Price movements and fundamentals across major commodities.
Analysis and reporting on commodities such as oil, natural gas, gold, industrial metals, and agricultural products. Focuses on supply-demand dynamics, geopolitical risks, inventory trends, and macro drivers affecting commodity markets.
1,896 total articles
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was effectively frozen on Monday, with only three transits recorded in a 12-hour window. Satellite analysis and vessel-tracking platforms identified an oil products tanker leaving the Gulf and two vessels entering it, while geopolitical tensions rose after a U.S. seizure of an Iranian cargo ship and Tehran's vo…
Markets opened the week with renewed uncertainty after Iran reversed course over the weekend and again restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, following a brief reopening on Friday. The episode, in which Iranian forces fired on tankers and the United States seized an Iranian cargo ship, left traders questioning what, if anything, had been …
Speaking at the Hanover industrial fair on April 20, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Brazil has substantial potential to expand deliveries of critical metals used in e-mobility and wind turbines, and that Germany can provide the necessary technology. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil has increased investment in critica…
The Kremlin said Russia continues to be a significant, responsible participant in global energy markets and that its export volumes cannot be ignored, after the U.S. renewed a temporary waiver allowing some countries to buy Russian oil at sea. The move, intended to ease global energy prices amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, will affect a…
A Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian Black Sea port of Tuapse caused a fire, killed one person and injured another, and damaged several civilian structures, regional authorities said. The port - a major export point for oil products and home to a Rosneft refinery - suffered transport infrastructure damage, while local schools suspended lessons. …
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for the pursuit of rational, diplomatic channels to ease tensions with the United States, while stressing that vigilance and distrust in dealings with Washington remain necessary. A two-week ceasefire is due to expire, U.S. negotiators are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad, and Tehran has not confirmed whet…
Indian refiners have been settling payments for recent cargoes of Iranian crude in Chinese yuan, routed through ICICI Bank’s Shanghai branch, sources familiar with the transactions said. The purchases were made under a short-term 30-day U.S. sanctions waiver that Washington introduced to ease oil prices driven higher by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran…
Gold prices declined in Asian trading as oil surged and prospects for a sustained U.S.-Iran ceasefire appeared uncertain. Spot gold and futures both fell, while silver and platinum recorded modest moves. Market nerves were heightened after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. reported seizing an Iranian vessel, with competing claims over c…
Tensions escalated after U.S. forces intercepted and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel en route to Bandar Abbas, prompting Tehran to vow retaliation and to decline participation in a second round of negotiations the United States had hoped to convene before a temporary ceasefire expires. The episode deepened doubts over whether the fragile pau…
Oil prices climbed sharply in early Asian trade after U.S. forces said they seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship and Tehran again closed the Strait of Hormuz following a brief reopening. Brent futures jumped as much as 7% before settling slightly lower as market participants weighed the prospect of continued disruptions to a channel that supplies a…
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN on Sunday that gasoline prices have likely reached their high point but may remain above $3 per gallon until next year. Administration figures have given varying timetables for when prices could fall, and ongoing tensions linked to the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, along with reported Iranian attacks, con…
U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been detained in Kuwait and has neither been seen in public nor posted online since March 2, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. Authorities have charged him with spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone. The detention comes as Gulf states report…
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol has urged construction of a pipeline from Iraq's Basra oilfields to the Turkish terminal at Ceyhan to bypass the unstable Strait of Hormuz. With Iran intermittently restricting vessel movements and approximately 90% of Iraq's exports routed through the strait, Birol describes the pipeline a…
Senior negotiators from Iran and the United States described recent discussions as showing movement, but both sides acknowledged significant gaps on nuclear issues and the status of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran's renewed assertion of control over the strait, and reports of vessels coming under fire, have compounded uncertainty ahead of a fragile ce…
A French soldier was killed and three other peacekeepers wounded while clearing a road in southern Lebanon, in an attack UNIFIL and French officials said was likely carried out by Iran-backed Hezbollah. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "unacceptable attack" and urged Lebanese authorities to act. Hezbollah denied responsibility. Separa…
California's gasoline inventories have fallen to the lowest levels on record amid a nationwide rise in pump prices linked to disruptions following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The state's reliance on refined product imports from Asia, its isolation from U.S. pipeline networks and recent refinery closures make it especially exposed, though s…
The U.S. Treasury issued a roughly one-month renewal of a waiver permitting purchases of sanctioned Russian crude and petroleum loaded at sea, citing efforts to stabilize global energy markets disrupted by the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The decision follows appeals from partner countries, a recent price drop after the Strait of Hormuz reopene…
Goldman Sachs left its 2026 average crude price forecasts unchanged, citing a mix of softer demand and easing supply disruptions that have offset one another. The bank kept Brent at $83 a barrel and WTI at $78 a barrel for 2026, and said its outlook assumes oil movements through the Strait of Hormuz will gradually normalize by mid-May. Goldman unde…
The U.S. Department of Energy will continue to fund two major direct air capture (DAC) hubs that had previously been targeted for cancellation during a review of awards made under the prior administration. The South Texas DAC Hub and Louisiana’s Project Cypress remain on a list of nearly 2,000 projects the agency says will retain their appropriated…
Financial markets rallied after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would be temporarily opened to commercial traffic, a move that eased immediate pressure on energy markets and lifted risky assets. The announcement prompted a broad market response - equities and crypto climbed, oil prices fell, the dollar weakened and gold rose - though analysts and in…
U.S. energy firms reduced active drilling rigs for a second straight week, with the Baker Hughes data showing the total rig count down two to 543 for the week ending April 17. The drop reflects weak U.S. oil prices and a continued emphasis by producers on shareholder returns and debt reduction rather than expanding output.
Buyers are redirecting imported urea nitrogen fertilizer purchased at the Port of New Orleans for shipment overseas, responding to a large premium in international prices following the February 28 outbreak of war involving the U.S., Israel and Iran. The price gap - with New Orleans urea roughly $170 per short ton cheaper than overseas markets - has…
Investors sold roughly $7,990 lots of Brent crude futures between 12:24 GMT and 12:25 GMT — positions valued at about $760 million at prevailing prices — roughly 20 minutes before Iran’s foreign minister posted that passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was declared open for the remainder of the ceasefire. The announcement coi…
The Iran conflict has removed over 500 million barrels of crude and condensate from global supply in roughly 50 days, equivalent to about $50 billion in lost revenues at average prices since the crisis began. Analysts warn that production and infrastructure restoration will be gradual, with significant impacts across aviation, shipping, and regiona…
Following an Iranian statement that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic during a 10-day Lebanon ceasefire accord, shipping companies and international regulators said they need clarifications on mines, transit conditions and coordination procedures before vessels resume normal transits. Markets reacted to the announcement with declin…
