Analys
Zink – Ökad efterfrågan, minskat utbud – Kan det bli bättre?
Underliggande tillgång
SEB ZINK index (Zink noterat på London Metal Exchange)
Kort om underliggande tillgång
De största användningsområdena för zink är bygg- och transportindustrin. Två områden som nu gynnas av en mer positiv syn på tillväxten i Kina och USA.
Aktuell kurs i underliggande tillgång 2012-12-10
$ 2086/ton
Riktkurs 3 mån
$ 2400/ton
Placeringshorisont
3 månaders placeringshorisont, med stop-loss på $1790/ton.
Köprekommendation
Råvarucertifikat ZINK S
Råvarucertifikat ZINK S stiger i värde när priset på den underliggande tillgången stiger, och faller om den underliggande tillgången faller Certifikatet ger utvecklingen i den underliggande tillgången med ett 1:1-förhållande. Detta gäller exklusive avgift, räntor och eventuella valutakursrörelser.
Bakomliggande analys
Ökad efterfrågan, minskat utbud – Kan det bli bättre?
Vår positiva syn på zink baseras på både goda utsikter för efterfrågan och på minskad produktion av raffinerad zink. Efter några år med överskott vänder nu marknaden till underskott.
När det gäller den förväntade efterfrågeökningen, förutsätter den till stor del en fortsatt stabilisering av Kinas industrikonjunktur, och en försiktig vändning uppåt i början av nästa år. Samtidigt bygger scenariot på att den amerikanska ekonomin växer som väntat, vilket inkluderar en för konjunkturen ”godtagbar” lösning av de amerikanska budgetförhandlingarna (SEB:s huvudscenario).
De senaste veckornas mer positiva tillväxtutsikter i Kina baseras i stort på förväntningar om nya stimulansåtgärder, både monetära och i form av investeringar i infrastruktur. Det senare kommer att gynna zink. 60 procent av zinkkonsumtionen går till ytbehandling av stål, varav hälften representeras av byggindustrin.
Den andra hälften förbrukas av bilindustrin. Kina har redan beslutat om, och förväntas de närmsta veckorna ge indikationer på ytterligare investeringar, om inte förr så i samband med det officiella maktskiftet efter det kinesiska nyåret i slutet av februari.
En viktig del för uppsvinget i den amerikanska ekonomin är kopplat till bostadsmarknaden och ökade bygginvesteringar, vilket talar för basmetaller generellt, men också för zink.
Bilindustrin är den andra viktiga sektorn för zinkkonsumtionen (galvaniserad tunnplåt). Den amerikanska bilförsäljningen (se nedan) har tagit fart samtidigt som den är fortsatt stabil i Kina.
När det gäller utbudet ligger flaskhalsen hos smältverken. Det finns risk att raffinerad zinkproduktion minskar i år. Det beror inte på minskad gruvproduktion utan på smältverkens lönsamhetsproblem. Efter en period med utbudsöverskott, så kommer den förväntade efterfrågeökningen, i kombination med utbudsminskningar, att leda till bättre fundamental balans, kanske redan nästa år.
Tidigare års överskott har lett till stora globala lager. Det finns emellertid en överhängande risk att lagren inte kommer att vara tillgängliga till konsumtion, då en betydande del sitter på fasta händer. Finansiella aktörer köper fysisk metall som de säkrar genom att sälja på termin. Strukturerna har olika lång löptid, men gemensamt att de undanhåller material (så länge som terminspremien är tillräckligt stor för att garantera lönsamhet). Det tillgängliga lagret är därför väsentligt mycket mindre än vad som syns i den officiella statistiken.
Ett antal stora zinkgruvors malmtillgångar börjar ta slut. Enligt flera av marknadens mest tongivande oberoende analytiker förväntas 0,45 Mton försvinna redan nästa år, vilket motsvaras av 3,5 procent av det totala utbudet. Under perioden fram till 2016 bedöms hela 1,5 Mton ton gruvproduktion att stänga, vilket på sikt riskerar att skapa ett mer permanent underskott av zink. Vi tror marknadens aktörer successivt kommer att diskontera in detta utbudsunderskott i gruvsektorn, vilket i sig stärker priset.
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Positiv efterfrågetillväxt
Minskad raffinerad zinkproduktion
Lager uppknutna i finansieringsaffärer som minskar mängden tillgängligt material
Gruvstängningar kommande år
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Stora lager efter tidigare års överskott – kan ta tid att ”beta av”.
[box]Analysen är producerat av SEB Merchant Banking och publiceras i samarbete och med tillstånd på Råvarumarknaden.se[/box]
Disclaimer
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Opinions contained in this report represent the bank’s present opinion only and are subject to change without notice. All information contained in this report has been compiled in good faith from sources believed to be reliable. However, no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made with respect to the completeness or accuracy of its contents and the information is not to be relied upon as authoritative. Anyone considering taking actions based upon the content of this document is urged to base his or her investment decisions upon such investigations as he or she deems necessary. This document is being provided as information only, and no specific actions are being solicited as a result of it; to the extent permitted by law, no liability whatsoever is accepted for any direct or consequential loss arising from use of this document or its contents.
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Analys
Brent whacked down yet again by negative Trump-fallout
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Sharply lower yesterday with negative US consumer confidence. Brent crude fell like a rock to USD 73.02/b (-2.4%) yesterday following the publishing of US consumer confidence which fell to 98.3 in February from 105.3 in January (100 is neutral). Intraday Brent fell as low as USD 72.7/b. The closing yesterday was the lowest since late December and at a level where Brent frequently crossed over from September to the end of last year. Brent has now lost both the late December, early January Trump-optimism gains as well as the Biden-spike in mid-Jan and is back in the range from this Autumn. This morning it is staging a small rebound to USD 73.2/b but with little conviction it seems. The US sentiment readings since Friday last week is damaging evidence of the negative fallout Trump is creating.

Evidence growing that Trump-turmoil are having negative effects on the US economy. The US consumer confidence index has been in a seesaw pattern since mid-2022 and the reading yesterday was reached twice in 2024 and close to it also in 2023. But the reading yesterday needs to be seen in the context of Donald Trump being inaugurated as president again on 20 January. The reading must thus be interpreted as direct response by US consumers to what Trump has been doing since he became president and all the uncertainty it has created. The negative reading yesterday also falls into line with the negative readings on Friday, amplifying the message that Trump action will indeed have a negative fallout. At least the first-round effects of it. The market is staging a small rebound this morning to USD 73.3/b. But the genie is out of the bottle: Trump actions is having a negative effect on US consumers and businesses and thus the US economy. Likely effects will be reduced spending by consumers and reduced capex spending by businesses.
Brent crude falling lowest since late December and a level it frequently crossed during autumn.

White: US Conference Board Consumer Confidence (published yesterday). Blue: US Services PMI Business activity (published last Friday). Red: US University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (published last Friday). All three falling sharply in February. Indexed 100 on Feb-2022.

Analys
Crude oil comment: Price reaction driven by intensified sanctions on Iran
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Brent crude prices bottomed out at USD 74.20 per barrel at the close of trading on Friday, following a steep decline from USD 77.15 per barrel on Thursday evening (February 20th). During yesterday’s trading session, prices steadily climbed by roughly USD 1 per barrel (1.20%), reaching the current level of USD 75 per barrel.
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Yesterday’s price rebound, which has continued into today, is primarily driven by recent U.S. actions aimed at intensifying pressure on Iran. These moves were formalized in the second round of sanctions since the presidential shift, specifically targeting Iranian oil exports. Notably, the U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned several Iran-related oil companies, added 13 new tankers to the OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) sanctions list, and sanctioned individuals, oil brokers, and terminals connected to Iran’s oil trade.
The National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 now calls for the U.S. to ”drive Iran’s oil exports to zero,” further asserting that Iran ”can never be allowed to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.” This intensified focus on Iran’s oil exports is naturally fueling market expectations of tighter supply. Yet, OPEC+ spare capacity remains robust, standing at 5.3 million barrels per day, with Saudi Arabia holding 3.1 million, the UAE 1.1 million, Iraq 600k, and Kuwait 400k. As such, any significant price spirals are not expected, given the current OPEC+ supply buffer.
Further contributing to recent price movements, OPEC has yet to decide on its stance regarding production cuts for Q2 2025. The group remains in control of the market, evaluating global supply and demand dynamics on a monthly basis. Given the current state of the market, we believe there is limited capacity for additional OPEC production without risking further price declines.
On a more bullish note, Iraq reaffirmed its commitment to the OPEC+ agreement yesterday, signaling that it would present an updated plan to compensate for any overproduction, which supports ongoing market stability.
Analys
Stronger inventory build than consensus, diesel demand notable
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Yesterday’s US DOE report revealed an increase of 4.6 million barrels in US crude oil inventories for the week ending February 14. This build was slightly higher than the API’s forecast of +3.3 million barrels and compared with a consensus estimate of +3.5 million barrels. As of this week, total US crude inventories stand at 432.5 million barrels – ish 3% below the five-year average for this time of year.

In addition, gasoline inventories saw a slight decrease of 0.2 million barrels, now about 1% below the five-year average. Diesel inventories decreased by 2.1 million barrels, marking a 12% drop from the five-year average for this period.
Refinery utilization averaged 84.9% of operable capacity, a slight decrease from the previous week. Refinery inputs averaged 15.4 million barrels per day, down by 15 thousand barrels per day from the prior week. Gasoline production decreased to an average of 9.2 million barrels per day, while diesel production increased to 4.7 million barrels per day.
Total products supplied (implied demand) over the last four-week period averaged 20.4 million barrels per day, reflecting a 3.7% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Specifically, motor gasoline demand averaged 8.4 million barrels per day, up by 0.4% year-on-year, and diesel demand averaged 4.3 million barrels per day, showing a strong 14.2% increase compared to last year. Jet fuel demand also rose by 4.3% compared to the same period in 2024.
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