• Home/
• Precious Metals / Commodities

David Fuller and Eoin Treacy's Comment of the Day
Category - Precious Metals / Commodities

Shipping bottlenecks set to prolong supply chain turmoil

This article from the Financial Times may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

The disruptions started in the second half of last year after demand for goods sank when the pandemic struck and carriers cut sailings, but locked-down consumers then ordered products online at an unprecedented rate.

Shipping companies’ efforts to catch up have been set back by the Suez Canal blockage in March and the Yantian terminal closure, as well as border restrictions and port worker absences.

An indefinite partial shutdown at Ningbo-Zhoushan is the latest problem that could deepen the strain on global logistics. Shipping lines have already started to omit calling at the Chinese port near Shanghai.

About 350 containerships capable of carrying almost 2.4m 20ft boxes are waiting off ports globally, according to VesselsValue. The congestion has been getting worse with idle capacity reaching 4.6 per cent of the global fleet, up from 3.5 per cent last month, data from Clarksons Platou Securities shows.

Lars Mikael Jensen, head of global ocean network at Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping group, agreed that the situation had shown no signs of improvement since the Delta variant of Covid emerged.

“It’s not getting any better on aggregate,” he said, adding that maritime transport networks are “still super stretched — it only takes a small thing then you’re back to square one or square one minus”.



Read entire article

Inflation Tempers Americans' Enthusiasm About Red-Hot Economy

This article from Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

By global standards, the U.S. has bounced back fast. But as data on the recovery continue to pour in, there’s plenty to support the suspicion that the glass is still half-empty.

Consumer sentiment fell in early August to the lowest level in nearly a decade by one measure and U.S. retail sales fell in July by more than forecast.

The following charts help explain why Americans still aren’t clear how impressed they should be.



Read entire article

BHP Bets on Lower-Carbon World With Petroleum Exit, $5.7 Billion Potash Project

This article from the Wall Street Journal may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

BHP and Woodside said the business would be one of the world's 10 largest producers of liquefied natural gas. Combining the businesses is expected to generate more than $400 million in annual savings, the companies said in a joint statement. They expect the deal to be completed by July next year.

Selling the petroleum business will lead to BHP focusing on mined commodities: iron ore, metallurgical coal, copper and nickel. On Tuesday, BHP confirmed that potash is on that list by approving the first stage of its Jansen project in Canada's Saskatchewan province. The operation is expected to start production in 2027, with an annual capacity of 4.35 million metric tons of potash.

Potash is one of three major fertilizer ingredients, alongside nitrogen and phosphate. BHP believes demand for potash could as much as double by the late 2040s to become a $50 billion market. Mr. Henry said mining at Jansen could last about 100 years.

"Under our 1.5-degree scenario, potash stands to be a winner, with increased biofuel production and intensified competition for land due to afforestation," Huw McKay, BHP's chief economist, said in June. Potash also doesn't generate some of the negative environmental impacts that other fertilizer nutrients do, especially the release of greenhouse gases during application, he said.

Potash is seen by farmers as an attractive resource because it tends to boost yields, aid in drought tolerance and improve crop quality.



Read entire article

Bitcoin's Surge Lacks Extreme Leverage That Powered Past Rallies

This article from Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

“Typically we look at that as more of a strong-handed rally, which implies that the leverage portion of the rally comes later,” Ouellette, FRNT’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said on Bloomberg’s “QuickTake Stock” streaming program. “If that is the case, those $100,000 targets are very reasonable, I’d suggest. The last time we saw a move of this little leverage, we were pointing towards $20,000, and we didn’t really see the leverage come into the market in an aggressive way until we got to $40,000, which took us to $65,000.”



Read entire article

China coronavirus infection closes shipping terminal at massive Ningbo-Zhoushan Port as container rates soar

This article from the China Morning Post may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

Nair was referring to massive delays at Shenzhen's Yantian port in May and June. Weeks of containment efforts following outbreaks of Covid-19 among dockworkers in China's Pearl River Delta caused global shipping delays, supply-chain disruptions and surging freight costs. The problems have not been fully resolved.

Lars Jensen, CEO of liner consultancy Vespucci Maritime, also said the Meishan terminal closure could have a similar impact on the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port that Yantian experienced when it was closed for more than three weeks.

"Significant problems, both for export cargo as well as for the movement of empty containers into the region, would then ensue," he wrote in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.

With its zero-tolerance approach to the coronavirus, China is currently carrying out mass testing to contain the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant, which Ningbo authorities said the Meishan worker tested positive for.

However, the deputy director of the Ningbo Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Yi Bo, said the worker may have contracted the virus from his interactions with foreign crewmembers of cargo freighters that he had boarded at the port. Video surveillance showed he had close contact with crews.

Meishan is one of the busiest terminals at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, servicing main trade destinations in North America and Europe. In 2020, it handled 5,440,400 TEUs of container throughput, or around 20 per cent of the total container throughput at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, according to official statistics.



Read entire article

Rand Gains as South Africa Finance Head Pledges Fiscal Restraint

South Africa’s new finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, has a difficult job ahead: convincing investors that he can help Africa’s most industrialized economy reduce debt while boosting economic growth.

He took the first step in an investor call Friday, when said there would be no changes to the fiscal framework for Africa’s most industrialized economy. The rand gained and bond yields fell after he spoke.

“I don’t see much changing in that fiscal framework,” Godongwana said on the call. “There is commitment from myself as the minister of finance and I would imagine from government.”

The rand reversed losses against the dollar, and strengthened 0.2% to 14.7576 per U.S. dollar by 4:13 p.m. in Johannesburg. Yields on the most-liquid 2026 government fell three basis points to 7.39%.



Read entire article

Rio Dumped After Massive Dividend

This note from the Sydney Morning Herald may be of interest to subscribers. 

Rio Tinto stock dropped as much as 7 per cent yesterday after the mining giant's shares traded ex-dividend.

The $190 billion company fell to a near seven-week low of $120.15 a week after it reported a record first-half profit and a massive $5.61 dividend per share.

The stock closed 6.9 per cent lower at $120.26.

The mining giant has now shed 10.8 per cent of its value since hitting a record high $134.665 late last month as the outlook for iron ore demand continues to weaken amid Chinese government restrictions on steel output and a slowing housing market. Iron ore prices recovered slightly overnight, rising 1.9 per cent to $US165.48 a tonne.



Read entire article

Gold Gains as More Moderate U.S. Inflation Eases Taper Fears

This article from Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

“There were fears of another hot print on inflation, so there is a relief rally,” said Jay Hatfield, chief executive officer of Infrastructure Capital Advisors in New York. Expectations of the Fed tapering “won’t get worse, that was feared.”

Spot gold added 0.8% to $1,742.65 an ounce by 10:33 a.m. in New York, snapping a four-day drop. Palladium slumped, while silver and platinum rose. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.1%, erasing an earlier gain.

Officials including Chairman Jerome Powell have said they see price pressures eventually easing, though remain wary of the potential for excessive inflation. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans became the latest official to discuss the prospect, saying he expects substantial progress later this year on tapering intentions.



Read entire article

U.S. Sanctions on Belarus Potash Leave Out Its Sole Seller

This article may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

“The penalties against Belaruskali add negative sentiments for the global potash market, but the fact that BPC is not the subject of the sanctions may ease the situation,” said Elena Sakhnova, an analyst at VTB Capital.

BCS Global Markets analyst Kirill Chuyko also said it may be safe to continue dealings with BPC, as long as it’s not added to the sanctions list.

BPC is studying the situation and it’s difficult to estimate what impact the sanctions will have, the company told RIA Novosti. The trader said it will make every effort to fulfill its contractual obligations, adding that the sanctions will lead to higher potash prices and less availability on the world market.



Read entire article

Predicting Equity Returns with Inflation

This article from Research Affiliates may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:

In this article, we document that two derived US inflation variables—inflation cycles and inflation surprises—have been robust predictors of US equity returns. We demonstrate that this predictability translates into new sources of alpha that investors can seek to harvest. In particular, we highlight the signals’ ability to perform during the worst times in the stock market without missing upside opportunities.

The tail-hedging properties derived from inflation signals are particularly desirable. Hedging positive inflation shocks can be costly when inflation is low.9 For example, strategic allocations to alternative assets, such as commodities, or absolute return strategies as a way to protect against inflation have not all fared well in recent years, with commodity indices down more than 30% versus their 2011 levels. As a result, many asset owners may not be able to stay the course if inflation fails to materialize in the medium term. We find that inflation signals can provide a new tool for investors who wish to hedge their portfolios against inflationary and deflationary risks.

“The tail-hedging properties derived from inflation signals are particularly desirable.”



Read entire article