Goldman: Precious Metals, Livestock to Lead Commodities Over Next Year

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) predicts over the next 12 months, livestock and precious metals will lead commodities to about a 1.1 percent jump in prices.

Precious metals will climb the most according to Goldman, estimating a jump of 5 percent, while it sees livestock prices rising 4.5 percent during the same period.

In other commodity sectors, Goldman sees energy increasing 2 percent; industrial metals will drop by 1 percent; and agriculture in general will fall 3.5 percent.

“Renewed optimism has been mostly based on momentum and forward-looking survey data and far less on hard data and physical markets, which remain lackluster,” Goldman analyst Jeffrey Currie wrote in the report. “We are maintaining our price targets and recommendations and will wait for hard data and physical markets to confirm the optimism before raising estimates.”

Citing the Chinese housing completion cycle, Goldman suggest investors acquire copper. The financial giant also sees benefit in taking a position in the Brent GSCI Index in order to take advantage of the low crude inventories which has produced backwardation.

Rolling over nearby contracts to longer contracts will result in profitable returns, said Goldman.