Commodities Focus

By S&P Global Commodity Insights

What's Commodities Focus about?

S&P Global Commodity Insights analysis of key news and pricing issues from across the global shipping, natural gas, power, petrochemicals, agriculture, and coal markets.

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Commodities Focus episodes:

04.24.2024
Does the UK need the North Sea for its energy future?
As a UK general election looms, energy security and the transition to net-zero are high on the agenda. In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, our experts sift through the policy options, from windfall taxes to licensing bans, and...
03.13.2024
How are gas operators navigating the difficult gas environment in 2024?
Pressured by sub-$2/MMBtu prices, many US producers have decided to cut spending on gas-directed drilling and completion activity and to scale back production in 2024. But there are signs of price improvement along the futures curve in late 2024 and...
03.11.2024
Red Sea crisis forces carriers and shippers to rethink strategies as cost of operation rises
Red sea crisis has forced carriers and shippers alike to adjust strategies. Container freight rates not only reached yearly high after receding throughout 2023 but carriers also seized a profit making opportunity they were looking for after the post pandemic...
03.08.2024
Lithium producers pump brakes on North American projects amid low prices
Lithium producers are pushing timelines out for project development in North America as global lithium prices sit near a three-year low after plunging from record levels in 2022. The change in sentiment has cooled off a red-hot market and cast...
03.06.2024
Lower prices and uncertain demand: navigating choppy waves of wheat markets in 2024
Wheat prices have been on a largely downward trend since the start of 2024 despite lower production in key exporters, Canada and Australia, and continued logistics concerns due to the wars in the Black Sea and the Red Sea....
02.16.2024
Supply disruptions drive copper TC to three-year low; smelters may cut production
The Asian copper market saw CIF China copper concentrate TC/RC fall by 65% in just three months’ time, while smelters were still not able to find enough feedstocks to meet their production needs. As copper concentrate market changed...
01.31.2024
US power markets weather winter storms with more success
Following on from heavy winter storms in recent years that disrupted power supply across US regions, power markets managed a mid-January 2024 winter storm with elevated prices and a few demand records, but no large-scale power outages. S&P; Global Commodity Insights reporters Mark...
12.13.2023
Brazil’s emergence as a dominant agriculture exporter
Over the past 20 years, Brazil’s growth in the production of feedstuffs like soybeans and corn has been remarkable. In the process, it has become a powerhouse exporter. To accomplish this, it took the convergence of Brazil modernizing its agricultural...
12.06.2023
Asian aluminum, alumina markets mixed on demand expectations, cost pressures
Asian aluminum markets continue to see lackluster demand and ample stocks pressuring premiums, though the sporadic reopening of the Chinese import arbitrage window is providing support across the region. Further upstream in the alumina markets, flat...
10.16.2023
Confidence returns to copper markets for now, outlook for 2024 still uncertain
Chinese copper markets are showing signs of recovering from the slump that hit the industry in the second quarter pf this year. The clean concentrate spot TCs are declining on increased demand for cargoes and cathode import interest are...
10.06.2023
Winter is coming, with little gas flowing from Russia...can the US meet Europe’s demand?
With bearish fundamentals characterizing the global LNG market, what role will US exporters play for Europe this winter? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and subsequent decoupling between LNG and natural gas in Europe, the US has...
09.21.2023
Buyers’ choice: Global oversupply of single-use plastics makes recycling uneconomical
High density polyethylene product consumption and market behavior are key indicators for consumer spending. The US and major export outlet Asia are climbing out of a price slump created by HDPE oversupply, attractive cost margins and slow-to-recover demand. With about...
09.07.2023
El Niño spells dire straits for shippers at the Panama Canal
Draft reduction at the Neopanamax locks and limitations on daily transits at the Panamax lock system have resulted in longer wait times to transit the Panama Canal. Shipowners have been raising freight costs to seek reimbursement for higher transit and...
08.31.2023
Summer slump: Global recycled polymer markets wait for western markets to find solid footing
A sluggish start to the peak summer demand season has disrupted the global recycled PET markets, with subpar demand from beverage bottling in North America, squeezed margins, stiff competition from virgin resin and pessimism running rampant. S&P; Global...
08.23.2023
Narrow margins are back for US gas, but will producers slow output?
US Henry Hub natural gas prices have averaged just $2.43/MMBtu this year, pushing many producers close to, or even below, their breakeven price. Mild weather and weak gas demand this past winter were largely to blame, triggering a selloff that...
08.11.2023
How have early drought conditions impacted the US harvest?
It's been a rough couple of years for US corn and soybeans. 2022 brought drought, record-low Mississippi River water levels, and ultimately sky-high grains and oilseeds prices. The 2023 planting season was initially met with dry weather, causing concern of...
07.04.2023
Is a nickel still worth a dime? Unpacking nickel pricing mechanisms, a year on
A year after a historic short squeeze sent LME nickel metal prices soaring above $100,000/mt, industry players remain divided over their pricing preferences in the nickel market with some still referencing the LME, while Chinese market participants have largely moved...
06.06.2023
It's a bumpy road ahead for North American electric reliability amid energy transition
Up to two-thirds of North America is at an elevated risk of electricity shortfalls this summer in extreme conditions with a high load and high outages, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Conventional plants are retiring faster than...
05.18.2023
The Waiting is the Hardest Part: Global polymer markets awaiting rebound in domestic China demand
China was among the last to lift COVID restrictions at the close of 2022, but its polymer exports remain elevated amid continued sluggish domestic demand, creating more global competition for limited pockets of demand. India has been a bright spot...
05.10.2023
Australian wheat a likely beacon of hope amid Black Sea uncertainty
Australia, one of the world's leading wheat exporters, has produced three bumper wheat harvests in a row, and with the prospect of an extension of the Black Sea grain corridor deal fading by the day, the country is emerging as...
04.19.2023
India's energy options and the roadmap ahead
From a dramatic shift in oil trade flows to a series of clean fuel policy reforms, India's energy sector has been in the spotlight recently. With the country poised for massive growth in energy consumption, lawmakers and corporates are preparing...
04.14.2023
Everything, everywhere, all at once: US power market challenges post-IRA
The issues impacting US power markets seem to be widespread and far-reaching lately. Since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed in August, it’s really taken over discussions at energy conferences due to its far-reaching impacts. But US power markets are...
04.06.2023
Food vs fuel security - is agricultural gene editing the solution?
The gene editing system is being used extensively by the private and public sectors to develop new traits of interest in crops. To date, more than 500 products are being developed worldwide using the technology and are at different stages...
03.15.2023
For global petrochemicals, what went up is coming down…down…
The global petrochemical industry is grappling with the aftermath of COVID-fueled demand. The supply squeeze in 2020 and 2021 that led to soaring prices has been doused by economic uncertainty and oversupply, leaving producers with hard decisions about output and...
03.08.2023
Algorithmic trading and power markets: challenges and opportunities in Europe's energy crisis
Algorithmic trading is increasingly a mainstay of European electricity and natural gas trade as major players seek to stay on top of fast-moving, volatile markets. So-called algos, which make hundreds if not thousands of trades a day, are widely used...
02.22.2023
Global oil and gas markets dramatically transformed by a year of conflict in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered major supply risks and wide-ranging sanctions that have dramatically changed global oil and gas markets. In a year of price volatility, supply concerns and increasingly harsh sanctions, Russia has accelerated its pivot to Asian markets....
02.17.2023
The return of Freeport LNG
The Freeport LNG terminal in Texas started exporting LNG cargoes in mid-February for the first time since a fire and explosion in June 2022 forced a shutdown of the facility, marking a milestone in the history of US LNG. In...
02.14.2023
Have LNG and gas markets returned to normality in 2023?
Prices are closer to lower, volatility has reduced and inter-product price spreads have come in, so are we seeing gas and LNG markets revert to normality? What are the factors that have calmed markets, and is this new-found tranquillity likely...
01.19.2023
The Black Sea wheat trade: Navigating political turmoil and supply shortages
In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, our experts delve into the Black Sea wheat trade situation amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, from the impact of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on global food security to the challenges faced...
01.11.2023
Copper markets eye easing concentrate supply in 2023, but short-term market is tight
Copper prices reached six-month high in December on a weakening US dollar and news of China relaxing its zero-COVID control policy, but copper cathode end-users reduced term contracts coverage for 2023. Copper concentrate supply is expected to be in surplus...
01.05.2023
Agriculture in a warming world: How will climate change impact our food?
Adverse weather events due to climate change are increasingly impacting agriculture. In this podcast, S&P; Global Commodity Insights reporters Shikha Singh and Mugunthan Kesavan speak to Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, Senior Research Scientist with NASA, and recipient of the 2022 World Food Prize Award on greenhouse emissions, rising...
12.22.2022
Navigating change in Baltic and Black Sea shipping
As EU sanctions on Russian crude and oil products come into force, the Baltic and Black Sea shipping markets face uncertainty. In this episode of the Platts Commodities Focus podcast, our EMEA Tanker Editors and Freight Analytics team delve into...
12.20.2022
Government subsidies have shifted the refined products landscape in Latin America
Price regulation plays an important political and economic role in emerging countries, and Latin American countries this year have faced oil price volatility that has forced them to look for buffer alternatives. News experts Jeff Mower and Sheky Espejo sat...
12.06.2022
What’s next for container freight as environmental regulation looms?
Demand for moving goods around the world has dramatically fallen as the cost of living rises and consumers start to tighten their belts. However, many shipowners have been left with bumper profits accumulated during the peak. Are freight rates going...
11.18.2022
After Q3 earnings, is the US still in ‘drill baby drill’ mode?
As the oil and gas industry works to find its footing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic it now faces a world transformed, with new risks stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine and brewing global economic headwinds. In their...
11.15.2022
The future of Brazilian sugar and biofuels under a new(ish) president
With Luis Inacio Lula de Silva returning to the presidency in Brazil after 12 years, the agriculture industry anticipates its market fundamentals could be impacted by an increasingly progressive agenda. Some defining issues include how Lula's government will deal with...
10.20.2022
What would a record soybean crop in Brazil this year do to the global market?
Market participants expect a supply glut in 2022-23 amid record Brazilian soybean output forecast by different agencies. If Brazil can produce a huge volume of the oilseed in the upcoming marketing year, that could have major implications for US soybeans...
10.12.2022
Asian LNG procurement heating up as winter approaches
LNG markets are in the spotlight after the Russia-Ukraine war, with Asia and Europe both competing for limited cargoes. A harsher than expected winter may trigger unprecedented changes in LNG trade flows and force many Asian governments to implement contingency...
10.10.2022
Asian polymer exports to Europe tick up as regionalisation ebbs
With global container shipping costs coming down, European polymer markets are seeing offers of material from the Far East rise, adding pressure to prices in an already over supplied environment. Platts Petrochemicals editors Abdulaziz Ehtaiba, Hui Heng and Daniel Pelosi,...
10.04.2022
Europe’s energy crisis: is storage fit for purpose?
As gas supply disruptions send shockwaves across the world, the ability and capacity to store energy has come under close scrutiny. Associate Director Paul Hickin discusses with gas and power editors Stuart Elliott and Kira Savcenko whether Europe has enough...
09.14.2022
Used cooking oil: Is it the new liquid gold?
Used cooking oil (UCO) or vegetable oil unfit for human consumption has found a new life as feedstock for biofuels like Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (UCOME). UCO is also used to produce renewable distillates like sustainable aviation fuel and hydrotreated vegetable...
09.02.2022
New and old challenges facing the chemicals distribution industry, with Univar's Powell
In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, S&P; Global Petrochemicals Editor Abdulaziz Ehtaiba talks with Univar Solutions’ Nick Powell, board member at FECC, about events like Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as factors like inflationary pressures in Europe,...
08.26.2022
Burned out: Has a sizzling economy actually fizzled out US metals and polymers?
US steel and polymer producers rode a wave of soaring prices for their products in 2021 as the economy roared back from the coronavirus pandemic and construction activity boomed. The hot building market brought with it an uptick in demand...
08.16.2022
US power markets are hot, hot, hot, but summer peak season is far from over
US summer power markets are just warming up. A heat wave hit the central US in mid-July, leading to multiple alerts and records across two grid footprints, and a late July heat wave brought triple-digit temperatures to the Pacific Northwest,...
07.15.2022
Global alumina, aluminum markets face headwinds from trade flow disruptions, operational challenges
Australia’s ban on export of alumina to Russia following the war in Ukraine sent prices on a rollercoaster ride in the first half of 2022. Uncertainties surrounding the supply-demand dynamics and policies continue to loom ahead. In the aluminum markets,...
07.05.2022
Canadian wheat emerges as key supply market amid global turmoil
Amid geopolitical risks threatening the key wheat-growing Black Sea region, Canadian wheat is taking on a bigger role in the global spotlight for this key food crop as recently launched CME futures give additional tools for those looking at FOB...
06.23.2022
India’s steel export tariffs: A case of missed opportunities?
India’s imposition of steep tariffs on steel exports has put global markets in a tizzy, with unanswered questions on the longevity of the policy, immediate benefits to domestic end-users and strategies that local mills could adopt to manage excess inventories....
06.21.2022
US Gulf of Mexico hurricane season threatens energy trade flows with potential global impact
As hurricane season 2022 unfolds in the US Gulf of Mexico, the implications for oil and gas infrastructure in the region are wide-ranging. More than ever, the whole world is watching the US Gulf as energy from the United States...
06.01.2022
With war in Europe, focus sharpens on the US as a global natural gas supplier
European and Asian buyers of liquefied natural gas have increasingly been turning to US supplies as Russia’s gas is spurned. This has reinvigorated contracting and LNG terminal development activity in the US, where the midstream and upstream sectors, and regulators...
05.26.2022
Easing lockdowns in Shanghai: a boost for container freight or a headache in the making?
The lockdowns in Shanghai have caused significant supply chain disruption around the world, but also falling container rates from their all-time highs. In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, Americas containers editor David Lademan speaks with Asia containers specialist...

What's Commodities Focus about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Commodities Focus episodes:

Does the UK need the North Sea for its energy future?

How are gas operators navigating the difficult gas environment in 2024?

Red Sea crisis forces carriers and shippers to rethink strategies as cost of operation rises

Lithium producers pump brakes on North American projects amid low prices

Lower prices and uncertain demand: navigating choppy waves of wheat markets in 2024

Supply disruptions drive copper TC to three-year low; smelters may cut production

US power markets weather winter storms with more success

Brazil’s emergence as a dominant agriculture exporter

Asian aluminum, alumina markets mixed on demand expectations, cost pressures

Confidence returns to copper markets for now, outlook for 2024 still uncertain

Winter is coming, with little gas flowing from Russia...can the US meet Europe’s demand?

Buyers’ choice: Global oversupply of single-use plastics makes recycling uneconomical

El Niño spells dire straits for shippers at the Panama Canal

Summer slump: Global recycled polymer markets wait for western markets to find solid footing

Narrow margins are back for US gas, but will producers slow output?

How have early drought conditions impacted the US harvest?

Is a nickel still worth a dime? Unpacking nickel pricing mechanisms, a year on

It's a bumpy road ahead for North American electric reliability amid energy transition

The Waiting is the Hardest Part: Global polymer markets awaiting rebound in domestic China demand

Australian wheat a likely beacon of hope amid Black Sea uncertainty

India's energy options and the roadmap ahead

Everything, everywhere, all at once: US power market challenges post-IRA

Food vs fuel security - is agricultural gene editing the solution?

For global petrochemicals, what went up is coming down…down…

Algorithmic trading and power markets: challenges and opportunities in Europe's energy crisis

Global oil and gas markets dramatically transformed by a year of conflict in Ukraine

The return of Freeport LNG

Have LNG and gas markets returned to normality in 2023?

The Black Sea wheat trade: Navigating political turmoil and supply shortages

Copper markets eye easing concentrate supply in 2023, but short-term market is tight

Agriculture in a warming world: How will climate change impact our food?

Navigating change in Baltic and Black Sea shipping

Government subsidies have shifted the refined products landscape in Latin America

What’s next for container freight as environmental regulation looms?

After Q3 earnings, is the US still in ‘drill baby drill’ mode?

The future of Brazilian sugar and biofuels under a new(ish) president

What would a record soybean crop in Brazil this year do to the global market?

Asian LNG procurement heating up as winter approaches

Asian polymer exports to Europe tick up as regionalisation ebbs

Europe’s energy crisis: is storage fit for purpose?

Used cooking oil: Is it the new liquid gold?

New and old challenges facing the chemicals distribution industry, with Univar's Powell

Burned out: Has a sizzling economy actually fizzled out US metals and polymers?

US power markets are hot, hot, hot, but summer peak season is far from over

Global alumina, aluminum markets face headwinds from trade flow disruptions, operational challenges

Canadian wheat emerges as key supply market amid global turmoil

India’s steel export tariffs: A case of missed opportunities?

US Gulf of Mexico hurricane season threatens energy trade flows with potential global impact

With war in Europe, focus sharpens on the US as a global natural gas supplier

Easing lockdowns in Shanghai: a boost for container freight or a headache in the making?