Salient to Investors: Investors pulled the most money from US ETPs backed by raw materials since April. US corn and soybean crops are the biggest ever, global stockpiles of nickel are at an all-time high, the US is producing the most oil since 1986, while China is headed for its slowest
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Hedge funds’ net-long positions of 18 US-traded commodities rose 18 percent last week to the highest since September 2012. Investors tripled the net-long position in arabica coffee this month to the most bullish since May 2011 Barclays said weather is the big driver of commodities. EPFR Global
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: The loss of water rights to heavy industry, the worst drought in four decades and the rise in debt that follows is causing farmers to take their own lives – more than 2,200 farmers in India committed suicide in the past 4 years. Mandar Sathe at Prayas said a
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: EPFR Global said the increase in inflows into commodity funds in 2012 was 92 percent higher than the increase in 2011. The S&P GSCI, of which energy comprises 70 percent, fell 0.9 percent in 2012, the MSCI All-Country World Index rose 13 percent, the Dollar Index fell 0.9 percent, Treasuries returned 2.3 percent. Barclays
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: US farmers are having their most-profitable year ever because of record-high prices and insurance claims and despite the worst drought in a half century. The government predicts food inflation will accelerate next year, led by meat, dairy and baked goods. The UN said says the global cost of food imports
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Grain demand is robust and global stockpiles are tightening – USDA data shows world corn and soybean stockpiles as a percentage of consumption may drop to a 37-year low after dry weather in the US, South America and Europe. Hussein Allidina at Morgan Stanley said wheat prices will be supported
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Stockpiles of the biggest crops will decline for a third year on drought in three continents. U.S. crops are in the worst condition since 1988, heat waves are battering European crops and India’s monsoon rainfall is 20 percent below normal. Goldman Sachs, Macquarie Group and Credit Suisse say crops will
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Hedge funds et al raised net-long positions across 18 U.S. futures and options last week, the highest in four weeks and the first consecutive gain since the end of February. Commodities slumped into a bear market June 21. Jeffrey Sherman at DoubleLine Capital expects volatility in commodities as people
READ MORE... →