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
UAE‑based AD Ports Group has entered a 30‑year concession with Africa Ports Development to design, build and operate a new dry‑bulk terminal at Cameroon’s Port of Douala. The partnership gives AD Ports an effective 51% economic stake and commits roughly US$87 million to phase one, which will feature two berths, 450 metres of quay and a 4 million‑tonne annual handling capacity. Construction is slated for 2026‑2028, targeting commodities such as clinker, gypsum, fertilizer and grain. The project aims to boost Douala’s role as a key gateway for Central African trade.
The episode examines the sharp decline in Russian oil and gas drilling in the second half of 2025, with total meters drilled falling 3.4% year‑over‑year and the share of horizontal wells dropping from 67.8% to 59.3%. It links the slowdown...
Electric‑vehicle sales have surged nearly 700% this decade, driving a rapid rise in spodumene shipments from Australia to China and doubling bulk volumes since 2023. Panamax vessels now carry almost half of the 7 million tonnes of dry bulk moved last...
Glencore has secured a land‑access agreement with Gecamines that extends the Kamoto Copper Company’s mine life into the mid‑2040s and unlocks additional ore zones, enabling the asset to target 300,000 tonnes of copper annually. The deal is a cornerstone of...
DHT Holdings has secured a one‑year charter for its 2012‑built VLCC DHT Opal at $90,000 per day, starting this month. The rate underscores how tight the market has become for the world’s largest crude carriers, with Gulf‑China spot earnings now...
A four‑year study in Victoria, Australia examined overhead solar panels in a blush‑pear orchard. The agrivoltaic systems cut sunburn and hail damage and boosted energy output, especially with a 5° west tilt that produced about 10% more electricity. However, shading...
U.S. SOLAR GENERATION increased to a record 304 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) or 304 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024. Solar generation had increased ten-fold over the previous ten years from 29 billion kWh in 2014. Data prepared by the U.S. Energy Information...
The episode examines Europe’s modern sovereignty as an industrial and supply‑chain challenge, focusing on semiconductors, rare‑earth minerals, and energy infrastructure. Guests highlight Europe’s heavy reliance on imports, a thin venture‑capital ecosystem, and the need for coordinated capital to close the...
Bumi Resources Minerals (BRM) confirmed that the government‑ordered closure of a contested gold mine in its Palu concession will not disrupt its core operations because the site was never active. The enforcement action targeted an area where illegal miners had...
In this episode Florian Grummes reviews the gold market’s sideways action around the $100 per ounce level as Asian markets, especially China, celebrate the New Year. He highlights the volatility within the range, noting that while price swings are frequent,...
Fidelity Gold Refinery published its official gold buying rates for 18 February 2026. Prices are quoted in US dollars per gram and per troy ounce, ranging from $148.79/gram ($4,627.89/oz) for 90%+ purity to $141.70/gram ($4,407.37/oz) for 5‑10 g samples. The fire‑assay cash price...
Vietnam has introduced fines of up to $12,000 to deter illicit gold trading, marking a decisive shift after ending a 13‑year state monopoly on gold production and sales. The new penalties target black‑market dealers and unlicensed jewelers, aiming to bring...
More bad news for renewables Flooding a low-growth power system with subsidized wind & solar forces nuclear plants to cycle, not run steady. That raises wear, maintenance costs & financial stress, undermining the economics of existing reactors & making new nuclear harder...
U.S. OIL PRODUCTION has defied expectations for a rapid and significant slowdown in response to lower prices: https://t.co/fMfoyip69Z
CVR Energy reported a Q4 2025 net loss of $10 million and EBITDA of $20 million, with full‑year EBITDA of $211 million. Ammonia plant utilization fell to 64% due to a Coffeyville turnaround and air‑separation unit issues, while UAN and ammonia prices rose...
Japan plans to invest $36 billion in US oil, gas and critical mineral projects 🇯🇵 🤝 🇺🇸 The most significant piece is a 9.2GW gas-fired power plant in Ohio. The investment will be led by SoftBank https://t.co/5io8koo0jd
Reliance Steel & Aluminum reported record 6.4 million tons shipped in FY 2025, raising U.S. market share to about 17 percent. Volume growth was offset by a $114 million LIFO expense that pushed the non‑GAAP gross profit margin to 28.8 percent, just below the 29‑31 percent...
Funds aggressively rebuilt soybean exposure, buying back 94,316 contracts and pushing net‑long positions to 123,148 contracts—the highest since late 2025. Parallel buying lifted soybean oil to a net‑long of 33,093 contracts, the strongest level since August 2025, benefitting the broader...
China’s photovoltaic manufacturing capacity has surged past 1,100 GW annually, roughly twice the world’s current demand of 580 GW. The glut has driven panel prices down and intensified competition among predominantly private firms. Overcapacity is now triggering a wave of bankruptcies and...
Western oil majors continue to benefit from Brent prices above $60 per barrel, yet a deep‑seated surplus is dampening market optimism. Preliminary 2025 results show that the capital spending commitments made during the 2021‑22 post‑COVID recovery are already under strain,...
The Energy Intelligence roundup shows European LNG prices falling to two‑month lows as a global supply surge pressures the market. Analysts argue that low‑cost contracts and expanded regasification capacity are crucial for price‑sensitive emerging economies to absorb the influx. At...
Mutapa Energy’s Sandawana lithium mine will more than double its concentrate output to 162,000 tonnes in FY2026, a 122% increase over the prior year. The company has secured US$250 million to build a new concentrator plant, with construction slated to start...
In 2026 non‑OPEC‑plus producers are expanding output, prompting a fresh reshuffle of global crude flows. The United States is set to import more Venezuelan oil, freeing domestic barrels for export. India, under pressure to curb Russian supplies, is turning to...
This is consistent with all the chatter about the RVOs lately. Darling Ingredients CEO last week gave a range for BBD RVO of 5.25 - 5.6 billion physical gallons. Appears that half-RIN is dead and the compromise...
Saudi Arabia’s projected March crude oil shipments to China are set to reach a multi-year high. When it comes to commodities, China is always the elephant in the room. Maybe this is a bullish sign? Stay tuned. https://t.co/d55SdnfvJv
The episode reviews the mixed performance of corn, soybeans, and wheat, highlighting soybean support from Argentine crop stress and strong soy oil contracts, while noting Brazil's advancing harvest and modest quality concerns. It discusses the ongoing acreage debate, with USDA...
US electricity demand is rising quickly—and it can only be met with 24/7 reliable power. And yet most of the added electricity "capacity" in 2025 came from intermittent solar. If this continues, electricity prices will continue to rise due to reliable power...
Demand is what dominates these electricity charts. Supply has followed demand in the US. Stop posting flatlined generation graphs as if they're evidence of US decline or stagnation. They're evidence of US efficiency and a switch to a knowledge economy.
Most Wisconsin dairy producers have yet to enroll in the USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, with only 1,616 of the state’s 5,116 licensed farms—31.5%—signed up as of Feb 17. The enrollment deadline is Feb 26, prompting FSA officials and risk‑management advisors...
"Tariffs, supplier fire continue to batter Ford" https://t.co/3FKQwD9ycE That Ford is having to pay millions in aluminum tariffs simply bc its domestic supplier caught fire is one of the better/stupider examples of US tariff policy today: https://t.co/eOL1o1zgXf
Central banks around the world have spurred one of the largest gold-buying waves in history. The top 15 buyers added ~2,000 tonnes. China alone added over 357 tonnes since 2020. BUY GOLD, WEAR DIAMONDS. https://t.co/8Gm9M05oo3
Russia’s Baltic Sea ports are encased in the thickest ice in 15 years, forcing non‑ice‑class vessels to wait for ice‑breaker escorts. The ice surge has already cut oil exports from Primorsk by roughly one‑third, and waiting times for convoys have...
Industrial policy, again: "India’s Solar Manufacturing Excesses Turn a Boom Into a Glut" https://t.co/VEeIUwYmoM https://t.co/r4CohxBgDI
US sanctions squeezed Russian and Venezuelan oil shipping out of mainstream markets. A shadow fleet emerged. Now aging dark fleet tankers are arriving at Indian scrapyards at a record pace. SANCTIONS = WORKAROUNDS = UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. https://t.co/GddyWzZwZd
Over the past year European intermediaries have quoted rare‑earth oxide prices that are several times higher than the volume‑backed market rates, creating widespread confusion. Adamas Intelligence data shows that 75% of yttrium oxide, 96% of dysprosium oxide and 95% of...
Marketing year to date #wheat export inspections exceed the seasonal pace needed to hit USDA's target by 59 million bushels, versus 61 million the previous week. #oatt
French authorities released the oil tanker GRINCH after its owner paid a multi‑million‑euro penalty for sanctions evasion. The vessel, seized in the Alboran Sea in January, was suspected of operating under a false Comoros flag as part of Russia’s shadow...
The Pro Farmer Podcast aired on February 17, 2026, featured editor Bill Watts, analyst Hillari Mason, and economist Spencer Langford discussing the projected decline in U.S. cotton acreage for 2026. They examined how reduced cotton plantings will intensify competition for...
🇺🇸NOPA U.S. crush, Jan. 2026: ▪️221.564 mln bu of soybeans ▪️Above avg trade guess of 218.52 mln ▪️+10.6% YOY; down 1.5% from Dec. 2025 ▪️Soyoil stocks 1.9 bln lbs ▪️Above all trade guesses (avg was 1.71 bln) ▪️+49% YOY; highest since April 2023 https://t.co/UItFPJlkd8
Guyana is the biggest winner from Maduro's ouster in Venezuela. "It removes the biggest barrier for foreign investment," said CSIS's Henry Ziemer Lower risk premium, faster development, higher upside. https://t.co/1Tpj1OK8dp #oil #Guyana #Exxon #geopolitics #energy
Metals futures and options surged in early 2026, hitting a record single‑day volume of 4.2 million contracts on January 30, driven by rising gold and silver prices and a 100 % jump in battery‑metal activity. The launch of a 100‑Ounce Silver futures contract...
Been saying this for a while: Guyana (and by extension Exxon) was a big collateral winner of Venezuela developments. https://t.co/QzfRIJKK1F
The episode reviews the latest sharp declines in gold and silver futures, noting gold down $170 to $4,876 and silver down $5.71 to $72.26. Despite the sell‑offs, the hosts emphasize that both metals are still up dramatically year‑over‑year—gold nearly $2,000...
Global demand for copper, driven by AI, renewable energy and electric vehicles, is spurring a rapid expansion of Zambia’s mining sector. Since 2022, more than $12 billion has been poured into the industry, lifting 2024 output by roughly eight percent to...
ICE March 2026 cotton futures rose modestly to 62.11 cents per pound, driven primarily by short covering and technical repositioning rather than fresh demand. Export sales and mill buying remained cautious, indicating muted underlying demand despite a relatively firm US...
🇺🇸Last week's U.S. corn inspections easily beat all trade expectations (though they weren't a weekly record). FYI the previous week's corn volume was hiked significantly. Soy inspections were near the top end of estimates - 57% of the beans were...
Export inspections for the week ending Feb. 12 (mln bu): #corn 58.8, grain sorghum 9.5, #soybeans 44.2, #wheat 13.8 #oatt
Rwanda’s mineral exports jumped 46.2% in 2025, driven by soaring tin, tungsten and tantalum prices and increased mechanised mining. The surge helped narrow the country’s trade deficit from $3 billion to $2.7 billion, with raw tin even achieving a positive balance with...
France’s urea imports surged to 1.15 million tonnes in the July‑December 2025 period, up from 842,000 tonnes a year earlier, as buyers rushed to stock ahead of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). December shipments more than doubled the three‑year monthly...
The Penn LNG export terminal in eastern Pennsylvania appears increasingly unlikely after the project's developer dissolved its corporate entity, halting any progress. Despite earlier claims that the project was still advancing, no permits, financing, or construction milestones have materialized. The...
