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Commodity Clock

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Commodity Clock

Still on this commodity super cycle - the emperor with no clothes. Someone described the cycle like a clock, with 6 o'clock being the bottom of the cycle and 12 o'clock being the peak, and suggesting that we are currently at about 7 o'clock. So, why are we screaming towards 5 o'clock?

Answer

Hi David,

The “clock” we’ve shown below indeed has us at 5 O’clock which fits with the current M&A cycle washing through gold names.

The broad market consensus suggests commodities are in the early-to-mid stages of a bull cycle, supported by rising prices, strong investor inflows and structural demand from electrification, AI and infrastructure spending. However, we are aways mindful of the dangers of running with the crowd as has been illustrated this week by the semiconductors.

We believe traditional long Supercycle’s are giving way to shorter, more frequent volatility waves — three structural factors are compressing cycle length.

  1. Greater financial participation: More investor activity has made commodity prices more volatile, with markets adjusting faster to new information and changing expectations.
  2. Tighter supply response: A decade of underinvestment has reduced supply flexibility, making commodity prices more sensitive to geopolitical, weather and policy shocks.
  3. Structural demand shifts: The energy transition, industrial reshoring and geopolitical fragmentation have created multiple long-term demand drivers, reducing reliance on any single market narrative.

As we said, MM believes traditional commodity Supercycle, where most commodities rally together over an extended period, is giving way to a more fragmented market. Instead, each commodity is increasingly driven by its own supply, demand and geopolitical dynamics, making a “one commodity, one strategy” approach more appropriate.

Hence, it’s hard to say where the Supercycle is without paying being specific about a commodity, but in general terms, it does indeed feel more like 5 o’clock.

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A Classic Commodities Clock
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