Overview: VanEck’s natural resources investment strategy spans the breadth of raw materials commodities sectors, and the coal and consumable fuels sub-sector can play an important role. Not least, the global steel industry is dependent on coal. Metallurgical coal is essential to the steel making process with approximately 70% of the steel produced today using coal as a primary raw material. Metallurgic coal is also called “coking” coal because it is used to create coke, an irreplaceable input for steel production. Coking Coal Rally Driven by Supply Constraints
By the end of September, metallurgical coal prices had climbed more than 100% since the beginning of the year.1 The overwhelming driver behind this price recovery has been restriction in supply. In addition to both lower seaborne and domestic supply, inventories are also at multi-year lows. Although our view is that current prices are not likely to hold, we do foresee a continuation of a market environment that will be supportive of higher prices.
What is Metallurgical Coal?
Global steel production depends on coal. Metallurgical coal, or coking coal, is used in the process of making steel, and hence is often referred to as “steel making coal”. Coking coal is heated to about 2,700° F (1,100° C) in a coke oven, forcing out impurities to produce coke. Coke itself is almost pure carbon. Because of its high thermal energy and dearth of impurities, coke is used to convert iron ore into molten iron. This is then used to make a range of steel types.
Global Demand is Solid
Over the past three years, global demand for coking coal has been relatively solid at an annual level of around 990 million tonnes (Mt). China is one of the most important consumers in terms of setting prices, since it accounts for approximately 60%, or 590Mt, of global coking coal demand. It is followed by Japan at 69Mt, India at 49Mt, and South Korea at 40Mt. Demand from the U.S. is for about 21Mt per annum.
China has invested heavily in its steel industry and currently accounts for approximately 55% of the world’s steel production. The net result of this is that domestic Chinese coking coal supply has had to be supplemented by imported, or seaborne coal (Chart A). “Seaborne” refers to coal that is transported internationally overseas by ship, and refers mostly to the coking coal export market.
Chart A: Chinese Seaborne Coking Coal Demand and Steel Production
Yearly in Tonnes: 2000-2016
(click to enlarge) Source: VanEck, Bloomberg, World Steel Association, Australian Bureau of Statistic, Statistics Canada, and Chinese General Administration of Customs, as of 9/30/16.
Coking Coal Supply: The Seaborne Market and the Domestic Market
The global coking coal market is generally considered as being split between the seaborne (or export market) and the domestically traded market.
The Seaborne Market
The size of the global seaborne coking coal market was approximately 290Mt as of 2015 (Chart B). Despite being a much smaller market than the domestically traded coal market, the seaborne market is actively traded and, therefore, regarded as the price/trend indicator for all contracts.
Australia, the U.S., and Canada are the key suppliers of coking coal to the seaborne market. Seaborne supply reached record levels in 2014 as shown in Chart B. However, supply fell 8% in 2015 as producer profitability decreased, balance sheet quality deteriorated, and capital spending contracted. In 2016, supply has collapsed even more dramatically, and on an annualized basis, 2016 seaborne supply could be as low as 185Mt, or down 37%, a level last seen in 2004.
Chart B: Global Seaborne Coking Coal Supply
Yearly in Tonnes: 2000-2016
(click to enlarge) Source: VanEck, Bloomberg, Australian Bureau of Statistic, Statistics Canada, Chinese General Administration of Customs, and U.S. Census Bureau, as of 9/30/16.
The U.S. has had the largest impact on the shrinking supply to the seaborne market. Over the past three years, U.S. coking coal exports have fallen consistently, driven by subdued prices, lower margins, and/or restrictive environmental policies (Chart C). U.S. exports peaked at about 70Mt in 2012, but since then they have contracted by nearly 42% and 2016 exports are estimated at 40Mt. The export decline has been particularly pronounced over the past twelve months, a period in which 20Mt in capacity was lost.
Chart C: U.S. Coking Coal Exports
Quarterly in Tonnes: 2000-2016
(click to enlarge) Source: VanEck, Bloomberg, and U.S. Energy Information Administration, as of 9/30/16.
The Domestic Market
Domestic coking coal markets have also seen a dramatic reduction in supply. In 2016, China made a fundamental shift and implemented supply-side reforms in the domestic coal industry to curb overcapacity. In short, the reforms reduced the number of statutory working days for coal miners from 330 to 276. By mid-2016, in China, year-on-year production was down 20%, and in the coking coal-rich Shanxi province it was down 25% to 30%. As a result, because of lower supply and relatively solid demand, coking coal inventories in China are currently at multi-year lows.
Our Positive Outlook for Coking Coal
Current physical market conditions remain very tight. We believe that just as low prices have resulted in reduced supply, higher prices should lead to increased supply. At current spot market prices, virtually every tonne of seaborne coking coal will be cash positive.
While we do not expect current prices to hold, we do foresee a strong and supportive market that will keep prices higher than the current contract price (around $92.50 per tonne). This outlook is supported by a number of different factors. In addition to the fact that 70% of deals are executed by coking coal end-users and not traders, some 80% of concluded transactions were in Asia. On top of this, not only are coking coal inventories at coke plants at their lowest levels on record, demand for steel is also expected to remain solid. Taken together, we believe these factors provide a solid base for firm prices going forward.
AUTHORED BY
Charl Malan Senior Analyst ________________________________________ Senior Analyst for the Natural Resources Equity strategy; specializes in Base and Industrial Metals; also serves on the investment team for the Gold Equity strategy Investment Management Team member since 2003 Prior to joining VanEck, an equity research sales analyst specializing in South African mining, natural resources, and financial sectors at JPMorgan Chase; actively involved in the merger of BHP Billiton/SAB Miller and unbundling of Iscor Steel/Kumba Resources as well as capital raisings and NYSE listing of Harmony Gold, Gold Fields, and Telkom SA Previously an equity research analyst and junior portfolio manager at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank, Asset Management (South Africa); developed and applied various fundamental and quantitative models within the natural resources, mining, and consumer sectors; established an equity research department and managed Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank, Asset Management (Namibia) Media appearances include ROBTv; quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes, CNBC, and The Financial Times, among others; also featured in mining journals such as miningmx, Mining Journal, and Resource Investor MBA, University of Stellenbosch (South Africa); Honours in Business Administration, University of Stellenbosch (South Africa); BA, Arts, University of Pretoria (South Africa)
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE
1 Source: Bloomberg. Data as of 9/30/16 is based on the TSIPPCAE Index: Premium Hard Coking Coal Australia Export (FOB East Coast port) USD/tonne. This price index is compiled by The Steel Index Ltd (TSI), and it represents the volume-weighted average of actual transaction price data submitted confidentially online to TSI by companies operating within the relevant supply chain, including buyers and sellers, based on their latest sales and/or purchases within this product category. An index’s performance is not illustrative of a Fund or strategy’s performance. Indices are not securities in which investments can be made.
Sedan i tisdags är en ny börshandlad fond utgiven av Ossiam handlas på Xetra och Börse Frankfurt. Ossiam Shiller Barclays CAPE US Sector Value UCITS ETF (EUPC) i andelsklassen USD ger investerare tillgång till USAs sektorrotationsstrategi. Detta syftar till att identifiera undervärderade branscher baserat på Shillers pris-till-förtjänst-förhållande (CAPE-kvot).
CAPE-kvoten är en konjunkturjusterad pris-till-vinst-kvot och är lika med aktiekursen dividerat med den inflationsjusterade genomsnittliga vinsten under de senaste tio åren.
Detta värderingsmått används för att identifiera undervärderade företag och utvidgas här till aktiesektorer. En månatlig rotation väljer ut de fem mest undervärderade sektorerna baserat på den relativa CAPE-kvoten. Sektorn med minst fart är dessutom utesluten. De återstående fyra sektorerna viktas lika.
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ARK Artificial Intelligence & Robotics UCITSETF USD Accumulating (AAKI ETF) med ISIN IE0003A512E4, är en aktivt förvaltad ETF.
Denna ETF investerar i företag från hela världen som förväntas dra nytta av den ökade adoptionen och användningen av robotik och artificiell intelligens. Aktierna som ingår filtreras enligt ESG-kriterier (miljö, social och bolagsstyrning).
Den börshandlade fondens TER (total cost ratio) uppgår till 0,75 % per år. ARK Artificial Intelligence & Robotics UCITSETF USD Accumulating är den enda ETF som följer ARK Artificial Intelligence & Robotics index. Denna ETF replikerar det underliggande indexets prestanda genom full replikering (köper alla indexbeståndsdelar). Utdelningarna i ETFen ackumuleras och återinvesteras.
Denna ETF lanserades den 12 april 2024 och har sin hemvist i Irland.
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ARK Artificial Intelligence & Robotics UCITSETF strävar efter att investera i företag som är involverade i artificiell intelligens, autonom teknologi och robotik. Det är företag som förväntas fokusera på och dra nytta av utvecklingen av nya produkter eller tjänster, tekniska förbättringar och framsteg inom vetenskaplig forskning relaterad till bland annat disruptiv innovation inom artificiell intelligens, automation och tillverkning, transport, energi och material.
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Lanseringen av ChatGPT i december 2022 fängslade en global publik och nådde snabbt 100 miljoner användare inom två månader. Denna prestation överskred tillväxttakten för plattformar som TikTok, som tog ett år, och YouTube och Facebook, som båda tog över fyra år, för att nå samma milstolpe. En sådan snabb tillväxt understryker AI:s växande roll i våra dagliga liv, och antyder djupgående sektorsomfattande omvandlingar. Eftersom kostnaderna för AI-utbildning sjunker med 75 % årligen – vilket överstiger den takt som förutspås av Moores lag – står vi vid randen av en teknisk överkomlighet och tillgänglighetsrevolution.
Denna kostnadsminskning banar väg för autonoma humanoida robotar, och lovar en framtid där dessa maskiner överskrider industriell användning för att bli vardagliga partners och hjälpare. I takt med dessa framsteg framträder autonoma fordon som de ultimata mobila enheterna, som lovar att ta oss in i en tid av oöverträffad rörlighet och frihet. Denna utveckling inom AI och robotik står som ett bevis på mänsklig kreativitet och en signal om den transformativa samhälleliga och ekonomiska potentialen vid horisonten. Välkommen till en ny gryning.
Det betyder att det går att handla andelar i denna ETF genom de flesta svenska banker och Internetmäklare, till exempel DEGIRO, Nordnet, Aktieinvest och Avanza.
Sedan i onsdags har två nya börshandlade fonder utgivna av iShares kunnat handlas på Xetra och Börse Frankfurt. Dessa börshandlade fonder ger tillgång till italienska statsobligationer med fast löptid.
De två iShares iBonds dec 2026 och iShares iBondsdec 2028 Term € Italy Govt Bond UCITS ETFer ger investerare tillgång till en portfölj av eurodenominerade italienska statsobligationer som förfaller under samma kalenderår som ETFernas förfallodatum. Förfallodagen är satt till slutet av 2026 eller 2028. Vid löptidens slut likvideras den börshandlade fonden och portföljvärdet betalas ut till andelsägarna.
Produktutbudet i Deutsche Börses XTF-segment omfattar för närvarande totalt 2 156 ETFer. Med detta urval och en genomsnittlig månatlig handelsvolym på cirka 14 miljarder euro är Xetra den ledande handelsplatsen för ETFer i Europa.