Commodities Update Some positives in China’s PMI data China PMI surveys showed some signs of strengthening in January. But we still think they understate the strength of metals demand, which we expect to hold up fairly well this year. Note: Join our... 1st February 2024 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Global Steel Production (Dec. & 2023) Global steel production reportedly stagnated last year. We think it probably will again in 2024 as a drop in production in China should offset increasing output by most other producers. 25th January 2024 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Real metals prices are high and have further to rise Compared to their pre-pandemic averages, metals prices are high even after adjusting for inflation. We think that as green transition-related demand increases and monetary easing gets underway, real... 25th January 2024 · 4 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Global Aluminium Production (Dec. & 2023) Global aluminium production growth slowed to 2.3% in 2023 from 2.9% in 2022. We think softening output growth in China will cause global growth to fall back again this year. 22nd January 2024 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Green demand to spur copper price gains in 2024 After a subdued 2023, we think the copper price will fare much better this year. We expect supply growth to moderate, while demand growth will be bolstered by the green transition. 19th January 2024 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update China’s PMIs still underplaying commodity demand China PMI surveys suggest that the economy lost momentum in December, but we suspect that the surveys are not reflecting economic reality. Activity and import data all point to resilient commodity... 2nd January 2024 · 3 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Global Steel Production (Nov.) The monthly falls in China’s steel production continued in November, but output over the year is almost certain to be higher than in 2022. Production in India grew quickly and should remain strong... 21st December 2023 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Global Aluminium Production (Nov.) After hitting a new record in October, global aluminium production slipped back in November. We suspect that the new record will not be toppled in the coming months owing to power rationing in China... 20th December 2023 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update Aside from oil, China’s imports on solid ground China’s commodity imports mostly rose in November, but there was a sharp drop in crude oil imports. We think that non-oil commodity import volumes will hold up in the coming months on the back of... 7th December 2023 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Zinc glut to shrink in 2024 Even though zinc supply growth is likely to remain solid owing to strong growth in China and easing input cost constraints in Europe, we think that those factors will be outstripped by a recovery in... 7th December 2023 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update China’s PMIs may be understating commodity demand China PMI surveys suggest that the economy flatlined in November, but there was good news for commodity demand with the relative strength in the construction PMI. We suspect that underlying activity... 1st December 2023 · 2 mins read
Global Economics Update Key risks for 2024 In this Global Economics Update, we describe eight of the biggest risks to our economic forecasts for 2024. The unusual nature of this cycle and uncertainties surrounding the transmission of monetary... 30th November 2023 · 6 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Panama protests against copper production Protests against a large copper mine have raged in Panama over the past few weeks. If mine production ceased, there would be noticeable impact on global supply but the risk of this happening is small... 9th November 2023 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update China PMIs suggest metals prices to hold steady The PMI surveys released so far for China weakened in October with the manufacturing PMIs falling back into contractionary territory. We think China’s demand for commodities will be supported by... 1st November 2023 · 3 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Cobalt prices to drift lower through 2024 Cobalt is likely to keep its position as a leading battery metal for years to come, but its high cost compared to alternative metals means that cobalt demand won’t grow as fast as overall battery... 13th October 2023 · 4 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Supply to drive relative copper/nickel price dynamics The trend of rapid increases in industrial metals supply this year is likely to unwind over the next few years for copper, but we think nickel supply growth will remain robust. We think that... 5th October 2023 · 4 mins read