Oil suffers worst weekly outflows in six years

ETF Securities Oil suffers worst weekly outflows in six yearsOil suffers worst weekly outflows in six years

ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – Oil suffers worst weekly outflows in six years
  • Investors take profit on OPEC-led oil price rally.
  • Gold ETP outflows of US$274mn were highest since July 2015.
  • Profit-taking on long GBP, short EUR positions after Pound rallies on hopes of a softer Brexit.
Oil ETP outflows reach highest level since August 2010 as investors take profit on a 15% surge in prices. There were US$126mn of outflows from long oil ETPs. OPEC’s landmark deal to cut production for the first time in eight years drove the market euphoria as participants responded to the headline cut of 1.2 million barrels per day. However, anyone looking at the details can see that OPEC is not committing to cutting 1.2 million barrels from today’s levels. The reference figures from which they are cutting from are inflated (compare to what was produced in October). The main flaw of the agreement is that it exempts Nigeria, Libya and suspends Indonesia, but formulates a production target that includes them. It also contingent on non-OPEC countries cutting 0.6 mbd, which we consider very ambitious. ETP investors have taken profit as it is very likely that disappointment will sink in after the market has assessed the details. Outflows from gold ETPs accelerated to US$274mn – the highest since July 2015 – as the Fed’s December rate hike looms. A string of positive economic data from the US including an upward revision to GDP, a surge in consumer confidence, ISM manufacturing reaching a 5-month high and positive labour market data makes a December rate hike a near certainty. Gold’s traditional inverse relationship with real rates saw its price drop 0.5% and investors sold out of long positions. However, we fear that many investors are missing a trick. Inflation is likely to surge in 2017 as prior weak commodity prices fall out of the index and the pro-growth policies that the market is so enthusiastic about start to generate price increases. A conservative Fed is likely to remain reluctant to hike too quickly to ward off these pressures, leading to low real rates. Moreover, the Italian referendum results highlight that political instability is rife and we expect as the US-centric focus of investors to changes in Europe, demand for haven assets will once again rise. Pound climbed 1.3% against the euro, driving US$11.9mn of profit taking. Market hopes of a ‘softer’ exit helped the UK currency rally to a 12 week high after UK Brexit Minister mooted the potential to access the single market post-Brexit for a price. This week the Supreme Court will undertake its hearing to decide whether the British Government can trigger Article 50 without a parliamentary vote. Although the results will not likely be announced until the new year, the uncertainty about whether the High Court judgment will be reversed could be another source of volatility. Second consecutive week of inflows into all-commodity ETPs underscores desire for diversification. As investors took profit on price surges across metals and oil, they built US$51.2mn of positions in diversified baskets. What to watch this week. The ECB may announce whether it is going to extend its QE programme beyond March at its meeting this week. Chinese PMIs, FX reserves, trade and lending data will be assessed to gauge how the world’s largest commodity consumer is faring.

Video Presentation

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

For more information contact

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

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The Trump reflation trade prompts outflows in gold and emerging market debt

The Trump reflation trade prompts outflows in gold and emerging market debt

ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – The Trump reflation trade prompts outflows in gold and emerging market debt

Highlights

  • Gold ETPs saw outflows of US$83m, the largest in a week in 2016.
  • In reaction to the Trump reflation trade we saw the first significant outflows of the year from Emerging Market Debt ETPs totalling US$55m.
  • Oil ETPs saw further inflows last week totalling US$49m, bringing the total inflow in the last four weeks to almost US$258 as investors punt on a deal being brokered at the OPEC meeting.

Gold ETPs saw outflows of US$83m, the largest in a week in 2016. We saw similar behaviour earlier this year when investors were expecting an imminent rate hike in the upcoming FED meetings. This time round though its the highest probability all year, with a 94% chance of a rate hike according to the futures market. This year gold flows have been predominantly inflows with only 28% of daily flows being remittances. Furthermore, whilst gold short ETPs inflows increase in-line with inflows from the period from 2007 to 2012, this year we have only seen net inflows US$87k suggesting that despite gold’s recent weakness, investors want to maintain their existing holdings, the prospects of rising inflation and political instability are likely reasons. We are also seeing a significant divergence in regional flows, flows from investors who are based in the US, and therefore USD based, have pulled out of gold at a much greater rate than their Europe based counterparts. This is likely due to the recent strength of the USD giving non-USD currency investors in gold a lift from the currency despite weakness in the underlying.

In reaction to the Trump reflation trade we saw the first significant outflows of the year from Emerging Market Debt ETPs totalling US$55m. The yield differential between EM local debt and the European yields is at a multi-year high (over 5%). We maintain our view that EM countries have a stronger credit standing than what is commonly perceived, leaving room for further upside to price. In our opinion, any technical selloff represents a good opportunity to enter EM debt. Oil

ETPs saw further inflows last week totalling US$49m, bringing the total inflow in the last four weeks to almost US$258m as investors punt of a deal being brokered at the OPEC meeting on the 30th November. We believe OPEC’s ability to broker a supply cut is fading. A flurry of meetings between both OPEC and non- OPEC countries have taken place, but have so far produced little positive results. Growing scepticism about OPEC’s ability to cut production has led to short positions rising 56% in WTI and 39% in the past month. OPEC’s commitment is contingent on the participation of non-OPEC countries, but with large non-OPEC members like Russia, Kazakhstan and Brazil seeing new production come online as a result of past capital expenditure from several years ago, the likelihood of a concrete commitment is looking slim. We expect to see oil prices remain volatile in the run-up to OPEC’s November 30th meeting.

What to watch this week. With the market pricing the December rate hike odds to a near certainty, investors won’t be paying as much attention to the minutes of the Fed’s meeting on Wednesday. While the release of the Autumn statement on fiscal and economic policy in the UK on Wednesday will take centre stage.

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.

PDVSA’s selective default risks further oil outages

PDVSA’s selective default risks further oil outages

Petróleos de Venezuela’s (PDVSA’s) debt swap earlier this week provides Venezuela’s state oil company temporary relief from upcoming debt payments, but this act of “selective default” is unlikely to significantly alleviate the financial concerns for the company nor the government. Risk of oil production outage from Venezuela as a result of a potentially disruptive full blown default would drive the global oil market closer to balance and push oil prices higher. PDVSA’s selective default risks further oil outages. As we highlighted in February, the finances of the PDVSA and the Venezuelan government were precarious, with CDS spreads indicating that both are close to default. Since then, the economy has plunged further into economic chaos as electricity shortages (blamed on a lack of rain to power hydroelectricity) and hyperinflation running over 1000% have roiled the oil dependent country. That has been paired with political chaos. The opposition government is currently trying to call for a referendum to oust President Maduro (and they claim their efforts are being thwarted by the government’s “ongoing coup d’etat”). Beyond weak oil prices, oil production in Venezuela has been continuously falling, severely crimping PDVSA’s revenues. This week PDVSA managed to swap US$2.8bn of debt maturing in 2017 for US$3.4bn maturing in 2020. However, that only represents under 40% of the US$7.1bn maturing in April and November 2017, far short of the 50% target PDVSA had set. S&P Ratings have labelled the event a “selective default”. The short-term relief of pushing maturity out, comes with the cost of higher payments later. The strategy is clearly reliant on oil prices and production volume increasing. (click to enlarge) While Venezuela is likely to be exempt from cutting production as part of the OPEC quota target that was recently announced, we believe that the country will struggle to raise production. Foreign oil service providers will continue to pare back on their operations in the country in this chaotic and uncertain environment. When we first wrote about Venezuela’s financial woes in February, global oversupply of crude was assumed to be around 2.3 million barrels per day. At the time, we judged it unlikely that most of Venezuela’s 2.4 million barrels per day of production would be wiped out over-night. However, today the global over-supply is only around 0.3 million barrels. Venezuelan production has fallen 0.2 million barrels since the beginning of the year, highlighting much production can unravel in times of chaos. Therefore, we now believe that a serious production outage from Venezuela could push the global oil market toward balance and increase price.

Nitesh Shah, Research Analyst at ETF Securities

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

Oil sees outflows as it trades at top of range

Oil sees outflows as it trades at top of range

Oil sees outflows as it trades at top of range – Weekly Flows Analysis

Highlights

  • Second consecutive week of crude oil outflows as Brent trades closer to the top of range
  • Investors sell GBP and EUR shorts
  • Price declines in precious metals drive investors to sell silver and platinum but boosts gold buying

Download the complete report (.pdf)

Oil ETPs see second week of outflows as oil trades closer to the upper end of the recent trading range. With Brent hovering close to US$50/bbl, investors continued to take profit on their long positions. The oil benchmark has struggled to trade significantly above US$50/bbl in the past few months. More US tight oil has become profitable around that level and that threatens to increase supply. Talks of oil market stabilisation by OPEC members initially supported prices, especially as inclusion of Russia and Iran in the effort boosted optimism. However, Saudi Arabia poured cold water over that optimism as the Energy Minister claimed that market forces are already helping the market come to a balance. US crude oil stocks surprisingly rose last week driving WTI down 1.8%. We saw US$43.7mn of outflows from long crude oil ETPs last week.

Investors trim short GBP positions by US$17.9mn as Sterling appears to have reached rock bottom. After the UK voted to leave the EU in June, GBP depreciated more than 10% reflecting the inevitable economic decline and prolonged uncertainty that will ensue as the country failed to have a plan of action to manage the exit. However, the economic weakness, aggressive central bank stimulus and the potential for a fiscal blow-out are largely priced in, giving little scope for further depreciation.

Investors sell EUR shorts. Investors sold US$9.0mn of long USD, short EUR ETPs, largely reversing inflows into the same the previous week. With the EUR having depreciated against the USD by 1.1% last week investors took profit on their positions.

Gold continues to see inflows for sixth consecutive week. With US durable goods orders coming in higher than expected and the second GDP reading confirming a solid economic base, the Federal Reserve is running out of excuses for not raising rates. Although heavily hedged with emphasis that the outlook is uncertain and monetary policy is not on a preset course, Yellen said that she believes the case for a rate rise has strengthened in recent months. Gold prices fell close to 1.5%. Investors however continue to buy gold ETPs, as they add to hedges in their portfolios. Inflows of US$121.5mn into gold ETPs mark a four-week high.

Palladium and silver ETPs see outflows. While palladium ETPs have seen outflows for seven consecutive weeks, last week’s outflow of US$12mn was the largest since November 2015. After a 30% rally since mid-June palladium’s performance has stumbled in recent weeks, driving higher outflows. Silver’s decline from US$20/oz to US$18.5/oz in August saw an outflow of US$7mn. The fundamentals for both palladium and silver remain strong and so lower prices offer investors a good entry point. Both metals are in a supply deficit and stand to benefit from an uptick in the industrial cycle. Palladium’s use in pollution abatement equipment and silver’s use in photovoltaics is likely to see their demand increase as global environmental standards tighten.

Video Presentation

Nitesh Shah, 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.

Investors rotate to cyclical assets as confidence is slowly restored

Investors rotate to cyclical assets as confidence is slowly restored

Investors rotate to cyclical assets as confidence is slowly restored – Weekly Flows Analysis

Highlights

•    Investors have begun to rotate away from defensive assets such as gold and the Swiss Franc into cyclical assets such as industrial metals and oil

•    More clarity about the form of UK leadership and a delay in cutting interest rates in the UK has seen Sterling shorts unwinding, but that vote of confidence was not shared by equity investors

Download the complete report (.pdf)

The surprisingly quick appointment of a new Prime Minister and the formation of a new Cabinet in the UK provided investors some relief in a month of heightened uncertainty. Investors sold out of defensive assets like gold and the Swiss Franc and bought cyclical assets like copper and oil. Short positions in GBP were reduced as the Bank of England held off from cutting rates, taking the market by surprise. Investors continued to build shorts in UK equities and sold long positions.

Gold and CHF ETPs see first weekly outflows since Brexit, while goldminers see inflows. Gold prices declined 1.8% last week as some of the uncertainty around UK politics was assuaged with the appointment of a Prime Minister and the formation of a new Cabinet. Also the strong US payrolls data for the month of June proved to be gold-price negative. US$41.4mn flowed out of long gold ETPs. Long CHF ETPs, another defensive asset, saw outflows in order of US$21.8mn. The outflows from long gold ETPs were relatively small compared to the inflows of over US$1bn in the prior five weeks. While investors sold gold ETPs, they bought gold miner equity ETFs, possibly to capture equity market beta. Inflows of US$9.9mn into gold miner ETFs marked a 10 week high.

Investors rotate into industrial metals. Investors bought close to US$40.8mn of long broad industrial metal ETPs and a further US$27.4mn of long copper ETPs in a clear indication that the ‘risk-off’ mode expressed by markets earlier this month is fading. With Chinese industrial production, money supply, retail sales and GDP figures all beating expectations last week, we believe that sentiment toward industrial metals will continue to improve. Indeed with copper, zinc and nickel expected to remain in a production deficit this year, prospects for these metals look positive.

Crude oil ETPs see the largest inflows since April. Bargain hunting is back after oil prices fell to US$45/bbl from over US$51/bbl at the end of June. Last week we saw inflows of US$21.8mn into long crude oil products (the third consecutive week of inflows) and US$7.2mn of outflows from short crude oil products.

Investors reduce short GBP exposure but continue to short UK equities. We saw US$23.2mn of outflows from short GBP ETPs as confidence in the UK was partially restored and the Bank of England held off from delivering a widely expected rate cut. However, that vote of confidence was not shared by equity investors, who added US$9.2mn to short UK ETFs, marking the third consecutive week of inflows since Brexit and withdrew US$9.5mn from long UK equities.

Key events to watch this week. Markets will remain focused on the ECB press conference following the policy decision on Thursday. They will be poised for clues on whether the quantitative easing programme will be extended beyond March 2017. The Q2 Euro area bank lending survey, which will be released this week, may offer insights on the efficacy of programme.

Video Presentation

Nitesh Shah, 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.