, output will grow more strongly, as... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Oil up on supply outages, metals down on demand fears The stronger US dollar and renewed concerns about the robustness of the credit-led recovery in China’s economy weighed on metals prices this week. However, oil benefited from the disruptions to supply... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Watch Commodities Watch - WASDE more bearish than bullish for agriculturals In this new monthly publication, we intend to focus on key developments in agricultural commodities as well as draw on the more in-depth analysis from our Energy and Metals services. This month, we... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Will copper continue to underperform oil? We expect the recent under-performance of copper prices relative to oil to be reversed over the remainder of the year. Oil prices have been boosted by supply outages which should prove temporary... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Watch WASDE more bearish than bullish for agriculturals In this new monthly publication, we intend to focus on key developments in agricultural commodities as well as draw on the more in-depth analysis from our Energy and Metals services. This month, we... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: FX comments, fuel price hikes offer hints of reform The vice president’s comments regarding a possible change to Nigeria’s currency regime suggest that policy elites may not be as opposed to a devaluation as many believe. Claims that Nigeria’s fuel... 12th May 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Q1 2016 World Gold Council Demand Trend In its Q1 Global Demand Trends report, published today, the World Gold Council (WGC) described a strong quarter for gold demand. A sharp recovery in investor sentiment more than offset a fall in... 12th May 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update European gas prices will undershoot oil price recovery We are forecasting that the price of Brent Crude will reach $60 per barrel by the end of next year, but there are several reasons why we do not expect European natural gas prices to experience a... 12th May 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Very weak showing in key sectors Declining output from the manufacturing and mining sectors underscore the weakness of South Africa’s economy. Given today’s grim figures – and the recent jump in unemployment – we expect that the SARB... 12th May 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response South Africa’s Mine Production (Mar.) South Africa’s PGMs production rebounded in March, having fallen sharply in the first two months of the year, suggesting that mining firms have been enticed to raise output in response to higher... 12th May 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report A sharp increase in demand for crude from refineries helped to reduce the amount of crude in storage last week. 11th May 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Stockbuild in China reflects optimism about demand Since the start of 2016, stocks of all the LME metals have fallen, while SHFE inventories of the same metals have risen. We think this trend reflects two main factors. First, optimism that physical... 11th May 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update How much of a threat are electric cars to PGMs demand? Electric vehicles have been the subject of much publicity recently, leading some commentators to question the future of PGMs in the auto industry. While we recognise the growing importance of electric... 10th May 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update Oil production outages supporting prices, for now Disruptions to oil output around the world have put the brakes on the slide in oil prices since the beginning of this month. However, these production outages should only be temporary. When output is... 10th May 2016 · 1 min read
