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
Irish developer ET Fuels has signed a binding long‑term offtake agreement with UK shipping firm RFOcean to supply e‑methanol at a fixed price starting in 2030. The fuel will be produced at ET Fuels’ advanced Rattlesnake Gap plant in Texas, slated to deliver 120,000 t per year. The deal, driven by the EU FuelEU Maritime regulation, gives ET Fuels a clear financing pathway while offering RFOcean price certainty and compliance with upcoming carbon‑intensity limits. It marks RFOcean’s first e‑fuel procurement and underscores growing demand for low‑carbon bunkers.
Ukrainian bitumen imports held steady in 2026, following a record‑high 190,000 tonnes in 2025 after a 111,700‑tonne year‑on‑year jump. Major suppliers from Poland and Lithuania, led by Orlen, plan to ship roughly 100,000 tonnes this year, while Orlen Lietuva targets about 550,000 tonnes...
The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve sits at 415.4 million barrels, roughly 58.2% of its 714 million‑barrel authorized capacity, according to the EIA’s February 13 report. This marks a 5.1% rise over the same week last year and a 15.6% increase from 2024, reflecting...
Egyptian state‑owned NCIC announced the award of its latest fertilizer sales tender on 19 February, covering March loading. The tender granted 20,000 t of DAP at $750/t FOB, 25,000 t of TSP at $560/t FOB, 20,000 t of granular urea at $492/t FOB, 20,000 t...
Atlas' Burden Shifting to $6 Copper? Bitcoin's Gravity Pull - Copper may need to remain above $6 a pound or else. If the economically and stock-market-sensitive industrial metal follows falling Bitcoin, iron ore, crude oil and Chinese government-bond yields, it...
A Lot Riding on Copper Remaining Over $6 - Copper, the S&P 500 and US Treasury 30-year yield on the same scale may emphasize the implications of some normal reversion. That the metal hasn't had a year since 2021 without...
Slovakia announced it will halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine until Kyiv restores Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline. The move follows a dispute over the pipeline’s shutdown after a Russian drone strike and accusations that Ukraine is delaying...
Is Copper a Prudent Short? Next to its industrial commodity and inflation companions -- iron ore, Brent crude oil and Chinese Government 10-year Bond yields (CGBs) -- copper might be too hot. From a base of 100, starting with our iron...
TANKER RATES for chartering vessels to carry crude (or other dirty products such as fuel oil) have surged to the highest for more than three years as the United States and Iran edge towards war. The Baltic Exchange dirty tanker...
A private U.S. firm, Bridger Pipeline LLC, has filed a proposal for a 550,000‑barrel‑per‑day pipeline that would run from the Canada‑U.S. border in Montana to a hub in Guernsey, Wyoming. Analysts believe the route is designed to tap the partially...
The International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM) warned that heightened government oversight is tightening the global metals cycle, curbing the explosive price spikes typical of past supercycles. In its 2025 Tax Contribution Report, ICMM members paid $37 billion in taxes...
Grains Australia CEO Richard Simonaitis told the GRDC Perth Update that bio‑fuel policies are reshaping Australian grain exports, with EU canola demand driving Western Australia’s highest‑value market. At the same time, feedgrain demand in Southeast Asia is accelerating faster than...
The U.S. plans to retire ~11 GW of power plants in 2026, mostly coal & aging gas Don’t count on it. Power demand is surging faster than new generation can be brought into the grid. Renewables aren't fit for purpose except at the...
Japan has identified a large rare earth deposit of its own, but it's not going to change global supply dynamics. Here's the situation... #rareearths #japan #geopolitics https://t.co/2WX7oeO6Jm
Bangladesh’s food‑grain imports surged 42 percent in the first half of the 2025‑26 marketing year, reaching 4.2 million tonnes, driven primarily by a sharp rise in wheat purchases. Private‑sector wheat imports jumped 31 percent while government imports fell, and rice imports exploded 380 percent,...
Bloomberg is still arguing “oil glut” & saying the correlation between geopolitics in the Middle East & oil prices is "broken" How can @bbgoriginals be 6 months behind the curve & still be in the news business? #Oil #EnergyMarkets #Geopolitics #Commodities...
The shadow oil fleet isn’t gone — it’s under stress Seizures raise costs & strand barrels, but doing more against Russian & Iranian flows means higher oil prices & inflation https://t.co/P5EDN7PrRY #Oil #Sanctions #EnergySecurity #Russia #Iran #Geopolitics
The author’s long‑standing bullish thesis on copper is now materialising, with the base metal entering a sustained up‑trend that also benefits silver. Recent market data shows copper prices accelerating as renewable‑energy projects, electric‑vehicle production, and infrastructure spending drive demand. At...
Section 122 tariffs now being collected at 10%, not Trump's weekend 15%. Clearly, a well-oiled tariff machine here. 🤷🤷 https://t.co/5MjbcrZuXD https://t.co/jb72H2AZQ8
Fortescue’s green iron bet in a €300 per tonne iron world #energysky -- via Renew Economy: https://t.co/o9SQlmpEPc https://t.co/oEuy12U2pf
The U.S. Department of the Interior finalized a rule on Monday that slashes the time required to secure oil and gas drilling permits on federal lands. The regulation trims environmental review periods, limiting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessments to...
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated most of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on clean‑energy imports. The decision instantly altered market expectations for solar panels, wind turbine components, and battery materials that had been adjusting to higher...
New: @USCFInvestments files for a an Iron Ore Index Fund. Will invest in Iron order futures contracts. https://t.co/RHtnD2joQb
.@SigmaLithium providing formal guidance just a few weeks after restarting mining under owner/operator model: ◦12 months annualized forward production: 240,000 tonnes ◦24 months annualized forward production: 520,000 tonnes $SGML 👇
Eastern Arkansas rice growers are projected to plant only 900,000‑925,000 acres this spring, a sharp drop from the usual 1.3‑1.4 million and the lowest level since the 1983 Payment‑in‑Kind program. AgHeritage Farm Credit’s Greg Cole attributes the decline to persistently...
The USDA reported that U.S. egg production began 2026 on a strong footing, with 9.196 billion eggs produced in January, a 2% year‑over‑year increase. Both the total number of laying hens and output per 100 hens rose about 1%, reaching 374.6 million...
Is the store-of-value, gold, too stretched to be considered a safe haven? https://t.co/nC6Jxgznlb #gold #bonds @markets https://t.co/VvCZYA742S
West African crude traders are slashing discounts as freight rates to Asia surge to a five‑year peak and the Brent‑Dubai exchange‑for‑swaps (EFS) spread widens to about $2 per barrel. The higher shipping costs and broader EFS premium have pushed West...
Kazakhstan’s state‑controlled miner Kazatomprom announced a new contract to supply fresh uranium to India, reinforcing the latter’s nuclear fuel pipeline. The deal follows earlier agreements that delivered 2,100 tonnes in 2009 and 5,000 tonnes between 2015‑19. While exact volumes were...
A tanker chartered by Reliance delivered about 100,000 tons of diesel to Rotterdam, marking the first Indian petroleum fuel cargo to reach the Amsterdam‑Rotterdam‑Antwerp hub since the EU imposed sanctions on Russian‑crude derived products. The vessel, Proteus Bohemia, loaded in India’s...
U.S. crop producers face a tough 2026 as input costs stay elevated and policy uncertainty squeezes margins, according to Ohio State economist Carl Zulauf. He highlights that the global stocks‑to‑use ratio now outweighs domestic ratios in determining profitability. USDA chief...
The USDA reported a record week of U.S. corn export inspections, with more than 2 million tons shipped out of ports during the week ending Feb 19. Japan, South Korea and Mexico accounted for the bulk of the shipments, underscoring strong Asian...
The Chinese are buying gold ETFs like HOT CAKES. According to the World Gold Council, China’s gold ETF holdings rose from 188.8 tonnes at the end of August 2025 to 286.3 tonnes by the end of January, a 52% increase. BUY GOLD,...
The WEAKENING Indian rupee is triggering a GOLD RUSH. The rupee is DOWN 5.6% against the USD since the start of last year. In response, India’s gold imports has surged 349% during the past year. BUY GOLD, WEAR DIAMONDS. https://t.co/iGjJpyGh1p
The Trump administration announced a 10% import tariff effective Feb 24, but most fertilizers remain exempt, including urea, ammonium nitrate, UAN, DAP, MAP and other key products. The exemption does not cover sulfur, sulfuric acid and ammonia unless they enter through...
A recent Purdue Ag Economy Barometer survey shows 80% of U.S. soybean growers are concerned about Brazil’s growing export advantage. Farm‑level data from 2020‑2024 reveal Brazilian soybean operations in Mato Grosso have lower total costs per ton than Iowa farms, despite...
In late 2025 and early 2026 the U.S. Coast Guard and allied forces seized three oil tankers—M/T Skipper, M/T Centuries and Bella 1—after months of multi‑source intelligence proved they were moving sanctioned cargo. The operation underscores a new enforcement paradigm: governments...
How China largely sold out of their net UST exposure yrs ago AND cornered critical minerals without ever impacting UST or commodity markets: Lend USDs along Belt & Road (BRI), repayable in either USD, CNY, or physical commodities This amounted to swapping...
India’s NPK and NP fertilizer stocks rose sharply in January as production climbed to 1.14 mn t, a 2% year‑on‑year increase and the highest monthly output of the 2025‑26 fertilizer year. Sales fell 14% YoY to 965,100 t and imports dropped 16% YoY...
Indonesia confirmed that the ban on exporting crude palm‑oil mill effluent (POME) and used cooking oil (UCO) will remain in place, prioritising domestic energy security and its emerging aviation‑fuel sector. President Prabowo framed palm‑based residues as strategic feedstocks for a...
Artisanal and small‑scale miners (ASM) delivered 2.24 tons of gold in January 2026, far surpassing the 808.4 kg supplied by large‑scale producers. Both segments posted lower volumes than the same month a year earlier, with ASM falling from 3.17 tons and large‑scale from 903.2 kg....
North America’s weekly rig count rose by two to 775, driven by a two‑rig increase in Canada while the U.S. total held steady at 551. The U.S. rig mix includes 409 oil rigs, 133 gas rigs and nine miscellaneous units,...
The episode breaks down the recent slide in ICE Coffee C futures, highlighting how a projected record Brazilian harvest of 66.2 million bags is driving bearish sentiment despite near‑term export tightness. Vietnam’s robusta surge and rebuilding inventories in both arabica...
Fastmarkets announced corrections to its European steel plate import price assessments after discovering currency conversion errors. The Northern Europe 8‑40 mm plate range (MB‑STE‑0049) is now €609‑650 per tonne, down from the mistakenly reported €720. The Southern Europe range (MB‑STE‑0050) is...
Uniper SE has signed a ten‑year agreement to supply Gujarat State Petroleum Corp with 0.5 million metric tons per annum of LNG, with deliveries beginning in January 2028. The contract covers roughly one‑third of Gujarat’s gas demand, serving 2.3 million households and 20 000...
German demand for middle distillates weakened in mid‑February as higher ICE gasoil futures pushed up prices. Heating oil volumes fell nearly 13% and diesel sales dropped about 12%, while gasoline saw a modest rise on increased travel. Supply remains ample,...
here's a weekly glance at our "all asset" list and the short, intermediate and long-term trend condition all sorted by YTD % change... #AssetWatch gold & silver leading the charge... https://t.co/3O0CHkZQj7
Denmark announced it will start a process to consider extending one or more North Sea gas production licences beyond their 2042 expiry, potentially up to 2050. The move aims to bolster European energy security while still fitting within the 2020...
USDA confirms the sale of 125,000 metric tons of U.S. corn for delivery to Colombia in 2025/26.
Ghana's 45,000 b/d Tema Oil Refinery is conducting a major turnaround on its 14,000 b/d residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC), which has been offline since the plant’s restart at the end of December. The work is slated to finish by late April...
