The Commodities to Watch in 2019
- Raw materials enter year after hitting lowest level since 2016
- Positive outlook seen for oil, copper, gold in coming quarters
Commodities took a kicking in 2018 -- with deep losses in everything from oil and copper to coffee and sugar -- so what’s in store for the 12 months to come? The inaugural What to Watch of the year offers a selective run through of prospects and pitfalls for some of the top raw materials, and it’s a reasonably positive picture that emerges.
That road map comes ahead of a busy period. The U.S.-China trade fight will be in focus this week, with a U.S. delegation in Beijing for talks from Monday. In addition, there’ll be more pointers on the macroeconomic outlook, with the World Bank updating its Global Economic Prospects report on Tuesday and a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday. Investors will also be tracking the U.S. government shutdown as disruption drags on.