Metals Watch Will China become a major metals exporter? It is often easy to forget that China is not only the largest single consumer of metals but, in many cases, also the dominant producer. Of course, in recent years, strong growth in demand meant that... 29th February 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Fundamentals pointing to higher gold prices Since the start of 2016, gold has benefited from a resurgence in safe-haven demand on the back of global financial market woes. While the gold price could fall back a bit if, as we expect, the Fed... 26th February 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Watch What are cost curves telling us about precious metals? Cost curves are a widely-used tool to determine the potential direction of commodities production and prices. Given the weakness in the latter over the last few years, cost curves are currently of... 14th January 2016 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Some reasons to be cheerful on copper The price of copper in US dollar terms has fallen by nearly 30% since the start of 2015. The catalyst for the decline in prices has been the slowdown in China’s economy and fears that it may... 23rd December 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Are capex cuts enough to lift PGM prices? Persistently weak prices of platinum group metal (PGMs) have forced the three largest PGM miners in South Africa to undertake deep cuts to their capital expenditure, workforce and cost structure. At... 27th November 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Will lead continue to outperform zinc? While there has been much media coverage of the recent falls in oil and copper prices, the simultaneous slide in the prices of lead and zinc has not been so well documented. In this Metals & Mining... 25th November 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch The price of silver to outshine gold in 2016 Silver’s prospects remain closely tied to those of gold, with expectations for US monetary policy the biggest catalyst for changes in prices recently. The upside for silver has also been capped by... 29th October 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch What, if anything, can futures curves tell us? While there has been much media coverage of the recent falls in oil and copper prices, the simultaneous slide in the prices of lead and zinc has not been so well documented. In this Metals & Mining... 27th October 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch India’s new gold schemes not yet a game changer On 10th September the Indian parliament approved the launch of the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) and the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme (SGBS). The GMS and the SGBS have been introduced in an attempt to... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Will the supply response be sufficient to lift prices? A number of mining companies have recently announced plans to cut output or close mines and smelters in response to low prices. These latest announcements come on top of earlier cost-cutting exercises... 10th September 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch A brighter future for gold prices The price of gold has been undermined this year by the strength of the dollar and rising bond yields as the first hike in US interest rates approaches. Indeed, we continue to expect one more dip from... 21st August 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Solid fundamentals should support lead prices By setting a lower mid-point for the renminbi’s trading band the People’s Bank has sparked speculation that it is embarking on a competitive devaluation of the currency in order to shore up exports... 7th August 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Will central banks continue to buy gold? Central banks have become major buyers of gold, accounting on average for about 10% of total gold demand over the past five years. The primary driver of central banks’ gold buying continues to be... 27th July 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Weakness in PGM prices should prove temporary Expectations of a strong increase in mine supply,coupled with abundant above-ground stocks,have prompted many analysts to revise down theirforecasts for platinum and palladium prices thisyear and... 29th June 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Waiting for zinc ... Tightening supply, as a number of large mines close, is often cited as a key reason why investors and analysts have been positive on the outlook for zinc prices. However, the expected market tightness... 26th June 2015 · 1 min read
