Know What's Happening in Commodities
Know What's Happening in Commodities
Ireland launches €250M relief package as heating oil prices double
Heating oil prices in Ireland surged from about $545 to over $1,090 per fill within a month amid the Middle East conflict. The government responded with a €250 million ($273 million) relief package that includes excise cuts and a diesel rebate, though experts say a national energy‑security strategy is still lacking.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Oil majors acquire $164M of Alaska oil leases
ASX Energy introduced Morning Peak and Evening Peak electricity futures eight months ago to address peak‑demand hedging needs in the NEM. Trading activity has been minimal, with only 58 Evening Peak contracts and zero Morning Peak contracts exchanged across NSW, QLD, VIC and SA. Strip variants added just two Evening Peak contracts, while traditional NSW baseload futures logged nearly 49,725 contracts in the same period. The exchange is now negotiating with potential market makers to inject liquidity into the fledgling products.
Fastmarkets has proposed shifting its Brazilian domestic steel price assessments from a monthly to a bi‑weekly schedule, publishing on the second and fourth Fridays each month. The change responds to recent anti‑dumping actions, higher import tariffs, and market participants’ demand...
Oil prices spiked above $80 a barrel after Iran‑related tensions, prompting the White House Treasury to signal possible futures market intervention. The announcement eased oil back below $80, allowing equities to recover modestly, with the S&P 500 down 0.6% and...
Diesel prices surged nearly 54¢ per gallon over three days in early March, driven by Middle‑East tensions and volatile wholesale racks. The National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) Daily Fuel Hedge warned members of an additional 28¢/gal increase slated...
Analyst Andrew Hecht downgraded the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT) from buy to hold after a pronounced rally from its April 2025 lows. He cites continued volatility but notes a bullish longer‑term chart and an anticipated lithium supply...
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. announced it will postpone its $8.25 billion Jackpine mine expansion in northern Alberta until federal and provincial carbon‑pricing and methane‑regulation frameworks are clarified. The delay will shave $310 million from CNRL’s 2026 capital budget and pushes back engineering...
"I know I said last April that 'as the debtor country, America has all the leverage v. China'...& I know we are actively trying to choke out both you AND Russia...but could you buy less oil from Russia & more...
The Strait of Hormuz remained effectively shut on March 4, with only five vessels recorded, while traffic through Bab el‑Mandeb surged to 23 crossings, outpacing recent averages. Suez Canal activity fell to 23 transits, below trend levels, and diversions around the...
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced legislation that would require meatpackers to process only a single type of protein and impose tighter limits on beef market concentration. The bill also restores FTC antitrust authority over meatpacking and targets foreign‑owned firms...
Futures opened strongly on Thursday, driven by robust corn export data and concerns over dry soils across the U.S. Plains, before turning mixed by mid‑day. Grain contracts gained further support from a firm global market and speculation that planting delays...
Trader Ashraf Laidi posted intraday gold analysis to a WhatsApp group on March 4, 2026, highlighting the GoldBugs Ratio (GBR) as a contrarian indicator for XAUUSD. The GBR chart showed a trend‑line resistance at 6.0, implying that as long as the level...
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a 132 billion‑cubic‑foot draw in natural‑gas storage for the week ending Feb. 27, bringing net working inventories down to 1,886 bcf. This decline reflects heightened heating demand and robust LNG export activity as winter deepens. The reduced...
Beef.com is building a digital infrastructure platform to link cattle producers directly with real‑time pricing data, transaction routing and settlement services. The system will feature a Beef Index for verified price discovery, a digital settlement layer to accelerate payments, provenance...
PYZ is an Invesco Dorsey Wright Basic Materials Momentum ETF that concentrates on metals, mining and chemicals, aiming to capture inflation‑benefiting stocks with strong price momentum. While the fund has delivered impressive year‑to‑date returns, it has lagged broader material ETFs...
India’s banana exports, worth roughly ₹3,500 crore annually, are being hit by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The blockage has stranded 1,500–2,000 containers, valued at up to ₹200 crore, just as Maharashtra ramps up shipments for Ramzan demand across the...
Macro: coal demand bifurcates—metallurgical firm, thermal pressured. Key factors: Warrior Met's Q4 strength; Peabody's diversified mix. Risks: regulation, China slowdown. Trade: Buy Warrior Met on pullback. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Fastmarkets has opened an open consultation to review its domestic rebar price methodology for Saudi Arabia, identified as MB‑STE‑0909, with submissions accepted until April 6, 2026. The review aims to ensure the price reflects the physical market and complies with IOSCO principles...
Hungary has secured a guarantee from Russia to resume crude deliveries, yet the Druzhba pipeline remains idle for both Hungary and Slovakia. The EU stepped in to mediate the dispute, but no operational agreement has been reached. The suspension persists...
UK energy suppliers are rapidly withdrawing fixed‑price tariffs as wholesale gas and oil prices surge amid the US‑Israel conflict with Iran. Uswitch data shows the number of fixed deals fell from 38 on Saturday to 15 by Thursday, while annual...
The United States and its allies are warning that the Iran‑Israel conflict could lift oil prices to $80‑plus per barrel, creating a lucrative window for Russia’s sanctioned oil stockpiles. Russia, facing dwindling revenues after years of sanctions, now eyes the...
Who knows whether its valid or not, but the oil curve is fading the Iran war so far and seems to think this wraps up pretty quickly. No idea whether that's valid pricing or not but does increase the tension...
Iran's retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure in the Gulf have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil shipments. The shutdown immediately disrupted energy‑intensive sectors in the region, notably petrochemicals, fertilizers and aluminum, curtailing...
The episode examines the sharp rise in global tungsten prices, tracing it from China's export controls to a deeper, structural supply shortage caused by aging mines, limited investment, and reduced output. Experts explain how the squeeze affects both Chinese domestic...
Indonesia’s 2020 ban on raw‑nickel exports sparked a surge in domestic smelting and processing, positioning the country as a textbook case of resource‑based industrialisation. Yet its clean‑technology ambitions remain modest: EV exports totaled only US$12 million in 2024, dwarfed by Thailand’s...
The Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) announced that the U.S. military is inviting proposals to develop domestic production of 13 critical minerals, including tungsten, arsenic and nickel, with submissions due March 20, 2026. The request covers the entire value chain—from...
Twelve months ago, I re-launched my newsletter as a subscription service to provide high-quality, affordable and objective research focused on energy issues. I have always been convinced high-quality research and analysis are essential for effective decision-making. The past year has confirmed...
Further to what we said about the impact that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has on the sulphur market… and therefore African copper production… Craig Tindale maps out that this is only one small piece of a giant...
Pan American Silver announced the discovery of four new high‑grade veins—Filomena, Nicolasa, Bernardina and Josefina—at its La Colorada mine in Zacatecas, Mexico. Roughly 40% of the recent drill holes returned silver assays above 1,000 g/t, indicating a substantial resource upside. The...
On March 5, 2026 Brent and WTI crude futures were trading near eight‑month highs as geopolitical risk and trade policy uncertainty intensified. Prices were buoyed by lingering US‑Iran tensions, which have kept supply‑disruption fears alive, while a recent U.S. Supreme Court...
Ghana plans to replace its fixed 5% gold royalty with a sliding scale of 5‑12% tied to bullion prices, aiming to capture more revenue as gold hits record highs. A coordinated diplomatic push from the US, China, the UK, Canada,...
China controls roughly 90‑95% of global rare‑earth processing, creating a strategic vulnerability for U.S. defense and high‑tech sectors. In response, REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY) is building North America’s first fully integrated, China‑free heavy rare‑earth supply chain, with a production facility in...
Alasdair Macleod warns that an escalating conflict with Iran could ignite a global financial crisis, driving energy prices higher and pushing bond yields sharply upward. He argues that U.S. equities are perched in a dangerous bubble vulnerable to rapid correction....
Peak Energy Price Inklings in 1Q? Midterms in 4Q a Top Test - The leader of the world's largest energy producer -- and net crude oil and natural gas exporter -- wants lower prices, and elections are in November. The...
$2 Natural Gas Support vs. $5 Resistance - The inability of the front US natural gas future to stay above $5 per million British thermal units may be emphasized by the price just below $3 on March 4 despite a...
Amid heightened Middle East oil supply disruptions, Thailand’s Ministry of Energy has asked oil producers to postpone planned downtime and temporarily suspend crude exports, emphasizing domestic production for energy security. Canadian‑based Valeura Energy is seeking clarification from the ministry to...
India is weighing an emergency directive under Section 11 of its Electricity Act to compel imported‑coal‑fired power plants to increase output ahead of the summer peak. The move comes as seaborne coal prices surge due to the US‑Iran conflict and LNG...
U.S. LPG exports are hitting record levels while a 76‑km Panama pipeline, slated for post‑2031 operation, promises 2 million barrels per day capacity. Dorian LPG’s chief information officer says the pipeline will likely add loading and discharge points rather than divert cargoes,...
BRENT futures have surged into a severe backwardation as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to create an acute shortage of barrels. The six-month calendar spread has soared into a backwardation of almost $11 per barrel from less...
They physically cannot restart everything by March 9–apparently full capacity probably can’t be restored for a month.
The Middle East conflict is stress testing global energy. Bloomberg sees oil at $108 in a severe escalation. We have seen this before. The difference now is that solar and batteries are more cost competitive. Every fossil fuel spike strengthens the...
Why Are There No Ships in the Strait of Hormuz | March 5, 2026, Update Video: https://t.co/tcPFyfGeV8 https://t.co/Wgk4B6EEIp
Oil prices are surging, but inflation expectations aren't moving. Bond markets still pricing in a world that may no longer exist. 🔒 Members-Only https://t.co/6C4VK744Ql
Jim Cramer says the oil market is signaling the Iran war won't spiral, and that's bullish for stocks, per CNBC 🤦🏻♂️
loonie strengthens amid middle east chaos. upside of being a quasi petrocurrency i guess https://t.co/kfnMOPwxal
China’s lithium supply dominance is hardly being “locked in.” Over the next decade their #1 position over demand will remain but their control over supply will diminish as assets in North America and non Chinese owned assets in South America...
Diesel prices keep surging +$.40/gallon since start of the conflict That is roughly $.06/mile https://t.co/U2lHk2MBhe
1. My latest FDD is out today and it looks at ethanol production profits for 2025. This is usually a pretty straightforward exercise using a model I have long used. Not so in 2025 due to something...
I love this chart Shawn I also think ag products will enter a period of re-pricing. Live Moo Cows have already done so
Regardless of how bad things are in the Gulf, the gold price does not appear to reflect it... yet.
Surging crude prices (bottom chart) make "pause" the Fed's default position. 2026 rate cuts down to 39 bps (top chart) https://t.co/Wi5u5aYQXn
