Industrial Metals Update Stocks failing to signal demand trends Stock movements, in general, continue to tell us more about the attractiveness of holding commodity assets off-market rather than anything about underlying physical demand. However, low official... 10th February 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Data Response South Africa Manufacturing Production (Dec.) December’s rise in South African manufacturing production showed that the sector ended the year on a high. There are also signs that manufacturers started this year fairly strongly. Although growth is... 10th February 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economic Outlook Recovery set to be slow-going Following last year’s sharp downturn, economic growth in Latin America should improve this year and next. But the pace of the recovery will be slow-going and GDP growth will remain far weaker than... 9th February 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Outlook 2015 to be a year of recovering prices 2014 was the fourth successive year of poor performance by commodities, especially relative to bonds and equities, but we believe 2015 will be the year when many finally turn the corner. The recent... 9th February 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly A sustained rally in oil prices? Oil prices have rebounded by over 20% in the last week during a period of highly volatile trading. The rally was sparked by growing evidence of declining US rig counts and multiple announcements of... 6th February 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Shifting dynamics in the tin trade Indonesia’s efforts to dictate the tin market look increasingly futile as China finds a new source of tin ore and lifts domestic refined production. However, despite the changing dynamics, the bigger... 5th February 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Chart Pack Metals prove resistant Given the significant headwinds – a strengthening US dollar, slower growth in China’s industrial sector and the collapse in oil prices – metals prices held their ground well in January. The two... 4th February 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Precious metals prove their worth Commodity prices stabilised towards the end of January after sharp falls in oil and copper earlier in the month. The strength of the US dollar and concerns about global growth remain significant... 2nd February 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Mine closures will lift zinc prices in 2015-16 Solid demand growth coupled with rapidly deteriorating mine supply prospects suggest zinc prices are set to rise in 2015-16. However, the potential for the release of unofficial stocks and restarts of... 30th January 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Copper caught up in January sell-off The copper price has continued to tumble this week. We suspect this is due to financial factors rather than underlying fundamentals. The copper market’s high liquidity has made it vulnerable to... 30th January 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update What next for the dysfunctional aluminium market? The aluminium market remains dysfunctional, as high stocks struggle to find their way onto the market, leading to elevated price premiums. Supply into the physical market should improve this year... 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Chile Retail Sales, Ind. Prod. & Copper Prod. (Dec.) December’s activity data suggest that economic growth in Chile recovered in the fourth quarter of last year. But the bigger picture is that growth over 2014 as a whole was probably just 1.8%, the... 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Supply to continue to weigh on iron ore prices The latest quarterly production reports by the large iron ore producers demonstrate a continued commitment to ramp up supply, despite the nearly 50% drop in iron ore prices last year. In this Metals &... 26th January 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Mine closures to boost lead prices The lead price has mirrored falls in copper in recent months. Whilst demand growth is set to remain unspectacular in 2015, and sentiment may be weak, recent and impending mine closures will provide a... 22nd January 2015 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update US steel prices should rebound in 2015 Recent weakness in US steel prices has mainly been driven by supply-side factors, not least Chinese supplies flooding the world market, as well as lower input prices. Considering the protectionist... 20th January 2015 · 1 min read
