Know What's Happening in Commodities
Know What's Happening in Commodities
OPEC+ agrees modest oil quota increase amid Middle East war
OPEC+ members agreed in principle to raise oil production quotas for May by roughly 206,000 barrels per day. The adjustment, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, is intended to signal alliance cohesion despite output constraints from the ongoing conflict.
Also developing:
Crude oil prices jumped above $115 per barrel after a drone attack struck a Kuwaiti‑flagged tanker transiting the Red Sea. The incident heightened concerns over potential supply disruptions in a key shipping corridor, prompting traders to bid up Brent and WTI futures. The surge reflects heightened geopolitical risk premiums as the Middle East conflict continues to impact energy markets. Analysts caution that further attacks could sustain price volatility.
The longer the strait remains closed, the more it will roil the global economy and boost gas prices. Multiple countries, including U.S. allies, are reeling from the downturn in energy supply that once flowed freely through the chokepoint. Industries that...
State Street and Bridgewater launched the All‑Weather ETF on March 5, 2025. The fund delivered a 15.1% total return through the end of 2025, lagging the global equity benchmark by about five points, and has posted a modest sub‑2% gain year‑to‑date in...
WA’s most labour-intensive iron ore mines could be just 10 days away from diesel supply catastrophe https://t.co/5djcT6LMSY
JUST IN: U.S. crude oil surges past $100 for the first time since 2022, dragging Asia-Pacific markets lower.
Rare‑earth permanent magnets, essential for defense, automotive and consumer tech, are overwhelmingly produced in China—90% of processing and 93% of magnet manufacturing. A 2025 export restriction caused Ford to halt Explorer production, highlighting the fragility of the supply chain. REalloys...
The Australian government’s planned fuel excise cut, worth about 26 cents per litre (≈ 0.18 USD), is expected to lower pump prices. However, analysts warn that in a tight, just‑in‑time supply chain, the sudden price drop could spark a rapid surge in consumer...
Houthi rebels have entered the Middle East war, raising concerns over oil supply disruptions. Brent crude rose to $116.75 per barrel and WTI topped $100 as the rebels threatened to close the Bab al‑Mandab strait, which handles about 6 million barrels...
Iran struck a fully‑laden Kuwaiti tanker in Dubai, igniting a fire and damaging the hull. The attack pushed West Texas Intermediate futures up almost 4% to around $107 a barrel and Brent crude near $115. President Donald Trump responded with...
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The Fuels Industry Association of South Africa says overall fuel supply is stable but diesel is tight ahead of the April 1 2026 price adjustment. A planned shutdown of the Cape Town refinery, set for mid‑April, will rely on imports and is...
Australia’s sheep slaughter volumes are contracting sharply across most major producing states as the post‑spring drawdown accelerates, while lamb processing shows a mixed picture. In New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia sheep throughput fell from 37‑47% to as low...
US methanol spot prices hit a four‑year high of 135 cents per US gallon for April delivery, up 10 cents from the previous week. The surge follows a March‑long rally driven by the war in the Middle East Gulf, which has disrupted...
After a 90% plunge in lithium carbonate prices from 2022 to 2025, U.S. brine projects in the Smackover Formation stalled, but a recent price rebound has revived interest. Equinor has secured an anchor off‑taker, while Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum and Chevron...
Oil prices swung sharply on Monday as mixed signals emerged from U.S.–Iran negotiations, with Brent crude ranging between $111 and $115 per barrel and WTI holding near $104. U.S. equities slipped 0.4%, extending a five‑week decline, while European markets edged...
More crude oil is offline across the Middle East than ever before, with roughly 7 million barrels per day shut in due to conflict‑related damage and precautionary curtailments. The blog analyses restart timelines, highlighting that infrastructure repairs and well damage could...
Back to the market. Oil is surging, volatility is expanding, and sentiment is quickly turning bearish—that’s your first clue. When fear spreads wildly, you have to start thinking contrary. But let’s be clear: Powell has signaled he’s on hold until...
Chinese exporters warned that U.S. buyers will face higher prices as oil price volatility, sparked by the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, raises costs for petro‑based plastics. Manufacturers such as Huijin Trade have already lifted...
🌳Saudi Exports, Houthis, and the Bab el Mandeb Bottleneck 🌳Russia LNG Exports Set to Hit Record High Egypt’s Challenges: Typical of Every Developing Country 🌳Shipping Rates Are Up Again – Here’s Why King Coal: For How Long? 🌳EU Oil and Gas Pinch: The Never-Ending Crisis 🌳Cuba...
A blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has removed roughly 28 million tonnes of Middle‑Eastern LNG from the market, forcing major Asian economies to react by re‑activating coal‑fired power. The shift threatens industrial output, fuels price spikes and could stall regional...
Germany's consumer price index surged to 2.7% year‑on‑year in March, driven by a rebound in energy prices, prompting the DAX to slip marginally after a near‑12‑month low. The data heightens market scrutiny of the European Central Bank’s next moves and...
The Bank of Japan warned that higher global oil prices and a persistently weak yen are amplifying upside inflation risks, potentially forcing a policy rate increase toward 1.5%. The staff paper signals that corporate pricing flexibility and tighter labour markets...
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly floated the idea of seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal as Brent crude jumped to $115 a barrel, a move that could reshape Gulf oil flows amid ongoing strikes on regional energy infrastructure and nascent...
Brent crude is on track for a record‑breaking monthly surge, with prices climbing past $100 per barrel for the first time. The rally reflects tightening global supply, driven by OPEC‑plus output cuts and heightened geopolitical tensions in key producing regions....
Brent crude slipped 0.5% to $112 per barrel on Monday after the Group of Seven finance ministers signaled they are ready to intervene to steady volatile energy markets. The decline followed a brief rally that had pushed Brent close to...
Chocolate prices remain stubbornly high this Easter despite cocoa prices falling to roughly US$3,200 per ton in March 2025. Consumers are seeing smaller Easter eggs and premium‑priced treats, while the commodity that drives chocolate costs has dropped from a 2024...
Energy Outlook Analytics (EOA) reports that Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments are set to hit a record high in April and May, surpassing previous peaks. Kpler data shows March exports already above the typical seasonal baseline, indicating a steady...
US Natural Gas' 100% 1Q Pump-Then-Dump May Guide 2026 Crude Oil - The roughly 100% 1Q rise in the front US natural gas future, and reversal to minus 18% on March 27, may lead crude oil's way in 2026, as...
Is $3 the New $2 Floor for US Natural Gas? The front US natural gas future hasn't ended a quarter below $3 per million BTUs since 2Q24. Is $3 replacing $2 as the new floor? The 2026-27 winter should be a...
A surge in oil prices sparked a risk-off market week, driving the S&P 500 below its anchored VWAP from April 2025 lows. The technical breach highlights heightened selling pressure and a shift in market structure as traders brace for further...
Heating Oil, Distillate Surges and Price Peaks - Heating oil's 100% surge in 1Q may emphasize extreme stress and the potential for demand destruction that typically results when energy prices spike. On a weekly basis since 1986, the 4.5 ratio...
Gold, Silver, Copper 1Q Pump-Then-Dump Pattern Might Define 2026 - Signs of high-price cures, common in more elastic commodities, emerged in the metals sector in 1Q. My analysis suggests pump-then-dump patterns to record highs in gold, silver and copper could...
The latest Pro Farmer podcast highlighted that U.S. corn planting acres are likely to exceed USDA’s spring acreage forecast, according to economists Spencer Langford and Lane Akre. The discussion noted stronger farmer confidence and favorable weather patterns driving the uptick....
Gold's 2025 Rally Was Prescient: Is It Hangover Time? Gold may have one main problem -- ample room for reversion. At the end of February, the metal stretched to its highest-ever vs. the Bloomberg Commodity Spot Index and its greatest premium...
2026 May Mark Enduring Metals Peaks - The Bloomberg Commodity All Metals Total Return Subindex cut its 22% gain for 2026 (to the Jan. 29 high) to roughly 2% on March 27. Did the metals sector set a pump-then-dump peak,...
Global oil prices jumped more than 3% on Monday, with Brent crude climbing above $115 a barrel and tracking toward its biggest monthly gain on record. The surge coincided with sharp declines in Asian equity markets, as Japan’s Nikkei 225...
Bull Trap or the safe heaven status is back ? Gold has been on the rise for the past few days meanwhile Geopolitical tensions & inflation fears are still on the rise. Let me share my 2 cents on what's happening &...
The war in Iran sparks a global fertilizer shortage and threatens food prices https://t.co/xpr9UOnHTZ via @mySA
In this episode Jeff Kralowitz talks with Argus senior reporter John Kordner about how the recent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have boosted Canadian heavy crude exports. With freight rates soaring, Canadian grades are now more competitive than Middle‑East...
Jim Cramer says oil prices have topped. Bad news, I’m afraid oil is officially going to $200!
Why the Real Oil Crisis Hasn’t Started Yet #energysky -- via Heatmap News https://t.co/Ngf3zAyeSS https://t.co/gyEcJO0VT9
Golden Pass LNG in Texas announced its first commercial LNG cargo from Train 1. The startup adds roughly 2.5 billion cubic feet per day of feed‑gas demand to the Gulf Coast, tightening regional supply. The added demand is expected to lift the...
Sure, it looks bad in Oil.. But we are pretty far from 2021/2022 in Nat Gas, food, electricity etc.. Still a world apart..
Just another reminder that, like worldwide, increases in WindWaterSolar in the U.S. correlate with lower, not higher, electricity prices. Please ignore all the spam claims that renewables increase prices. It is fossil fuels and nuclear that increase electricity prices. https://t.co/Lra772hw38
The 1970s oil crisis, sparked by an Arab embargo, caused oil prices to quadruple and triggered a global recession. Today, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict threatens to cut roughly 20% of world oil supply,...
We've lost a LOT of Gulf crude oil production capacity to shut-ins following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz But we've also lost refined products, condensates, and natural gas liquids Here's Qatar, which normally exports ~1.5 MMbpd of which only 1/3...
For the first time since the war started, WTI oil has settled above the $100-a-barrel threshold. It’s the first triple-digit settlement since 2022, when it closed above that level for >80 trading days. To match that, WTI would need to remain >$100...
Of course this guy is spewing nonsense. More fossil fuels and nuclear both correlate with higher prices worldwide. Only wind-water-solar correlates with lower prices. https://t.co/288jwtUdqr
Germany warned the European Union’s rules to curb methane emissions from oil and gas imports risk impeding crucial LNG purchases just as the country seeks to diversify suppliers and cushion the Middle East war’s impact on energy prices https://t.co/qkRuwIBPvI
🇺🇸Last week's U.S. corn export inspections topped all trade expectations, but soybeans fell slightly below. 46% of the inspected soybean cargoes were destined for China. https://t.co/qtmgF00LfJ
Gold can drop hard while inflation headlines stay hot. That’s not ‘gold is broken’. That’s real rates and margin calls. Correlations don’t die. They just take vacations. https://t.co/LB3g5NQWP9
