The Baltic Dry Index – ray of hope or footnote in history?

COVID-19 will haunt a generation. Be it from personal loss of friends or family members, loss of employment or the loss of an investment. With nearly 8 million cases worldwide the pandemic has shown no sign of slowing down.   Global cases worldwide (source Bloomberg) Infection cases may continue to rise, creating further havoc for …

Iron ore futures fall as players take profits

Iron ore futures slumped on Thursday following some profit-taking activities as market participants turned cautious.   The iron ore market has seen great volatility, pushing towards $100 on supply concerns following disruptions in Brazil as well as strong demand from China.   The Dalian Exchange issued a notice earlier this week, urging member brokerages to …

Copper Bulls Maintain Control

Having initially reacted negatively to the the Chinese stimulus two weeks ago the futures found buying support at the 55 day average. The bulls maintain control pushing the futures back to (and slightly above) the highs from the 21 – 05 – 20   Control, but not dominance, four days of upward price action is …

Shine, shine, shine a light

We are seeing History in the making when the European Union announced its 750 billion- Euro ($824 billion) recovery package, aimed at boosting economic growth and creating a swathe of new jobs. The capital injection will have global financial markets breathing a sigh of relief, following the commitment from China at the Two Session to …

China’s Headstart to Recovery Creates Rare Aluminum Trade

China’s race to restore normality has opened up a rare opportunity to profit from shipping aluminum into the country, which is typically burdened by excess supply of the metal. The theoretical margin from importing aluminum into China jumped to the highest level since 2016, according to Bloomberg calculations based on local spot prices and the …

U.S. Mulls Sanctions on Chinese Officials, Firms Over Hong Kong

The U.S. is considering a range of sanctions to punish China for its crackdown on Hong Kong, people familiar with the matter said, as the Trump administration weighs whether to declare the former colony has lost its autonomy from Beijing. The Treasury Department could impose controls on transactions and freeze assets of Chinese officials and …

China Abandons Hard Growth Target, Shifts Stimulus Focus to Jobs

The Chinese government abandoned its decades-long practice of setting an annual target for economic growth amid the storm of uncertainty unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic, and said it would continue to increase stimulus. Speaking at the National People’s Congress in Beijing on Friday morning, Premier Li Keqiang delivered an annual policy address that instead laid …

What to Watch as China Unveils Stimulus in Policy Meeting

China’s top leaders should reveal on Friday how much they’re planning to spend on stimulus to support the post-virus economy, when they belatedly announce their economic policy blueprint for the rest of 2020. The centerpiece event will be the work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang, which typically contains the economic growth and spending targets, …