Commodities Weekly Gold one of the few beneficiaries of Fed’s hesitancy Commodity markets initially welcomed the US central bank’s decision to keep interest rates on hold on Thursday, but the mood soon cooled. Indeed, the Fed’s hesitancy only appears to have reinforced... 18th September 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update Five key numbers for crude oil markets The oil market is inundated with thousands of different statistics regarding production, consumption and trade on a daily basis. In this Update we pick five figures which we consider to be the most... 18th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What should the Fed’s inaction mean for commodities? Commodity markets initially welcomed the US central bank’s decision to keep rates on hold yesterday, but the moves have been small. This makes sense, as rates are still likely to rise soon, and the... 18th September 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Nickel prices to rally strongly next year With the market expected to fall into deficit in 2016, as supply falls and demand recovers, the price of nickel should rebound strongly. But the recovery may have to wait until stockpiles are drawn... 17th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Prices remain under pressure Seven of the main agricultural commodities have seen prices fall since mid-August despite some softness in the US dollar which is normally considered supportive of dollar-priced commodities. Of the... 17th September 2015 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response New Zealand GDP (Q2) The disappointingly soft rebound in GDP in the second quarter supports our below consensus forecasts that the economy will grow by just 2.0% this year and that the RBNZ will cut interest rates from 2... 17th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update A relatively quiet end to summer Although the main commodity indices weakened further since mid-August, given the mid-summer volatility it has been a relativity calm last few weeks. Attention has now turned back to the US Fed... 16th September 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Today’s report was full of surprises with crude oil stocks falling and gasoline stock surging. However, this was mainly driven by the return of some refineries from unexpected maintenance. 16th September 2015 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC expects to increase market share OPEC’s oil production appears to have levelled off in the last two months after surging earlier this year. But it will still take years for demand to catch up with supply and the market to rebalance. 15th September 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Stocks tell a broadly positive story on demand Falling official stocks are painting a much stronger picture of metals’ demand than current prices. Inventories of some metals, notably tin and lead, offer little in the way of a cushion if supply... 15th September 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Fed rate hikes take a backseat to low oil prices in the Gulf The Gulf’s commitment to dollar pegs mean that rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve will be imported to the region, adding to the headwinds facing economic growth. But this is a secondary concern... 15th September 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Gold proves resilient despite upcoming US rate hike The prices of precious metals (PMs) have fallen since mid-August as sentiment towards commodities in general continued to worsen, although performance was mixed. A further slump in Chinese equities... 14th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Global corn & soybean inventories cut, but still no shortage The price of corn rallied late last week as the USDA cut its estimates of the US corn yield and global end-year stocks. But with high inventories likely to endure, we think prices will end the year... 14th September 2015 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Exports also hit by commodity price falls It is widely understood that the value of China’s imports has been pulled down by falling commodity prices. Less well appreciated is that lower commodity prices also explain in large part why China’s... 14th September 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response US silver imports and exports (Jun.) US silver imports rose in June after a weak May, but exports of semi-manufactured silver slumped, suggesting weak industrial demand from the rest of the world. Meanwhile, retail appetite for physical... 14th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly First Fed hike unlikely to be a game-changer A recovery in sentiment toward the Chinese economy lifted the prices of key industrial metals in the past week, although oil suffered from fears of further over-supply following the lifting of... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read