Commodities have surged to a 10-year high amid rising costs for goods the world relies on for construction, manufacturing and keeping on the lights.
Materials from aluminum to steel have seen renewed rallies and European gas and power have hit fresh records. A gauge of spot commodities prices jumped to the highest level since May 2011. That’s threatening faster inflation, increasing consumer costs and putting pressure on central banks to curb the massive stimulus measures behind much of the raw-materials advance.
Booming demand from the economic recovery has combined with supply woes — from China’s emissions crackdown that’s cutting metals output to scant European gas reserves — to tighten markets. At the same time, the cost of shipping those goods is rising. With a growing scarcity across physical markets, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. sees prices climbing further in the coming year.
“Physical goods demand has reached such high levels — above pre-pandemic trends in all but oil — that the system is becoming increasingly constrained in its ability to supply these goods,” Goldman analysts including Jeff Currie said in a note on Monday. “Markets are becoming increasingly exposed to any type of supply disruption or unexpected demand increase.”
Metals Rally
Massive global stimulus measures are keeping metals demand strong and helping copper to remain historically high. Yet the economic bellwether has been overshadowed lately as China’s move to curb metals production to reduce pollution and a coup in key bauxite supplier Guinea sent aluminum to a 13-year high of $3,000 a tonne.
China’s emissions clampdown has also seen nickel hit the highest since 2014 and pushed local steel prices higher.
“Although we view the current prices as excessive, and although aluminum is overbought from a technical perspective, there is no sign as yet of any trend reversal,” Commerzbank AG said.
Energy Highs
With about a month before the heating season starts, Europe’s gas stockpiles are already at the lowest in more than a decade for this time of year, pushing up the cost of producing electricity. The region is struggling to boost supplies with flows from Norway limited due to maintenance, while supplies remain constrained from Russia.
Benchmark European gas futures more than tripled this year to a record in the Netherlands, and German power prices have notched all-time highs. A rally in the carbon market has also made it more expensive to generate electricity. –Reuters
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