COPX: Copper Rush Is Just Getting Started
The Global X Copper Miners ETF (COPX) offers high‑beta, diversified exposure to a copper sector poised for strong growth as AI‑driven data center construction accelerates demand. Structural supply constraints, including declining ore grades and limited new projects, are tightening the market while U.S. policy incentives and a softer dollar add further upside. By holding 48 mining companies, COPX reduces single‑company risk while capturing price appreciation and margin expansion across the industry. Analysts see the copper rally as only beginning, bolstered by sustained capex in AI infrastructure.
Crude Oil Prices Rebound Amid Uncertainty over US-Iran Ceasefire; Goldman Sachs Cuts Q2 Forecast to $90
Crude oil prices rebounded on April 9, with Brent climbing to $96.71 and WTI to $97.01, as doubts over a fragile US‑Iran cease‑fire revived supply‑risk concerns. The rally followed a 15% drop the previous day and was mirrored on India’s...
The Commodities Feed: Hormuz Remains Blocked for Now
Oil prices rebounded on Thursday, with ICE Brent climbing over 3% to trade above $97 per barrel as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains halted. U.S. crude inventories unexpectedly rose by 3.1 million barrels, the highest level since June...
Podcast: Australian Beef’s Brightest | Cattle Price Drop | Senator’s Fuel Solution
The latest "Week in Beef" podcast features NSW agent Michael Purtle recounting his experience in the National Young Auctioneers competition, while Nationals senator Susan McDonald outlines strategies to mitigate fuel shortages affecting remote cattle operations. James Carter from the Intercollegiate Meat...
Russia Tempts Energy-Starved South Asia with 40% Discounts on US-Sanctioned LNG
Russia is courting energy‑short South Asian nations by offering LNG from U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 and Portovaya plants at roughly a 40% discount to spot prices. The discount is being brokered through obscure Chinese and Russian intermediaries who can falsify paperwork to...
From War to Weather: A 'Super El Niño' Event Poses Fresh Risks to Global Food Costs
A potentially “super El Niño” is forecast for late 2026, raising the risk of severe drought and heat across major agricultural regions. The weather threat compounds already‑high fertilizer and energy prices caused by the Iran‑Hormuz conflict, which has choked roughly one‑third...
Kay’s Cuts: US Consumers Firing up the Summer Grill
The U.S. grilling season is kicking off as beef prices hit historic highs, with all‑fresh retail beef reaching $9.64 per pound and Choice‑grade climbing to $10.12 per pound in February. Ground beef surged 16% year‑over‑year to $6.90 per pound, while...
UK Becomes Top Destination for US Jet Fuel
U.S. jet fuel exports have surged to the United Kingdom, making the UK the top overseas destination for American jet fuel. The shift follows a supply squeeze in the Gulf region, where refinery outages and geopolitical tensions have limited output....
US Oil Exports to Hit Record as Iran War Triggers Race for Supplies
U.S. crude oil exports are set to break records, driven by a sharp surge in demand after the Iran‑Israel conflict disrupted Middle‑East supplies. Analysts project daily shipments to top 5.5 million barrels, eclipsing previous highs. The spike reflects both higher production...
The Oil Market Navigates a Shaky Ceasefire
The fragile Middle East cease‑fire, strained by recent Israeli strikes on Lebanon, is rattling global oil markets as supply‑risk anxieties rise. Saudi Arabia’s key east‑west pipeline has been hit, further tightening the market. Meanwhile, Pakistan is acting as a back‑channel...
Lower Petrol Prices Imminent as Global Oil Prices Plunge 15%
Global oil markets tumbled after President Donald Trump announced a two‑week US‑Iran ceasefire, sending Brent crude down 15% to $92 per barrel and WTI to $92.5. The price shock quickly filtered to Nigeria, where the Dangote Refinery reduced its pump...
Goldman Cuts Q2 Oil to $90/$87, Keeps $82/$80 Brent and $77/$75 WTI Outlook
Goldman Sachs lowered its second‑quarter oil price outlook, projecting Brent at $90 and WTI at $87 per barrel, reflecting a fading geopolitical risk premium. The revision follows early signs that crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are improving after...
Perth Mint Gold, Silver Sales Drop Sharply in March After Price Slide
The Perth Mint reported a sharp March slowdown in retail precious‑metal sales, with gold shipments falling 35% month‑on‑month to 43,656 ounces and silver output dropping nearly 50% to 976,450 ounces. The decline followed an 11% slide in spot gold and...
Diesel Supply, Pricing Prospects Outshine Those of Urea: Whitelaw
A cease‑fire between Iran and the United States could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a 20% drop in global crude prices, but Australian diesel and urea markets remain under pressure. Diesel prices have roughly doubled to about $3.20 AUD/L (≈$2.12 USD)...
Iran Ceasefire Still Leaves Airlines Facing High Fuel Costs, Even if Peace Endures
A two‑week cease‑fire announced on 8 April temporarily eased financial markets, but oil prices remain well above pre‑conflict levels. Reduced refinery capacity in Iran and a lingering backlog of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed jet‑fuel prices to...
Exxon, Shell See Silver Linings as War Disrupts Operations
Shell and Exxon Mobil saw Middle‑East war disruptions curtail production and trade flows, yet first‑quarter results revealed that soaring oil prices and regional arbitrage lifted earnings. Both majors posted higher realized margins as Brent and WTI rallied above $90 per barrel....
Tehran Takes the Strait — and the Premium
Iran maintained roughly 1.9 million barrels‑per‑day of crude exports in March, even as rival Gulf shipments were curtailed. By restricting Hormuz traffic to vessels linked to Tehran, the country turned the strait into a de‑facto gatekeeper, limiting eastbound supply. This scarcity...
West Asia Conflict Deals a Double Whammy to India’s Farm Sector: Pre-Harvest Cost Pressures, Post-Harvest Shipping Delays
India’s farm sector is hit by a double shock: pre‑harvest input costs and labour shortages are rising, while post‑harvest shipments of perishables are stalled due to the West Asia conflict. Crude oil prices have jumped to $120 a barrel, inflating...
Brent Oil Spot Price Above $120 in Sign that Iran Ceasefire Can't Solve Deep Disruption
Brent spot oil surged to $124.68 per barrel on April 8, roughly $30 above the June futures contract, underscoring persistent market tightness. Although the U.S.–Iran cease‑fire trimmed the premium by about $20, the spot price remains elevated, indicating that the five‑week...
Gold Steadies as Traders Weigh Fragile Ceasefire in Iran War
Gold steadied near $4,715 an ounce after a 1.5% rise over two sessions as traders weighed the prospect of diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran. The White House announced direct talks with Tehran, while Iran condemned Israeli strikes...
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/gas-eyecraveproductions-564988cd9c294c1283eb4624a457f4fe.jpg)
Gas Prices Can Vary Up to $2.01 Within the Same State—How Big Is the Gap Where You Live?
Gas prices have surged above $4 per gallon nationally as Iran‑related supply disruptions tighten global oil markets. New OPIS county‑level data shows that within a single state, drivers can face price differences exceeding $2 per gallon, with Colorado ranging from...
Oil Rises After Biggest Drop Since 2020 as Hormuz Stays Blocked
Oil prices rebounded on April 8 after the steepest one‑day decline since April 2020, with West Texas Intermediate climbing back to around $97 a barrel. The rally came as the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments,...
The Third Gulf War Will Scar Energy Markets for a Long Time Yet
The article warns that the third Gulf war, sparked by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, has trapped roughly 15% of global oil output and 20% of LNG supplies, sending energy markets into turmoil. A two‑week cease‑fire announced by...
How Oil Shocks Cause Demand Destruction
The twin oil shocks of the 1970s eliminated roughly 6 million barrels per day of demand growth in the first crisis and a further 14 million barrels per day in the second. Analysts attribute the destruction to emergency policies, shifts in consumer...
How War in the Middle East Paralyzed an Asian Food Giant
The war in Iran has choked fuel and fertilizer supplies, pushing diesel prices in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to levels higher than after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The surge forced rice mills to shut down and electricity costs to skyrocket,...
China's LNG Demand Won't Bounce Back
China’s LNG imports dropped 11% last year to 68.4 million tons, marking the first decline in nearly two decades. BloombergNEF now forecasts a further fall to 62.3 million tons in 2026, while Rystad sees a modest rebound to 70 million tons. The downturn...
Gas and LNG Markets, Apr. 8, 2026
The ongoing Middle‑East conflict is driving sharp price volatility that is boosting first‑quarter oil trading results for both Shell and Exxon Mobil, even as their regional operations face disruptions. QatarEnergy has begun restarting its LNG plant now that the Strait...
Soybeans Rise, Corn and Wheat Fall Ahead of WASDE Report
Soybean futures edged higher on short covering as Brazil’s near‑record harvest nears completion and Argentina’s early season picks up. Traders are watching China’s pending high‑level talks, which could reshape U.S. bean export demand. Meanwhile, corn and wheat prices slipped on...
MU’s FAPRI: Fertilizer Price Relief Could Take Longer than Expected
The Food and Ag Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at Missouri University warned that even if the Middle East cease‑fire holds, U.S. fertilizer prices will remain elevated through the fall. Economists Bob Maltsbarger and Seth Meyer said the lingering impact of reduced...
Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: April 8, 2026
On April 8, 2026, U.S. grain and livestock futures closed with mixed moves. Corn slipped 1.75 cents to $4.47 per bushel, while soybeans rose 3.75 cents to $11.62. Wheat fell sharply 17.75 cents to $5.80, and live cattle gained 12 cents to $245.92 per head. Lean...
White Oil: EV Case Strengthens After Iran War, Putting Lithium Plays in the Driver’s Seat
Oil price spikes from the Iran conflict have revived interest in lithium, dubbed “white oil,” as higher fuel costs improve the economics of electric vehicles. While global EV sales slipped 39 % in January, analysts at UBS and Macquarie argue that...
Warm US Temps and Sinking Crude Prices Weigh on Nat-Gas Prices
May Nymex natural gas (NGK26) closed down 5.09%, hitting a 7.5‑month low as warm weather curtails heating demand. The price slide mirrored a 15% drop in crude after the US‑Iran cease‑fire, adding further pressure. Medium‑term support exists from tighter global...
The Hormuz Crisis Is Making Low-Carbon Energy Strategies More Expensive
The Iran‑Houthi conflict in the Strait of Hormuz has sharply disrupted sulfur shipments, driving global sulfur prices up more than 70 percent and reaching about $600 per metric ton. Sulfuric acid, a by‑product of oil refining, is essential for hydrometallurgical...
US-Iran War Sends FuelEU Abatement Price Negative
The FuelEU UCOME‑MGO abatement price turned negative on 7 April, reaching roughly –$25.8 per tonne CO₂e after the US‑Iran war pushed fossil‑fuel prices to record highs. ICE gasoil futures hit an all‑time $1,569.75 per tonne, eroding the traditional green premium for...
Fastmarkets Proposes Changes to Asia Copper Concentrates Index Weighting, Seeks Feedback on Normalization of Gold and Silver
Fastmarkets has proposed a dynamic, volume‑based weighting for its Asia copper concentrates TC and RC indices, moving away from the current fixed 50:50 split between trader and smelter purchases. The new method would adjust weekly using a rolling six‑month volume...
Oil Prices Fall, but Energy Firms Remain Frozen After U.S.-Iran Deal
Oil prices plunged after President Trump announced a cease‑fire with Iran, but the truce has not translated into operational changes for Gulf energy producers. Ongoing Iranian attacks across the Arabian Peninsula and Israeli strikes in Lebanon keep the security situation...
Batteries Buying “Free” California Solar, Driving up Price
Aurora Energy Research reports that California’s growing battery fleet is buying excess solar power, lifting mid‑day wholesale prices by up to $42 per megawatt‑hour. On March 20, 2026, more than 3 GW of storage injected $10.9 million into the market, translating to an...
Why Gas Prices Won’t Fall as Quickly as Oil Prices
Oil futures plunged about 20 percent to roughly $92 a barrel after a tentative U.S.–Iran cease‑fire, but gasoline prices are likely to stay high for weeks. The average U.S. regular pump price sits at $4.16 per gallon, the highest since August 2022...
Gold Soars After U.S.-Iran Commit To Two-Week Ceasefire
Gold prices jumped on Wednesday after the United States and Iran announced a two‑week cease‑fire, with front‑month June futures climbing $97.1 to $4,781.80 an ounce. Silver also surged, gaining over 5% to $75.90 an ounce. The truce prompted crude oil...
‘You Can Never Really Catch up’: The Iran War Is Exacerbating Already High Grocery Bills and It Will only Get...
The Iran‑Israel conflict has pushed diesel, fertilizer and shipping costs higher, nudging U.S. produce prices upward. USDA data shows tomatoes, bananas and onions have risen since the war began, while the UN’s food price index climbed 2.4% in March. Experts...
DRC Mining Exports Show Upward Trend Amid Rising Copper, Cobalt, and Gold Prices
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s key mining exports are seeing price gains in early 2026, with copper trading at $12,143 per ton, gold at $150.65 per gram, and cobalt at $55,607 per ton. Production remains robust, highlighted by 3.5 million...
Opinion: Fertilizer Shocks From the Middle East Conflict Ripple Through Global Food Chains
The Middle East conflict is unsettling global fertilizer supply chains by inflating natural‑gas costs and creating maritime bottlenecks, pushing fertilizer prices up 6.5% in February 2026. Because natural gas accounts for 70‑80% of production costs, any price shock quickly translates...
Soybean Poised to Turn Bearish as US Farmers Shift From Corn
U.S. farmers are set to plant 84.7 million acres of soybeans—up 4% year‑over‑year—shifting acreage away from corn. BMI, a Fitch Solutions unit, raised its average 2026‑27 soybean price forecast to 1,130 cents per bushel, a 7.7% increase. Global production is projected at...
Gold Price Climbs to Three-Week High on US-Iran Ceasefire
Gold surged to a three‑week high on Wednesday, with spot prices climbing over $4,850 per ounce—a 3% jump following the U.S.–Iran two‑week ceasefire. The truce eased fears that Middle‑East conflict‑driven oil spikes would stoke inflation and keep central banks from...
Delta Expects Fuel Costs to Double in 2Q
Delta Air Lines said its jet fuel cost will roughly double in the second quarter, rising to about $4.30 per gallon from $2.62 per gallon in the first quarter. The increase reflects a 7‑8% year‑over‑year rise in Q1 and a...
Geopolitical Turmoil, Oil Prices, & the Impact on Texas E&Ps
Geopolitical conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran has forced Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, removing roughly 12 million barrels per day—about 12% of global oil supply. The disruption pushed Brent crude to $119.50 a barrel, the highest level since...
Will an Iran Ceasefire Lower Energy Bills?
A two‑week ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran triggered a sharp drop in European gas prices (about 20%) and pushed Brent crude down to roughly $93‑$95 per barrel, down from $100 during the conflict. The deal includes Iran’s...
EIA Fuel Update Shows Rising Price Trend
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that regular gasoline prices climbed to $4.12 per gallon by April 6, up from $3.99 a week earlier and $3.09 a year ago. Regional data show the West Coast leading with $5.40 per gallon, while...
Indian Government Raises NBS for N, P, S
The Indian government increased the nutrient‑based subsidy (NBS) for nitrogen, phosphate and sulphur by 10% for the April‑September kharif season, while keeping the potash rate unchanged. Subsidy rates now stand at Rs 47.32/kg for nitrogen, Rs 52.76/kg for phosphate and Rs 3.16/kg for...
Proposal to Launch Price Assessment for Tungsten Unwrought Metal Bar, CIF Main Ports Europe, US, Japan
Fastmarkets has proposed a new weekly price assessment for unwrought tungsten metal bars of at least 99.8% purity, quoted CIF to major ports in Europe, the United States and Japan. The assessment, priced in U.S. dollars per kilogram, will cover...