After months of negotiation, Freeport-McMoRan – the operator of the world’s second largest copper mine – has caved-in and agreed to sell a majority stake in the Grasberg mine to the Indonesian government.
The Grasberg mine shut operations for most of February 2017 as the Indonesian government failed to renew the company’s ore export licence. Although a temporary export licence was awarded, Freeport and the Indonesian government have been embroiled in a bitter battle to control the mine. We argued in Copper – strong fundamentals and improving sentiment that the ongoing negotiations posed a threat to further disruptions at Grasberg.
Eases our concerns about further mine disruption
This deal partially eases our concerns about further mine disruption this year at Grasberg. However, we note that key elements of the deal have yet to be thrashed out. Freeport values Grasberg at US$16.2bn. The government only owns about 9% of the mine at the moment. Purchasing another 42% (to get to 51%), could cost the government US$6.8bn. Based on discussions early this year, it does not appear that the Indonesian government shares the same valuation, insisting unmined copper reserves should not be included. Until details are agreed on, the threat of further disruptions linger.
If the deal goes ahead, it will remove one of the road-blocks to Freeport making further investments in the mine. As a large part of the open-pit mine has been exhausted, the miner will need to deeper into the rock beneath it. Freeport is expected to invest between US$17bn and US$20bn in Grasberg through to 2031 and will be awarded operating rights until 2041. It will also need to build a new smelting facility as part of the deal. Given the dearth of investment by miners over the past 3 years, the new commitment from Freeport will be welcome in securing future supply.
Copper prices have continued to rally despite the news of the agreement, indicating the market shares some of our scepticism of the success of the deal.
Nitesh Shah, Research Analyst at ETF Securities
Niteshis a Commodities Strategist at ETF Securities. Nitesh has 13 years of experience as an economist and strategist, covering a wide range of markets and asset classes. Prior to joining ETF Securities, Nitesh was an economist covering the European structured finance markets at Moody’s Investors Service and was a member of Moody’s global macroeconomics team. Before that he was an economist at the Pension Protection Fund and an equity strategist at Decision Economics. He started his career at HSBC Investment Bank. Nitesh holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University (USA).
Investors look for silver to play catch-up with other precious metals, with largest inflows in seven weeks. Silver has been the laggard in the precious metals sector in 2017, down nearly 3% for the year, with platinum the only other metal in the red over the period. The poor performance underscores how industrial demand has not, as yet, been in evidence. COMEX stockpiles of silver have reached the highest level since April 1995. Meanwhile, rising real yields are keeping downwards pressure on gold and with investors increasingly embracing a risk on mind-set, silver has underperformed, pushing the gold:silver ratio to 76 times (a higher ratio suggests silver is cheaper relative to gold) – the highest level in 15 months. After the largest inflows in seven weeks, totalling US$34.9mn, investors are anticipating the downward trend to reverse.
Oil outlook uncertain as investors withdraw funds from crude ETPs for the first time since late May. Despite a surprisingly large drawdown in US crude stockpiles, investors continue to question the ability for the oil market to become more balanced in 2017. After a brief rally following the 6.2mn barrel stock drawdown, oil prices once again succumbed to pessimistic sentiment. US oil stockpiles remain elevated (6% off the record levels seen in late March) and are undermining OPEC efforts to reduce supply in the face of sluggish demand. As a result, oil ETPs experienced outflows for the first time in six weeks, totalling US$18.8mn.
Copper ETPs lead the industrial metals sector with the largest inflows in 16 weeks, totalling US$19.9mn. Although copper ETPs have received inflows for eight consecutive weeks, the optimism in the sector belies the fact that underlying demand remains subdued: global stockpiles have risen in the past week and remain elevated but off multiyear highs reached in February 2017. However, another deficit is forecast for 2017 and with the International Copper Study Group predicting strengthening demand, prices are expected to resume the 2017 rally.
Profit taking in wheat drives outflows to two-year high, totalling US$23mn. The third consecutive week of outflows from wheat ETPs indicates that optimism over the sustainability of the recent wheat rally is fading rapidly. Wheat prices have been surging as drought conditions increase concern about the size of the harvest in the US. However, the crop problems are likely to largely impact spring wheat crop, and winter wheat prices could suffer as the current weather conditions have not had as much impact on crop quality.
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.
Oil ETPs continue to see inflows with prices erasing all post-OPEC deal gains.
Sharp price declines drive bargain hunting in silver, copper and aluminium ETPs.
Emerging market bond ETPs see largest outflows since November 2016.
Crude oil ETPs saw the third consecutive week of inflows as prices drop 6.3%. As US inventories fail to decline in line with seasonal trends and US production continues to expand, oil prices have given back almost all of their gains since OPEC reached a deal to cut production in November 2016. Despite Saudi Arabia’s strong push to extend the deal for another six months at least, the market remains unconvinced with OPEC’s strategy. Net speculative long positions in Nymex oil futures are down by close to a third since a peak in February 2017. However, ETP investors sensed another buying opportunity with US$39.5mn long oil ETPs inflows.
Strong inflows into copper and aluminium ETPs despite sharp price declines. Metal prices fell as the market began to price in a June Fed rate as a near certainty and doubts about China’s growth story resurfaced. Copper fell 2.6%, while aluminium declined a modest 0.5%. Although investors in broad industrial metal baskets cut their investments by US$16.9mn (the highest outflows since December 2016), more discriminating ETP investors – focused on individual metal fundamentals – saw the recent price dip as a good buying opportunity. Inflows of US$23.0mn in to long copper ETPs marked the highest creations since March 2017, while inflows of US$9.4mn into long aluminium ETPs were the highest since July 2016. Copper is likely to remain in a supply deficit in 2017 and 2018 which will mark nine straight years of supply falling short of demand. Aluminium supply meanwhile should tighten significantly if China follows through with capacity constraint in winter months amid environmental concerns from smelting activity.
Inflows into silver ETPs rise to highest since December 2016. US$12.5mn into long silver ETPs contrasts the US$11.2mn outflows from gold ETPs last week. Both metal prices fell hard after the Fed meeting which investors interpreted as a confirmation of a rate hike in June. However, silver appears cheap relative to gold, with the gold-to-silver ratio rising to 75 from 68 last month which has presented a buying opportunity. Moreover, after gold almost hit our fair value estimate of US$1300/oz a few weeks ago, we expect it to decline to US$1230 by year-end. However, we estimate silver’s fair value to be close to US$20/oz by year end, offering more than a 20% upside to investors from current levels. Supply deficits, growing industrial demand and a tightening in exchange inventory provide upside potential.
US$7.1mn outflow from emerging market bonds. Investors took profit on their emerging market bond ETP holdings, amid the pressure of declining commodity prices and rising US yields (potentially narrowing yield differentials). Outflows were at their highest since November 2016 after YTD gains of 6.6% in EM bonds.
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.
Weekly Investment Insights – Copper The rally endures
Highlights
Copper prices have come under pressure as optimism around US infrastructure plans wane and supply disruptions are resolved.
While speculative positions have moderated the price falls have not been overly dramatic, reflecting the strength of fundamentals underpinning the red metal.
The metal is likely to receive support from key technical levels that are within close range, while momentum indicators already show bearish forces abating.
The medium term bullish outlook for copper remains intact.
Over the past five months the price of copper has risen by a quarter (from around $4,650/ton to $5,865/ton*) as optimism over Trump’s proposed infrastructure spend collaborated with a strong underlying fundamental story of persistent market deficits (seven years from 2010) and supply disruptions. The climb in price was tracked by a sharp accumulation of speculative futures positions, with the net figure at one point reaching 2.5 times its long term five year average.
In recent days the outlook has been altered. The failure of Trump to secure his repeal of the Affordable Care Act has thrown into question his ability to pass more substantial spending measures. In addition, disruptions at the world’s two largest copper mines in Chile and Indonesia have both been resolved driving net speculative positioning down by 27% over the past two weeks. In the face of these developments the copper price has still managed to remain buoyant, highlighting the underlying fundamental strength underpinning the red metal.
In our view, over the short to medium term, the price of copper looks well placed to continue to trade near its recent range with risks skewed to the upside.
Despite market focus on the success of infrastructure plans in the US, demand from the world’s dominant consumer, China (accounting for over 50% of refined copper demand), continues to be robust. This is likely to remain the case as Chinese authorities maintain accommodative monetary measures ahead of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party in autumn. From a more structural perspective, the growing use of more environmentally friendly, but copper intensive, electrical vehicles should keep global demand ample in the future.
Technically speaking, the copper price is within $90/ton or roughly 1.4% of its 23.6% Fibonacci retracement (from its recent run higher) and its 100 day moving average (DMA). Both these levels will provide near term support for the metal. In terms of upside, resistance could be met at the psychological $6,000/ton level or its February high of $6,202 /ton. Momentum indicators show that the current downward pressure on copper is limited in strength and is already turning.
For more information contact:
ETF Securities Research team ETF Securities (UK) Limited T +44 (0) 207 448 4336 E info@etfsecurities.com
Important Information
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 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
Peak Bullishness in Commodities. Sentiment in broad commodities certainly has recovered over the last year having risen 20% from their lows in early 2016. It now looks like sentiment has moved from peak bearishness to peak bullishness. It implies that we could see a short-term setback in commodities as markets cool-off, although we believe the fundamentals remain attractive for the longer-term.
We use the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data to measure the net sum of all non-commercial long and short positions in an effort to understand current sentiment: how bullish or bearish investors currently are. Since the data begun in 1995 there has been a close correlation between movements in this CFTC data and prices. In early 2016 we witnessed what looked like the lowest sentiment since 2002 after continued worries over Chinese growth and the threat of interest rate rises. This coincided with the lowest prices since 2002.
CFTC positioning is high in many commodities, and it does look like we have reached peak bullishness in 2017. If you look across the commodities spectrum you can see that much of this stratospheric rise has been due initially to gold, silver, copper and now predominantly crude oil where speculative positioning is very close to 3X standard deviations above its long-term average, an extreme level.
Industrial metals are where we have seen the smallest rise in speculative positioning and where valuations are the most attractive. China consumes close to 55% of industrial metals globally at present so economic growth is very important for industrial metals outlook. We have created our own proxy for growth in China that incorporates bank loan growth, rail freight volumes, electricity production, retail sales, air travel and internet usage.
It implies that Chinese GDP growth is well below the official figures but crucially that growth is stabilising. Coinciding with this improvement in growth, we have seen a sharp rise in industrial metals consumption.
In a broader context for commodities, given that prices are generally below the marginal cost of production, global growth continues to improve and we are seeing the early signs of supply side destruction, the fundamentals remain intact. It just maybe worth waiting for speculative positioning to cool down a little bit.
James Butterfill, Head of Research & Investment Strategy at ETF Securities
James Butterfilljoined ETF Securities as Head of Research & Investment Strategy in 2015. James is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the global research team, ensuring that clients receive up-to-date, expert insight into global macroeconomic and asset class specific developments.
James has a wealth of experience in strategy, economics and asset allocation gained at HSBC and most recently in his role as Multi- Asset Fund Manager and Global Equity Strategist at Coutts. James holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Exeter and an MSc in Geophysics from Keele University.
