Etikett: commodity prices

Declining commodity prices drive a mixture of bargain-hunting and profit-taking

ETF Securities Declining commodity prices drive a mixture of bargain-hunting and profit-takingDeclining commodity prices drive a mixture of bargain-hunting and profit-taking

ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – Declining commodity prices drive a mixture of bargain-hunting and profit-taking

  • Bargain hunting sees US$79.7mn into long crude oil ETPs, the highest inflows in five weeks.
  • Third consecutive week of long gold ETP outflows.
  • Sterling shorts unwind post UK elections.

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Bargain hunting sees US$79.7mn into long crude oil ETPs. Crude oil slipped 3% last week as US inventories withdrawals continue to disappoint. Gasoline stocks increased, bucking seasonal trends. IEA data released last week shows that year-to-date OECD stocks have increased 360 kb/d despite OPEC’s efforts to cut back on production. OPEC figures show that the cartel’s production increased in May – a risk we have highlighted for some time. Oil is currently trading in the lower half of the US$40-55/bbl. trading range that the commodity has been stuck in. Bargain-hunting at these low prices drove the highest inflows in five weeks.

Third consecutive week of long gold ETP outflows. Outflows continue with US$27.2mn last week. Expectations for continued rate increases and central bank balance sheet normalisation in the US after a surprisingly hawkish statement from the Federal Reserve last week sent gold prices lower after peaking at US1295/oz on 6th June. However, as we observed in the previous week, geopolitical events can be supportive for the gold price. Gold tends to be the first port of call in the times of investor anxiety. The closure of the border between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Ex- Director James Comey giving testimony to Senate, UK elections and Greek debt negotiations were all factors creating investor anxiety in previous weeks. Investors with an allocation to gold could find it a valuable event risk hedge. In the absence of shocks, however, we expect gold prices to grind lower, but the downside risk will be contained by the gradual nature of rate increases. Long silver ETPs also saw outflows of US$8.3mn, reversing part of the previous week’s US$14.2mn inflows.

Diversified commodity baskets see US$12.4mn outflows. Following the trend of falling net speculative positioning in commodity futures, we saw the third consecutive week of outflows from diversified commodity baskets. A stronger US dollar following the Fed’s rate move weighed on the commodity complex while oversupply in oil and fears of weak demand in metals haunt the asset class.

Sterling shorts unwind. Positions in short sterling/long US dollar ETPs fell by US$7.0mn as investors took profit on the sharp depreciation in Sterling after the UK general election on 8th June. The outflows remove most of the inflows from the prior week. While no progress has been made in forming a coalition nor strengthening the government’s hand in going into the Brexit negotiations, it appears the bad news is now priced-in. Indeed, with three members of the Bank of England now voting to raise interest rates last week, it appears the UK central bank is also getting more hawkish, which should provide some strength to the currency.

Video Presentation

Nitesh Shah Director, Commodity Research 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

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The products discussed in this communication are issued by ETFS Commodity Securities Limited (”CSL”), ETFS Hedged Commodity Securities Limited (”HCSL”), ETFS Hedged Metal Securities Limited (”HMSL”), Swiss Commodity Securities Limited (”SCSL”), ETFS Foreign Exchange Limited (”FXL”), ETFS Metal Securities Limited (”MSL”), ETFS Oil Securities Limited (”OSL”), ETFS Equity Securities Limited (”ESL”), Gold Bullion Securities Limited (”GBS” and, together with CSL, HCSL, HMSL, SCSL, FXL, MSL, OSL and ESL, the ”Issuers”) and GO UCITS ETF Solutions Plc (the ”Company ”). Each Issuer (apart from SCSL) is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. The Company is an open-ended investment company with variable capital having segregated liability between its sub-funds (each a ”Fund”) and is organised under the laws of Ireland. The Company is regulated, and has been authorised as a UCITS by the Central Bank of Ireland (the ”Financial Regulator”) pursuant to the European Communities (Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) Regulations, 2003 (as amended).

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Macro backdrop favours Australian equities but headwinds linger

Macro backdrop favours Australian equities but headwinds linger

ETF Securities Equity Research Macro backdrop favours Australian equities but headwinds linger

Highlights

  • Revival in commodity prices has improved the macro outlook for Australia’s export driven economy.
  • Positive inflation expectations globally spurred by the repricing of US inflation and rising oil prices will lead to a recovery in wage growth in Australia, helping boost consumption.
  • The Fed model acts as a contrarian indicator for Australian equities and highlights further upside for stocks.
  • The contribution of a minority of companies in the energy and mining sector have caused the dividend payout ratio to appear unrealistically higher.

Commodity upswing benefits macro outlook

Rising commodity prices in 2016, in particular iron ore (+80%) and coal (+300%), have pushed Australia’s trade balance into surplus for the first time since 2014. The improved terms of trade (export prices relative to import prices) will support domestic demand. However since the rise in exports was due to a rise in prices rather than volumes, it is unlikely to translate into higher real Q4 GDP growth. We view the contraction of Q3 2016 GDP as temporary and expect to see a pickup in housing, Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) supply, small business profits and retail sales to restore Q4 2016 GDP growth.

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The base effects of higher fuel prices will drive headline CPI inflation higher, currently at 1.3%, towards the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) 2-3% target by Q1 2017. Furthermore, the re-pricing of US inflation subsequent to Trumps presidential victory and his pro-growth policies has raised inflation expectations globally.

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This should alleviate some of the downside risks posed by prior weak inflation expectations and generate a recovery in wages. We are now starting to see a gradual rise in real wage growth since the latter half of 2015. Total household debt is excessive at 186% of income on average, its highest level since 1977. For this reason, a revival in wage growth is the key to underpin consumption, known to account for 56% of economic activity.

Stability in China is pivotal for trade

The Chinese economy picked up pace during 2016 owing to increased infrastructure spending and a buoyant property market. Chinese strength is best evident in Australia in the strong demand and pricing of bulk industrial commodities, bearing in mind they are by far its biggest trading partner worth 30% of exports. However, Donald Trump’s presidency raises the potential for a rise in US-China trade friction and attempts to threaten the outlook for Australian exports. On the positive side, demand for tourism and education services in Australia might get a boost, as an alternative to the US should these frictions materialise.

Rebalancing economy

There are signs that other sectors of the economy are moving out from the shadow of the resources sector. We expect to see the benefits of accommodative monetary conditions and the weaker Australian dollar to bolster the competitiveness of non-resource exports across tourism, education and services.

Click to enlarge

Fed model acts as a contrarian indicator

The combination of an improved macro outlook supported by higher material prices and the global reflation theme have helped swing Australian corporate earnings growth forecasts for 2017 back to positive territory after stagnating for 2 years. However a careful look at valuations suggest Australian equities are not cheap. The cyclically adjusted price to earnings (CAPE) ratio for the MSCI Australia Index at 18.3x is at the benchmark’s long-term median CAPE at 18x. The chart below depicts the Fed model (based on the ratio of forward equity earnings yield and 10-year government bond yields) as a contrarian indicator for Australian equities. As the ratio trends downwards (suggesting bonds favoured over equities), Australian equities tend to outperform. Currently the ratio at 1.36 has been steadily declining and is reverting to its long-term median of 1.31 signifying further upside for Australian equities.

Higher yields drive momentum

Dividend yields have been the main driver of short and medium term returns of the Australian equity market. Australian companies’ dividends are high by international standards, yielding 5.6% on average. Domestic investors and pension funds rely heavily on the Australian equity markets as a source of income as they benefit from franked dividends, an agreement in Australia eliminating the double taxation of dividends.

More importantly, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals that the percentage of the population that is in retirement i.e. aged 65 years and above grew by 37% since 2006. ABS has projected that this segment will rise 21% by 2023. Given this structural demographic shift among the investor base, we expect the demand for high yielding equities to persist as the aging population seek to generate more stable income.

Dividend payments are sustainable

In 2016, the dividend payout ratio (that measures the proportion of a company’s earnings paid to investors as dividends) attained its highest level at 190% in more than a decade. Implying that Australian companies were paying more than they earned. This raised concerns on the sustainability of ongoing dividend payments. However, we found a minority of companies in the energy and mining sectors skewed the ratio higher. On stripping out their contribution to the overall ratio, we got a more realistic value of 78%, which did not have a material impact on the dividend yield of the index.

In addition, on analysing the combination of dividends paid and share buybacks as a percentage of free cash flow, we noted buybacks were a small portion of the total amount, rendering dividend payments not as stretched.

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In fact, the rise of the dividend payout ratio was an outcome of the reduced profitability of mining and energy firms as opposed to an increase in dividend payments. This helped reinstate our view that the durability of future dividend payments remains intact.

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

GBP short positions are back to pre-referendum announcement levels

GBP short positions are back to pre-referendum announcement levels

ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – GBP short positions are back to pre-referendum announcement levels

  • The futures market has highlighted an increasing probability of rate hike this year, weighing on commodity prices. Consequently, gold saw small outflows last week representing only 1% of inflows this year.
  • AUM in GBP short ETPs has now fallen back to levels not seen pre the EU referendum announcement.
  • Industrial metals saw continued outflows last week totalling US$15m.

The futures market has highlighted an increasing probability of rate hike this year. While the markets are pricing in a lower probability of a rate increase this week, the implied probability of a rate move in December has risen. This has weighed on gold as it is typically inversely correlated to the US dollar. Consequently, we saw outflows of US$43m last week, marking only the fifth weekly outflow this year. The outflows also represent 1% of total inflows this year, suggesting that negative sentiment towards gold following mild hawkish rhetoric at the US Federal Reserve (Fed) are not causing wide-spread panic amongst investors. Our analysis has found that gold typically performs poorly in the run-up to a Fed rate hike and then recovers afterwards. The threat of inflation, political instability, negative real interest rates and worries over volatility in both bonds and equities after a rate hike are likely to support gold in the longer term.

Opinion on the direction of the US dollar remains divided amongst investors despite the increasing probability of a rate hike this year, with inflows of US$5m into long and US$2m into short positions respectively.

AuM in GBP short ETPs has now fallen back to levels not seen since prior to the EU referendum announcement in February. However, we have seen little inflows into long GBP post-Brexit, suggesting that while investors see that GBP has reached a floor, they are not optimistic for a recovery at this point.

Industrial metals saw continued outflows last week totalling US$15m. Copper has been the hardest hit, with continued outflows last week of US$13m, and US$36m for the month. China’s slowing growth fears and cooling of the property market coupled with rising inventories has probably led to this weak sentiment. Copper has underperformed the rest of industrial metals and we believe there is catch-up potential. It is likely to go into a 7th consecutive year of supply deficit, miners capex cuts are likely to exacerbate this situation and negative sentiment appears overdone as we see continued growth in metals consumption.

Key events to watch this week. The key event this week is the FOMC rate decision on Wednesday evening. The central bank is widely expected to keep rates on hold but probabilities of a rate rise have been increasing for this year following a stronger than expected inflation publication. Prior to the FOMC meeting is the BOJ rate announcement, where we expect further stimulus.

Video Presentation

James Butterfill, Head of Research & Investment Strategy 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 (the ”FCA”).

This communication is only targeted at qualified or professional investors.

The products discussed in this communication are issued by ETFS Commodity Securities Limited (”CSL”), ETFS Hedged Commodity Securities Limited (”HCSL”), ETFS Hedged Metal Securities Limited (”HMSL”), Swiss Commodity Securities Limited (”SCSL”), ETFS Foreign Exchange Limited (”FXL”), ETFS Metal Securities Limited (”MSL”), ETFS Oil Securities Limited (”OSL”), ETFS Equity Securities Limited (”ESL”), Gold Bullion Securities Limited (”GBS” and, together with CSL, HCSL, HMSL, SCSL, FXL, MSL, OSL and ESL, the ”Issuers”) and GO UCITS ETF Solutions Plc (the ”Company ”). Each Issuer (apart from SCSL) is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. The Company is an open-ended investment company with variable capital having segregated liability between its sub-funds (each a ”Fund”) and is organised under the laws of Ireland. The Company is regulated, and has been authorised as a UCITS by the Central Bank of Ireland (the ”Financial Regulator”) pursuant to the European Communities (Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) Regulations, 2003 (as amended). Italy: When being made within Italy, this communication is for the exclusive use of the ”qualified investors” and its circulation among the public is prohibited. Switzerland: In Switzerland, this communication is only intended for Regulated Qualified Investors. US: This communication 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, where none of the Issuers, the Company or any securities issued by them are authorised or registered for distribution and where no prospectus for any of the Issuers or the Company has been filed with any securities commission or regulatory authority. Neither this communication nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States. Neither the Issuers, the Company nor any securities issued by them have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 or the Investment Company Act of 1940 or qualified under any applicable state securities statutes. This communication 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 communication may be based on back testing. Back tested performance is purely hypothetical and is provided in this communication 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 nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchaser or sale would be unlawful under the securities law of such jurisdiction. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision. 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.

Risk Warnings

Securities issued by the Issuers and the Company may be structured products involving a significant degree of risk and may not be suitable for all types of investor. This communication is 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 Issuer or the Company which includes, inter alia, information on certain risks associated with an investment. The price of any securities may go up or down and an investor may not get back the amount invested. Securities may be priced in US Dollars, Euros, or Sterling, and the value of the investment in other currencies will be affected by exchange rate movements. Investments in the securities of the Issuers or the shares of the Company 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 the securities offered by the Issuers and the Company. The relevant prospectus for each Issuer and the Company may be obtained from www.etfsecurities.com. Please contact ETFS UK at +44 20 7448 4330 or info@etfsecurities.com for more information.

Issuers

General: The FCA has delivered to the regulators listed below certificates of approval attesting that the prospectuses of the Issuers indicated have been drawn up in accordance with Directive 2003/71/EC. For Dutch, French, German and Italian Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of the Issuers (apart from SCSL) have been passported from the United Kingdom into France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands and have been filed with the l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in France, Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) in Germany, CONSOB and the Bank of Italy in Italy and the Authority Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) in the Netherlands. Copies of prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) and related regulatory documentation, including annual reports, can be obtained in France from HSBC France, 103, Avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris, in Germany from HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt, AG, Konsortialgeschäft, Königsalle 21/23, 40212 Dusseldorf and in the Netherlands from Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V., Rokin 55, 1012 KK Amsterdam. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of the Issuers (apart from SCSL) may be distributed to investors in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This communication is not a financial analysis pursuant to Section 34b of the German Securities Trading Act (Wertpapierhandelsgesetz – WpHG) and consequently does not meet all legal requirements to warrant the objectivity of a financial analysis and is also not subject to the ban on trading prior to the publication of a financial analysis. This communication is not addressed to or intended directly or indirectly, to (a) any persons who do not qualify as qualified investors (gekwalificeerde beleggers) within the meaning of section 1:1 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act as amended from time to time; and/or (b) in circumstances where other exemptions or dispensations from the prohibition the Dutch Financial Supervision Act or the Exemption Regulation of the Act on Financial Supervision apply. None of the Issuers is required to have a license pursuant to the Dutch Financial Supervision Act as it is exempt from any licensing requirements and is not regulated by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and consequently no prudential and conduct of business supervision will be exercised. For Austrian, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of CSL, HCSL, HMSL, MSL, ESL and FXL have been passported from the United Kingdom into Austria, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and have been filed with Österreichische Finanzmarktaufsicht (Austrian Financial Market Authority) in Austria, Finanstilsynet (Financial Supervisory Authority) in Denmark, Finanssivalvonta (Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority) in Finland, Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (Portuguese Securities Market Commission) in Portugal, Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (Securities Market Commission) in Spain and the Finansinspektionen (Financial Supervisory Authority) in Sweden. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for these entities may be distributed to investors in Austria, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Denmark and Sweden. For Belgian Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for GBS, CSL, MSL and FXL have been passported from the United Kingdom into Belgium and has been filed with the Commission Bancair, Financiére et des Assurances in Belgium. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for GBS, CSL, MSL and FXL may be distributed to investors in Belgium. For Swiss investors: The prospectus (and any supplements thereto) for SCSL may be distributed to investors in Switzerland. Securities in SCSL are not shares or units in collective investment schemes within the meaning of CISA. They have not been approved by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and are not subject to its supervision. The Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities are not issued or guaranteed by a supervised financial intermediary within the meaning of CISA. This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 and is not an offer or an invitation to acquire securities in SCSL. This document does not constitute a Swiss listing prospectus under the SIX Listing Rules and the SIX Additional Rules for the listing of Exchange Traded Products. This document must be read in conjunction with the Swiss Listing Prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between this document and the Swiss Listing Prospectus, the Swiss Listing Prospectus shall prevail. Detailed information on the terms and conditions of the Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities can be found in the Swiss Listing Prospectus under Part 6 – Trust Instrument and Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities. Other than as set out above investors may contact ETFS UK at +44 (0)20 7448 4330 or at info@etfsecurities.com to obtain copies of prospectuses and related regulatory documentation, including annual reports. Other than as separately indicated, this communication is being made on a ”private placement” basis and is intended solely for the professional / institutional recipient to which it is delivered. Securities issued by the Issuers are direct, limited recourse obligations of the relevant Issuer alone and are not obligations of or guaranteed by any of UBS AG (”UBS”), Merrill Lynch Commodities Inc. (”MLCI”), Merrill Lynch International (”MLI”), Bank of America Corporation (”BAC”), Bloomberg Finance LP (”Bloomberg”), Société Générale (”SG ”), Shell Trading Switzerland, Shell Treasury, HSBC Bank plc, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley & Co International plc, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated or any of their affiliates or anyone else or any of their affiliates. Each of UBS, MLCI, MLI, BAC, Bloomberg, SG, Shell Trading Switzerland, Shell Treasury, HSBC Bank plc, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley & Co International plc and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated disclaims all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) which it might have in respect of this communication or its contents otherwise arising in connection herewith.

Funds

Austria: Investors should base their investment decision only on the relevant prospectus of the Company, the Key Investor Information Document, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association, which can be obtained free of charge upon request at the Paying and Information Agent in Austria, Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG, Graben 21, A1010 Wien, Österreich and on www.etfsecurities.com. France: Any subscription for shares of the Funds will be made on the basis of the terms of the prospectus, the simplified prospectus and any supplements or addenda thereto. The Company is a UCITS governed by Irish legislation and approved by the Financial Regulator as UCITS compliant with European regulations although may not have to comply with the same rules as those applicable to a similar product approved in France. Certain of the Funds have been registered for marketing in France by the Authority Financial Markets (Autorité des Marchés Financiers) and may be distributed to investors in France. Copies of all documents (i.e. the prospectus (including any supplements or addenda thereto, the Key Investor Information Document, the latest annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and articles of association) are available in France, free of charge, at the French Centralizing Agent, Société Générale, Securities Services, at 1-5 rue du Débarcadère, 92700 Colombes – France. Germany: The offering of the Shares of the Fund has been notified to the German Financial Services Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in accordance with section 310 of the German Investment Code (KAGB). Copies of all documents (i.e. the Key Investor Information Document (in the German language), the prospectus, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association) can be obtained free of charge upon request at the Paying and Information Agent in Germany, HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG, Königsallee 21-23, 40212 Düsseldorf and on www.etfsecurities.com. The current offering and redemption prices as well as the net asset value and possible notifications of the investors can also be requested free of charge at the same address. In Germany the Shares will be settled as co-owner shares in a Global Bearer certificate issued by Clearstream Banking AG. This type of settlement only occurs in Germany because there is no direct link between the English and German clearing and settlement systems CREST and Clearstream. For this reason the ISIN used for trading of the Shares in Germany differs from the ISIN used in other countries. Netherlands: Each Fund has been registered with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets following the UCITS passport-procedure pursuant to section 2:72 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act. United Kingdom: Each Fund is a recognised scheme under section 264 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and so the prospectus may be distributed to investors in the United Kingdom. Copies of all documents (i.e. the Key Investor Information Document, the prospectus, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association) are available in the United Kingdom from www.etfsecurities.com. None of the index providers of the Funds referred to herein nor their licensors make any warranty or representation whatsoever either as to the results obtained from use of the relevant indices and/or the figures at which such indices stand at any particular day or otherwise. None of the index providers shall be liable to any person for any errors or significant delays in the relevant indices nor shall be under any obligation to advise any person of any error or significant delay therein.  

Have your cake and eat it with The contrarian model

Have your cake and eat it with the contrarian model

ETF Securities Asset Allocation Research – Have your cake and eat it with the contrarian model

  • Taking a contrarian view to a traditional reading of key indicators of commodity prices boosts the return of traditional portfolios of commodities.
  • Adding a short exposure to the contrarian model allows for drastically lower level of risk, enhancing the Sharpe ratio to 0.8 over a period of 16 years.
  • According to our analysis, implementation costs are likely to have minimal impact on the overall portfolio performance over the long and short run.

The contrarian model

In our January paper, How to make the best of commodities: the contrarian model, we discussed the concept of a contrarian strategy being applied to indicators that we view as having the largest impact on commodity prices: momentum, inventories, positioning and roll yield.

A traditional reading of these indicators suggests that if price is above its 200-day moving average, inventories are declining, net positioning is increasing or the futures curve (at the short end) is in backwardation, then this should be price positive.

In contrast, the contrarian model is an asset allocation strategy based on the opposite reading of these four indicators. We have derived five unique portfolios out of the contrarian model: one based on each of the above indicators and a fifth one combining all the indicators called the ETFS contrarian model. In this note, we focus on the results of the combined portfolio.

The long only ETFS contrarian model buys a commodity when all four indicators turn price negative and will hold the commodity until all four indicators become price positive. The model will then sell the commodity or take a short exposure to that commodity in the long short version of the model.

The commodity universe is similar to the constituents of the Bloomberg Commodity Index. Each portfolio rebalances to an equal weighting on a quarterly basis and is composed of individual commodity indices using the Bloomberg Commodity Index family as proxy.

A boost with the long only contrarians

In our January paper, our analysis shows that the ETFS contrarian model and inventories are the best performers, posting an annual return of 10.8% on average since 2000. Positioning and roll yield come next with 7.9% per year while momentum underperforms the other model variants with a return of 4% per year.

(Click to enlarge)

*Long only 3 month forward is the long only version of the ETFS contrarian model composed of Bloomberg commodity single indices 3 month forward. Source: ETF Securities, Bloomberg

The ETFS contrarian model outperformed the benchmark, the Bloomberg Commodity Index 3 month forward. The annual return of the model is double the return of the benchmark index over the past 16 years for similar level of volatility, bettering its Sharpe ratio of 0.24 by more than double (0.60).

A cushion with the long short contrarians

So far we looked at the long only version of the ETFS contrarian model where commodities with indicators having a positive impact on prices are simply removed from the portfolio during the rebalancing period. Shorting these commodities actually reduces the annual return of the ETFS contrarian model from 10.8% to 8.3% over the past 16 years.

Although the annual return is lower as shown in the chart below, the volatility of the long short version is also drastically lower than the volatility of the long only version. Adding a short exposure to the model clearly minimises the impact of events such as the financial crisis in 2008 or the slump in commodity prices since 2011.

(Click to enlarge)

As a result, the Sharpe ratio increases from 0.24 for the commodity benchmark, to 0.60 for the ETFS long only contrarian model due to higher return, and to 0.78 for the ETFS long short contrarian model thanks to higher return and much lower volatility.

(Click to enlarge)

*Long only and long short front month are the long only and long short versions of the ETFS contrarian model exposed to Bloomberg commodity single indices. Source: ETF Securities, Bloomberg

Moving along the futures curves

The total return of an investment into commodities depends on its exposure along the futures curve. The dotted lines in the below chart are portfolios exposed to contracts at the short end of the curve while plain lines are portfolios exposed to the 3 month forward futures contracts, our main focus in this note so far.

(Click to enlarge)

Source: ETF Securities, Bloomberg

While an exposure to front month futures contracts is detrimental to the return of the ETFS long only contrarian model, it actually improves the return of the long short portfolio over the long run.

Efficient also during commodities rout

In this section, we have tested our model over a shorter period, from 2011 to 2016 when commodities were performing poorly and observed similar results: a strong improvement of the Sharpe ratio when implementing the long short version of the ETFS contrarian model.

During these years, the commodity indices were posting an annual return of -11% on average. With the ETFS long only contrarian model, investors were able to reduce the negative return to around -7% and completely erase their loss with the ETFS long short contrarian model. In addition to stronger risk/return ratio, the ETFS long short contrarian model also provides more efficient protection against market downturns.

(Click to enlarge)

*Based on the ETFS contrarian model only. Source: ETF Securities, Bloomberg

The above chart shows that fees are likely to have minimal impact on the contrarian portfolio performance. Portfolios composed of commodity ETPs (exchange traded products), on the right hand side, are priced based on the ETP net asset value (NAV) where management fee, swap fee and licence fee are embedded. We can see that the return of the long short contrarian model is down 70bps compared to the portfolio exposed to the front month commodity indices while there is no visible impact on the long only contrarian model. Execution fees applied to portfolios using ETPs also have negligible impact on performance. This is due to the model rebalancing on a quarterly basis and therefore involving a small number of transactions per year.

To sum up, the contrarian model drastically improves the risk/return profile of a portfolio of commodities over the long and short term. The long only contrarian models tend to outperform long short contrarian models in the long run. However, the benefit of the long short contrarian models is much higher thanks to drastically lower volatility. Between 2011 and 2016, the long short contrarian models also provide an effective protection against commodities rout with implementation costs likely to have minimal impact on the model performance.

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.

Commodity prices bottoming out

Commodity prices bottoming out

Commodity ETP Weekly – Commodity prices bottoming out


•  Silver inflows begin to track gold inflows.
•  Surge in oil prices triggered first ETPs outflows since December 2015.
•  Price recovery across the metal complex should eventually translate into flows.

Download the complete report (.pdf)

Major commodity prices are showing signs of recovery. Both oil benchmarks along with most metals have been posting positive returns for at least the third consecutive week.

Commodity ETPs are witnessing another bipolarised week of flows dominated by net inflows into precious metals and net outflows out of energy commodities.
Central bank meetings in Europe and the US this month will be highly followed as the outcome from both is likely to set the band in which commodities will trade for the rest of the year.

Silver inflows begin to track gold inflows. Last week investors continued to pile into gold ETPs for the 9th consecutive week, recording inflows of US$79.2mn. The price of gold rose 1.2% over the past week, crossing US$1,280/oz. on Friday as US market opened. Buoyant US non-farm payroll for February combined with an upward revision of December and January payroll data failed to weigh on gold prices as one would expect. Strong labour market data signals the US economy is recovering and is likely to increase the odds for another rate hike by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) on March 16. While expectations of rate hikes usually weigh on gold price, heightened uncertainty in cyclical markets has seen demand for gold and its price rise as investors look for safety in a haven asset. While silver has failed to follow gold prices higher, inflows last week were more comparable, with US$72.8mn of inflows into silver.

Surge in oil prices triggered first ETPs outflows since December 2015. Last week saw Brent and WTI surging 5% and 4.5% respectively. Both benchmarks were trading around their two-month highs for most of the week. Surging oil prices seems to indicate that the reduction of oil production in the US combined with keys OPEC members’ decision to freeze production at January levels could be sufficient to reduce the oversupply on the global oil market. Despite larger-than-expected stockpile, US oil production declined for the 6th consecutive week the level last seen in November 2014, lending support to oil prices.

Price recovery across the metal complex should eventually translate into flows. All metals including gold have reached multi-year lows (although at different times) within the past 6 months and they have all recovered since, posting an average return of 17% from their respective lows. Nickel saw the most impressive rally, up 19% over the past 3 weeks. With the exception of palladium, futures net long positions over the past month rose by 62% on average. Gold saw the largest increase in net long positions, up 160%, the result of rising long positions and falling short positions. It looks like the excessive pessimism toward metals is fading away with industrial metals basket ETPs recording positive flows for the third consecutive week.

Key events to watch this week. All eyes will be on Mario Draghi and the ECB meeting this Thursday as the central bank previously indicated that further action will be taken to support the Eurozone economy if necessary. Poor economic data in the euro area combined with recent European bank rout has increased investor expectations that the ECB will decide to ease policy further. A disappointing Q4 GDP data reading for the Eurozone due two days before the meeting will only add pressure on the ECB to deliver. Trade balance data for key countries will provide an update on global demand for commodities.

Video Presentation

Edith Southammakosane, 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.