Industrial Metals Update Higher prices could dampen China’s metals imports June was another strong month for China’s metals imports. In some cases, volumes dipped, but this may have been a response to rising prices rather than a sign of weaker underlying demand. 21st July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Commodities benefit from greater risk appetite The metals, both industrial and precious, have been the star performers this month as investor sentiment improved. Meanwhile, the return of supply that had been lost to unanticipated outages weighed... 19th July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Hopes of policy stimulus boost industrial metals The prices of riskier assets, including industrial metals as well as equities, have been boosted by hopes of additional fiscal and monetary support to mitigate any global fallout from the UK’s vote to... 15th July 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response South Africa’s Mine Production (May) South Africa’s overall mine production remained subdued in May, but PGM output grew strongly. This perhaps reflects producers building up their stocks in preparation for the wage negotiations with... 14th July 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Economy probably dodged recession in Q2 Activity data for May suggest that South Africa’s economy has improved after contracting in Q1. We expect that the economy returned to growth in Q2, narrowly missing a technical recession. 14th July 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Slower global growth to weigh on PGM prices Platinum group metals (PGMs) are primarily used in the automobile sector as catalysts for air pollution abatement in light- and heavy-duty vehicles. Auto sales in the three biggest markets, China, the... 12th July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Prices vulnerable to a reassessment of US rate outlook Despite a spectacular 287,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in June, Fed funds futures are still only pricing in a 50% chance of a US interest rate hike by the end of 2017. This dovish spin allowed the... 8th July 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Weakness in official sector’s gold buying to be short-lived The latest data suggest that gold demand from the official sector remained subdued in May. However, we expect this to be only temporary as central banks continue to diversify away from the US dollar... 7th July 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Will ‘Brexit’ drive a new bull market in gold? The UK’s decision to vote in favour of leaving the European Union in a nationwide referendum on 23 rd June – or ‘Brexit’ – has already boosted the prices of precious metals. The prospects for both... 6th July 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Chart Pack Prices rally into July The prices of both industrial and precious metals have jumped in the last month, despite falling initially in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the EU on 23rd June. Prices subsequently recovered on... 4th July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Brexit vote has a silver lining The price of gold has predictably done well in the wake of the UK’s surprise vote to leave the EU (‘Brexit’). But the real star of the show has been silver, whose price has already jumped by nearly 20... 1st July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Commodities brush off Brexit blues Commodities outperformed equities in June as the UK’s surprise vote to leave the European Union sapped risk appetite in global markets. Gold prices predictably benefited from the heightened... 1st July 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Will silver continue to outshine gold? The price of gold has predictably done well in the wake of the UK’s surprise vote to leave the EU (‘Brexit’). But the real star of the show has been silver, whose price has already jumped by 20% in US... 1st July 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Electric cars could be a game-changer for base metals Tesla, Chevy, and Nissan, three major car makers, have recently announced plans to start selling long-range affordable electric vehicles (EVs) over the next few years. This could potentially be a game... 28th June 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response China and India’s gold imports (May) China’s gold imports rebounded strongly in May, after a weak start to the year. While premiums in the local market have recently turned negative, Brexit fears could spur a fresh wave of safe-haven... 27th June 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly A relatively muted response to Brexit Unsurprisingly, the prices of most commodities have fallen in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the EU. The main exception is gold, which has benefitted from renewed safe-haven demand as well as the... 24th June 2016 · 1 min read
