Platinum futures weighed down by COVID-19 lockdowns in China, gasoline touching 5-week lows, wheat futures touching 3-month lows

Summary:

• The supply side of the platinum market could experience a shortfall.
• Higher gasoline supply driving prices down.
• Wheat prices were under pressure from forecasts of plentiful supplies.

Platinum demand looks dim

As new outbreaks in top consumer China crushed hopes for a potential end to its zero-Covid policy, clouding the outlook for demand, platinum futures declined below the $1,000 per ounce barrier, sliding further from an eight-month high of roughly $1,050. According to statistics from the World Platinum Investment Council, the supply side of the platinum market could experience a shortfall of 219,000 ounces in 2023 as opposed to a surplus of 974,000 ounces in 2022. Beyond the reduction in supplies globally, there was ongoing concern regarding Russian exports. After South Africa, Russia is the second-largest producer of platinum worldwide.

✕ Platinum Jan ‘23 Futures Price Chart

Gasoline hitting 5-week lows

After a larger-than-expected inventory build last week allayed concerns about a tight market, gasoline futures continued to decline and fell to below $2.5 per gallon, moving closer to a five-week low hit below $2.4 earlier in the week. In contrast to market expectations for a smaller 383,000-barrel increase, the most recent EIA data showed that US gasoline stocks increased by 3.058 million barrels in the week ended November 18th, the largest weekly increase since mid-July. The report also revealed a 625,000 barrel drop in gasoline production, the first weekly decline since early October.

✕ RBOB Gasoline Dec ‘22 Futures Price Chart

Wheat touching 3-month lows

The fourth week of November saw the lowest price for Chicago wheat futures in three months as benchmark wheat prices were under pressure from forecasts of plentiful supplies. After a time of supply uncertainty, Russia consented to a four-month extension of the UN-mediated agreement that secures a trade route for ships transporting Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea. According to Ukrainian authorities, since the agreement's inception on August 1st, the nation has been able to export more than 11 million tonnes of grain via ships, greatly allaying scarcity concerns for the following marketing year. In consequence, increased Black Sea supplies are expected to give US participants the opportunity to stockpile desperately needed goods in 2022–2033. As a result of improved production in Australia and Kazakhstan offsetting probable decreases in Argentina and the EU, figures from the USDA's WASDE report increased predictions for the world supply and ending stocks for the upcoming marketing year, contrary to expectations of a decline.

✕ Wheat Futures Price Chart

Sources: tradingeconomics.com, finance.yahoo.com