Commodities & Energy Sector
Today, we are sending you the BCA annual outlook for 2024. The report is an edited transcript of our recent conversation with Mr. X and his daughter, Ms. X, who are long-time BCA clients with whom we discuss the economic and financial market outlook for the next twelve months toward the end of each year.
A series of notable events took place over the Thanksgiving holiday but none of them force us to change our fundamental assessments. The conflict in the Middle East is likely to escalate rather than de-escalate, while the Taiwan Strait has at least a 50/50 chance of seeing tensions escalate next year.
The first stop of the EIS Special Series: PIGS Have Wings takes us to Portugal.
China’s push to dramatically expand its copper-refining capacity will be complemented by further vertical integration of mining assets. However, surplus refining capacity will push treatment and refining charges lower in the short run. The threat of EU tariffs on Chinese EV imports looms large, and could be costly to China’s expansion of its already-dominant supply-chain ecosystem for EVs and metals refining. We remain long the XME and COMT ETFs to retain exposure to metals miners and refiners.
President Biden is facing foreign challenges on three fronts and these challenges are coalescing around the critical states of the Midwest. Take risks off the table and stay defensive in 2024.