Energy Watch OPEC likely to hold fast next week The next meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), on 5 th June, is set to be almost as closely watched as the previous one in November. The recent rebound in oil prices... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Fed back in focus as US inflation picks up The past week has been a good one for commodity prices, with most recording at least a small increase. Adverse growing conditions boosted the prices of coffee and wheat, while silver again... 22nd May 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Recovery in oil prices doesn’t alter outlook for region’s oil producers The steady recovery in oil prices over the past couple of months will clearly be welcomed by the MENA region’s oil producers and provides some encouragement for the Gulf countries that their oil... 21st May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Last week’s fall in US weekly oil stocks all but confirms that April’s highs marked the peak. What’s more, US oil production declined by the most significant amount in almost a year and demand picked... 20th May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q1) Q1’s GDP data showed that the decline in oil prices hit the economy fairly hard. While policymakers have the tools to prevent a more severe downturn, growth is likely to remain slow by past standards... 20th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update US natural gas prices to continue to rally We think that the recent surge in US natural gas prices is set to persist, driven by higher demand from power plants, lower production and the first gas exports from the US to Asia and Europe. 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Should the ECB be happy with the first 10 weeks of QE? The ECB Governing Council has a right to be cautiously optimistic about the first ten weeks of QE. But we share its view that this does not mean that QE should end early. On the contrary, we think... 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy strengthens as oil sector rebounds Our GDP Tracker suggests that Saudi Arabia’s economy strengthened further in March as the oil sector returned to growth and consumer spending remained buoyant. But we expect this rebound to fizzle out... 19th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Focus How much should the drop in oil prices boost demand? The rebound in oil prices over the last few months has vindicated our view that oil prices had fallen too far, even if they have bounced back a little more sharply than we had anticipated. We expect... 18th May 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Dovish US data support commodity prices Commodity prices have generally had a good week, helped by further soft economic data from theUS and a renewed decline in the value of the dollar against other major currencies. Thestabilisation in... 15th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Chart Pack Oil prices rebound as US production falters The big news over the last month has been the ongoing rise in oil prices. The price of Brent almost touched $70 per barrel in early May on news that US oil stocks had fallen and despite being volatile... 14th May 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi Arabia can afford to ride out a period of low oil prices We think concerns that Saudi Arabia is drawing down its savings to maintain spending in the face of lower oil prices misses the point that these buffers were built up precisely for a time like this... 14th May 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economic Outlook Recovery stalls as Brazil suffers renewed downturn The recovery that appeared to be underway in Latin America at the end of last year has faded in recent months, with several of the region’s economies experiencing renewed downturns. The latest... 13th May 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report A further fall in US weekly oil stocks suggests that April’s highs marked the peak. However, if the drawdown continues at the current rate it will take another year before stocks are back to more... 13th May 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Rebound in bond yields unlikely to undermine global growth We can all be caught up in the mood of the moment, but talk of a “rout” in bond markets is, at best, premature. Yields are still remarkably low by past standards. While they may rise further, notably... 13th May 2015 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC oil output continues to rise Last month’s small increase in supply from OPEC just adds to the glut of oil already in the market. Even though the cartel also raised its demand estimates, supply will still be ample. 13th May 2015 · 1 min read
