Analysis: Commodities

Dated Brent benchmark's record $10 discount gives oil a reality check

U.S. President Donald Trump's confidence he can get a deal to limit a global oil glut has driven world crude futures higher.

Subsistence miners lose out as coronavirus crushes local gold prices

Informal gold miners from South America to Africa are selling gold at almost 40% discounts as measures to curb the coronavirus crimp supply routes and dry up funding.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China : Coronavirus pushes London banks to consider additional gold storage sites

By Peter Hobson The five banks that clear gold trades in the London market are considering expanding their network of storage locations to other countries if it becomes impossible to fly...

Ivory Coast holds cocoa mid-crop farmgate price at 825 CFA francs/kg

Ivory Coast, the world?s top cocoa grower, maintained the guaranteed price it pays farmers at 825 CFA francs per kilogramme for the 2019/20 mid-crop, the country's cocoa regulator announced on...

Gold flows help UK current account, but economy flatlined in late 2019

Britain narrowed its current account deficit in the last three months of 2019, but much of the improvement in one of the economy's fundamental areas of weakness was due to volatile swings in gold...

South Africa's Harmony Gold sees lower gold production during 21-day lockdown

Harmony Gold Mining Company said on Tuesday that it expects limited gold production during the 21-day lockdown in South Africa in the wake of the fast-spreading coronavirus.

Top platinum miners declare force majeure after coronavirus lockdown

The world's largest platinum producers Anglo American Platinum, Sibanye-Stillwater and Impala Platinum have declared force majeure on contracts after a three-week national lockdown forced operations...

Jiangxi Copper plans to lift 2020 output by 6% year-on-year, but warns of virus impact

China's biggest copper producer Jiangxi Copper Co said on Monday it aimed to churn out 6% more refined metal in 2020 than last year, despite warning that the spreading coronavirus could hurt demand.

Vedanta to suspend operations at Namibian zinc unit

Vedanta Zinc International, a unit of diversified miner Vedanta Resources, said on Monday it would suspend operations at its Skorpion Zinc mine and refinery in Namibia by the end of April.

WTI: Oil: U.S. storage capacities put to the test

The significant decline in world oil consumption due to the Covid-19 pandemic has added to the turbulence on the supply front with the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The price of crude oil...

BRENT CRUDE OIL SPOT: Oil Surplus and Global Recession Don't Mix

The significant decline in world oil consumption due to the Covid-19 pandemic has added to the turbulence on the supply front with the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The price of crude oil...

Vietnam's ban on rice exports still in force, government may set limit - traders

Vietnam, the world's third-largest rice exporter, has not yet lifted the ban on new rice export contracts, traders said on Monday, adding that they expect the government to remove the suspension this...

Nestle says cuts deforestation in its cocoa supply chain

Nestle, the world's biggest food company, says it has made significant progress removing cocoa produced in protected forests in West Africa from its supply chain as pressure builds from consumers and...

Vietnam to stockpile 270,000 tonnes rice to ensure food security amid virus spread

Vietnam said it will stockpile 270,000 tonnes of rice, including 80,000 tonnes of unhusked rice, to ensure food availability amid coronavirus-driven supply chain disruptions worldwide.

Gold : Rand Refinery shuts smelter, reduces gold refining during S.Africa lockdown

Rand Refinery will shut its smelter and significantly scale down its gold refining during South Africa's 21-day lockdown over coronavirus, the gold refiner said on Thursday.

South African port closures to hit global copper supply

South Africa's main export terminals will be closed to mineral exports from midnight on Thursday when a nationwide 21-day lockdown over coronavirus begins, disrupting copper supply from major producer...

South Africa to continue processing platinum metals during lockdown

South Africa will continue to process platinum group metals during its 21-day coronavirus lockdown, the country's minister of mines and energy said on Wednesday....

Vietnam to halt signing new rice export contracts until March 28

Vietnam will suspend signing new rice export contracts until March 28 at the earliest under a review to ensure domestic supplies are sufficient during the coronavirus outbreak, the government said in...

Malaysia's biggest palm oil state shuts some estates after virus outbreak

Malaysia's Sabah state has ordered the closure of palm oil plantations in three districts after a coronavirus outbreak originating from a religious gathering in Kuala Lumpur, which is also linked to...