Fuel Costs Deliver Fresh Headaches to Fresh Food Companies
Rising diesel costs, up 44% since the Iran war began, are prompting fresh‑food distributors to tack fuel surcharges onto perishable items such as fruit and Chilean salmon. The added fees are inflating prices for supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals and schools just as consumer budgets are already strained, with 42% of Americans reporting difficulty affording groceries. Analysts warn that continued conflict could further pressure the supply chain, especially during high‑demand periods like Easter. The trend forces businesses to reconsider pricing and sourcing strategies.
MPV Operators Face Worsening Bunker Fuel Supply Crisis as Stocks Tighten
Multipurpose vessel (MPV) operators are confronting a deepening bunker fuel shortage as the Middle East conflict disrupts supply chains across key hubs, including the Middle East, Asia and South Africa. Prices for low‑sulfur marine gas oil (LSMGO) and very low...
Guinea Calls Time on Runaway Bauxite Growth | Hotter Commodities
Guinea is abandoning blanket bauxite export caps and will enforce production levels that match each project's original feasibility study commitments. The regime also ties export permissions to value‑addition pledges, such as alumina refining and railway investments. As the world’s top...
Abu Dhabi's Adnoc Raises Apr Sulphur Price by $70/T
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOc) raised its April official selling price for sulphur destined for the Indian subcontinent to $600 per tonne, a $70 increase from March. The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cut roughly half...
Government Steps in as Fuel Shock Hits
South Africa’s government announced a temporary one‑month cut to the general fuel levy of R3 per litre (about $0.16) to cushion the shock from the Iran‑Israel conflict that has driven Brent crude up 55% in March. Despite the relief, diesel...
Rising Fuel Costs Intensify Pressure on Fragile European Road Freight Market
European road freight operators are feeling a sharp rise in fuel costs tied to the Middle East conflict, which now represents up to 30% of their operating expenses. The International Road Transport Union warns this is a structural shift, not...
Russian Urals Premium in Asia up, but Costs, Attacks Weigh
Russian Urals crude premiums in Asia climbed to about $8 per barrel versus Brent, up from $5 a week earlier. However, Ukrainian drone attacks have forced the closure of roughly 40% of Russia’s oil‑export capacity, including the 700,000‑bpd Ust‑Luga port....
Crude Oil Markets Holding Firm
Crude oil markets remain firm as geopolitical tensions around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz embed a risk premium. OPEC+ announced a modest production increase of 206,000 barrels per day for April, while earlier pauses remain in effect. WTI and...
Surviving the Squeeze: The Future of South Asia’s Edible Oil Markets
Fastmarkets hosted a webinar analyzing South Asia’s edible‑oil market, highlighting India’s structural reliance on imports despite rising domestic production. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are inflating freight and fertilizer costs, pushing food price inflation higher. Forecasts show Indian palm‑oil...
Polish Fuel Prices up in March, but There’s Little Heat Elsewhere
Poland’s consumer price index rose to 3.0% year‑on‑year in March, up from 2.1% in February, driven almost entirely by a 15.4% jump in fuel prices. The surge added roughly 0.8 percentage points to headline inflation, while core inflation remained steady...
Italy, Spain Set Solar Records in March
AleaSoft Energy Forecasting reported that weekly average electricity prices fell across most major European markets, with the average dipping below €90 ($103) per MWh in seven countries. Record‑low prices of €0.18/MWh ($0.21) were logged in Portugal and Spain, the latter...
Ukraine’s New-Crop Grain Offered without Usual Discount to Old-Crop Prices
Ukraine’s new‑crop grain prices are trading virtually level with, or even above, old‑crop values – a rare deviation from the usual discount. New‑crop 11.5% wheat is offered at $234 /tonne FOB, just $2 below the $236 /tonne old‑crop level, while new‑crop corn...
Southeast Asia Braces for Fertilizer Shortages as Prices Spike on Iran War
Southeast Asian nations are confronting looming fertilizer shortages as global prices have surged sharply following the outbreak of war in Iran. The region relies on more than three‑quarters of its nitrogen‑based fertilizers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, making it...
Fuelling Up: The New ‘Obsession’ Drawing Singaporeans to Malaysia’s Johor
Sharp spikes in Singapore’s fuel prices, driven by the Middle East conflict, have made RON97 petrol nearly twice as expensive as in Malaysia’s Johor Bahru (US$2.64 vs US$1.27 per litre). Singapore drivers, bound by a law requiring tanks to be...
Why Chocolate Costs so Much Now, when Cocoa’s Price Is at a Three‑year Low
Chocolate prices remain high this Easter despite cocoa falling to a three‑year low of about $3,165 per ton. The lag is due to manufacturers still drawing on cocoa inventories purchased at peak prices and to rising costs in packaging, oil,...
Oil-Thirsty Asian Nations Seek Russian Crude as Iran War Strains Supplies
Asian nations are scrambling for Russian crude as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran has cut roughly one‑fifth of global oil supply, especially through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States temporarily eased sanctions on Russian shipments, first for India and...
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks Inch up; Fuel Shortage Fears Hit Airlines; Unilever Nears Food Deal
Oil prices surged in March, with Brent crude climbing over 51% since February and staying above $110 a barrel, marking the largest monthly gain on record. The spike follows the outbreak of war in Iran and heightened threats to the...
China Wheat Auction Clearance Rate Increases
China’s domestic wheat auctions under the minimum‑price program have accelerated, with a year‑to‑date clearance rate of 79.5% and a perfect 100% clearance on the March 18 auction. Average sale prices rose to ¥2,441 per tonne (about $354), reflecting strong demand from...
Oil Jumps Above $115 After Drone Strike on Kuwaiti Tanker
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...
How A Magnet Shortage Could Bring The $10 Trillion Tech Sector to a Halt
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...
Pundits Fret over Oil Prices as War Widens
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...
Oil Turns Lower on Report US May End War Without Hormuz Opening
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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PANIC AT THE PUMPS: Fuel Supply Woes Persist as Government Reassurances Fail to Ease Motorists’ Fears
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...
US Methanol Price Climbs to 4-Year High
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...
Four IOCs Working on Lithium Extraction in US Smackover Play
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...
US Oil Tops $100 as War With Iran Escalates
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $102.88 per barrel on March 30, the first time it crossed the $100 mark since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran. The surge follows President Donald Trump’s threats to target Iranian...
Oil Wavers, Stocks Fall on Mixed Signals in Middle East Talks
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...
China Suppliers Warn of Higher Prices for Americans Due to Strait of Hormuz Closure
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...
CNBC: Brent Oil Heads for Record Monthly Surge…
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 Slips as G7 Signals Action to Steady Volatile Oil Market
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...
Why Does Chocolate Cost so Much This Easter, when Cocoa’s Price Is at a 3-Year Low?
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...
Attacks on Mideast Aluminum Plants Threaten Supply Crisis
Iranian drones and missiles struck the Emirates Global Aluminium plant in Abu Dhabi and Aluminium Bahrain, causing significant damage to two of the Middle East’s largest aluminum smelters. The attacks sent LME aluminum futures up 6% to $3,401 per ton...
Germany May Need Coal-Fired Power Plants Longer: Merz
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the country may need to keep existing coal‑fired power plants online longer than the 2038 phase‑out schedule if the energy crunch persists. He stressed that abandoning the target prematurely could jeopardise the reliability of industrial...
Pro Farmer Podcast | Corn Acres Could Top Expectations
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....
Oil Rises and Asia Shares Slide as Iran War Enters Fifth Week
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...
XLE: Sell Oil And Buy Oil Company Shares
The Iran‑Israel conflict sparked the biggest oil‑supply shock on record, pushing crude prices up 39%. Analysts now expect prices to ease back toward roughly $80 per barrel in April, still well above pre‑war levels. This price correction is expected to...
Golden Pass LNG Hits First Production, Adding Demand to Gulf Coast Natural Gas Price Hubs
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...
What Was the 1970s Oil Crisis, and Are We Heading for Something Worse?
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,...
From Germany to Spain: How Europe’s Biggest Economies Are Weathering the Oil and Gas Shock
Europe faces its sharpest energy shock since 2022 after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting roughly 20% of global oil and liquid gas supplies. Benchmark oil prices have surged above €115 ($125) per barrel and EU gas prices are...
Underappreciated Aluminum Stock Surges With Metal Prices
Alcoa Corp shares jumped 10.9% to $65.10 as aluminum prices surged amid the U.S.-Iran conflict. Forward contracts rose over 100% since the war began, pushing the metal to $3,319 per metric ton. The stock is up 21.6% year‑to‑date, approaching an...
Fastmarkets Proposes Changes to Quality, Tonnage Specifications for Battery-Grade Cif CJK Lithium Salts Assessments
Fastmarkets has issued a consultation proposing new quality, tonnage, payment and shelf‑life specifications for its benchmark battery‑grade lithium‑hydroxide and lithium‑carbonate assessments in the China, Japan and Korea (CJK) market. The draft raises the minimum shipment size from 5 to 18...
Grains Report 03/30/2026
The USDA’s March 1 quarterly report shows U.S. corn stockpiles at 9.1 million bushels, soybeans at 2.1 million and wheat at 1.3 million, while planting progress reaches 94.5 million acres of corn and 85.5 million acres of soybeans. President Trump announced a two‑week pause in...
Indian Govt Expects to Meet 39 Million Tonnes of Kharif 2026 Fertilizer Demand
The Indian government says fertilizer stocks have risen to over 18 million tonnes, up from 14.7 mt a year earlier, positioning the country to meet the 39 mt kharif 2026 demand. Gas supplies to urea plants have improved to roughly 80 percent of needs,...
Gold’s Bull Run Could Be Nearing Its Finish Line, Says UBS Strategist
UBS precious‑metals strategist Joni Teves warns that gold’s long‑running rally may be winding down as market pricing assumes no further Federal Reserve rate hikes this year. A flat‑rate outlook removes a key driver of higher gold prices, while persistent geopolitical...
International Business Briefs | Nigerians Face 65% Surge in Fuel Prices
Fuel prices in Nigeria have surged 65% as the newly built 650,000‑bpd Dangote refinery failed to offset market pressures from costly crude imports and debt‑linked export obligations. In the UK, mortgage approvals rose to 62,584 in February, outpacing forecasts, while...
Silver Jumps ₹7,000, Gold Rises ₹3,700 on Wedding Season Demand
Precious metals rallied in Delhi on March 30, with silver jumping ₹7,000 (≈ $74) to ₹2.37 lakh per kilogram and gold rising ₹3,700 (≈ $39) to ₹1.51 lakh per 10 grams. The surge, about 3 % for silver and 2.5 % for gold, was driven by jewellers stocking...
Gold Climbs to $4,500 as Iran Conflict Reaches Fifth Week
Gold rebounded to above $4,500 an ounce on Monday, marking a 1.3% rise after a 14% slide since the Iran conflict erupted in late February. The metal had previously peaked at $5,602 in January, then plunged to $4,100 before recovering....
Lower Natural Gas Prices Lift U.S. Power Burn as Texas, Rockies Flip to Growth Mode
Natural gas‑fired power generation rose 7% year‑over‑year in March, bringing total output back to 2025 levels. The rebound was driven by a sharp decline in natural gas prices, which restored the fuel's cost competitiveness despite the mildest March weather in...
Oil Prices Jump After Trump Says He Could ‘Blow up’ Iran’s Power Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island if Deal...
President Donald Trump warned he would destroy Iran’s power plants, oil wells and the Kharg Island export hub unless a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is reached, sparking a sharp rally in crude markets. Front‑month Brent May futures...
Your Bottle Of Olive Oil Just Got Caught In A War Zone
The Iran war has turned the olive‑oil supply chain into a geopolitical liability, adding fuel‑price pressure, a 15% EU tariff and Red Sea shipping disruptions. The United States, which imports over 95% of its 380,000‑ton annual consumption, faces higher freight...