Commodities Update Collapse in shipping costs may be significant after all The wider significance of the 25-year low recorded in the Baltic Dry Index – a composite of global freight costs for dry bulk commodities such as iron ore, coal and grains – has generally been... 7th February 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Ample global supply to keep wheat prices soft The price of the benchmark no. 2 soft red winter has already fallen by around 20 US cents to just over 660 cents per bushel after Russia’s decision on Friday not to impose any tariff on its grain... 6th February 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Silver: a star performer but will this last? Silver has been the best performing of the major commodities so far in 2012, rising by around 22% in dollar terms and even outpacing the 12% increase for gold. However, while we expect renewed... 3rd February 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update A cautionary note on copper January’s recovery in the price of copper was driven by four positives, none of which we expect to be sustained. Accordingly, despite hopes elsewhere of a sustained surge past $10,000 per tonne, from... 2nd February 2012 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Was the Fed statement really so positive for commodities? The prices of most commodities, like those other riskier assets, have been rising after Wednesday’s Fed statement was widely interpreted as a “pledge” to keep US interest rates on hold until the end... 27th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Cotton rally set to unravel Optimism about China’s demand and an improvement in general risk appetite among investors have led to a 10% increase in the benchmark Memphis cotton price, to around 90 cents per lb, from its 2011 low... 26th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Will Chesapeake’s supply cut rescue US natural gas prices? The announcement of a production cut by the second largest US natural gas producer, Chesapeake, caused the US natural gas price to jump yesterday. However, we do not expect this to stop the price of... 24th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s growth will not be enough to avert price declines In keeping with much of this week’s China data, today’s flash estimate of the manufacturing PMI supports our view that the economy is heading for a soft landing in 2012. However, we still do not think... 20th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Gold price to surge on euro break-up fears The price of gold has made an encouraging start to the year, rising by around 6% so far in US dollar terms and outperforming most other assets. Admittedly, at around $1,655 per ounce, gold is still... 19th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Saudi comments point to lower oil prices The publication of OPEC’s monthly oil market report today has been overshadowed by two comments from Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi. First, Mr al-Naimi confirmed that Saudi output could be increased... 16th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Corn prices yet to find their floor The benchmark corn future in the US has already fallen by 50 cents to just over 600 cents per bushel after the world agricultural supply and demand report published yesterday by the US Department of... 13th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Three Iran scenarios for the oil price The main driver of global oil prices so far this year has been concern about the potential disruption to supplies from the Middle East as a result of tensions with Iran. This Update looks at three... 12th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update What’s really behind the rewidening of the Brent-WTI spread? Most analysts attribute the renewed increase in the differential between the prices of Brent crude and WTI over the last few days primarily to changes in the composition of the two major commodity... 12th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Rice prices to fall another 20% in 2012 The acceleration of the rice purchase scheme by the Thai government and setting of minimum export prices by the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) have led many analysts to argue that the price of... 11th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Chinese copper imports hit record high in December China’s overall imports of commodities weakened slightly in December but the fourth quarter of last year as a whole was still strong. Indeed, imports of copper hit a record high last month. However... 10th January 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Regional steel prices confirm signs of diverging demand The recent divergence of steel prices in the US and Europe supports other evidence showing the relative strength of the US economy, such as the manufacturing PMIs, and will probably continue. However... 6th January 2012 · 1 min read
