Industrial Metals Update Re-visiting the iron ore forecast Previously volatile iron ore prices have barely moved in the last six months. Despite ample supply, strong growth in China’s steel production supported prices. That said, we expect steel output to... 5th September 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s PMIs offer little support to prices China’s PMI readings for August confirm our view that the economy is slowing as a result of subdued domestic demand. Although some policy easing is underway, it will be some time before this... 3rd September 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update Are Chinese tariffs on US LNG a big deal? It looks increasingly likely that the Chinese government will levy a 25% tariff on imports of US liquefied natural gas (LNG). But we suspect that any tariff will have only a limited impact on prices... 31st August 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Surging steel output to lead to lower prices World Steel Association data, released earlier this week, showed a 5.8% y/y increase in global steel output in July, driven by higher production in China, India, the US and the EU. We expect this... 30th August 2018 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Weak consumer demand to drag on gold prices The latest trade data for India and China show divergent trends in imports of gold by the two largest consumers. China’s gold imports dropped on signs that the economy is slowing, while India’s... 28th August 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update Does the Aramco float matter for oil prices? Whether the Saudi Aramco float actually happens or not should make little difference to the oil market. After all, it is now clear that Saudi Arabia is no longer intent on artificially boosting prices... 23rd August 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Lower supply to support aluminium prices next year After surging to a seven-year high in mid-April on the back of the US Treasury’s decision to impose sanctions on Russian aluminium producer, Rusal, the price of aluminium has since collapsed. While we... 23rd August 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Ethanol is not the answer for US corn US corn farmers face considerable uncertainty over the potential for exports given rising global protectionism. What’s more, if export volumes dip, the US ethanol industry is unlikely to absorb any... 23rd August 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update SPR could cushion loss of oil from Iran The sale of crude oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), announced yesterday, is not large enough to have a significant impact on global oil prices. That said, given the hefty size of the... 21st August 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Has copper further to fall? While investor sentiment is likely to remain the main driver of copper prices this year, we expect declining supply and growing demand from the green energy sector to give a boost to prices in 2019... 16th August 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Dollar is still a key driver of commodity prices After breaking down in April and May, the relationship between the dollar and commodity prices seems to have re-established itself. Given our view that the dollar will remain strong into 2019... 16th August 2018 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Gold bugs hold tight, brighter times ahead Given our view that the dollar will remain strong into 2019 and that growth in jewellery demand will continue to soften, we have recently revised down our end-2018 forecast for the price of gold. That... 15th August 2018 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Gold to remain under pressure in 2018 A preference for the US dollar as a safe haven has weighed on gold prices over the past few months. Given our view that the dollar will remain strong into 2019 and that growth in jewellery demand will... 9th August 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Strength in China’s imports unlikely to be sustained China’s commodity import volumes revived in July, but from a low base a month earlier. Indeed, we think import volumes will fall back in the coming months in line with the slowdown in economic... 8th August 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China Industrial Metals Demand & Supply Monitor (Q2) China’s industrial activity held up well in the first half of 2018 but there are now clear signs that the economy is losing momentum, which is likely to prevent any significant gains in industrial... 8th August 2018 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Q2 & H1 2018 World Gold Council Demand Trends Global gold demand declined to the lowest level since 2009 in the first half of 2018 and we expect it to remain softover the coming months as a strong dollar, coupled with rising US interest rates... 2nd August 2018 · 1 min read
