Category Archives: Commodities

Outrageous Predictions 2016

It`s time for some predictions for 2016, and Saxo Bank is out with their own predictions and they are outrageous. “Outrageous Predictions” are “Outrageous Predictions”. Very bold. They are outrageous, expecting next year’s El Niño to be the strongest ever. Oil making a drastic return to $100 a barrel, and EURUSD to skyrocket back to 1,23 to name a few.

Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist at Saxo Bank, commented: “We are nearing the end of the paradigm paralysis that has dominated the policy response to the global financial crisis. Quantitative easing and other forms of intervention have failed. China is transitioning, and geopolitical tensions are as complex as ever. The marginal cost of money is rising, and so is volatility and uncertainty. It is against this backdrop we have set this year’s predictions.”

 

Predictions 2016
Saxo Bank’s Outrageous Predictions 2016

  1. EURUSD direction? It’s 1.23…
    Europe is running a massive current account surplus and its weaker inflation should, in macroeconomic logic, mean a stronger currency, not a weaker one. The race to the bottom has gone full circle, meaning we are back to a weaker US dollar again as the direct outcome of US interest rates policy.
  2. Russia’s rouble rises 20% by end-2016
    By the end of 2016, a surge in oil demand and the Fed raising rates at an inappropriately slow pace causes the Russian rouble to rise some 20% versus the US dollar/euro basket in 2016.
  3. Silicon Valley’s unicorns brought back down to earth
    2016 will resemble 2000 in Silicon Valley with more startups delaying monetization and tangible business models in exchange for adding users and trying to achieve critical mass.
  4. Olympics to turbo-charge EM’s Brazil-led recovery
    Stabilisation, investment spending on the Olympics, and modest reforms will see sentiment rebound in Brazil, with EM exports helped by cheaper local currencies. The result: EM equities to have a great year – outperforming bonds and other equities.
  5. Democrats retain presidency, retake Congress in 2016 landslide
    The Republican Party goes from strength to dramatic weakness as the rifts from an internal struggle on its future direction play out. This leads to a landslide victory for the Democratic Party as they successfully execute a get-out-the-vote campaign with Millennials coming out in droves having been frustrated by the political stalemate and weak job prospects of the last eight years.
  6. OPEC turmoil triggers brief return to $100/b oil
    OPEC’s crude oil basket price drops to the lowest since 2009 and unease among weaker as well as wealthier members of the cartel over the supply-and-rule strategy continues to grow. The long-awaited sign of an accelerated slowdown in non-OPEC production finally begins to flicker. Suitably buoyed, OPEC catches the market on the hop with a downward adjustment in output. The price mounts a quick recovery with investors scrambling to re-enter the market to the long side – once again bringing $100/barrel prices onto the horizon.
  7. Silver breaks golden shackles to rally 33%
    2016 will see a renewed confidence in silver. The political drive towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions by supporting renewable energy will add to increased industrial demand for the metal, given its use in solar cells. As such, silver will rally by a third, leaving other metals behind.
  8. Aggressive Fed sees meltdown in global corporate bonds
    Late 2016 will see Fed chief Janet Yellen embark down a hawkish path with a series of aggressive rate hikes, triggering a huge selloff in all major bond markets as yields start to rise. As the portions of bank and broker balance sheets allotted to bond trading and market making have almost disappeared, one of the vital parts of a functioning market is simply not there. This realisation sinks in too late and the entire buy-side flee into a panic selling one-way street, as highly advanced risk models lurch into a symmetric red alert.
  9. El Niño sparks inflation surge
    Next year’s El Niño will be the strongest on record and will cause moisture deficits in many areas of southeast Asia and droughts in Australia. Lower yields across agricultural commodities will curb supply at a time when demand is still increasing on the back of global economic expansion. The outcome will be a 40% surge in the Bloomberg Agriculture Spot Index, adding some much-needed inflationary pressure.
  10. Inequality has last laugh on luxury
    Faced with rising inequality and unemployment of over 10%, Europe is considering the introduction of a basic universal income to ensure that all citizens can afford to meet their basic needs. In a more egalitarian society where other values are promoted, demand for luxury goods decreases sharply – the sector collapses.

 

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Shiny bull. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Shiny bull nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Shiny bull and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. UA-63539824-1.

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Will the Fed raise rates on Thursday?

Do you belive the Fed will hike on Thursday?

If so, you are among economists and strategists that belive so, but traders are betting strongly against it, and that alone is enough to wait at least one month before liftoff, according to Morgan Stanley.

CME FedWatch tool says the probability is at just 21 percent, and Morgan Stanley said its readings on trading show a 30 percent probability that «overstated the chance» of a rate rise.

Lessons learned in 1994 that reverberated into 1999 and 2004 will prelude a rate hike until the futures market prices one in. In 1999 and 2004, the central bank waited for market expectations to exceed 50 percent before moving, learning a lesson from 1994 when it tightened.

CNBC said there is one good reason the Federal Reserve won`t vote to raise interest rates, and that`s History. So, what is all this about?

percentage

Rates have been near zero since the recession, and the Fed have delayed its first-rate hike since 2006. But why is the interest rate so low? See it like this; The lower the rates, the more problems it is in the economy.

When the economy is strong and everything is okay, interest rates are hiked in order to curb inflation, but when we face tough times, the Fed will cut rates to encourage lending and inject money into the economy.

Investors can predict what the Fed (or other central banks) will do by looking at economic indicators such as;

Retail Sales: Consumer spending
The Consumer Price Index (CPI): Inflation, and
Non-farm Payrolls: Employment levels

If these indicators improve and the economy is doing well, rates will be raised, but if the improvement is small, it will be maintained. Drops in these indicators can mean a rate cut in order to encourage borrowing.

Other indicators to foreshadow changes in the economy is building permits, average weekly hours, new orders and the spread between 10-year Treasuries and the Federal Funds Rate, which is published every month by The Conference Board.

Raising rates will have an impact on the markets. Raising interest rates will cause the dollar to appreciate over the Euro, which means the pair EUR/USD will decline, which is good for the U.S dollar.

If Chairwoman Janet Yellen sends out a dowish signal on Thursday, it may help to boost stocks and undermine the dollar. Investors will pay less attention to gold and allocate more of their capital into equities.

A hawkish message, including a rate increase, may help unpin the dollar and undermine stocks and gold. So, the upside will be limited for gold in both scenarios, unless we see a massive selloff in equities and the dollar.

Changes in monetary policy will ultimately cause currency exchange rates to change, and paying close attention to the news and analyzing the actions of the Fed (in this case) is vital for forex traders.

The interest rates impact currencies because the greater the rate of return, the greater the interest accrued on currency invested and the higher the profit. So how can you profit on it? The strategy is very simple, but also very risky. You can simply borrow currencies with a lower interest rate in order to buy currencies that have a higher interest rate, and this strategy is known as carry trade.

The shift in interest rate represent a monetary policy-based response as a result of economic indicators that assess the health of the economy. Most importantly; they possess the power to move the market immediately. So, how healthy is the U.S economy?

Nonfarm Payrolls is up: 215K
May, June Revisions: 14K
Unemployment Rate: 5,3%
Avg. Hourly Wages: 0,2%
Labor Force Participation: 62,6%
Consumer Price Index: -0,1%

A key measure of inflation dropped 0,1% last month for the first time since January due to sliding gasoline costs, and this is something for the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) on its policy meeting Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Central bank leaders have said they want to be confident inflation is heading toward their 2 percent target. Low inflation is a sign of economic weakness, and raising rates too soon risks harming the economic expansion.

IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank have asked the Fed to delay its first-rate hike since 2006.

The world`s financial watchdog is the BIS (the Bank of International Settlement) and are considered the «bank of central banks». BIS has warned that a Fed rate hike could have a huge effect on the global economy and particularly in emerging markets.

According to a BIS report, much of the global financial system remains anchored to U.S borrowing rates, and a rate hike at home tends to have an impact on higher rates in other economies. The enormous amount of debt in the emerging markets has the potential to move the markets even with a small rate hike.

Everybody knows that sooner or later, a rate hike might be necessary. No matter the results in the financial markets will be. Some belive the Fed will hold off on raising rates until December.

I really look forward to Janet Yellen`s speech on Thursday at 2 p.m. Washington time.

 

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Shiny bull. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Shiny bull nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Shiny bull and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. UA-63539824-1.

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The World`s biggest oil producer

The United States has surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world`s biggest oil producer in 2014. The oil shale revolution has started to change the economy as the U.S produced 90% of the energy it consumed last year.

India has recorded the highest growth in energy consumption among major economies.

BP said the U.S shale revolution helped it overtake Saudi Arabia as the world`s biggest oil producer and surpass Russia as the world`s largest producer of oil and gas.

 

crude-oil

 

On the other hand, Chinese growth in consumption slowed to its lowest level since 1998 as the economy rebalance away from energy intensive sectors, though China remained the world`s largest growth market for energy.
The United States produced 15,9 percent more oil in 2014 at 11,6 million barrels of oil per day to topple Saudi Arabia`s 11,5 million bpd production, according to BP Plc`s Statistical Review of World Energy released today.
Russia was placed third with 10,8 million bpd oil production.
The United States surpassed Russia as the world`s largest producer of oil and gas, and they produced 1,250,4 million tons of oil and oil equivalent natural gas last year. This compared with Russia`s 1,062 million tons of oil equivalent. According to BP, world primary energy consumption slowed markedly, with growth of just 0,9 percent last year, a lower rate than at any time since the late 1990`s.
BP Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley said: “The eerie calm that had characterised energy markets in the few years prior to 2014 came to an abrupt end last year. However, we should not be surprised or alarmed.”
“These events may well come to be viewed as symptomatic of a broader shifting of the tectonic plates that make up the energy landscape, with significant developments in both the supply of energy and its demand. Our task as an industry is to meet today’s challenges while continuing to invest to meet tomorrow`s demand, safely and sustainably,» he added.

 

It seems like Saudi Arabia has a new strategy. They are pumping more oil despite weak oil prices, and their acute pressure to cut production is off. The heavyweight of OPEC is less concerned about the price of crude oil, and more concerned about delivering fuel to its growing economy.

Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are also drilling at record rates, while Iraq is shrugging off widespread civil conflict to increase production. Even Iran is preparing plans to develop more oil fields. The surging output has taken much of the mystery out of what the delegates of the 12 OPEC countries will do when they assemble in Vienna this week to set production levels for the next six months.

The oil prices is stable at around $60 a barrel, and OPEC has already pushed the cartel`s output 3 percent above the current target, and production appears to be heading even higher. Saudi Arabia was the primary force that made OPEC the swing producer in global markets, for decades.

«Is Saudi Arabia still willing to play the swing producer and juggle the whole domestic economy, refineries, power plants, desalination, petrochemicals, just to meet the expectations of either OPEC or no-OPEC producers? The answer is no, obviously not,» said Sadad Ibrahim al-Husseini, a former executive vice president for Saudi Aramco, the state oil company.

After Saudi Arabia`s production peaked in 1980, it cut supplies later in the decade and again in the 90`s to top up prices. The Saudis followed the same playbook when oil prices briefly sank during the 2008 global financial crisis and the economy slump the next year.
When political turmoil rocked Libya, another producer, during the Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia increased production to keep markets and its own revenue stable.

Energy consumption in Saudi Arabi is growing and its growing at an average of 6 percent over the last decade, while any shift to nuclear power or renewable sources like solar has been slow.

«No cut is coming,» said Rene G. Ortiz of Ecuador, a former secretary-general of OPEC. «Each and every country, and particularly the Saudis and the other monarchies of the gulf, will protect their market share and increase their market share as much as possible,» he said.

Chesapeake Energy Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp are both shale drillers. They both spent about $120 billion last year in the U.S, and the surge in output and a slowdown in the demand have pushed crude oil prices down.
The number of rigs drilling in shale fields are down by half from an October peak, BP Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said.

«The shale revolution hasn`t run out of steam in the U.S,» Dudley said.

 

 


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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Shiny bull. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Shiny bull nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Shiny bull and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. UA-63539824-1.

 

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Where is the gold?

Gold is very difficult to predict. Who knows how much gold USA have at the moment? Russia wanted to know for some time ago, but didn`t have access. What about China? How much gold do they have?

This is a big mystery right now.

Last time we heard something from China was back in April 2009, when they said that it owned 1,054 metric tons (mt) of gold. That is only 1% of its official foreign reserves, but it makes China the world`s sixth largest holder of official gold reserves, after the U.S, IMF, Germany, Italy and France.

What about the U.S? Do they have any gold left at all? Wait and see, because IMF (International Monetary Fund) will probably reveal the secret later this year.

Some gold is missing and where is it?

Gold_reserve_changes_1993-2014

(Picture: Change in US Gold Reserves 1993 – 2014)

 

It can be stored in different banks in China who have licenses to store them, and their gold stocks are not publicly disclosed. Second, it can be «on loan» to jewelry factories located around Shenzhen. This is how they did it in 2013 when the price of gold dropped 28 percent.

IMF and China are negotiating to have yuan or renminbi to be part of the IMF`s menetary reserve denominator. The Special Drawing Rights (SDR). I think that the IMF will come out with some news very soon that will make some investors nervous.

If China want to be a part of the elite club (Dollar, yen, pound and euro), they need to reveal how much gold they have as part of their reserves, and that is very important information investors have been wondering in many years.

Some people guess that China has about 3,000 mt, while others say 6,000 mt. China has replaced India as the world`s largest consumer of gold. They are the biggest importer, and the world`s biggest producer. One way to figure it out is to look at their trade data, domestic gold and numbers from China Gold Association.

As of March 2015, The biggest gold holder are the U.S with 8,133,5 tons. Nr. 2 is Germany with 3,384,2 and Nr. 3 is IMF with 2,814 tons of gold. Central banks stands for 17,2% of the world gold holdings. Investment (bars, coins) stands for 19,26%, while jewellery stands for 49,2%, according to United States Geological Survey (2011).

 

Us_gold_reserves

(Picture: US gold reserves and gold price)

 

The Federal Reserve hold the U.S gold, if they still has some left, but some gold lovers belive that the gold once backed the U.S currency is long gone. The gold has not been audited since 1953. But why are gold so important to China?

China want the world to see a stable renminbi, which means they need to back their balance sheet by gold than other fiat currencies. This is more actual now than never before, because all the central banks are «printing» money like crazy, making it unstable.

China`s currency renminbi is following the U.S dollar, but if their currency becomes a free-floating currency that will change. They will no longer follow the U.S dollar and their currency will not move on news from the Federal Reserve policy.

Renminbi has already surpassed the euro to become the second most used currency in international trade. China`s goal is probably to have all its trade settled in their own currency. As it stands now, every time the U.S dollar moves so does renminbi.

China`s GDP Growth rate expanded to a record low of 1,30 percent in the first quarter of 2015 over the previous quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China. China`s GDP annual Growth rate expanded 7 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

I expect more stimulus from China in 2015 despite better than expected results in Q4. The deflationary pressure persists and the slowdown in the estate market is expected to continue. China have more than enough to think about.

The higher the dollar goes, the lower renminbi goes. That`s good for the U.S consumers because they can buy cheap from China, but what about the rest of the world. What about Europe? Of course they will not buy so much anymore, because the prices are in dollar.

China`s export will drop and that`s not China`s goal. This is probably why they want more control over their currency? And here is where the gold comes in. What are China thinking about gold and their own currency? IMF will probably give us the answer very soon?

If everything goes to plan, China will reveal its gold holdings later this year and that will move the markets. The first IMF meeting will take place now in May and the second meeting later this year. The gold price will move up or down, but it depends on the news.

The financial system of the West CAN be destroyed overnight. It will be very expensive if the gold goes up. Can we afford it?

Next meeting is in Q4 2015.

 


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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Shiny bull. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Shiny bull nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Shiny bull and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

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What`s up with Euro, Dollar and Gold?

Gold is still in a bearish market and the precious metal is declining and hit a 3,5 month low today. At the same time we can see a strong rally in the U.S dollar, hitting a twelve years high. Gold is trading at $1,147,70.

The U.S dollar is soaring and the Euro is plummeting. When the U.S dollar hits a new twelve years high, the Euro hits a twelve-year low. Some analysts are betting that the euro can sink to the same level as the U.S dollar.

Stack of $100 bills

The euro started to fall sharply last summer when the ECB president Mario Draghi laid the groundwork for QE, but the euro has fallen even sharper since the €60 billion-a-month bond-buying programme started on monday this week.

The U.S dollar started the rally at the same time last summer, boosted by strong hints from the Fed that it could start to raise interest rates later this year. EUR/USD is trading at $1,0545 on Wednesday, and that is below $1,06 for the first time since April 2003.

Mario Draghi said cheaper borrowing costs for some eurozone countries suggested that QE – which tends to drive up the value of bonds, and thus depress their yields (which moves in the opposite direction), was already having an effect.

Some analysts have questioned whether the ECB will be able to find sufficient bonds to buy to hit its monthly target. German 10-year bond yields hit a record low of 0,2% on Wednesday. Other Eurozone countries bond yields are also at or near record lows.

The German bond yields at record lows is mainly due to safe-heaven demand from investors, while the other European country bond yields falling is due to the ECB`s plans to buy sovereign bonds as part of its QE of it monetary policy.

A strong dollar is good for the U.S consumers. They can buy cheap things from Europe and Asia, and at the same they have low gas prices. It sounds like party to me. One dollar now buys almost 16 pesos.

The Turkish lira, the Mexican peso, hit an all-time low to the dollar. The Indonesia rupiah hit a 17-year low of 13,1 to the dollar. The Norwegian krone hit a 13-year low and the Brazilian real just hit a 10-year low to the dollar.

The broad Dollar Index (DXY) has now wopped by 23 percent since last summer. That`s the most aggressive rise in more than 34 years! Some of the indicators is more overbought now than at any point in modern history.

DXY 25 yr

(Picture: DXY Index)

As you can see from the chart in RSI, it is overbought. More than we were at the depths of the 2008 credit crisis. That crises caused an immense flight to safety rally in the buck, along with the biggest rally in U.S Treasury prices ever. DXY`s previous close is 99,68.

The dollar rally is now broadly pressuring emerging markets, hurting commodity prices, and undermining the profits of multinational U.S corporations. As the dollar increase, commodities and emerging markets cry.

The problem is that the dollar rally is getting out of control!

 


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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Shiny bull. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Shiny bull nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Shiny bull and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

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