Commodities Increased Following Improved Demand Expectations

NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return was higher for the month, with 18 of 23 constituents posting gains.

Credit Suisse Asset Management observed the following:

• Livestock increased 7.46%, led higher by Lean Hogs, after the US and China delayed another round of tariffs to encourage the progression of trade negotiations, improving US pork export demand prospects.
• Agriculture gained 4.19%. Chicago Wheat increased as rising corn prices elevated wheat's appeal as a substitute in animal feed.
• Energy rose 1.11% after the largest oil processing center in the world, located in Saudi Arabia, suffered from a drone attack on September 15th, raising concerns of reduced gasoline, gas oil and ultra-low sulfur diesel output.
• Industrial Metals returned 0.51% for the period. Zinc rose on improved demand expectations amid easing trade tensions while LME inventory levels fell to a five-month low.
• Precious Metals declined 4.40% following reduced safe haven demand for both Silver and Gold as international relations among US, China and Iran appeared to not regress during the month.

Nelson Louie, Global Head of Commodities for Credit Suisse Asset Management, said: "Trade tensions between the US and China eased in September as both sides delayed additional rounds of tariffs before meeting in October. The US House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry may either accelerate or complicate the progression of negotiations for this trade deal as well as others. Finalized trade accords would be supportive of commodities demand across multiple sectors. After a drone attack at a major oil field in Saudi Arabia, there still remains uncertainty as to how much inventories will draw down and whether Saudi Arabia will be able to meet its targeted schedule of restoring operations. Despite the attack, the US granted Iran entry into the country in order to attend the United Nations General Assembly, a possible sign of goodwill towards a deal that would allow Iran to resume crude oil exports. Aside from heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, geopolitical risks remain among other OPEC members as the civil war in Libya continued to put crude oil infrastructure at risk."

Christopher Burton, Senior Portfolio Manager for the Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy, added: "Despite some renewed optimism in September, signs of economic slowdowns continued. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development announced its expectation that the pace of global growth in 2019 will be at the slowest over the past decade, with growth to remain muted in 2020. Over the quarter, central banks have tapped into their monetary tools in an effort to combat waning growth and to try and avoid a potential recession. The US Federal Reserve cut short-term interest rates by an additional 0.25% in September, the European Central Bank restarted its quantitative easing program and the People's Bank of China reduced its reserve requirement ratio to promote business lending. As such, governments and their central banks remain committed to attempting to support their economies as it becomes more likely that the US economy is either late in its growth cycle or nearing early stage contraction, a time when commodities tend to outperform traditional asset classes such as equities and fixed income."

About the Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy
Credit Suisse's Total Commodity Return Strategy is managed by a team with over 35 years of combined experience, and seeks to outperform the return of a commodities index, such as the Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return or the S&P GSCI Total Return Index, using both a quantitative and qualitative commodity research process. Commodity index total returns are achieved through:

• Spot Return: price return on specified commodity futures contracts;
• Roll Yield: impact due to migration of futures positions from near to far contracts; and
• Collateral Yield: return earned on collateral for the futures.

As of September 30, 2019, the Team managed approximately USD 6.5 billion in assets globally.

Press Contacts
Andre Rosenblatt, Corporate Communications, +1 (212) 325-8230, andre.rosenblatt@credit-suisse.com

Credit Suisse AG
Credit Suisse AG is one of the world's leading financial services providers and is part of the Credit Suisse group of companies (referred to here as 'Credit Suisse'). Our strategy builds on Credit Suisse's core strengths: its position as a leading wealth manager, its specialist investment banking capabilities and its strong presence in our home market of Switzerland. We seek to follow a balanced approach to wealth management, aiming to capitalize on both the large pool of wealth within mature markets as well as the significant growth in wealth in Asia Pacific and other emerging markets, while also serving key developed markets with an emphasis on Switzerland. Credit Suisse employs approximately 46,360 people. The registered shares (CSGN) of Credit Suisse AG's parent company, Credit Suisse Group AG, are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CS), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com.

Important Legal Information
This document was produced by and the opinions expressed are those of Credit Suisse as of the date of writing and are subject to change. It has been prepared solely for information purposes and for the use of the recipient. It does not constitute an offer or an invitation by or on behalf of Credit Suisse to any person to buy or sell any security. Any reference to past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future. The information and analysis contained in this publication have been compiled or arrived at from sources believed to be reliable but Credit Suisse does not make any representation as to their accuracy or completeness and does not accept liability for any loss arising from the use hereof.

Certain information contained in this document constitutes "Forward-Looking Statements" (including observations about markets and industry and regulatory trends as of the original date of this document), which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "anticipate", "target", "project", "estimate", "intend", "continue" or "believe", or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Due to various risks and uncertainties beyond our control, actual events, results or performance may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Credit Suisse has no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this document.

Certain risks relating to investing in Commodities and Commodity-Linked Investments: Exposure to commodity markets should only form a small part of a diversified portfolio. Investment in commodity markets may not be suitable for all investors. Commodity investments will be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity volatility, exchange-rate movements, changes in interest rates, and factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. Commodity markets are highly volatile. The risk of loss in commodities and commodity-linked investments can be substantial. There is generally a high degree of leverage in commodity investing that can significantly magnify losses. Gains or losses from speculative derivative positions may be much greater than the derivative's original cost. An investment in commodities is not a complete investment program and should represent only a portion of an investor's portfolio management strategy.

Copyright © 2019, CREDIT SUISSE GROUP AG and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Credit Suisse AG