Japan Economics Update Butter meltdown highlights policy failures Japan’s butter shortage is the result of agricultural policy failures. It should strengthen the argument that agreement to scale back protectionist measures in the ongoing talks on the Trans-Pacific... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update The devil is in the detail of Chinese trade China’s detailed trade data for April paint a broadly positive picture of industrial metals demand. Meanwhile, the export surge associated with the Qingdao port scandal, as stocks were moved into more... 26th May 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Fed back in focus as US inflation picks up The past week has been a good one for commodity prices, with most recording at least a small increase. Adverse growing conditions boosted the prices of coffee and wheat, while silver again... 22nd May 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Platinum and palladium markets to remain tight We believe that platinum and palladium markets will be significantly tighter than the consensus currently anticipates in 2015. This should lead to further price rises in the second half of the year. 21st May 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Recovery in oil prices doesn’t alter outlook for region’s oil producers The steady recovery in oil prices over the past couple of months will clearly be welcomed by the MENA region’s oil producers and provides some encouragement for the Gulf countries that their oil... 21st May 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China & Euro-zone Flash PMIs (May) China’s flash PMI remains subdued but the index rose for the first time since February, suggesting that recent policy stimulus could be starting to have an effect. Meanwhile, the uptick in the euro... 21st May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Last week’s fall in US weekly oil stocks all but confirms that April’s highs marked the peak. What’s more, US oil production declined by the most significant amount in almost a year and demand picked... 20th May 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Production cuts to spur aluminium price gains Aluminium demand is strong and stocks are falling, but overproduction continues to constrain prices. However, the ongoing fall in price premiums is hurting the profitability of both producers and... 20th May 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Investors still cautious, for now Over the past month, precious metal prices have posted decent gains, led by silver. While the technical outlook is improving, investor sentiment remains broadly bearish. This suggests further price... 20th May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q1) Q1’s GDP data showed that the decline in oil prices hit the economy fairly hard. While policymakers have the tools to prevent a more severe downturn, growth is likely to remain slow by past standards... 20th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update US natural gas prices to continue to rally We think that the recent surge in US natural gas prices is set to persist, driven by higher demand from power plants, lower production and the first gas exports from the US to Asia and Europe. 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Should the ECB be happy with the first 10 weeks of QE? The ECB Governing Council has a right to be cautiously optimistic about the first ten weeks of QE. But we share its view that this does not mean that QE should end early. On the contrary, we think... 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Supply concerns overshadow dollar weakness Weakness in the US dollar and rising oil prices would normally be considered positive for agricultural commodity prices. However, despite a 3.5% fall in the value of the US currency and a 5% rise in... 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy strengthens as oil sector rebounds Our GDP Tracker suggests that Saudi Arabia’s economy strengthened further in March as the oil sector returned to growth and consumer spending remained buoyant. But we expect this rebound to fizzle out... 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Commodity markets stage a comeback Energy and industrial metals prices have risen strongly since the middle of April, buoyed by further weakness in the US dollar and improved investor sentiment. Crude oil prices have also been... 18th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Focus How much should the drop in oil prices boost demand? The rebound in oil prices over the last few months has vindicated our view that oil prices had fallen too far, even if they have bounced back a little more sharply than we had anticipated. We expect... 18th May 2015 · 1 min read
