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.
2,723 total articles
The U.S. Trade Representative this week began a four-day Section 301 inquiry into excess industrial capacity in 16 trading partners. Domestic manufacturing groups called for new import duties to counter surges from countries with unused production, while agriculture associations and import-reliant retailers warned new tariffs could disrupt trade ne…
In remarks from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump downplayed Iran’s military capabilities, urged Tehran to 'wave the white flag of surrender,' and commended a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. He said Iran privately wants to negotiate despite public saber-rattling and suggested Tehran is too proud to capitulate.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Project Freedom as a short-term, narrowly focused operation to protect commercial vessels from Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz. He emphasized the mission is defensive, will avoid entering Iranian waters or airspace, and that Washington is not seeking a fight amid recent exchanges of fire between…
Ukrainian forces have markedly increased medium-range drone and missile strikes targeting logistics hubs, air-defence systems and energy and military-industrial sites well behind the front lines. Kyiv says operations at ranges beyond 20 km have risen sharply in recent months, and its Defence Ministry reported more than 160 strikes in April alone at…
Renewed U.S.-Iran exchanges around the Strait of Hormuz and an attack on a UAE oil port pushed crude sharply higher, then eased after reports of U.S. naval escorts. Markets are balancing that geopolitical shock with substantial upward revisions to U.S. earnings growth and large-scale AI spending estimates, leaving global shares slightly higher earl…
European natural gas futures held near unchanged levels as market participants weighed limited signs of resumed tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz against ongoing military clashes and attacks on regional infrastructure. Benchmark Dutch TTF futures rose marginally after reports of a U.S.-protected vessel passing the waterway, but analysts…
Sources familiar with the project say a proposed pipeline to move Canadian crude into the United States is approaching the minimum level of long-term shipper commitments required to proceed. The Canada-to-Wyoming route would restart idle Canadian pipe and link to a new Bridger line in the U.S., potentially increasing Canadian exports to the United …
An overnight Russian missile and drone assault on gas production installations in Ukraine's Poltava and Kharkiv regions killed five people, including two emergency rescuers, wounded dozens, and interrupted deliveries to nearly 3,500 customers, Ukrainian officials said. The strikes involved ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles and caused …
Gold recovered modestly from one-month lows in Asian trade as heightened clashes between U.S. and Iranian forces around the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. efforts to secure shipping lanes influenced investor behavior. Spot gold and U.S. futures both rose modestly after bullion plunged in the previous session, while rising oil prices and higher global bo…
Oil prices retreated modestly in Asian trading after a pronounced surge the prior session, as market participants parsed rising U.S.-Iran military tensions in the Gulf alongside U.S. efforts to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz under a new initiative called "Project Freedom." Brent and WTI prices moved in opposite directions ma…
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures rose on Monday, supported by firmer crude oil and worries that rain and cold are delaying spring planting across parts of the U.S. Traders await the USDA weekly crop progress report as some growers in the central and eastern grain belt have yet to begin planting corn and soybeans. Oil prices jumped about 4% amid …
Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures hit their highest level in seven weeks on Monday, supported by a roughly 4% jump in crude oil, continued demand from crushing plants, and tight U.S. planting progress. Traders also awaited an upcoming USDA crop report while Brazil’s StoneX raised its 2025/26 soybean output forecast to 181.6 million tonnes.
Goldman Sachs says global oil stocks are close to their lowest level in eight years, estimating inventories at 101 days of demand and warning that continued depletion - amid restricted flows through the Strait of Hormuz and recent regional attacks - is a growing concern for supplies and refined product buffers.
Goldman Sachs warns that global oil stocks are approaching their lowest level in eight years, with inventories drawn down rapidly amid continued restrictions on supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The investment bank estimates total stocks at roughly 101 days of demand, potentially slipping to 98 days by the end of May, and highlights dwindling …
The U.S. Justice Department filed a complaint on Monday accusing Minnesota of attempting to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions by pursuing lawsuits against energy companies in state court. The action follows a series of federal moves in the state, including searches tied to a welfare fraud probe and earlier large-scale immigration enforcement…
Petronet LNG expects to receive its full contracted liquefied natural gas shipments from Qatar once the geopolitical environment in the Middle East stabilises. The company’s CEO said supplies have been interrupted after the March closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks that damaged two of Qatar’s LNG production trains, prompting a force majeure…
Vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz showed little change a day after U.S. officials said operations would begin to restore freedom of navigation. MarineTraffic reported only a sanctioned LPG tanker, a handful of cargo ships and a cable-laying vessel entered the Gulf of Oman, while shipping groups and maritime bodies say guidance and secur…
Oil prices rallied roughly 5% after Iran said it had turned back a U.S. warship attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. authorities denied Iranian claims a vessel was struck. The U.S. plans to assist ships trapped in the strait, and Central Command disclosed a sizable operation. Meanwhile, the yen strengthened abruptly amid speculation…
The United Arab Emirates is in talks with the United States to secure a currency swap line, UAE Trade Minister Thani Al Zeyoudi said at an Abu Dhabi conference. The swap arrangement would place the UAE among a limited group of nations with direct standing currency arrangements with the U.S., intended to facilitate transactions and reduce exchange-r…
European benchmark natural gas prices climbed as markets reacted to a U.S. push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing uncertainty in talks between Washington and Tehran. The Dutch front-month TTF contract rose 3.6% to 47.47 euros per megawatt hour, with analysts questioning the effectiveness of the U.S. plan and Iran issuing stern warnings abo…
Global financial markets have rallied on hopes tied to artificial intelligence and resilient growth, but the physical oil market is signaling a much tighter supply outlook. Physical barrels are trading far above futures, reflecting acute disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts and traders warn the window to prepare for a prolonged oil shoc…
Summary: The abrupt departure of the United Arab Emirates from OPEC this week compounds an already severe shock to global oil supplies caused by the Iran war, leaving Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman with a new political problem at a moment when spare capacity in the Gulf is constrained. The UAE, which accounted for 12% of OPEC pro…
Gold traded largely unchanged in Asian markets amid persistent uncertainty over the Iran conflict and the direction of interest rates. Prices are coping with two consecutive months of declines, while other precious metals posted modest gains. Comments from a Fed policymaker and moves by major central banks have reinforced concerns that higher rates…
Oil prices slipped in Asian trade following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States will lead an effort to guide ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The move came alongside an OPEC+ decision to raise production quotas, though crude losses were capped as prospects for a U.S.-Iran peace deal remained remote.
The conflict around the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted aluminium supply chains but has not collapsed the market. Exports from the Middle East - roughly 7% of global supply - are effectively blocked, while strikes have taken out about 3% of production capacity. Prices have climbed to their second-highest levels, with analysts forecasting el…
