Commodities Weekly Commodities take a hit The prices of oil, iron ore and many of the industrial metals plunged this week. Investor concerns about demand resurfaced as China’s manufacturing PMIs for April pointed to slower economic activity... 5th May 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Geopolitical concerns keep commodity prices volatile This week has been dominated by speculation about whether OPEC will extend its output cuts at its next semi-annual meeting at the end of May. Even though an extension now appears likely, this failed... 28th April 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Better economic news fails to boost prices Concerns about oil demand in the US weighed on prices this week. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has indicated that OPEC is close to agreeing an extension to its output cuts, which are currently due... 21st April 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Higher geopolitical tensions support gold prices, for now The further deterioration in the US relationship with Russia and North Korea this week has supported the prices of precious metals. A weaker dollar, in light of President Trump’s comments about the... 13th April 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Risk aversion may prove temporary The prices of most industrial commodities fell on Friday as investors turned more risk averse in the wake of the US missile attack on a Syrian air base. The main exceptions were the prices of oil and... 7th April 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Oil bounces back The price of oil jumped this week on a combination of renewed fighting in Libya which disrupted oil production and speculation that OPEC members will extend their output cuts beyond the June deadline... 31st March 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Prices under pressure The price of oil took a tumble this week on persistent concerns about high US stocks, while copper also fell as the strike at the world’s largest mine was called off. More generally, there were signs... 24th March 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Optimism prevails, for now It has been an eventful week in commodity markets but, for the most part, prices have risen. The US 25bp rate hike on Wednesday was widely anticipated so markets chose to focus on the fact that the... 17th March 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Investor enthusiasm on the wane It has been a disappointing week for commodity prices, against a backdrop of a stronger dollar and the likelihood of an imminent rate hike in the US. The strong US employment report on Friday removed... 10th March 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Commodity prices brace themselves for Fed tightening The big news this week was the ratcheting up of expectations of an imminent rate hike by the Fed, which weighed on most commodity prices. That said, the prices of US grains and soybeans rose, on... 3rd March 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Commodities still looking for direction Commodity prices were broadly unchanged this week, aside from a few notable exceptions. Cobalt was the star performer as concerns about supply and expectations of strong demand led to a surge in... 24th February 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Commodities consolidate While a slight weakening of the US dollar provided some support to prices this week, individual demand and supply fundamentals were the main drivers. Oil prices fell as a further rise in US stocks... 17th February 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Yellen’s testimony unlikely to be a market mover Most commodity prices rose this week despite a sharp appreciation of the US dollar. The latest data on Chinese trade, released today, show that commodity import volumes jumped in January but this... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Mixed news for commodity markets Most commodity prices took a bit of a hit this morning as China raised its short-term interest rate, in a clear sign that supporting growth is no longer the primary immediate goal of policymakers... 3rd February 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Industrials continue to do well The prices of the more industrial commodities generally fared better this week, with a few notable exceptions in nickel and palladium. Optimism about demand continues to support prices. Indeed, this... 27th January 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Commodity prices take a breather The prices of most commodities eased back this week. Agricultural commodities fared slightly better, primarily on the back of weather-related concerns about supply. Data released on Friday confirming... 20th January 2017 · 1 min read
