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Commodity prices, as measured by our Materials Price Index (MPI), rose 0.4% last week supported by small gains in several major commodities groups. In comparison to previous weeks, price moves were lacklustre, a sign that the three-month rally in commodities may be ebbing. Lumber prices stee...
Our Materials Price Index ((MPI)) fell 0.1% last week, pausing after an 11-week rally dating back to late April. Over the past three months, commodity prices, as measured by the MPI, have registered a cumulative gain of just over 30%. Year to date, the MPI is still down 4.8%. Six of the MPI'...
In 2018 and throughout most of 2019, the U.S. and China were at each other’s throats over trade. On the campaign trail in 2015 and 2016, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to level the field on international trade. He warned that previous administrations continued to treat China as a...
Original Post By Stuart Burns Iron ore, coking coal, oil and the base metals have all taken a hit over recent weeks. In some part, that's due to a stronger dollar. To a larger degree, however, it's due to fear that the steps being taken to contain the spread of the new coronavirus ...
Original post By Stuart Burns The inverse relationship between the strength of the U.S. dollar and the price of commodities has held good over time. That relationship isn't a constant, of course. Political, economic or supply-demand fundamentals can trump dollar strength at times o...
Just 22 days left in the decade, and we're going to use a good portion of those to look back on some of the top-performing markets, asset classes, and alternative investment funds over that time. First up, commodities, which would likely rather not be mentioned at all. Talk about a lost deca...
“Follow the trend lines, not the headlines.” The quote, attributed to former President Bill Clinton, is one of my favorite pieces of advice. Clinton was referring to long-term data that show that conditions have actually been improving for the human race despite popular opinion...
Commodities have been among the biggest losers in 2019 to date in terms of performance. While equities have posted noteworthy gains this year, a basket of commodity prices as measured by the S&P GSCI Commodity Index has been essentially flat and is well below its yearly high. In the aggreg...
Excluding precious metals, 2019 has been a tough year for commodities. A combination of a strong U.S. currency and weakening demand from key industrial nations has resulted in the lowest prices in decades for many raw materials. Many commodity bulls have given up all hope of a rebound in the n...
A reserve currency is a foreign exchange instrument that is widely accepted by the world's central banks. The requirements are political and economic stability and liquidity without excessive government controls. Central banks and leading global financial institutions hold reserve currencies...