Morgan Stanley says metals and mining sectors are 'attractive'

"Metal and mining stocks have had a tumultuous year, but Morgan Stanley says the tide is turning and the worst may be over. In a note Wednesday morning, analysts at the bank slapped an “attractive” label on the sector and said valuations are at historically attractive levels. They raised their recommendation for Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton to “overweight” from “equal weight” and for Anglo American to “equal weight” from “underweight.” They said they see commodity prices rising 19% by 2017, adding this “would be a sharp reversal from the experience in the last 18 months.” Equities exposed to the sector, they said, will likely outperform. “Emerging markets and China in particular remain key to commodities demand. In the next few months we expect the perception around this demand to improve. In particular the acceleration of financial and administrative stimulus policies in China in recent weeks should start to feed through in both actual activity levels and equity market expectations,” they wrote. Mining shares responded to the note by rising sharply."