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Tag Archives: precious metals

Oct 2, 2023

Diversifying Commodities Rise 16% in Q3 2023 as Equities Drop

Commodities, as represented by the S&P GSCI, rose over 4% in September and 16% in Q3 2023. This highlighted the potential diversification qualities of this asset class, as equities and fixed income both fell during the month. Commodities’ low correlations to other asset classes can provide a cushion when other higher-allocated asset classes drop during…

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Aug 1, 2023

Hot Temperatures and a Hot Start to the Second Half of 2023 for Commodities

The S&P GSCI, the broad commodities benchmark, started the second half of the year in a blistering heat wave and rose 11% on the back of petroleum commodities, which all increased by more than 14% in July. The remaining four sectors within the S&P GSCI also rose during the month, as fears of a recession…

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Dec 1, 2022

Commodities Challenged by Slowing Global Growth in November

Commodities, represented by the broad-based S&P GSCI, fell 1.7% in November on the back of weakness in the petroleum and grains complexes. Global commodities markets were particularly hit this month by worries over rare demonstrations in China against COVID-19 curbs, with oil and grains falling to multi-month lows and safe-haven gold rising. After 11 months,…

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Nov 4, 2022

Petroleum Helped the S&P GSCI Gain 6.7% in October

Commodities, represented by the broad-based S&P GSCI, rose 6.7% in October on the back of strength in the petroleum complex. During the month, the director of the International Energy Agency said the world is in the middle of “the first truly global energy crisis.” All petroleum constituents rose by double-digit percentage points. Livestock also rose,…

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Oct 4, 2022

U.S. Dollar Strength Catches Up with Commodities

U.S. dollar strength caught up with commodities in September, with the benchmark S&P GSCI falling 7.8%. Almost all physical commodities are priced in USD, and a stronger USD has historically correlated to weaker commodity demand and lower commodity prices. But the S&P GSCI is holding onto a 21.8% YTD gain despite the USD strength, energy…

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Sep 1, 2022

Commodities Take a Break over the Northern Hemisphere Summer

The S&P GSCI fell 2.7% in August; renewed strength in agricultural commodities and the continued rally in natural gas were not sufficient to overcome a late-month decline in oil prices. After eight months, the benchmark commodities index is 32% higher YTD, defying higher interest rates and growing fears of a prolonged global economic slowdown. The…

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Aug 1, 2022

Commodities Rise 36% in 2022 after a Flat July

The S&P GSCI remained flat in July, holding on to a 36% YTD gain despite the bearish sentiment permeating the broad financial markets. This benchmark for world commodities has proven its merit during extremely hot inflation. The Fed hiked interest rates another 75 bps to fight inflation late in the month, but several factors across…

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Jul 5, 2022

Commodities Hit the Brakes in June

The prospect of higher interest rates, fears of a prolonged global economic slowdown and a strong U.S. dollar put the brakes on commodities prices in June. The S&P GSCI, the broad commodities benchmark, ended the month down 7.6%, taking YTD performance to 35.8%, still the best first half performance since 2008. The deteriorating economic outlook…

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May 3, 2022

Reductions in Risk Caused Disparate Returns for Commodities in April

Another higher inflation reading helped the S&P GSCI, the broad commodities benchmark, to post an additional 5.1% gain in April. Many market participants realized the U.S. Fed may be behind the curve and have started allocating capital to commodities in 2022. Agriculture and energy continued to outperform last month, while metals and livestock underperformed. Among…

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Apr 1, 2022

Commodities Continued to March Higher Last Month

The S&P GSCI posted its best quarterly return in decades, as inflation continued to post the highest readings in decades. Commodities rose another 9.63% in March after an 8.8% rise in February. Geopolitical conflict and inflation were the two main reasons for the broad-based uptick in commodities prices (see Exhibit 1). The S&P GSCI Energy…

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