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 raised concerns about weaker demand for some commodities, especially oil if travel restrictions are re-imposed.
These developments will make the OPEC+ meeting next week even more intriguing. We now think that there is a much higher risk that OPEC+ decides to slow or halt the gradual return of supply given mounting concerns over demand and the release of reserves.
Elsewhere, China will publish its manufacturing PMI data (Tuesday/Wednesday), which we expect to show a slight uptick in manufacturing activity. In addition, we should learn more about the new COVID-19 variant and how governments will respond.
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