Price movements and fundamentals across major commodities.
Analysis and reporting on commodities such as oil, natural gas, gold, industrial metals, and agricultural products. Focuses on supply-demand dynamics, geopolitical risks, inventory trends, and macro drivers affecting commodity markets.
2,875 total articles
Buyers are redirecting imported urea nitrogen fertilizer purchased at the Port of New Orleans for shipment overseas, responding to a large premium in international prices following the February 28 outbreak of war involving the U.S., Israel and Iran. The price gap - with New Orleans urea roughly $170 per short ton cheaper than overseas markets - has…
Investors sold roughly $7,990 lots of Brent crude futures between 12:24 GMT and 12:25 GMT — positions valued at about $760 million at prevailing prices — roughly 20 minutes before Iran’s foreign minister posted that passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was declared open for the remainder of the ceasefire. The announcement coi…
The Iran conflict has removed over 500 million barrels of crude and condensate from global supply in roughly 50 days, equivalent to about $50 billion in lost revenues at average prices since the crisis began. Analysts warn that production and infrastructure restoration will be gradual, with significant impacts across aviation, shipping, and regiona…
Following an Iranian statement that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic during a 10-day Lebanon ceasefire accord, shipping companies and international regulators said they need clarifications on mines, transit conditions and coordination procedures before vessels resume normal transits. Markets reacted to the announcement with declin…
Indian refiners have used Chinese yuan routed through Mumbai-based ICICI Bank to pay for Iranian crude acquired under a short-term U.S. sanctions waiver, according to four sources. The approach has enabled recent rare purchases of Iranian oil, including a 2 million-barrel cargo bought by the state refiner IOC and multiple shipments handled for Reli…
The strikes involving the U.S., Israel and Iran produced a major geopolitical shock, but analysis from Capital.com finds no decisive winner in the contest between Bitcoin and gold as crisis hedges. Retail traders moved heavily into oil while Bitcoin saw both a sharp initial sell-off and a later rebound, and platform data suggest gold largely held i…
European natural gas benchmark prices fell sharply after Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz was reopened to commercial shipping as part of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. The Dutch front-month TTF contract dropped 8.0% to 38.99 euros per megawatt hour, while diplomatic signals from Washington and Tehran suggested talks could resu…
Silver prices climbed in premarket trading Friday, lifting shares of several U.S.-listed and Canadian silver miners as well as major silver exchange-traded funds. The uptick in the white metal was attributed to a softer U.S. dollar and comments from Iran's foreign minister indicating that passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains open during the…
Incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Friday that deliveries of Russian crude to Hungary along the Druzhba pipeline could resume as soon as next week. Magyar cited information from Zsolt Hernadi, the head of refiner MOL, and said Hernadi will travel to Russia next week to discuss oil supplies. The pipeline, which transports Russian oil through …
Global markets have largely recovered from an intense early shock tied to the largest Middle East conflict in decades, even as disruptions to oil flows and uncertainties around the Strait of Hormuz continue to reverberate across commodities and travel sectors. While futures markets signal limited long-term pain, physical prices and supply chain str…
A sharp rise in global urea prices linked to the Iran war has pushed the fertilizer to around $1,000 per ton in Argentina, up from about $500 a month earlier. The increase threatens wheat planting decisions ahead of the season starting next month, with farmers weighing reduced fertilizer use or switching to livestock-oriented crops.
Gold edged lower in Asian trading but remained on track for a mild weekly gain as markets digested prospects for further U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks, softer U.S. inflation data and moves in the dollar. Prices stayed within a defined $4,700-$4,900/oz range, with oil and geopolitical risk continuing to limit upside.
Oil prices dropped in early trade following signs the Middle East conflict might cool, with a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel taking effect and comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that talks with Iran may occur over the weekend. Brent fell to $98.05 a barrel and U.S. WTI to $93.40, while analysts note the closure of the Strait of …
The Panama Canal Authority said a recent auction outcome that reportedly awarded priority transit to an LPG ship for $4 million reflected temporary market pressures rather than a fee imposed by the canal. The authority emphasized auctions are one of several tools for securing transit and noted congestion and higher transits as trade routes adjust a…
Oil prices dropped sharply in early Asian trade after the United States announced a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, fueling expectations of reduced regional tensions. West Texas Intermediate fell to $89.88 a barrel and was on track for a second consecutive week of significant losses amid speculation that the U.S. and Iran may resume diplomati…
California's gasoline inventories have dropped to record lows, coinciding with a sharp rise in retail fuel prices. The state's dependence on refined imports from Asia, coupled with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, is creating a lagged supply shock that analysts say will intensify in the coming weeks.
U.S. law enforcement agents this week served a federal search warrant at Ikon Midstream’s Houston headquarters, seizing computers and documents as part of inquiries linked to diesel shipments that investigators say reached companies suspected of being fronts for Mexican cartels. The operation, confirmed by company counsel and multiple officials, fo…
Senior officials from the U.S. Interior and Energy Departments are scheduled to speak with chief executives from major oil companies, including Exxon and Chevron, about the firms' capacity to raise production. The outreach comes as the conflict involving Iran pushes global oil prices up toward levels last seen after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukrain…
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on five individuals and seven companies tied to Nicaragua's gold industry, including two sons of the country's co-presidents and a senior energy and mines official. The action, announced April 16, follows U.S. allegations that the Nicaraguan government sought to fill state coffers by seizing American i…
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told lawmakers that the Energy Department’s lending arm will almost certainly provide loans for the first five to ten planned new large nuclear reactors. The announcement comes as the administration seeks to advance construction of 10 new reactors by 2030 and follows a government-backed industry partnership and pr…
The Energy Information Administration's latest Short-Term Energy Outlook projects U.S. net natural gas exports and liquefied natural gas shipments will climb through 2027 as additional export capacity begins operations and existing terminals run at higher utilization following disruptions to some global supplies.
European benchmark natural gas recovered part of the previous session's declines, with the Dutch TTF front-month contract up about 2.2% as markets monitor prospects for renewed U.S.-Iran discussions and ongoing disruptions to supply routes and facilities. Investment funds trimmed net long positions, while geopolitical frictions over a U.S. naval bl…
U.S. defense officials said American forces in the Middle East are prepared to resume combat operations if Iran does not accept a proposed peace agreement. Officials described a maritime blockade targeting vessels entering or leaving Iran, and warned that noncompliant ships could face interception and force. Senior leaders also cautioned that Iran …
Aluminum prices rose to their strongest levels in four years as markets priced in possible supply constraints tied to heightened demand and disruptions linked to developments between the U.S. and Iran. Benchmark contracts on the London Metal Exchange and a major Shanghai aluminum contract both advanced, while analysts flagged a significant primary …
Global equity markets have returned to record territory after a turbulent six weeks dominated by war-related headlines. Hopes for U.S.-Iran talks and a Pakistani mediator arriving in Tehran have eased risk concerns, prompting investors to shift attention back to corporate earnings and economic data. Major U.S. banks reported broadly positive first-…
