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The sharp rise in China’s commodity imports last month could be taken as a sign that underlying demand growth is undergoing a renewed acceleration. But given that this is just one month’s data, and that other indicators point to a further softening in …
7th December 2021
Oil prices fell briefly on Thursday after OPEC+ decided to push ahead with its plan to raise oil output by 0.4m bpd a month, despite plunging oil prices since news of Omicron broke . Prices recovered shortly after, though, probably because OPEC+ left the …
3rd December 2021
Omicron will weigh on jet fuel demand in the next few months, but the wider hit to demand is still unclear. And although OPEC+ decided to push ahead with its planned oil production increases, we think it will struggle to raise output by as much as planned …
Cobalt prices have soared in 2021 to almost double the 2020 average price of $31,726 per tonne. We expect the growth in EV production and issues around supply to continue to push prices higher in 2022 . The cash price of LME cobalt raced to over $62,850 …
2nd December 2021
US demand still outstripping supply, despite falls US commercial stocks fell as, despite some chunky falls in product demand, US demand is still outstripping supply. Although, the release did shows signs that crude production might finally be responding …
1st December 2021
Taken together, China’s manufacturing PMIs point to somewhat stronger industrial activity in November, but this was almost entirely due to improved power supply last month rather than a pick-up in underlying demand. Accordingly, there was little to offer …
We were already downbeat on the outlook for most commodity prices in 2022, not least because we thought that prices had lost touch with demand fundamentals. The risk of Omicron-related effects on demand just adds weight to our view . The prices of most …
29th November 2021
Most commodity prices fell on Friday after South African scientists declared they had identified a new COVID-19 variant on Thursday which may be more transmissible. We think it’s still early days to say what this means for the global economy, but it has …
26th November 2021
The announcement of the co-ordinated release of oil reserves by the US and other large oil consumers should mean higher supply (and downward pressure on prices) but it will come at a time when we expect that the market will be in a surplus anyway. What’s …
25th November 2021
Some commentators have pointed to the slump in the Baltic Dry Index as a sign that shipping bottlenecks are easing. But we think it is more a symptom of lower Chinese steel output and plunging iron ore prices . The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is a composite …
US demand still buoyant in the face of high prices US commercial stocks rose due to a pre-planned release of reserves and a large drop in exports. But the bigger picture is that product demand remains healthy, adding pressure to a tightening market . The …
24th November 2021
We have left our near-term forecasts for energy prices (which are historically high) unchanged after reflecting on the latest weather forecasts for the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter. Temperatures are expected to be slightly higher than average over …
China will remain a drag on global steel output Global steel production contracted again in y/y terms in October, mainly owing to lower Chinese production. China’s output may rebound a little in the coming months as power rationing has come to an end, but …
23rd November 2021
European natural gas prices were in the news again last week, soaring by 18%. Given stocks are still low and there are few signs of extra flows from Russia, we think that prices will remain high in the near term . The European natural gas market has …
Aluminium output boosted as power rationing in China eases October’s IAI data suggest the easing of power restrictions in China has enabled greater utilisation rates at smelters, driving the global increase in output this month. We think that aluminium …
22nd November 2021
This week showed that the energy crisis is not in the rear-view mirror just yet . Germany’s energy regulator suspended its certification process of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on Tuesday, owing to issues regarding the organisational structure of the …
19th November 2021
After soaring towards the tail end of 2020, steel prices in Europe have eased back in recent months. And we think that prices will fall much further over the next couple of years, as a combination of healthy profit margins and low inventories continue to …
18th November 2021
The big picture is still one of healthy US demand The latest weekly data show falling crude and petroleum product inventories and a jump in implied demand. The strength in demand is somewhat surprising given the rise in gasoline prices, but we suspect …
17th November 2021
Gold is an effective hedge against inflation in the long term But less reliable in the short term We think modest rises in US real yields will be enough to drag on the gold price In this Metals Watch , we revisit the theoretical relationship between the …
Policy changes to boost Chinese coal production and curb demand growth in 2022 Economic growth and self-sufficiency to take priority over environmental sustainability But long-term outlook appears more consistent with environmental goals In this Energy …
16th November 2021
Although the climate deal struck at COP26 appears to have fallen short on many counts, it does at least reaffirm our view that demand for traditional energy commodities will struggle in the long run . Following two weeks of negotiations, the ‘Glasgow …
Copper prices have soared since mid-2020 as demand raced ahead of supply. However, a strong supply response is now underway which, in tandem with cooling copper demand, will weigh on prices into 2022. The cash price of LME copper surged close to $11,300 …
15th November 2021
Despite falling short of its targeted increase in output once again in October, we think OPEC+ will continue to snub calls to raise output more rapidly . The week began with comments from the Biden Administration that OPEC+ was imperilling the global …
12th November 2021
Increases in OPEC production to continue to fall short Although OPEC oil production increased in October, it remained significantly below the group’s target. And with little prospect of a meaningful increase in non-OPEC output in the near term, we …
11th November 2021
Crude stocks rise for a second week but will remain low for a while Crude oil in commercial storage rose last week for the second week on the trot, helped by a planned release of strategic reserves. But the big picture is that stocks remain low by past …
10th November 2021
This year, the EU announced reforms to its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) which, if introduced, would boost the price of each carbon permit and ultimately help the bloc to rapidly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In the first of a two-part Focus …
China’s imports of iron ore and copper rose in October compared to a month prior (in seasonally adjusted terms). But we doubt this is the start of a renewed upswing, not least as indicators of demand have deteriorated and volumes were still down sharply …
8th November 2021
Most commodity prices fell this week, adding to the sense that the recent rally is close to a peak (if it hasn’t peaked already) . Either way, we think energy prices will be falling next year on weaker demand growth and greater supply, contributing to …
5th November 2021
Overview – Industrial metals prices have risen recently on the back of supply concerns related to higher energy costs and power rationing in China. Both factors will continue to support prices in the near term. However, we expect these supply issues to be …
3rd November 2021
Overview – Following sizzling rallies in the prices of energy commodities in 2021, we expect prices to ease back in 2022 on the back of lower growth in demand and improved supply. Current high prices will incentivise producers to raise output and will …
1st November 2021
Despite their recent positive correlation, we think that oil and the dollar will go in opposite directions before long: we continue to think that oil prices will fall back as the supply situation improves, while we expect the greenback to stay strong …
Although the China PMI data were a mixed bag in October, the big picture is that they remain at odds with sky-high industrial metals prices. This adds to our view that prices have quite a long way to fall over the next year or so as constraints on supply …
It is perhaps too soon to call the end of the energy price rally, but the prices of European natural gas and Chinese coal took a tumble this week as supply fears were, at least partially, allayed. What’s more, the recent surge in oil prices stalled. …
29th October 2021
Download the PDF for the Full Report Overview – Low stocks ahead of winter in the Northern Hemisphere have sent energy prices soaring. In turn, higher energy costs have also constrained the production of other commodities, most notably industrial metals. …
28th October 2021
US commercial stocks rise, but will remain low for a while US commercial stocks rose last week on a release of strategic reserves and a jump in net imports. Exports could fall further in the coming weeks given the need to rebuild stocks at the WTI Cushing …
27th October 2021
The recent highs in the zinc price have been driven by fears around supply as sky-rocketing energy prices have undermined smelter profitability. We expect power prices to remain high in the coming months which should constrain zinc supply and boost …
26th October 2021
We expect US crude oil production to rise by the end of next year, but remain well below levels in early 2020. What’s more, with non-US oil production set to grow at a faster pace than US oil production, the Brent-WTI price premium is likely to remain …
Slump in output points to high prices for longer Global steel output plunged in September primarily owing to a dramatic decline in China’s production. We suspect that China’s output will remain low for some months yet, which will act as a floor under …
The well-documented shortages of semiconductors have slammed the brakes on global vehicle production. As a result, the near-term prospects for platinum group metals (PGMs) demand in autocatalysts have been dented. It is only once a meaningful recovery in …
25th October 2021
The meteoric rise in energy commodity prices over the last few months lost momentum this week . Natural gas and coal prices were down particularly sharply in Europe after President Putin reiterated comments that there is scope for a rise in supply from …
22nd October 2021
Stocks fall and are likely to remain low in the short term Strong exports contributed to the first drawdown in stocks in four weeks last week, supporting already-high crude prices. What’s more, stocks at the hub of Cushing, Oklahoma, also fell and they …
20th October 2021
High power costs likely to deter production Slower growth in aluminium output in September was probably linked to surging power prices. The combination of constrained output and soaring production costs will support aluminium prices in the near term and …
Coal prices are likely to remain high over the next six months as high demand weighs on already-low stocks. Prices should drop back next year, though, as demand growth moderates and supply improves . The price of coal has roughly tripled since the start …
19th October 2021
Power rationing in China has raised concerns about metal supply. But perhaps less obvious is that power rationing will also negatively affect demand if manufacturing activity is curtailed. On balance, we think that the supply impact will dominate and …
Most commodity prices increased this week . Optimism over electrification, which was a hot topic during LME Week, seemed to feed through into higher industrial metals prices. But the prices of energy commodities were the pick of the bunch . Brent crude …
15th October 2021
Stocks rise again, but will remain depressed for months to come A large fall in the refinery utilisation rate drove another increase in stocks last week, although utilisation rates are normal for the time of the year. And with output set to remain …
14th October 2021
Even if OPEC raises quotas, there remain doubts about higher supply OPEC moved closer to its collective target output last month. However, it is now clear that if the group were to answer calls to raise output, it would involve abandoning the current …
13th October 2021
China’s imports of key commodities slumped almost across the board in September. The main exception was imports of coal, which soared in response to recent power shortages. We expect coal imports to remain strong over the next few months, but they too …
As energy prices hit multi-year highs, we look into the link between energy and non-energy commodity prices. It is clear that industrial metal prices track energy prices the most closely over time, which is mainly because the drivers of demand are …
11th October 2021
Commodity prices generally rose this week, helped by the US senate approving a deal to increase the federal debt ceiling . After a rollercoaster of a week, European natural gas prices ended the week lower following comments from President Putin that …
8th October 2021
