Commodities Update China’s commodity imports bounce back China’s commodity import volumes jumped in November, despite markedly higher US dollar prices and a weaker renminbi. Trends in activity suggest that import demand will remain robust in the near-term... 8th December 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Chart Pack Investor enthusiasm buoying the prices of industrials Investors have been encouraged by stronger economic data out of China and the prospect of fiscal stimulus in the US and have significantly increased their exposure to industrial metals. Conversely... 6th December 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly OPEC seal the deal Oil prices surged this week as OPEC surpassed expectations by confirming production cuts and announcing quotas for member countries. Given OPEC’s poor record on compliance, we are sceptical that the... 2nd December 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Markets focus on the Trump positives Following the victory for Donald Trump in the US presidential election, commodity markets chose to focus on his promise of a large fiscal stimulus, including a substantial increase in infrastructure... 1st December 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Watch What’s next for zinc prices? Over the past year, zinc prices have rallied strongly, reaching a nine-year high recently, on the back of mine closures and production cuts. While the refined market will continue to tighten through... 30th November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Stocks continue to dwindle It has been a quiet month for stock movements, with the exception of copper. However, the drop in LME copper stocks and surge in Shanghai inventories can be largely explained by price arbitrage... 29th November 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Oil market in wait-and-see mode The prices of industrial metals surged again this week, in large part due to investor buying. In contrast, the price of gold fell further as the dollar appreciated and the minutes of the November FOMC... 25th November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Weakness in China’s metals imports could prove temporary China’s metals imports remained subdued in October as higher dollar prices and some further depreciation of the renminbi weighed on volumes. 25th November 2016 · 1 min read
India Chart Pack Anti-corruption drive has further to run The government’s shock demonetisation announcement earlier this month was its boldest measure yet to tackle corruption and formalise large parts of the shadow economy, but it is unlikely to be the... 24th November 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Steel Production (Oct.) World Steel Association (WSA) data, released this afternoon, show a 3.3% y/y rise in global steel output in October, as higher Asian output more than offset lower production at US steelmakers. After a... 21st November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China Industrial Metals Output Monitor (Sep./Oct.) China’s refinery output continued to grow in October, bolstered by rising prices. However, we think producers are overestimating demand, in which case production could fall back in coming months. 21st November 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Aluminium Production (Oct.) According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), global primary aluminium output rose by 1.5% y/y in October, boosted by higher y/y production in India, China and Russia. 21st November 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Commodities take stock After last week’s wild swings, the prices of most commodities stabilised this week. That said, positive comments from OPEC and Russian officials on the prospects for output cuts gave oil prices a... 18th November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Trump victory proves divisive Industrial metals prices were already rising ahead of Donald Trump’s election to the US Presidency, but his victory appeared to provide new grounds for optimism as markets focussed on his plans for... 17th November 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Investors turn positive on metals The prices of industrial metals have risen strongly in the last month on optimism about demand and a surge in investor buying. In contrast, sentiment has turned negative in the oil market as investors... 15th November 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China Industrial Metals Demand Monitor (Oct.) China’s industrial production held steady in October, but metals-intensive sectors continued to do well and there was a sharp rebound in construction starts. That said, our analysis suggests that the... 14th November 2016 · 1 min read