Risk aversion sees oil and gold prices diverge

ETF Securities Risk aversion sees oil and gold prices divergeRisk aversion sees oil and gold prices diverge

Commodity ETP Weekly – Risk aversion sees oil and gold prices diverge

Brent trades at its biggest discount to WTI.
Gold safe haven status reignited.
Coffee ETPs receive their highest inflows since July 2015.

  • Bargain hunters continue to drive flows into energy ETPs, extending last year’s trend for a second week in 2016 despite the oil price slide.
  • Gold ETPs flows hit 9-week high at the start of 2016 as uncertainty over global markets looms.
  • Coffee ETPs flows garner momentum after International Coffee Organisation raised estimates for global production shortfall.

Download the complete report (.pdf)

Brent trades at its biggest discount to WTI. WTI and Brent crude oil prices have fallen to fresh 12-year lows below US$29/bbl this week. Brent, the North Sea crude used as an international benchmark, has fallen faster than WTI and is trading at its biggest discount to the US benchmark since 2010. The lifting of oil sanctions against Iran this weekend mounted pressure on Brent prices as investors contemplated the effects of rising Iranian exports in an already over supplied oil market. Despite the precipitous oil slide, bargain hunters remained undeterred, driving inflows of US $26.9mn into long Brent ETPs – the highest level since February last year and inflows US $45.6mn in long WTI crude ETPs are at the highest level in 8 weeks.

Gold safe haven status reignited. Gold ETPs recorded their highest inflows in 9 weeks , amounting to US $17.6mn. We believe the simplest explanation for this has been the global stock market rout, exacerbated by Friday’s oil price declines, which renewed gold’s appeal as a safe haven asset. Another key point to highlight is the ripple effect that a lower sticky inflation outlook could have on the Fed’s ability to raise rates in the US this year. Persistently low oil prices could lower the future rate profile compared to the current FOMC dot plot, encouraging a weaker dollar and thereby making gold priced in dollars cheaper to buy. By virtue of oil being a vital part of inflation forces, and given the recent oil price slide subsequent lower inflation would also reduce the need for gold as a hedge against inflation. However, in the current environment, gold’s defensive properties are driving price performance. Gold has posted gains of 1.43% last week highlighting gold’s resilience at a time when market uncertainty is at the highest levels since the global equity correction in September 2015.

Coffee ETPs receive their highest inflows since July 2015. ETFS Coffee (COFF) recorded flows of US$3.5mn after the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) hiked estimates for the global production shortfall this season held back by a weaker harvest in Brazil. In its forecast for the output for 2015-16, the ICO expects the first growth in production in three years. Nonetheless, the ICO forecast a deficit for a third successive season.

Key events to watch this week. After a torrid week in financial markets all eyes will be glued on China’s GDP report due to be released on Tuesday for any signs of respite from the ongoing sell off. Friday sees the release of the US inflation data, a key ingredient to the FOMC’s rate policy formulation and the USD, a key driver of commodity prices. The European Central Bank meets on Thursday and consensus remains for rates to be left unchanged. The Canadian Dollar’s decline to a 12-year low coupled with sliding oil prices may force the Bank of Canada to take further action when they meet on Wednesday.

For more information contact

ETF Securities Research team
ETF Securities (UK) Limited
T +44 (0) 207 448 4336
E info@etfsecurities.com

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General

This communication has been provided by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (”ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority.

This is a strictly privileged and confidential communication between ETFS UK and its selected client. This communication contains information addressed only to a specific individual and is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person other than the named addressee. This communication (i) is provided for informational purposes only, (ii) should not be construed in any manner as any solicitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or any related financial instruments, and (iii) should not be construed in any manner as a public offer of any securities or any related financial instruments. If you are not the named addressee, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this communication. Please notify the sender immediately if you have mistakenly received this communication. When being made within Italy, this communication is for the exclusive use of the ”qualified investors” and its circulation among the public is prohibited.

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This document may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or correctness of any information contained herein and any opinions related to product or market activity may change. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data.

Any historical performance included in this document may be based on back testing. Back tested performance is purely hypothetical and is provided in this document solely for informational purposes. Back tested data does not represent actual performance and should not be interpreted as an indication of actual or future performance.

Historical performance is not an indication of or a guide to future performance.

The information contained in this communication is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision.

ETFS UK is required by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (”FCA”) to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.

Risk Warnings

Any products referenced in this document are generally aimed at sophisticated, professional and institutional investors. Any decision to invest should be based on the information contained in the prospectus (and any supplements thereto) of the relevant product issue. The price of any securities may go up or down and an investor may not get back the amount invested. Securities may valued in currencies other than those in which there are priced and will be affected by exchange rate movements. Investments in the securities which provide a short and/or leveraged exposure are only suitable for sophisticated, professional and institutional investors who understand leveraged and compounded daily returns and are willing to magnify potential losses by comparison to investments which do not incorporate these strategies. Over periods of greater than one day, investments with a short and/or leveraged exposure do not necessarily provide investors with a return equivalent to a return from the unleveraged long or unleveraged short investments multiplied by the relevant leverage factor. Investors should refer to the section entitled ”Risk Factors” in the relevant prospectus for further details of these and other risks associated with an investment in any securities referenced in this communication.

If you have any questions please contact ETFS UK at +44 20 7448 4330 or info@etfsecurities.com for more information.

Bearish bets on coffee hit record high

Bearish bets on coffee hit record high

Trade Idea – Commodities – Bearish bets on coffee hit record high
26th November 2015

Coffee prices to remain depressed

•         Last week the BRL staged a 3% rally as the incumbent Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, won a political victory aimed at narrowing the country’s growing budget deficit. The strengthening of the BRL sent the price of Arabica coffee soaring 8% from 23 month lows (see Figure 1, Source: Bloomberg) and partially reversed a downward trend that has plagued the soft commodity since the end of last year. Brazil is the largest global exporter of Arabica coffee and the recent weakening of its currency has, until September, significantly weighed on the coffee price[1]. In coming months, we expect support from favourable currency movements to fade and a strong coffee supply outlook for 2016/17 crop year to weigh on price, benefiting those investors with tactical short exposure to coffee.

Speculative coffee positioning reaches record low

•         According to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), short bets on coffee swelled to the highest level on record in the week to Nov 17 (see figure 2), reflecting the bearish sentiment that has dominated coffee trading until last week’s recovery. We believe that bearish sentiment will reassert and help to push coffee prices lower as soon as BRL strength abates. The Brazilian economy is currently under considerable duress as stagflation and political turmoil weigh on the nation’s prospects. Therefore, we believe that the optimism that has fuelled the recent BRL appreciation is fragile and will likely fade as the economy slips further into recession and political uncertainty persists.

Favourable supply outlook

•         The Brazilian harvest for 2015/16 is almost complete and despite the 2014 drought prompting forecasts of a large fall in production, output has only fallen 3% YoY (Source: United States Department of Agriculture). Looking ahead to next year, good rain in key producing regions is helping the flowering process of Brazilian coffee trees which should aid coffee cherry development and in turn increase the likelihood of a strong yield from the 2016/17 harvest.

•         Elsewhere, Columbia and Honduras have seen production grow 40% and 46% respectively over the past five years as tree renovation programmes, aimed at combatting coffee rust (disease that affects coffee plantations), pay considerable dividends (see Figure 3). Given that both are top five global exporters of coffee (third and fifth respectively) this trend will likely be another source of pressure on coffee prices in the near future.

Investors wishing to express the investment views outlined above may consider using the following ETF Securities ETPs:

Coffee
•         ETFS Coffee (COFF)
•         ETFS 2x Daily Long Coffee (LCFE)
•         ETFS 1x Daily Short Coffee (SCFE)
•         ETFS 3x Daily Long Coffee (3CFL)
•         ETFS 3x Daily Short Coffee (3CFS)
•         ETFS EUR Daily Hedged Coffee (ECOF)
•         Swiss Franc Daily Hedged Coffee (CCOF)

The complete ETF Securities product list can be found here.
[1] Brazilian coffee suppliers increase output as a weaker BRL means that their produce become cheaper on international US Dollar denominated markets.

 

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Disclaimer Text This communication has been issued and approved for the purpose of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (“ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”). The information contained in this communication is for your general information only and is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investments may go down in value. This document is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares or securities in the United States or any province or territory thereof. Neither this document nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States. This communication may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. Although ETFS UK endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the content in this communication, ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee its accuracy or correctness. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data. Where ETFS UK has expressed its own opinions related to product or market activity, these views may change. Neither ETFS UK, nor any affiliate, nor any of their respective, officers, directors, partners, or employees accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this publication or its contents. ETFS UK is required by the FCA to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit. While this communication is made by ETFS UK, certain content has been produced and provided for ETFS UK by Roubini Global Economics, LLC (“RGE”). RGE is an independent, unaffiliated third party to ETFS UK. No forwarding, reprinting, republication or any other redistribution of this content is permissible without the express consent of RGE and ETFS UK. RGE and ETFS UK reserve the right to enforce their respective copyrights and pursue any such other action as they deem appropriate in respect of any such unauthorised use, republication or redistribution of this communication.

Kaffe, ett år från toppnivån

Kaffe, ett år från toppnivån

Kaffe, ett år från toppnivån Kaffe nådde för ett år sedan en toppnotering, en så kallad all-time-high, efter det att torkan lamslog den brasilianska kaffeindustrin, och nu räknar en del analytiker med att det är dags för kaffepriset att komma i fokus igen.

Under förra året innebar utbudsbristen att priset på Arabica kaffe steg till 3 USD när råvaruhandlarna oroade sig för effekterna som den brasilianska torkan kunde få för priserna på råvarubörserna. Vissa säger att oron gick för långt vilket bidrog till att kaffepriset steg för mycket. En av de mest uppenbara anledningarna till att priset på kaffe steg så pass kraftigt på råvarumarknaderna var att köpare som de stora kafékedjorna Starbucks köpte större mängder kaffe än normalt i syfte att säkerställa att de skulle ha tillräckligt med kaffe för att kunna servera sina kunder även om torkan skulle fortsätta.

Sedan förra året har emellertid kaffepriset rasat, och i skrivande stund handlas kaffet cirka fem procent lägre än för två år sedan. Bland analytikerna höjs nu rösterna om att det kan vara dags för stigande kaffepriser inom kort.

Kaffe är en mycket volatil och komplex råvara, och dagens pris vare sig avspeglar en minskad efterfrågan eller ett ökat utbud. Istället speglar det ett lägre pris på den brasilianska valutan, realen. Många kaffeodlare väljer att inte sälja sin skörd till kaffeuppköparna då realen är så svag som den är i dagsläget. Istället försöker de vänta ut en uppgång för både realen och kaffepriset med en förhoppning om att kunna sälja till högre priser. Det är inte helt ovanligt att odlarna undanhåller sina skördar från världsmarknaden när priserna är för låga. Syftet med detta är att driva upp priserna på världsmarknaderna.

Dåliga skördar

Vid sidan av att många odlare väljer att undanhålla sina skördar från världsmarknaderna har brasilianska odlare fortfarande problem som är hänförliga till förra årets torka. Det är endast en del av kaffeplantorna som har återhämtat sig fullt ut, något som gör att även kommande skörd kan bli dålig. Det står redan nu klart att årets skörd kommer att bli lägre än den aggregerade efterfrågan. Det är ännu oklart hur mycket kaffe som kaffeodlarna kommer att plantera denna säsong, men flera analytiker tror att odlarna vill se ett högre pris innan de planerar ytterligare kaffe.

Efterfrågan

Ett högre kaffepris stödjs av en växande efterfrågan. I de utvecklade länderna är efterfrågan stabil, medan den i den övriga världen ökar kraftigt. Det är en framväxande medelklass som skapar en växande efterfrågan på kaffe. Kaffekonsumtionen kan stiga över hela världen, vilket kan driva priserna under ett par års sikt.

Förra årets torka tillsammans stigande efterfrågan innebär att det kommer att bli ett underskott i världskaffeproduktion av 2,6 miljoner säckar för skördeåret i 2015/2016, enligt en analys som nyligen publicerades av råvarumäklaren Marex Spectron. Detta kan innebära att priserna kommer att röra sig uppåt på lång sikt. Kommersiella köpare har redan varit att köpa tillräckligt med kaffe leveranser för att fylla sina behov under resten av 2015 och även 2016, ofta genom att hedga sig vid låga prisnivåer.

Det finns ett antal börshandlade fonder (ETFer) som replikerar värdeutvecklingen av kaffepriset. ETF Securities har flera tracker produkter, inklusive ETFS Coffee ETC som handlas på Londonbörsen under kortnamnet COFF. Den årliga förvaltningskostnaden ligger på låga 0,49 procent.

ETF Securities erbjuder också två hävstångsfonder som syftar till att öka avkastningen genom upplåning och spekulation. Dessa kallas ETFS Daily Short Coffee och ETFS Daily Leverage Coffee, och de har något högre avgifter på 0,98 procent.

Kaffepriset

Precious Metals in Favour as Equity Volatility Rises

Precious Metals in Favour as Equity Volatility Rises

ETF Securities Commodity ETP Weekly Precious Metals in Favour as Equity Volatility Rises

Gold leads precious metal inflows to 11 week highs of US$49m.

ETFS Coffee (COFF) had its second highest weekly flow since inception in 2008.

ETFS Aluminium (ALUM) receives highest inflows in six months.

Profit-taking in oil ETPs for the seventh consecutive week.

Download the complete report (.pdf)

The outlook for cyclical commodities has improved after China’s central bank cut interest rates for the third time in six months in order to stem the slowdown in economic activity. However, risk appetite could be limited, with sharp moves in both directions for benchmark equities keeping investors on edge. As a result, gold appears to have come back into favour as a defensive hedge against declining sentiment. Gold appears set to benefit again this week, with Greek debt negotiations likely to prevent any significant upswing in investor risk appetite.

Gold leads precious metal inflows to 11 week highs of US$49m. Investors looked to physical gold exposures last week to offset the rough patch experienced by global equity markets as rising volatility saw most global benchmarks post sharp declines. ETFS physical gold ETPs received the largest inflows in 12 weeks, totaling over US$38mn. Alongside gold inflows, silver received the largest inflows in four weeks, totaling over US$4mn, despite a moderation in prices.

ETFS Coffee (COFF) had its second highest weekly flow since inception in 2008. The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation reported that the country’s coffee production for April grew 11.06% year-on-year, prompting a price decline last week, but investors saw this as a better entry point to establish long positions. However, Colombia only produces 11% of global Arabica output. Brazil who produces 45% of global output, has had significant drought damage to its coffee bushes in 2014 threatening the yield in 2015. Added to that, a firmer Brazilian Real removes a catalyst for stock-offloading by Brazilian farmers. We believe that coffee prices could benefit from a tightening in supply from Brazil. Elsewhere in the agricultural sector, long wheat ETPs have seen the fifth consecutive week of inflows, totaling nearly US$27mn. Lower crop planting intentions by US farmers this season compared to last have given investors greater optimism of a run down in elevated inventory levels.

ETFS Aluminium (ALUM) receives highest inflows in six months. ALUM received US$72mn of inflows last week, as confidence regarding the outlook for Chinese growth gains momentum. Aluminium prices have been in decline as the market has been abundantly supplied. However, Chinese imports increased by over 30% in April from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the solid gains in recent weeks experienced by copper price has seen investors book profits, with withdrawals from ETFS Copper (COPA) at the highest levels in seven months, totaling US$40mn.

Profit-taking in oil ETPs for the seventh consecutive week. Oil prices posted declines last week, despite US stockpiles dropping for the first time in x months. After rising on expectations of prices declined as the EIA revealed a drop in inventory levels. Certainly recent rally appears stretched given the fundamentals, as supply remains abundant, and not just in the US. OPEC continues to produce more oil despite budgetary problems, but if prices remain at current levels, excess US production is not expected to be under any pressure.

Key events to watch this week.
Eurozone Q1 GDP will be the key event this week in order to determine whether the ECB’s stimulus is having an impact on the real economy, and whether investors are justified increasing gold holdings. Greek debt negotiations will also have a near term impact on investor sentiment.

Video Presentation

Martin Arnold, Research Analyst at ETF Securities provides an analysis of last week’s performance, flow and trading activity in commodity exchange traded products and a look at the week ahead.

For more information contact

ETF Securities Research team
ETF Securities (UK) Limited
T +44 (0) 207 448 4336
E info@etfsecurities.com

Important Information

General

This communication has been provided by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (”ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority.

This is a strictly privileged and confidential communication between ETFS UK and its selected client. This communication contains information addressed only to a specific individual and is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person other than the named addressee. This communication (i) is provided for informational purposes only, (ii) should not be construed in any manner as any solicitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or any related financial instruments, and (iii) should not be construed in any manner as a public offer of any securities or any related financial instruments. If you are not the named addressee, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this communication. Please notify the sender immediately if you have mistakenly received this communication. When being made within Italy, this communication is for the exclusive use of the ”qualified investors” and its circulation among the public is prohibited.

This document is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares in the United States or any province or territory thereof. Neither this document nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States.

This document may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or correctness of any information contained herein and any opinions related to product or market activity may change. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data.

Any historical performance included in this document may be based on back testing. Back tested performance is purely hypothetical and is provided in this document solely for informational purposes. Back tested data does not represent actual performance and should not be interpreted as an indication of actual or future performance.

Historical performance is not an indication of or a guide to future performance.

The information contained in this communication is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision.

ETFS UK is required by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (”FCA”) to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.

Risk Warnings

Any products referenced in this document are generally aimed at sophisticated, professional and institutional investors. Any decision to invest should be based on the information contained in the prospectus (and any supplements thereto) of the relevant product issue. The price of any securities may go up or down and an investor may not get back the amount invested. Securities may valued in currencies other than those in which there are priced and will be affected by exchange rate movements. Investments in the securities which provide a short and/or leveraged exposure are only suitable for sophisticated, professional and institutional investors who understand leveraged and compounded daily returns and are willing to magnify potential losses by comparison to investments which do not incorporate these strategies. Over periods of greater than one day, investments with a short and/or leveraged exposure do not necessarily provide investors with a return equivalent to a return from the unleveraged long or unleveraged short investments multiplied by the relevant leverage factor. Investors should refer to the section entitled ”Risk Factors” in the relevant prospectus for further details of these and other risks associated with an investment in any securities referenced in this communication.

If you have any questions please contact ETFS UK at +44 20 7448 4330 or info@etfsecurities.com for more information.