NGAS Futures Rose Amidst Energy Crisis Concerns, Decreased Cotton Demand & Constrained Supplies, Gold Touching 2-year Lows
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Summary:
- Natural gas futures rose, pulling away from a two-month low.
- Cotton futures were trading at levels not seen in the previous six weeks.
- Inflation elevated the dollar at the expense of other safe-haven assets.
NGAS futures rose above from a 2-month low
Amid ongoing worries about an energy crisis in Europe and almost endless demand, natural gas futures rose, pulling away from a two-month low touched in the previous session. Other EIA statistics indicated that utilities added 77 billion cubic feet of gas to storage in the week ending September 9th, exceeding estimates of 73 billion. The Cove Point LNG plant in Maryland is scheduled to shut down for maintenance in October, which would halt shipments to other countries and boost local utility stockpiles. In the meanwhile, domestic supply is expected to climb. The incident furthers the abrupt delay in Freeport LNG's Quintana export plant restarting until November.
NGAS Oct ‘22 Futures Price Chart
Potential cotton demand decreased
As traders considered the potential of decreased demand and constrained supplies, cotton futures were trading at levels not seen in the previous six weeks. New limits on top consumers as a result of COVID-19 China raised further doubts about the state of the world economy as a result of rising interest rates. In its most recent report, the USDA reduced both the U.S. output estimate and the global production forecast for the crop year 2022–2023 by 3 million bales each. The health of the natural fiber crop is in jeopardy, and supply issues have arisen as a result of the hot, dry weather in important American agricultural regions. Crops in India, another significant producer, are still in danger due to unfavorable weather and pest infestations in key growing regions.
Cotton Dec ‘22 Futures Price Chart
Gold touching 2 year lows
As investors stayed away from the market ahead of a crucial US Federal Reserve meeting, where it is anticipated that it will announce another significant interest rate hike to combat high inflation, gold prices stabilized around $1,675 an ounce on Tuesday, hovering close to the lowest levels in over two years. A third consecutive 75 basis point hike is presently priced into the markets due to last week's higher-than-expected inflation readings and strong economic indicators in the US, which reinforced expectations that the Fed will tighten further. This week, other significant central banks including the Swiss National Bank and the Bank of England are anticipated to do the same. Analysts disagree on whether the BOE will increase rates by 50 or 75 basis points. As the US' relative economic strength and the Fed's active stance against inflation elevated the dollar at the expense of other safe-haven assets, gold lost its appeal as a store of value in times of economic uncertainty.
Gold Dec ‘22 Futures Price Chart
Sources: finance.yahoo.com, tradingeconomics.com
