Our new monthly report looks at the performance of iron ore, copper, aluminium and other industrial metals, and their outlook for the rest of the year.
Prices for industrial metals remained mostly volatile in the first half of the year amid an uneven economic recovery in China.
Beijing has set a cautious growth target of 5% this year, the lowest in decades. In the second quarter, the economy added 6.3% compared with the same period last year, when Shanghai and other big cities were in strict lockdown, but growth was just 0.8% in quarter-on-quarter terms.
Last month’s data releases offered new evidence that China’s overall economic momentum was weak at the start of the second half of the year, but have also raised hopes of more government stimulus measures as the top metal-consuming country slides into deflation. China’s consumer and producer prices both declined in July from a year ago as demand has continued to weaken. The consumer price index dropped by 0.3% last month from a year earlier, while producer prices, which are heavily driven by the cost of commodities and raw materials, fell for a tenth consecutive month, contracting by 4.4% in July from a year earlier. This marks the first time since November 2020 that both consumer and producer prices registered contractions.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing and property sectors, which are crucial for industrial metals demand, are struggling to turn around. Manufacturing activity in China contracted again in July, proving that the economy’s recovery remains under pressure. China’s official manufacturing PMI climbed to 49.3 in July, from 49.0 in June. The sector has been in contraction since April. The Caixin manufacturing PMI fell back into contraction, dropping to 49.2 in July, from 50.5 in June, reflecting flagging demand for Chinese exports. Similarly, China’s property sector continues to struggle. In June, home sales dropped by 18% from a year earlier, while residential construction fell by 10%.
Overall, China’s post-reopening recovery has disappointed so far this year.
Chinese government continues to promise more support, including for the beleaguered property sector, but measures have lacked detail so far. At last month's Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee meeting, the announcement of continued stimulus for China's economy lifted metals prices toward the end of July. However, the optimism quickly subsided as the scale of the stimulus promised was somewhat disappointing and details are yet to emerge of specific policy steps that would benefit industrial metals.
We believe metals will stay under pressure in the second half of the year as the sluggish recovery in China will likely continue to weigh on demand, with most industrial metals remaining dependent on economic stimulus from the world’s biggest consumer of metals. However, if China introduces stimulus measures, in particular for the property sector, this will boost metals demand and support higher prices.
We believe that any improvements in metals prices will depend on the eventual implementation of China’s stimulus measures and actual demand improvement.
Plunging trade in July fuelled more concerns about China's growth prospects. Exports fell by 14.5% in dollar terms last month from a year earlier, the worst decline since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in February 2020. Imports contracted by 12.4%, reflecting weak domestic demand, leaving a trade surplus of $80.6bn for the month.
Flagging industrial activity also capped China’s metals imports. Iron ore imports fell by 2.1% in July to 93.5 million tonnes, a three-month low, as steel output declined over the month.
Imports of unwrought copper and products fell by 3% on a daily basis in July to 451,000 tonnes. They are now down 11% year-to-date. Meanwhile, copper ore imports slid to a nine-month low. The premium paid for refined metal at the port of Yangshan, which acts as a measure of import demand, has been on a downtrend too. It recently stood at $31.50/t, down from its record highs of $152.50/t in October last year.
World manufacturing PMIs also continued to struggle in July, mostly staying below the expansion level. This ongoing weakness, especially in the US and Europe, continues to be a drag on demand for industrial metals. Although China dictates most of the industrial metals prices, weak external demand also caps gains.
In the US, while economic data releases in July indicated that the consumer price index dipped to its lowest in June since March 2021, the US Federal Reserve proceeded with a 25 basis-point interest rate increase at its July meeting. And at the start of August, Fed policymaker Michelle Bowman said more rises may be needed in the inflation battle after a mixed jobs report, further dampening demand for industrial metals.
