Double dip La Niña could drive coffee and cocoa yields higher

Double dip La Niña could drive coffee and cocoa yields higher ETF SecuritiesDouble dip La Niña could drive coffee and cocoa yields higher

We are in the middle of a La Niña event that could see weather patterns alter this year. We had a brief break in a La Niña event that occurred last year, but the natural weather-altering phenomenon has returned quickly (hence referred to a double-dip event). The event could be beneficial to coffee and cocoa growing and hence be price negative.

The map below highlights some of the typical changes in weather patterns that result from La Niña events (relative to normal weather at this time of the year).

Source: NOAA

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the probability of La Niña lasting to end of northern hemisphere winter is 85-90%.


Coffee

A cool southern hemisphere summer could reduce heat damage to Arabica coffee in Brazil, where 45% of the global production of Arabica coffee comes from. Although rains started late in Brazil, flowering of coffee bushes has progressed well, indicating potential for recovery in yields. CONAB, the Brazilian government agency responsible for agricultural and food information, normally the most conservative of forecasters, expects that Arabica output from the country could grow between 22% to 30% this year[1]. Part of the strong growth is due to the “biennial cycles” in Brazil, where yields dip one year and rise the following. In addition, area planted is expected to have risen by 3.8%. But strong growth in yields are expected to come from favourable weather this year.

Cocoa

Cooler weather will also help reduce heat damage to the main cocoa crop that is currently being harvested in Africa. Africa accounts for approximately 70% of global cocoa output. Although wetter weather could damage some of the Indonesian crop (which accounts for less than 10% of global output), the African crop dominates global production.

Although, we caution that not all La Niña years have improved cocoa production, the majority have. The chart below shows how much cocoa production has increased or decreased relative to trend during La Niña years.


[1] ACOMPANHAMENTO DA SAFRA BRASILEIRA: café, V. 5 – SAFRA 2018 – N.1 – Primeiro levantamento | January 2018

 

Nitesh Shah, Research Analyst at ETF Securities

Nitesh is a Commodities Strategist at ETF Securities. Nitesh has 13 years of experience as an economist and strategist, covering a wide range of markets and asset classes. Prior to joining ETF Securities, Nitesh was an economist covering the European structured finance markets at Moody’s Investors Service and was a member of Moody’s global macroeconomics team. Before that he was an economist at the Pension Protection Fund and an equity strategist at Decision Economics. He started his career at HSBC Investment Bank. Nitesh holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University (USA).

Coffee offers upside potential in a depressed soft commodity market

Coffee offers upside potential in a depressed soft commodity market

ETF Securities Commodity Research – Coffee offers upside potential in a depressed soft commodity market

Summary

  • Soft commodities are skirting close to their decade-lows set in 2015
  • Apart from Arabica coffee, softs are likely to remain in the doldrums
  • Cane sugar production is high and competition from EU beet sugar will intensify
  • In the absence of a meaningful weather disruption, cocoa production will remain strong

Arabica coffee

Brazil – which accounts for about 45% of global Arabica coffee output – has just completed its 2017/18 harvest. While output was always expected to be lower than last year due to the biennial cycles present in the country, production fell significantly short due to poor weather. Output is likely to be more than 20% below 2016/17 for Brazil (-9 million 60kg bags). Hopes for a rebound in the 2018/19 coffee crop in Brazil have become dimmer as a lack of rain has hampered the flowering of coffee bushes. Although rain has now commenced, it is late and development of new nodes on coffee bushes are likely to remain inadequate.

Mexico and Central America (20% of global production) have commenced their 2017/18 harvest. So far the output from the region looks strong and we could see a 1 million bag increase in production (6%). Production in Mexico Honduras and Nicaragua seems to have improved after years of coffee leaf rust problems, although El Salvador, Guatemala, and Costa Rica are still suffering from this fungus which reduces coffee yields.

Colombia (15% of global production) is likely remain close to last year’s levels which was at a decade high. There has been 30% growth in Colombian production over the past 10 years.

Despite strong production elsewhere, a decline in Brazilian output and weakening prospects for the country this year could act as a catalyst for prices. While in previous years, Brazil has been able to sell abundant stocks from prior years during poor harvests, its stocks have fallen significantly and supply tightness will likely be felt this year.

Brazil: September 2017 rainfall (departure from average 1961-1990 levels)

Sugar

We are likely to end two years of supply deficits this year. Brazil, the largest producer of cane (22% of global production) has seen close to 6% year on year growth in sugar production in the season so far. It’s not that more sugar cane has been cultivated this year, but that more cane has been diverted to sugar production instead of ethanol production. With oil prices trading below US$60/bbl we are unlikely to see a pickup in ethanol production (ethanol is an alternative car fuel in Brazil).

India, the second largest producer of cane sugar (15%) has received heavy rainfall in recent weeks, helping to fill its reservoirs. Although the monsoon rains appeared to have slowed prematurely several weeks ago, rain came back vigorously, leaving the season’s rainfall close to normal levels. Both the area of planting and sugar yield are expected to rise increasing production by more than 15%.

Thailand, has also experienced a good monsoon season which will help it raise its cane sugar production by over 10%.

The European Union is a producer of beet sugar rather than cane sugar. However, the abolition of production and export quotas from the EU this month will mean that there will be more beet sugar available to compete with cane sugar. The EU projects that by 2026 EU sugar production will rise by 6% over 2016 levels. That appears to be an overly conservative estimate. The USDA’s EU office projects EU sugar production to rise 20% in 2017/18 alone, surpassing the 2014/15 high, while exports will rise by a third.

Under such strong supply growth, we don’t see sugar prices making a recovery.

Cocoa

The 2016/17 cocoa year has just completed with an 18% growth in production over the previous year. Milder Harmattan winds this year have significantly reduced crop damage in Africa (where 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from). Stocks have risen 26% over the year, increasing the stocks to grinding ratio from 34% in 2015/16 to 42% in 2016/17.

The main crop harvests commence this month in the largest producing countries (Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana). Weather conditions have so far been perfect indicating we are likely to see another surplus year in 2017/18.
On the demand side, grinding data has been stagnant. Despite weak prices, confectionary companies don’t appear to have reversed the thrifting of cocoa they pursued in previous years when prices were higher.

La Niña risks

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has increased its probability of a La Niña weather pattern emerging this northern hemisphere winter to 55-60%. However, if the event occurs it is unlikely to change our view of price direction considerably. The weather pattern is likely to be weak if it emerges at all. If anything we expect that dryness in Brazil will continue to hamper the flowering and budding process for coffee (which will continue to be price positive).Dryness in Brazil could promote the gains in sucrose content of cane if accompanied by more sunlight, raising the yield for Brazilian sugar (remaining price negative).

Coolness in West Africa could reduce heat damage, helping to sustain high yields (price negative). But we caution that previous La Ninas have not consistently been production-positive for the crop. According to the International Cocoa Organisation, while El Niños have a statistically significant positive effect on output, La Niña’s positive effects on output fail to be statistically significant.

For more information contact:

Catarina Donat Marques
ETF Securities (UK) Limited
T +44 20 7448 4386
E catarina.donatmarques@etfsecurities.com

Important Information

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.

 

 

Agriculture ETPs standout during the summer doldrums

Agriculture ETPs standout during the summer doldrums

ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – Agriculture ETPs standout during the summer doldrums

  • Coffee recorded the largest weekly inflows since May 2015.
  • Crude oil ETPs recorded outflows for the sixth consecutive week as prices near US$50/bbl.
  • Nickel recorded outflows of US$11m for the week and US$25 for the month on likely profit taking.
  • Minor moves in fund flows in comparison to previous weeks due to the summer doldrums.

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The summer doldrums have been taking a toll on the volume of flows last week. In precious metals, which are particularly sensitive to comments from central bankers, prices have remained steady as investors waited for any hints from them at the Jackson Hole meeting on Friday. Consequently inflows have been have been minimal, with US$8.8m in gold ETPs. Despite the threat of interest rate hikes there have been net flows of US$338m year-to-date in gold ETPs with outflows in short positioning, suggesting investors aren’t worried about any significant downside risks for gold in the immediate future. In addition, the price of gold gained nearly US$20/oz. this morning as a missile from North Korea overflew Japan early Tuesday.

Crude outflows totalled US$11.3m for the week and since mid-July we have seen outflows of US$225.5m. We continue to observe a fairly established trend of investors selling out positions when the price of crude is above US$50/bbl. Inflows then tend to resume when the oil price falls below US$45/bbl. We believe this is likely to continue as oil is likely to remain range-bound, trading between the lower marginal cost of production for the US tight oil producers and US$55/bbl, the 90th percentile of the broader oil producers cost curve.

Nickel saw outflows of US$12.1m for the week and US$25.9 for the month on likely profit taking. The metal is valued as one of the cheapest when comparing current prices to marginal cost. Prices have also been a laggard relative to its industrial metal peers for the full year. The metal is however playing a catch up over the past month, triggering profit taking from bargain hunters. Industrial metals have been the best performer over the last month in the commodities sphere, having risen 8% versus broader commodities remaining flat. Import data from China is the likely reason for the outperformance. We continue to expect China data to beat expectations and many forward looking data points, such as electricity consumption and port volumes have been rising in recent months.

Coffee saw inflows of US$8.7m, the largest weekly inflows since May 2015. Coffee remains one of the weakest performers year to date in agriculture. Although recent news of an outbreak of the borer beetle, due to the ban of certain pesticides, suggests there could be a burgeoning supply constriction.

Inflows into long wheat ETPs outpaced the peak observed following the extreme drought in the US in 2013. Since the peak in 2014, inflows into long wheat ETPs have reached new records whilst the market remains ample supplied with prices continuously depressed below its 10-years average.

 

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.

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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.

Investors buying on weakness in oil & gold miners

Investors buying on weakness in oil & gold miners

ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – Investors buying on weakness in oil & gold miners

  • The recent gold price weakness saw investors buy gold miners, with two week inflows of US$68mn.
  • Recent oil price weakness has prompted monthly inflows of US$165mn, representing 9% of AuM.
  • Cocoa inflows last week totalled US$9mn while inflows in coffee totalled US$7mn with recent weakness has been seen as a buying opportunity.

Download the complete report (.pdf)

Equity ETFs saw the highest inflows this week with US$42mn. The recent weakness in the gold price has prompted investors to reassess gold miners which has seen inflows of US$68mn over the last two weeks. Historically gold miners have a high beta of 2x relative to the gold price but in recent months they have underperformed and investors have been taking advantage of this disparity. We see an improved outlook for gold miners, while they currently trade at 46x price/earnings, in line with the long-term average, EBITDA has tripled over the last year as the gold price has recovered, highlighting that despite aggressive capital expenditure cuts their profitability is improving. Other thematics remain popular such as robotics and cyber security which saw inflows of US$9mn and US$12mn last week respectively, having had consistent inflows on a weekly basis since the beginning of the year.

Precious metals saw a modest inflow of US$5m after the outflows following the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike mid-June. Despite the threat of interest rate hikes this year investors continue to favour precious metals with year to date inflows of US$609mn. We believe this is due to investors continued concern for geopolitics and the consequences of unwinding record loose monetary policy. We see a close correlation to politically turbulent events in the US and inflows into Gold ETPs. Our gold fair value for the year end remains at US$1230 per ounce, assuming that no major geopolitical events surface this year.

Price strength in palladium this year has prompted investors to take profits since the beginning of the year although we saw no activity last week and a slowing over the last month. We believe there has been tight liquidity due increased demand from Hong Kong for the metal, suggesting that China maybe stockpiling the metal.

Crude oil inflows continued this week with inflows representing 9% of assets under management over the last month. We have witnessed a trading mentality amongst investors who typically buy on price weakness, this weeks’ fall of 4% was a continuation of the “buy on weakness” trend.

Cocoa inflows last week totalled a significant US$9mn while inflows in coffee totalled US$7mn for the week. It seems that investors continue to buy those soft commodities with the poorest performance: both cocoa and coffee were down 10% and 7.5% as of Thursday’s close respectively versus -4.2% for the broader basket of soft commodities before posting a modest rebound.

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.

Short sugar and coffee

Short sugar and coffee

ETF Securities Commodity Research Short sugar and coffee

Highlights

  • Speculative positioning in both sugar and coffee appear over-extended.
  • Brazil’s sugar production has risen and a healthy monsoon in India paves the way for a partial recovery in cane production.
  • The abolition of the sugar production quota in Europe next October will weigh on global prices.
  • Brazilian Arabica coffee output hit an all-time high in 2016, but prices rose as a result of Brazilian Real appreciation.
  • With La Niña potentially back on the cards and weather in Brazil remaining favourable, the next season’s Arabica crop may surprise on the upside.

Sugar rally to run out of steam

Sugar has gained over 80% since February 2016 as the market is expected to have entered a second consecutive year of a production deficit. Prices are now trading at a 5-year high.

(Click to enlarge)

The futures market has become very bullish. Net long positioning in the futures market hit an all-time high a few weeks ago and remains more than 2 standard deviations above its 5-year historic average.

We believe that this optimism is overdone. Sugar production in Brazil, which produces close to 25% of global output, is running close to 20% higher than last year. While there is some fear that the season could be cut short, we believe that higher prices will encourage mills to continue production. Indeed, the cane harvest, which is close to 70% complete, is also running 10% ahead of last year. Moreover, with sugar prices this high and weakness in oil prices, more cane could be diverted to sugar production over ethanol production.

(Click to enlarge)

India, the second largest producer of sugar, has received normal levels of rain this monsoon in contrast to the previous year’s failed monsoon. Reservoir levels have filled to around 75% as of October 20th, which is exactly in line with the 10-year average for this time of the year (and 128% of the corresponding period last year). Reservoir levels in the key cane producing areas was even higher. With most cane in India being irrigated, availability of reservoir water will be important for the following season.

EU to scrap sugar beet production quota

The EU is set to abolish its sugar beet production quota in October 2017. While the ICE Sugar No. 11 futures contract is based on the delivery of raw cane sugar, the greater availability of a close substitute could impact its price. Although the EU will eliminate quotas on production of sugar beet, it is not set to change tariffs on the import of raw cane sugar. Refiners in the EU are therefore more likely to use domestic beet for sugar production. While this is more of a concern for next year, prices of raw cane sugar could begin to weaken in advance.

Arabica price rises despite Brazilian production increase

Arabica coffee prices have risen close to 40% since January and speculative positioning is over 1 standard deviation above historic average.

Brazil dominates Arabica coffee production and has a significant influence on the price of the commodity.

(Click to enlarge)

2016 Arabica coffee output from Brazil was the highest on record despite the fears that El Niño would hamper production. The Arabica harvest in Brazil was largely complete in September.

(Click to enlarge)

As the chart above indicates, coffee output in Brazil goes through biennial cycles: production rises in one year and falls in the next. The 2016 coffee crop in Brazil was a high year in the biennial cycle and 2017 will be a low year. Some of the recent price gains may reflect that we are about to enter a cyclical low year, but we caution that the pattern does not always hold (for example between 2012 and 2013).

We believe that more of the gains were driven by an appreciating Brazilian Real. The Real appreciated on the back of an impeachment of the Brazilian President. Barring any positive economic shock, we believe that most of the positive news for the Real is priced-in.

(Click to enlarge)

Potential for favourable weather

Weather conditions may have turned favourable for production in Brazil. Currently rain is progressing well in the south east of Brazil (where close to 90% of its Arabica is grown). That is important during the critical ‘flowering’ process. The amount of flowering determines how much coffee cherries will develop on each coffee bush.

(Click to enlarge)

Important Information

General

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.