Africa Economics Update Gabon: Low oil prices pose lasting economic challenge Growth in oil-rich Gabon is highly dependent on government spending, and low oil prices are causing a painful fiscal crunch that is dampening economic activity. Faltering economic expansion will... 2nd June 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Strong dollar and ample supply weigh on prices R enewed strength in the US currency undermined most commodity prices again last month, with ample supply dragging down crude oil and many agricultural too. Lingering concerns over the risk of a “hard... 1st June 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Focus What happened to the oil windfall? So far this year, households in advanced economies do not seem to have been spending their windfall from lower oil prices. However, this is partly because they stepped up their consumption late last... 1st June 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Flash CPI (May) May’s rise in German HICP inflation mainly reflected an anticipated increase in the energy component – underlying price pressures remain very weak even in the euro-zone’s strongest economies. 1st June 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Dollar strength weighs on commodities (again) Commodity prices mostly fell in the past week, dragged lower by renewed strength in the US currency. Leading the falls, natural gas prices reversed their weather-related gains from earlier in the... 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Anaemic Chinese import growth weighs on prices China’s trade data for April go some way to explaining the generally weak tone of agricultural commodities prices. For the most part, import volumes were lower in year-on-year terms, in some cases... 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update End of bull market in Chinese equities would help gold The lure of a soaring stock market has surely dampened Chinese investors’ demand for gold. Correspondingly, even though we are not predicting an imminent crash, the precious metal should benefit when... 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian currencies fall, bond yields rise Most currencies sold off against the US dollar in May. Meanwhile, the region’s bond markets have settled down in recent weeks, after being briefly caught up in the global bond market sell-off earlier... 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Are low tin prices justified? Base metals prices have struggled since the start of this year, but many have still managed to make modest gains. In contrast, tin prices have fallen. In this Metals & Mining Watch , we discuss the... 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Today’s US data provide mixed signals, with stocks of crude oil falling and demand from refineries increasing, but production rising sharply. 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response China’s gold imports (Apr.) A fall in mainland China’s gold imports from Hong Kong in April has been more than offset by higher imports of the metal by India. Hence, we believe fears of a slowdown in demand from key emerging... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update Environmental concerns to drag down coal but boost gas prices Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important drivers of demand for, and supply of, all types of energy commodities. We continue to expect demand for coal to be most negatively impacted... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Silver price to rally as market falls into deficit After several years of declines, we believe 2015 could be a turning point for the silver price. Lower mine supply, coupled with an increase in demand for jewellery and industrial applications, should... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Slowdown in spending in Q1 won’t be long-lasting Whilst the second estimate of Q1 GDP confirmed that household spending growth slowed a touch at the start of the year, rising nominal wages, falling unemployment and the boost from lower food and... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Watch OPEC likely to hold fast next week The next meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), on 5 th June, is set to be almost as closely watched as the previous one in November. The recent rebound in oil prices... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Renewed dollar strength has further to go Diverging prospects for economic growth and monetary policy point to additional gains for the dollar this year, especially against the euro and the yen. The real possibility that Greece will be the... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
