Commodities Update Will bitcoin ever become mainstream? The surge in the value of bitcoin has encouraged speculation that it could become a credible alternative to fiat currencies and a serious financial asset in its own right, perhaps even supplanting... 28th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What could China's Third Plenum mean for steel? In the short term the economic reform package set out at the end of a meeting of top Chinese government officials, known as the Third Plenum, should have little impact on the prices of steel or... 26th November 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Asian markets see renewed volatility Continued uncertainty over when the US Federal Reserve will start to taper its asset purchases under QE3 has led to renewed volatility across Asian financial markets over the past month. Currencies... 26th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What could the deal with Iran mean for oil prices? The deal between Iran and the West is unlikely to result in an immediate increase in oil supplies, but it does lay the groundwork for a potentially much more significant agreement next year. We expect... 25th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China and euro-zone PMIs point to weak industrial demand As if the uncertainty over Fed tapering were not enough to worry about, early business survey indicators from China and the euro-zone suggest that demand for industrial commodities will disappoint. 21st November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Cut in ethanol law knocks back hopes of higher corn demand The proposed reduction in the Renewable Fuels Standards in the US could reduce US corn consumption by over 4% next year compared to likely consumption under the current law. This should put further... 19th November 2013 · 1 min read
Energy Watch Oil prices to end the decade much lower The price of a barrel of Brent has remained well above $100 for most of the last three years, due in part to uncertainties created by the “Arab Spring”. However, over the next five to ten years, a... 19th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Gold demand statistics not all bad news Data published by the World Gold Council today report that global demand for gold fell by more than a fifth in Q3 relative to the same period a year earlier, as Western investor appetite waned and... 14th November 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Angolan oil boom masks longer-term problems A boom in oil production should ensure that economic growth in Angola remains strong over the next couple of years. But history suggests that it is difficult to sustain strong energy-led growth over a... 13th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update How big an impact could an Iran deal have on oil prices? Iran and the West appear to be edging towards an interim deal that should ease tensions over Iran's nuclear programme, despite the impasse in Geneva at the weekend. Sanctions on Iran's oil exports... 12th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Corn supplies to remain plentiful, despite rising demand In spite of the increase in demand for animal feed projected in the latest WASDE, we still expect the global supply of the major grains and soybeans to be ample. What’s more, other source of demand... 11th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Rising Chinese imports need not be bullish The pick-up in China's imports of commodities in recent months is perhaps further evidence of the recovery in economic activity already seen in other data, but is not necessarily telling us much about... 8th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Outlook Risks still on downside but prices looking more reasonable After two to three years of generally poor performance, many commodity prices have now fallen to levels that are starting to appear attractive again. We still think the near-term risks generally lie... 7th November 2013 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Will the Fed taper be a game-changer? The question of exactly when the US Fed will start to taper its asset purchases under QE3 has understandably been the focus of much analysis and speculation (including by ourselves). There are six... 5th November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Ample supply offsets improving prospects for demand The US Federal government shutdown, and subsequent reopening, seems to have had little impact on commodity markets. If anything, the prospect of an extended period of monetary stimulus has supported... 1st November 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Gold should continue to outshine industrial metals The prospects for the price of gold remain better than those for most industrial metals, with silver fitting in somewhere in between. 30th October 2013 · 1 min read
