Commodities

Miners have taken a battering over the past two years but Neil Gregson, manager of the £1.4bn J.P. Morgan Natural Resources fund, tells Annabelle Williams where he is looking for fresh opportunities.

Oil majors BP and Shell could face hefty fines if they are found to have manipulated the oil price, the UK's energy secretary has warned.

The recent sell-off in gold and silver has led to fears precious metals may yet have further to fall, but some investors have backed them to provide a boost for portfolios later this year as they recover some lost ground.

Prolonged low inflation has sent commodities allocations among fund managers to a four-year low, according to a new survey.

Q&A

The Ruffer Investment Company saw NAV hit a record high in April as soaring Japanese equities helped offset exposure to struggling gold miners.

AGRICULTURE

BP has reported an uptick in profits in the first quarter, although profits fell 9% compared to Q1 2012 as the group continues to sell off assets to pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The recent gold price volatility could plague investors for some time, and further selling is also a risk, according to BlackRock's natural resources head Evy Hambro.

An ultra-bearish US hedge fund manager shorted gold a year ago, when it was still in favour with most investors, and thinks the price of the metal is on track for a multi-year drop.