Commodities Update Investors remain broadly positive Commodity price indices have risen in the last month, encouraged by the rally in oil prices. Although we are positive on the medium-term outlook for industrial commodity prices, we would caution that... 17th May 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Sentiment towards precious metals continues to improve Precious metals prices rallied last month, flattered by the recent US dollar weakness. Investors in the futures market added to their net-long positions, but the recent mixed news on the health of the... 17th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Three reasons to be wary of the latest surge in oil prices The continued recovery in the price of crude oil has lifted Brent close to $50 per barrel, prompting a wave of positive headlines and upward revisions to analysts’ forecasts. However, for now we are... 16th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Will copper continue to underperform oil? We expect the recent under-performance of copper prices relative to oil to be reversed over the remainder of the year. Oil prices have been boosted by supply outages which should prove temporary... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Q1 2016 World Gold Council Demand Trend In its Q1 Global Demand Trends report, published today, the World Gold Council (WGC) described a strong quarter for gold demand. A sharp recovery in investor sentiment more than offset a fall in... 12th May 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update European gas prices will undershoot oil price recovery We are forecasting that the price of Brent Crude will reach $60 per barrel by the end of next year, but there are several reasons why we do not expect European natural gas prices to experience a... 12th May 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Stockbuild in China reflects optimism about demand Since the start of 2016, stocks of all the LME metals have fallen, while SHFE inventories of the same metals have risen. We think this trend reflects two main factors. First, optimism that physical... 11th May 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update How much of a threat are electric cars to PGMs demand? Electric vehicles have been the subject of much publicity recently, leading some commentators to question the future of PGMs in the auto industry. While we recognise the growing importance of electric... 10th May 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update Oil production outages supporting prices, for now Disruptions to oil output around the world have put the brakes on the slide in oil prices since the beginning of this month. However, these production outages should only be temporary. When output is... 10th May 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Copper still waiting in the wings The price of copper has not risen by as much as the prices of other metals in recent months. But we think the underlying outlook for demand is strong and that there are risks on the supply side. As... 10th May 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s commodity import demand remains robust The sharp year-on-year decline in China’s import values in April has attracted some negative headlines but largely reflects distortions around the timing of the Lunar New Year and the slump in... 9th May 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Is the recent rally in PGM prices sustainable? The recent rally in platinum group metals (PGM) prices has been stronger than we had anticipated and may not be sustainable. Indeed, prices have already retraced slightly from their recent peak of a... 4th May 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Investors cannot ignore oversupply of iron ore much longer The large speculative element in the recent rally in iron ore prices suggests that prices are especially vulnerable to any waning in the enthusiasm of Chinese investors, perhaps prompted by a further... 27th April 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update A mixed bag for Chinese agricultural imports in Q1 The detailed Chinese import data for March indicate that import demand picked up for some agricultural commodities in the first quarter of the year. Yet imports of some other commodities continued... 21st April 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update Will Saudi Arabia flood the oil market again? Looking beyond the headlines from the failed deal in Doha over the weekend there are two interesting points which are worth considering. First, the suggestion that Saudi Arabia could turn on the taps... 21st April 2016 · 1 min read
