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.
2,383 total articles
Facing surging energy costs tied to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, governments across multiple regions have introduced a patchwork of policies to shield households and key sectors. Responses range from tax relief and direct subsidies to export restrictions, production mandates and adjustments to power generation rules. Measures target fuel, electric…
The World Bank projects a 24% rise in energy prices in 2026 if the most severe disruptions from the Middle East conflict subside by May. Its Commodity Markets Outlook also forecasts a 16% increase in overall commodity prices next year, driven by energy, fertilizer and record-high metals prices, and cautions that deeper or longer disruptions would p…
European natural gas trading was subdued as markets digested reports of a stalemate in negotiations between the United States and Iran that have left the Strait of Hormuz largely inaccessible to shipping. The Dutch TTF front-month contract was narrowly higher, while regional storage levels remain well below last year’s, and weather forecasts point …
The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it has left both OPEC and the wider OPEC+ alliance, a development that removes a long-standing member from the groups and could weaken their ability to present a united position. The exit comes amid heightened regional tensions tied to Iranian attacks and threats against shipping in the Strait of H…
UBS has lowered its price projections for palladium and platinum by $200 per ounce each, citing weakening demand fundamentals and broader economic growth concerns. Palladium's outlook is weighed down by heavy concentration of demand in autocatalysts for gasoline vehicles and the industry's electrification, while indicators of easing physical tightn…
Saudi Arabia is hosting an extraordinary Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Jeddah convening top Gulf leaders to shape a collective response to thousands of missile and drone strikes attributed to Iran. The summit is the first in-person gathering of GCC heads of state since the region became a frontline in the conflict two months ago; attacks have…
A hawkish signal from the Bank of Japan kicked off a week of major central bank meetings, reinforcing expectations of tighter policy ahead even as key G7 peers are not expected to change rates this week. Energy markets tightened as Brent crude climbed above $111 per barrel amid continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and stalled Iran talks. Te…
Iran has cautioned that submarine cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz represent a weak point for the regional digital economy, drawing attention to the strategic and operational risks posed to undersea fibre-optic infrastructure. The narrow waterway is already critical to global oil flows, but it is also a transit corridor for several major fibre-…
The Bank of Japan kept its short-term policy rate at 0.75% while three of nine board members voted to raise rates, a move that nudged the yen but left it close to the 160 per dollar level that has previously prompted intervention. The persistence of the Middle East conflict and U.S. unease with Tehran’s latest proposal have helped keep Brent crude …
Oil prices rose for a seventh consecutive session as diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war stalled. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, constraining physical flows of oil and gas from a region that typically supplies around 20% of global consumption. Market reactions followed reports that U.S. President Donald Trump rejected an Irani…
A senior U.S. official said President Donald Trump is unhappy with an Iranian offer because it omits immediate discussion of Tehran's nuclear program. Iranian sources say the proposal would postpone nuclear talks until hostilities end and shipping disputes are settled. Washington has insisted nuclear matters be addressed from the start. Mediation e…
Gold prices ticked up in Asian trading as investors weighed murky developments in U.S.-Iran negotiations alongside looming meetings of the Bank of Japan and the U.S. Federal Reserve. Prices remained largely confined to recent ranges as traders awaited clearer policy guidance and assessed the inflationary implications of rising oil amid stalled dipl…
Oil futures climbed in early Asian trading after reports that Iran had presented a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz - an offer Washington was considering but one that generated skepticism within the U.S. administration. With the strait largely closed and U.S. naval measures in place, crude flows remain limited, supporting prices. Talks broke…
Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures rose on Monday, supported by firmer crude oil prices, a softer U.S. dollar and a war premium tied to escalating conflict in the Middle East. Traders are also watching rain forecasts for the U.S. Plains that could relieve drought stress, even as some areas may have already seen yield losses and others are expecte…
Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rose to their highest levels in a month as crude oil strengthened on constrained Middle East shipments. Back-month soyoil contracts reached lifetime highs. Market participants are also watching a planned mid-May meeting between the U.S. and China for potential additional Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural …
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures hit a 10-month high on Monday, driven by a near 3% rise in crude oil and worries about heavy rainfall in the U.S. Midwest. Disruptions to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and an associated squeeze on fertilizer flows have added upward pressure on agricultural input costs, while robust export buying, includi…
Analysts have nudged up their median gold price expectations for 2026, citing sustained central bank purchases and persistent global economic uncertainty. Despite the higher year-ahead forecasts, at least some strategists still expect gold to finish 2026 below $4,500 an ounce, with market direction hinging on monetary policy, geopolitical developme…
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump consulted with senior national security aides about a new proposal from Iran that would open the Strait of Hormuz and postpone discussion of Iran's nuclear program. Leavitt did not endorse the proposal and reiterated the administration's unchanged conditions that the waterway …
An unprecedented, coordinated offensive by an alliance of al Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists struck Mali in multiple locations on Saturday, killing Defence Minister Sadio Camara, hitting the capital’s airport and forcing Russian troops to withdraw from a remote desert town more than 1,000 kilometres away. The attacks demonstrate a new…
Israeli forces struck eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Monday, widening their campaign during a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that has reduced but not ended hostilities. The moves mark the first attacks in the Bekaa since the ceasefire took effect on April 16 and coincide with ongoing exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and northe…
Oil prices climbed after U.S.-Iran negotiations showed little progress, keeping shipments through the Strait of Hormuz constrained and raising concern about a prolonged supply disruption. Brent traded around $107.46 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate near $96.29. PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga warned that a protracted conflict could …
About 60 governments will meet in Santa Marta, Colombia, starting Tuesday to discuss concrete measures to phase out fossil fuels. The convening prioritizes operational steps - financing, regulation and planning - to ease the transition away from oil and gas, a push sharpened by the Iran war that has strained global supplies and elevated energy pric…
A recent poll of 18 economists conducted April 8–24 shows Gulf Cooperation Council economies are headed for their worst contraction since the pandemic as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran reverberates through the region. Damage to refineries and gas plants across key producers, and the near-total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz - which carries roughly…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Iran's leadership of humiliating the United States as diplomatic missions to Pakistan yielded no results. He said Europeans were not consulted before attacks on Iran began on February 28 and described economic costs to Germany as the conflict disrupts the Strait of Hormuz and energy supplies.
European natural gas futures fell on Monday, reversing earlier gains, as market participants assessed media reports that Tehran has floated a proposal to ease disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the United States lifting a blockade on Iranian ports. The Dutch TTF front-month contract declined 2.5% to 43.75 euros per megawatt hour by…
