Commodities Update Shift in spending could hit demand for commodities Although world trade volumes are likely to hold up for a while yet, a reversal of some of the shift in spending patterns caused by the pandemic is likely to weigh on commodity demand. This is another... 8th September 2021 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update Jump in China commodity imports a flash in the pan China’s imports of key commodities rose almost across the board in August, but we doubt that this is the start of a new upwards trend. Instead, with many of the factors that had boosted demand now... 7th September 2021 · 2 mins read
Commodities Commodity prices on increasingly shaky ground After sharp falls in the middle of the month, most commodity prices ended August broadly flat. However, we doubt it will be long before the downward pressure on prices intensifies again. After all... 3rd September 2021 · 11 mins read
Commodities Weekly Looking for direction There wasn’t a clear direction in commodity markets this week, with most prices driven by commodity-specific factors. Natural gas and coal prices continued to surge, while the prices of some... 3rd September 2021 · 6 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Last week’s sharp fall in US commercial crude stocks is at odds with many of the underlying indicators. In any case, stocks seem likely to rise in the weeks ahead as reports suggest that refinery... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update China aluminium output: how worried should we be? Aluminium prices have recently been boosted by a series of supply outages in China. But unlike Chinese steel production, where declines have been driven largely by government policy which looks here... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update China PMIs support our forecast of lower metals prices The China PMI data for August continue to suggest that commodity demand in the world’s largest consumer is coming off the boil. As a result, the wedge between industrial metals prices and the China... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly Dollar depreciation unlikely to last There was a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of commodities prices this week, with across-the-board gains as risk appetite picked up and the US dollar eased back. Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, was... 27th August 2021 · 6 mins read
Commodities Focus The impact of renewables on energy commodities We think that the adoption rate of renewable electricity will accelerate in the decades ahead, which should contribute to a near-continuous decline in demand for coal. Demand for natural gas should... 26th August 2021 · 13 mins read
Commodities Weekly Delta to continue to weigh on prices Commodity prices mostly fell this week on the back of a stronger US dollar as well as mounting concerns over the demand outlook. China’s July activity and spending data, published on Monday, were... 20th August 2021 · 5 mins read
Metals Data Response Global Aluminium Production (Jul.) Aluminium prices have recently been supported by reports that government-imposed power rationing has weighed on production in China, but there is little evidence of this in the latest data for July... 20th August 2021 · 2 mins read
Industrial Metals Update Tide is turning against steel production in China The government in China has stepped up measures to tackle pollution and excess capacity in the domestic steel sector over the past few months. This adds weight to our view that steel production, and... 19th August 2021 · 3 mins read
Commodities Weekly Alarming UN report could spark more green spending The UN’s latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned that ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions are a ‘code red for humanity’, which could give further momentum to the... 13th August 2021 · 6 mins read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Last week’s fall in crude oil and gasoline stocks suggests that growth in demand in the US is continuing to outpace growth in supply. However, following a strong recovery from its pandemic-induced... 11th August 2021 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update Lower China commodity imports here to stay The latest trade data out of China adds to the evidence that demand growth in the world’s key commodity consumer is slowing. This supports our view that the broad-based rally in commodity prices from... 9th August 2021 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly Delta variant taking centre stage Concerns surrounding the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 were the main driver of prices this week, but the impact on prices was far from uniform. Not surprisingly, oil prices slumped as many... 6th August 2021 · 6 mins read
