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Commodities

Commodities: More Volatility Ahead for Energy

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Oil: Winter oil markets have been tighter than expected due to lower supply (because of geopolitical and weather disruptions often higher than 1-m b/d), and higher demand (caused by a combination of colder weather, milder Omicron virus and heightened demand for gasoil and propane to substitute for skyrocketing natural gas prices). Extra product demand could not be satisfied by inventories, nor crude by low crude inventories, so end-user demand and refinery demand for crude pulled up on prompt availability, driving prices higher in the near term. Yet, Citi analysts see oil markets moving into structural surplus from 2Q’22 on. Volatility looks far more a result of exceedingly low inventories globally than of speculation over supplies due to any potential escalation of Ukraine tensions.

 

Gold: Citi analysts forecast average gold prices around ~US$1,685/oz in 2022, declining to US$1,500/oz in 2023, versus 2020/2021 annual mean prices near ~US$1,800/oz. Some macro and micro factors tilt negative for gold in 2022: Ongoing USD strength versus EM and across most of G10 and Fed-hike pricing and potentially a tightening cycle to a ~2.5% terminal rate (including a faster 1H’22 taper) may hinder bullish gold overlays and keep net ETF buying at bay, despite strong seasonals for fund inflows.

Bulks and metals: Citi analysts find that, historically, industrial metals and copper performed well over the 12 months following the first Fed hike and often outperformed commodities as a whole during these periods. The primary reason is because the Fed has never had a historical hiking cycle where the global cycle was not strong or improving. Citi analysts are expecting China lockdowns and seasonal weakness in copper to see a modest pullback in prices to US$8,800/t over the next 2-3 weeks. Citi analysts continue to be very bullish on zinc (to US$3,800/t near term), so we maintain our bullish zinc relative to copper view. We are very bullish aluminum and copper over the medium term and relatively bearish on iron ore, coal and US steel.

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