Industrial Metals Update Tin to outperform other base metals this year Tin usage should pick up in 2016, led by a recovery in the global electronics sector. Given constrained supply, the price of tin could rally strongly. 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Be wary of currency-driven swings in commodity prices The dollar prices of many commodities have been boosted this week by declines in the value of the US currency. Any recovery may be good news for producers regardless of the underlying cause... 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update Focus on Brent hides greater weakness in OPEC’s prices The recent sharp falls and partial recovery in the price of Brent crude oil have grabbed the headlines. But focusing on Brent (or the traditional US benchmark WTI) alone doesn’t tell the whole story... 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Diverging fortunes kick start agriculturals in 2016 The S&P GSCI Agriculture index has started the new year where it left the last: down, falling by close to 1%. However, the beginning of 2016 has seen a divergence in the performance of the prices of... 4th February 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update Why isn’t gold doing even better? The further gains in the price of gold today (to a high of $1,140 per ounce) are consistent with the relatively positive view we have had on the precious metal for some time. However, we are in no... 3rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Taking stock of the fall in US winter wheat plantings The release of the USDA’s winter wheat seeding report, the agency’s first estimate of US winter wheat acreage, points to the possibility of a fall in production this year, not just for winter wheat... 2nd February 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Another headwind for wheat prices if Russia lowers export tax Russian ministers are set to meet on Wednesday to decide whether or not to remove the wheat export tax. We think the removal of the tax would put more downward pressure on wheat prices, although the... 2nd February 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update India to remain a major importer of gold, for now While the response to India’s Gold Monetisation Scheme has been fairly muted so far, the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme has been a success, having attracted the equivalent of almost four tonnes of gold... 29th January 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Another bumper month (and year) for China’s REE exports In December, China’s rare earth (REE) exports were up by nearly 50% m/m – much higher than the 10% m/m average growth seen since the start of 2012. We believe the sharp increase was partly seasonal... 29th January 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update Could Russia join OPEC in supporting oil prices? The jump in oil prices today (to a high of $35) on speculation that Saudi Arabia and Russia could soon agree to cut output is at least consistent with our forecasts of a rebound by year-end... 28th January 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s policy reform could spell further trouble for corn prices Recent reports suggest that the Chinese government will stop supporting domestic corn producers and let the market determine prices. If implemented, this could put further downward pressure on global... 27th January 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Chinese import demand for ags slows at the end of 2015 The detailed Chinese import data for December, released earlier today, suggest that the strength of demand for agriculturals continued to ease at the end of 2015. 26th January 2016 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update China’s imports suggest platinum back in fashion China’s imports of palladium plunged in 2015 as stocks were drawn down, but a pick-up in car production suggests that demand should recover soon. Meanwhile, imports of platinum were up strongly on the... 26th January 2016 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Solid Chinese metals imports defy negative sentiment December was the fourth consecutive month of strong Chinese metals imports. Although low prices have probably played a role, we think that robust consumption, driven by increased infrastructure... 26th January 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Update A shaky start for US LNG The sharp drop in crude oil prices has led to markedly lower Asian liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices and poses a risk to the economic rationale of US LNG exports. That said, the flexibility of US... 25th January 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Coffee prices set for limited recovery We expect global coffee output to rise only slightly in 2015/16, leading to a drawdown in global stocks, which should result in stronger prices. Our forecast that the Brazilian real will remain weak... 22nd January 2016 · 1 min read
