Commodities Weekly Looking for reassurance on China and from the Fed Commodity markets ended the week on a stronger note, helped by comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen . Even though she sent a pretty strong signal that US interest rates are still likely to be hiked... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update What does the VW scandal mean for PGMs? Last week, Volkswagen (VW), the biggest European car maker, was engulfed in a scandal for using a hidden software to deceive American regulators when measuring emissions from its diesel-engine cars... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Frontier Markets Wrap Another drop in frontier market currencies Uncertainty over the outlook for monetary policy in the US and renewed concerns about the health of China’s economy are weighing heavily on frontier market currencies. The weakest currency has again... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch India’s new gold schemes not yet a game changer On 10th September the Indian parliament approved the launch of the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) and the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme (SGBS). The GMS and the SGBS have been introduced in an attempt to... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Brazil Sugar Production (1st Sep. – 16th Sep.) Data released today by Brazil’s Sugarcane Industry Association, UNICA, showed that sugar cane harvesting in Brazil’s main South-Central region was severely disrupted by rain in the first half of... 24th September 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response China’s gold imports (Aug.) Mainland China’s gold imports from Hong Kong continued to rise in August after a strong July. We expect total imports by China and India to pick up substantially in the remainder of the year as low... 24th September 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Crude stocks fell and gasoline stocks increased in the US last week, despite a fall back in refinery rates and a jump in demand for oil products. 23rd September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Further changes to China’s corn policy are likely The proposal to cut the price paid to China’s corn farmers for state stockholding purchases is unlikely to be sufficient to tackle the country’s growing corn stocks. Indeed, we think further reforms... 23rd September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China & Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Sep.) Today’s weak manufacturing PMI reading from China has contributed to the negative sentiment towards commodities, but the data are not as disastrous as some of the headlines have implied. The euro-zone... 23rd September 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Algeria: low oil prices force authorities into action Algeria was ill-prepared to confront a period of low oil prices and, as we warned might happen, the authorities have reacted by letting the dinar weaken, while a sharp fiscal squeeze is now on the... 23rd September 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China’s import data show some areas of strength The latest data on China’s imports and exports do not paint a picture of a slump in domestic demand. But there are nuances, with imports of some metals holding up better than others. 22nd September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Chinese imports ease in August, but after a strong July The detailed Chinese import data show an easing of demand for many agricultural commodities in August. However, the bigger picture is that demand remains robust. 22nd September 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update Coal prices still have further to fall We think that coal prices will probably continue to decline over the next few years as demand is diminished by competing fuels and environmental concerns, especially in China. In addition, supply... 22nd September 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Aluminium Production (Aug.) According to the International Aluminium Institute, global aluminium output grew by over 10%y/y in August. But excluding China, output rose by a mere 2% y/y. 21st September 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Flagging up the risks to copper mine supply The earthquake that hit Chile yesterday served as a reminder of the vulnerability of the copper market to disrupted mine output from key producing countries. With El Niño underway, persistent strike... 18th September 2015 · 1 min read
