Commodities Weekly Energy prices shrug off US dollar appreciation Energy prices surged this week, despite the strength of the US dollar, as the physical markets appeared to be moving closer to balance from a position of oversupply. In most other commodity markets... 7th October 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly OPEC’s surprise deal lacks substance The price of oil surged this week in response to the announcement that OPEC members had reached a deal to curb output. However, we are sceptical that this new deal will lead to lower oil supply, not... 30th September 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Algiers unlikely to be a game-changer For the most part, commodity prices have risen this week, boosted by some weakness in the US dollar. The Fed's decision on Wednesday to keep interest rates on hold weighed on the US currency. That... 23rd September 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Attention to return to the Fed The price of oil has taken a hit this week as hopes faded of an OPEC-led agreement between producers to freeze output. However, other industrial commodities performed somewhat better, buoyed by the... 16th September 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly A roller-coaster week for oil The price of oil has alternately surged and plunged this week, buffeted by a sharp (but probably temporary) fall in US stocks and speculation about prospects for supply. Indeed, stability in prices... 9th September 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Prices get a payrolls boost A weaker-than-expected US employment report on Friday all but removed the prospect of a US interest rate rise this month, although we still think a hike is likely before the end of the year. The... 2nd September 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Focus shifts to US payrolls Hawkish comments by some Fed officials and a slight strengthening of the US dollar ahead of Janet Yellen’s speech at Jackson Hole on Friday weighed on the prices of most commodities over the past week... 26th August 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Weaker dollar supports commodity prices With a few exceptions, commodity prices have trended higher over the past week. A weaker dollar on the back of the July FOMC minutes showing that Fed officials were divided over the timing of the next... 19th August 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Oil jumps on output freeze speculation Despite a slightly weaker dollar, the prices of most industrial metals ended the week lower on the back of mixed data out of China. While industrial activity looks to be holding up reasonably well –... 12th August 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Commodities wobble on strong US jobs data On Friday, commodity prices dipped in the wake of the second consecutive strong US non-farm payrolls reading, the subsequent appreciation of the dollar and the implication that rate hikes could come... 5th August 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly US dollar weakness supports prices Commodity prices generally drifted lower over the past week, although some support came later from a weaker US dollar. Indeed, the markets shrugged off disappointing US Q2 GDP data on Friday, given... 29th July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Dollar strength takes some steam out of prices With a few exceptions, the prices of industrial commodities have taken another hit this week, pressured by profit taking and renewed strength in the US dollar. Meanwhile, the ECB’s decision to keep... 22nd July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Hopes of policy stimulus boost industrial metals The prices of riskier assets, including industrial metals as well as equities, have been boosted by hopes of additional fiscal and monetary support to mitigate any global fallout from the UK’s vote to... 15th July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Prices vulnerable to a reassessment of US rate outlook Despite a spectacular 287,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in June, Fed funds futures are still only pricing in a 50% chance of a US interest rate hike by the end of 2017. This dovish spin allowed the... 8th July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Brexit vote has a silver lining The price of gold has predictably done well in the wake of the UK’s surprise vote to leave the EU (‘Brexit’). But the real star of the show has been silver, whose price has already jumped by nearly 20... 1st July 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly A relatively muted response to Brexit Unsurprisingly, the prices of most commodities have fallen in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the EU. The main exception is gold, which has benefitted from renewed safe-haven demand as well as the... 24th June 2016 · 1 min read
