Metals Watch Recent drags on car sales are set to unwind Car sales in the world’s largest markets have slumped since mid-2018. In this Metals Watch we explain our forecast for sales to begin recovering later this year. 22nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Watch Europe’s oil security problem to diminish over time The recent problem of oil contamination in Russia presents an upside risk to our oil price forecast in the short-term. If this develops into a longer-term theme, it could pose a serious risk to... 21st May 2019 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (May) Following the recent escalation of US sanctions on Iran’s crude exports, attention has been focused on OPEC’s next move. An upward revision to global demand for OPEC crude could give some members... 14th May 2019 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Apr.) As a group, OPEC is more than complying with its production quota, which helps to explain the recent rally in prices. That said, individual country compliance is quite poor with Saudi Arabia... 10th April 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Watch Revisiting commodity price correlations Back in 2014, we examined explanations for the unusually high correlation seen between commodity and equity price moves during 2009-12. We concluded that while ultra-loose policy played a role, the... 3rd April 2019 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Mar.) The latest data show that OPEC has more than met its production quota, albeit mostly down to Saudi Arabia. However, with non-OPEC oil supply increasing and demand growth waning, we still think that... 14th March 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Watch Unravelling the shifting dynamics of spreads There have been some dramatic moves in price spreads between different grades of crude oil in the last year. For the most part, spreads have reflected differences in the underlying physical demand and... 13th March 2019 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Platinum ETF holdings to increase to record high In stark contrast to recent years, investors have been drawn to platinum so far in 2019. As a result, ETF holdings have risen by more than a sixth in just two months and are rapidly approaching the... 12th March 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Watch The relationship between oil prices, rigs and output Theoretically, there should be a relationship between the price of oil, the number of oil rigs actively drilling and oil production. However, the relationship appears to have broken down in the past... 7th March 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Watch There may be trouble ahead … Since the start of 2019, commodity indices have increased at the same time as a host of asset classes, including US and emerging market equities. This Commodities Watch will explore whether this... 27th February 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Watch The shifting nature of US-Saudi oil relations There has been much commentary in recent months on the balance of power in relations between the US and Saudi Arabia. Many of the areas of mutual interest are geopolitical in nature and we are not... 21st February 2019 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Prices to fall, despite low exchange stocks Exchange stocks in most base metals have slumped over the past year. Typically, this is associated with strong demand or weak supply growth, and results in higher metals prices. In this Metals Watch... 19th February 2019 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Feb.) January production data showed that OPEC is more than complying with the output cuts announced in late 2018, which probably explains the relative resilience of oil prices in recent weeks. However, we... 12th February 2019 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Dec.) Following the decision by OPEC and its allies to reduce output for six months from January, the latest data showed OPEC’s commitment to remove much of the apparent excess supply in the oil market. But... 17th January 2019 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Gold on the road to recovery The price of gold has slowly and steadily risen in recent weeks to a 5-month high ahead of last night’s US Federal Reserve meeting. In this Metals Watch, we explain why we believe this rally in the... 20th December 2018 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Nov.) Amid growing concerns over a glut in the market, OPEC and its allies pledged to cut output. We estimate that these cuts will remove much of the apparent excess supply in the market, but think that the... 12th December 2018 · 1 min read