Rate rise fears temper firm commodity fundamentals

ETF Securities Rate rise fears temper firm commodity fundamentalsRate rise fears temper firm commodity fundamentals

ETF Securities Commodity Monthly Monitor – Rate rise fears temper firm commodity fundamentals

Your reference guide to commodity markets. Includes the latest outlook for each commodity sector and major developments for individual commodities.

  • Despite the lower probability of a La Nina weather pattern developing this year, the overhang of record stock levels and higher production forecasts are weighing on prices.
  • Fundamentals to sustain a recovery in industrial metals in Q4 or Q1 2017.
  • Oil continues to remain volatile, but will trade within a range of US$40/bbl to US$55/bbl.
  • Precious Metals likely to remain volatile amid key central bank meetings.

The base effects from the commodity rout in late 2015 only begins rolling out of the headline inflation data in late 2016 but should leave US inflation close to 1.7% by year end, up from 0.8% now. This coupled with rising wages is likely to pressure the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in December, with a rhetoric prior to that of increasing hawkishness. Following a strong run in commodities (since the February trough) of 22%, weaker growth expectations from China and forecasts for policy tightening in the US have driven a selloff, with commodities declining 6% since late June. We have continued to see inflows into safe-haven assets, particularly gold, reflecting a wide range of concerns that can be categorised into five main categories:

  1. uncertainty from the Fed and
  2. the ECB over policy action,
  3. Middle-East instability,
  4. negative interest rates surpassing that of gold’s cost of carry and
  5. the broad rise of political populism in the developed world.

We believe that the rise of populist parties, elected or not, is a powerful catalyst for reform, with incumbent parties scrambling to counter the populist wave by implementing similar policies. We expect economic stimulus to shift solely from monetary policy to include fiscal policy with the end result being a rise in infrastructure spend and social initiatives to combat inequality, prompting wider government deficits and higher inflation. Despite the broad set of fears pervading the market at present we are continuing to see improving growth figures from the developing markets where delivered economic data is broadly beating expectations. We believe the emerging markets are much better positioned to weather the prospects of a stronger USD now than they were 3 years ago.

  • Despite the lower probability of a La Nina weather pattern developing this year, the overhang of record stock levels and higher production forecasts are weighing on agricultural commodity prices. Coffee, sugar, corn and soybean oil were the only commodities to post positive returns among the agriculture commodity complex.
  • Fundamentals to sustain a recovery in industrial metals in Q4 or Q1 2017. Declining production combined with rising consumption resulted in a global supply deficit in each industrial metal in Q2. The commodity sector may end 2016 in a deficit for the second time since 2005. We believe copper is the best positioned to benefit from the recovery.
  • Oil continues to remain volatile, but will trade within a range of US$40/bbl to US$55/bbl. Speculation as to whether OPEC will freeze production after its informal meeting later this month has been a source of that volatility. However, we believe that focus on an OPEC freeze is misplaced and cuts to non-OPEC production will push the market into balance.
  • Precious metals declined 2.1% last month as expectations of a US rate hike this year increased and the ECB failed to signal any further loosening of policy. We believe demand for gold and silver is likely remain volatile in the second half of the year amid a number of decisive central bank meetings and the US presidential election.

For those of you following the contrarian model we have the following signals;

BUY                       Ticker Copper                 COPA LN PCOP LN (GBP hedged) 00XL GY  (EUR hedged) LCOP LN  (2x Leverage) 3CUL LN  (3x Leverage)

Live Cattle           AIGL LN FLIV LN  (Longer dated) LLCT LN (2x Leverage)

SELL                       Ticker Gasoline              UGAS LGAS  (2x Leverage)

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.

The Fed rate hike looms large for commodities

The Fed rate hike looms large for commodities

Commodity ETP Weekly – The Fed rate hike looms large for commodities

  • Precious metal basket inflows hit 8-month high as FOMC meeting looms.
  • Divergent oil flows favour Brent as pressure remains on crude prices after OPEC monthly report continues to show an oversupplied market.
  • Flows into copper ETPs continue as further supply cuts reinforce a tighter market in 2016. 

Download the complete report (.pdf)

Inflows into Brent ETPs broadly offset outflows from WTI ETPs, although the outlook remains polarised. OPEC’s latest annual report continued to highlight the global supply glut, with output in November climbing 1% to 31.7mbpd. The market reacted negatively to the news with Brent crude oil closing below US$40/bbl for the first time since December 2008. WTI crude also reached a near 7-year low of US$35.80. Brent crude ETPs received inflows totalling US$18.7mn last week, broadly offsetting the US$22.1mn in outflows from WTI crude ETPs. Nonetheless, the headline total of outflows in WTI ETPs belies what we believe to be a significantly polarised market, with US$11.7mn of inflows into ETFS Daily Leveraged WTI crude oil (LOIL).

Energy sector ETPs received inflows for the fifth consecutive week, totalling US$205mn over the period.
Third consecutive weekly inflow into precious metal basket ETPs. Inflows into precious metals basket ETPs totalled US$14mn, the highest level since April 2015. While silver has yet to decouple from gold and is likely to range trade, platinum group metals (PGM) are being hampered by a weaker South African Rand. With South African production dominating global PGM supply, a weaker Rand is enabling miners to keep production elevated as it raises profitability. Political uncertainty is rising and the weaker Rand is likely to be a weight on PGM prices for the foreseeable future.

Gold ETPs break three week losing streak, registering modest inflows of US$1.2mn. Gold has been range trading ahead of the FOMC meeting this week, where an interest rate hike is expected. Near-term weakness could transition into medium term strength as inflation pressures build globally, and put downward pressure on real interest rates. Additionally, while the near certain rate hike could boost the USD and buffet the gold price (and commodities more broadly), we expect that the peak for the USD strength will occur in Q1 2015, turning a headwind into a tailwind.

ETFs Copper (COPA) receives third consecutive weekly inflows, totalling US$2mn. Following reports that Chinese smelters agreed to cut production, last week Freeport-McMoRan announced it is cutting 45,000 tonnes of copper, equivalent to around 0.3% of the global market. With the copper market in its fifth year of deficit, ongoing production cuts in the sector will continue to produce a tighter fundamental environment and we feel that it is only a matter of time before prices begin to respond.

Key events to watch this week.  The divergence in central bank policy is likely to be highlighted, with the FOMC looming large this week, with meetings also for the Riksbank, Norges Bank and the Bank of Japan. We expect a rate hike is a near certainty and that the market should begin to focus on the path of future tightening. We feel that the market is underpricing the magnitude that the Fed will need to raise rates in 2016 in order to counteract inflationary forces.

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.

Sell the rumour buy the fact

Sell the rumour buy the fact

Commodity ETP Weekly – Sell the rumour buy the fact


•  Inflows into energy ETPs persist for the 4th consecutive week despite OPEC maintaining status quo.
•  Gold ETPs suffer the 3rd consecutive week of outflows of US$58.6mn.
•  Flows into copper ETPs rebound after top Chinese smelters agree to cut back on supply. 

Download the complete report (.pdf)

Inflows into energy ETPs persist for the 4th consecutive week despite OPEC maintaining status quo. Energy ETPs recorded net inflows of US$39.3mn, driven largely by WTI crude oil ETPs and natural gas ETPs. As predicted hopes pinned on the OPEC meeting in Vienna this week disappointed investors as they stayed pat on maintaining current production levels despite the ongoing supply glut. The lack of co-operation from non-OPEC members, namely Russia ruling out cuts in supply at this stage, gave OPEC an alibi to abandon their production target. The market reacted negatively to the news with Brent crude oil closing at a new multi-year low US$42.5mn barrels a day this week.

Gold ETPs suffer the 3rd consecutive week of outflows of US$58.6mn. Gold rose 2.6% on Friday after the US dollar (DXY) depreciated by 2.4% on Thursday following the ECB’s disappointing policy moves. Most of the price moves came on Friday following a stellar jobs report from the US, which led the market to believe that a December 16th Fed hike is now a ‘done-deal’. As we have highlighted, during previous Fed rate hikes, the US Dollar often sells off and gold rises (contrary to popular perception), as markets “buy on the rumour and sell on the fact”. The unexpected rise in the labour force participation and upward revisions to the last month’s stellar print in non-farm payrolls made the 2015 US rate hike a near reality. The ECB’s fresh stimulus measures unveiled on Thursday fell short of investor’s expectations causing the overcrowded short euro trade to unwind. We suspect that an overcrowded short-gold trade has also fallen away, although we will have to wait for Friday’s weekly release of CFTC data for confirmation.

Record low prices drive bargain hunters into precious metal baskets. We received US$7.8mn in ETFS precious metals trust, marking its highest level since 2014. Despite robust US vehicle sales, currently at a 10 year high, the sell-off in palladium known for their use in gasoline based catalytic converters deepened contributing to outflows of US$5.4mn from palladium ETPs.

ETFs Copper (COPA) received US$5.1mn marking an 8-week high. The top 10 Chinese smelters added to supply woes after agreeing to cut production by 350,000 tons equivalent to 1.5% of last year’s global copper production raising hopes for a rebound in copper prices that are down 27.7% for the year.

Key events to watch this week. The Bank of England, Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Swiss National Bank are expected maintain the status quo in their respective policy meetings this week, although may offer some colour on their next moves. A raft of Chinese data ranging including industrial production, loan growth, trade and inflation will give a gauge for how the world’s largest consumer of commodities is faring.

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.

Are commodities at a turning point?

Are commodities at a turning point?

Commodity ETP Weekly – Are commodities at a turning point?

•  Gold at a four-month high.
•  Net inflows into oil ETPs on strong Chinese imports.
•  Shift in copper sentiment.
•  As part of our ”Energy Wars” webinar series we welcome Richard Mallinson, a leading geopolitical analyst at Energy Aspects to join us, to discuss where next for the oil price.
Register here to attend

Download the complete report (.pdf)

Pressure on commodities seems to be easing on the back of technical support and better fundamental prospects. Although China imports fell by 17.7% over the past year to September, demand for some commodities remains resilient. Chinese oil imports so far this year rose 9% compared to the same period last year, while copper imports for September surged 18% compared to September 2014, suggesting that fears over China demand slowdown have been overblown. Despite a rising US Dollar (USD) robust Chinese economic activity should lend support to commodity prices this week. Sentiment towards the asset class is turning with investors increasing exposure to long commodity ETPs.

Gold at a four-month high. Gold rose 3.9% last week, marking the second consecutive week of positive returns and closing at a 4-month high at US$1,184.25/oz. on Thursday. Weaker economic indicators from US and Eurozone early in the week saw gold rally alongside a declining US Dollar. In addition, gold reached another technical support last Wednesday, crossing its 200 day moving average upward, often an indication that price increase is likely to continue in the near term. Inflows into long gold ETPs hit an eight-week high of US$42mn and marking five consecutive weeks of inflows. Gold has retraced some of the gains as US inflation surprised to the upside, in turn boosting the USD. Although rate hike expectations have been brought forward, market expectations indicate that the Federal Reserve is likely to begin the tightening cycle early next year, lending additional support to the commodities complex.

Net inflows into oil ETPs on strong Chinese imports. Oil ETPs recorded net inflows of US$29mn mainly into ETF WTI Crude Oil (CRUD) and ETFS Daily Leveraged WTI Crude Oil (LOIL) on strong demand from China. September oil imports were slightly higher than September last year. However China total oil imports so far this year rose 8.8% above its level at the same period last year, suggesting that Chinese demand for the commodity has been strong. Meanwhile larger-than-expected increase in US oil inventories last week weighed on the price of oil. WTI fell 6.2%, while Brent plunged 8.2% over the past week, partially offsetting the previous week’s gains. While the oil market remains amply supplied, strong demand from China combined with falling production in the US should eventually trim inventories and support oil prices in the medium term.

Shift in copper sentiment. Investors appear to be becoming more bullish on copper. ETFS Copper (COPA) recorded net inflows of US$9.1mn (a 10-week high) while ETFS Daily Short Copper (SCOP) saw outflows of US$31.1mn, marking the most aggressive cut in short ETP positions since June 2014. The International Copper Study Group’s (ICSG’s) data revisions have helped fuelled positive sentiment for copper. The metal has risen 2.5% since the release of ICSG updated figures on 6th of October and 7.3% since its six-year low hit in August. In addition, China copper imports in September 2015 grew 18% year-on-year, underpinning market expectations for tighter market conditions in 2015 and 2016.

Key events to watch this week. While China industrial production for October came below expectations this morning, better-than-expected GDP for Q3 and retail sales should help ease concern over a potential hard landing and lend support to commodity prices this week. Markit manufacturing PMI for October in Europe and the US should provide further colour on the current global demand for metals.

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.

China and strong USD fail to deter commodity bargain-hunters

China and strong USD fail to deter commodity bargain-hunters

ETF Securities Commodity ETP Weekly – China and strong USD fail to deter commodity bargain-hunters

Highlights

•    Inflows into long WTI crude and Brent oil ETPs continued for the 5th straight week.

•    Multiyear low prices attract bargain hunters to industrial metals ETPs.

•    Outflows from physically backed gold ETPs continue for the 11th consecutive week.

•    Physically backed platinum ETPs (PHPT) drew inflows of US$4.3mn while palladium ETPs saw outflows of US$7.4mn.

•    ETFS Agriculture (AIGA) received US$14.6mn of inflows last week.

Download the complete report (.pdf)

The jobs data in the US last week provided vital ammunition for the Federal Reserve to pull the trigger on interest rate increases later this year, adding to US dollar strength, which weighed on commodity prices. Interestingly gold remained resilient, seeing its price rise in US dollar terms for a second straight week, despite outflows from gold ETPs. The key to the commodity complex’s fortunes is China’s growth path and the market is on the lookout for further stimulus in the country.

Inflows into long WTI crude and Brent oil ETPs continued for the 5th straight week. WTI crude oil touched US$43.94 and Brent reached US$48.55, marking their lowest levels since 20th March and 29th January respectively this year.
We believe that these low prices will provide high-cost producers the incentive to cut production, and will pave the way for price increases later in 2015. Bargain hunters have continued to accumulate positions at these depressed price levels, with long oil ETPs receiving US$88.6mn of inflows last week, the highest since March 2015.

Multiyear low prices attract bargain hunters to industrial metals ETPs. ETFS Aluminum (ALUM) and ETFS Copper ETPs (COPA) recorded US$15.5mn and US$10.7mn, their highest inflows in 12 and 18 weeks, respectively. A weaker-than-expected Chinese manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) reading of 50 and an unexpected decline in German industrial production (of -1.6%) pushed copper and aluminum prices to 6 year lows this week. However, China announced plans raise 1 trillion yuan in bonds to fund infrastructure projects which will likely increase the demand for industrial metals. Money manager net short positions in copper reported by the LME and Shanghai Futures Exchange have more than trebled over the past week and ETP investors are betting on a short-selling rally, should any supply side outages eventuate from weather related Chilean mine disruptions.

Outflows from physically backed gold ETPs continue for the 11th consecutive week. After the second consecutive week of price gains, outflows from physical gold ETPs slowed to US$41.1mn, the lowest in five weeks. The probability of a Fed rate hike in September rose to 56% following the sturdy US jobs data release. Gold however shrugged off the news and rose. Slowing outflows and steadying prices could mark the end of the gold rout, with Q3 a seasonally robust period for gold historically.

Physically backed platinum ETPs (PHPT) drew inflows of US$4.3mn while palladium ETPs saw outflows of US$7.4mn.
BMW AG cut production last week amid weak auto demand in China. Approximately 70% of palladium demand comes from the autocatalyst market. Platinum has more diverse sources of demand, which helps explain why investors appear more optimistic about its outlook.

ETFS Agriculture (AIGA) received US$14.6mn of inflows last week. When combined with the previous week’s US$19.8mn of inflows, we saw the highest fortnightly inflows in to the agricultural basket since October 2014. With a strengthening El Niño potentially disrupting global crop production this year, we are could see sharp gains in agricultural prices as supply falls short of expectations.

Key events to watch this week. Industrial production data in the US, China and Japan will provide a gauge for industrial metal demand, while US retail sales and weekly jobs figures will help provide clarity on the US dollar’s strength.

Video Presentation

Aneeka Gupta, 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.