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Commodities

This Month

Traders have swiftly dumped commodities exposed to Trump’s trade war.

Advice for commodities investors? Sell, sell, then keep selling

Major Wall Street brokers are telling clients to resist the temptation to buy into metals and oil as prices fall, warning economic disruption is not over.

The US is home to 94 nuclear reactors that power tens of millions of homes and offices.

Uranium stocks dumped as market ‘paralysis’ intensifies

The sell-off is feeding into the hands of hedge funds, which are heavily shorting the industry in Australia.

Traders have piled into gold ahead of Trump’s announcement of sweeping levies on all of America’s trading partners on Wednesday.

Gold soars to $5000 in ‘once in 40-year gift’ for investors, fundies

The relentless rally has pushed the gold price almost 20 per cent higher this year, its best quarter since 1986. Money managers can see opportunities.

March

Lithium-rich spodumene concentrate pours out of a Western Australian mine.

Rio Tinto has talks with Congo over prize lithium deposit

Securing investment from a Western firm of Rio’s size would be a significant boost for the central African nation’s leaders.

Molten copper flowing in China, a top consumer of the metal.

Copper hits record as Trump tariffs wrong-foot traders

Reports that Trump could impose tariffs on the metal within weeks has intensified the rush to ship it into the US, lighting a fire under ASX-listed mining companies.

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Citi reveals top commodity trades ahead of Trump’s next tariff wave

The broker believes commodity markets are underpricing the damage the next round of US levies will inflict, creating an opportunity for traders.

A record shipment of copper is on its way to the US.

Copper stocks rocket as traders push prices above $US10,000

The industrial metal reached its highest level since October as traders scrambled to prepare for potential tariffs, lighting a fire under the ASX’s copper producers.

Anxiety is building about the impact of further tariffs from US President Donald Trump on silver markets.

Missed the gold rally? This metal is doing even better in 2025

A 15 per cent surge in bullion to pass $US3000 has been the talk of markets. But there’s another precious commodity boasting superior returns.

Gold rush hits fever pitch as fundies spruik 100pc gains

Australian investment managers are scrambling to advertise their new funds after the precious metal topped $US3000, creating a windfall for mining stocks.

Goldman has lowered its expectations for Chinese crude steel production in the June quarter due to lower steel exports than previously forecast.

Goldman sees risk of iron ore falling below $US80 a tonne

Goldman Sachs expects iron ore to average about $85 a tonne in the fourth quarter, though there’s a risk it could briefly trade even lower.

More than 23 million ounces of gold flowed into the depositories of New York’s Comex futures exchange between election day and March 12.

Gold breaks through $US3000 as Trump turbocharges rally

The move through the psychological $US3000 level drives home gold’s centuries-old role as a store of value in turbulent times.

Traders, brokers and clerks on the trading floor of the open outcry pit at the London Metal Exchange.

Trump’s tariff mayhem creates a lucrative commodity trade

Anxiety about imminent levies on copper has triggered a spike in New York-traded prices, causing traders to scramble to ship the metal to the US.

A steel storage yard near Hangzhou. China is curbing steel production after excess supply crippled profitability at mills.

China’s cuts to steel production pile pressure on Australian iron ore

Fund managers say the start of production at new mines in Africa, including Rio Tinto’s Simandou project, will do more to push prices down long-term.

Lithium stocks have been hammered by the collapse in prices.

Morgan Stanley gives up on lithium rebound as supply woes return

The US broker has walked back from its bullish December call that it’s safe for investors to re-enter the beaten up sector. At the time, its top pick was Mineral Resources, which has since dived 40 per cent.

February

A fresh wave of iron ore supply to the market this year is expected to send prices below $US100 a tonne.

Investors dump iron ore stocks as big miners enter a new era

The major producers are posting lower profits and slashing dividends which is expected to accelerate as a new wave of iron ore supply hits prices.

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The gold price reset its record high 40 times in 2024 and has continued that form this year.

Gold funds burst out of the blocks in 2025 as returns rocket

Fund managers are celebrating a bumper start to the year as the ASX-listed gold stocks finally start to play catch up to the record surge in prices.

Economic uncertainty and declining interest rates have always supported demand for gold as a defensive asset.

‘Big Short’ trader’s bet on gold puts $US3000 in sight

The relentless rally in the gold prices is showing no signs of slowing down. Here’s how the yellow metal became the world’s hottest asset in markets.

Almond orchards owned by ASX-listed Select Harvest.

The Australian farmers set to benefit from Trump’s trade war

Australian almonds, wine and beef could be among biggest gainers from US tariffs as countries turn to cheaper markets. The weak Australian dollar also helps.

The agriculture sector has jumped nearly 8 per cent this year.

Commodities on verge of ‘breakout’ after two-year slump

The sector is trading back at levels last seen during the 2022 boom, led by a surge in precious metal and agriculture prices.

Vitol trades about 7% of the world’s oil supply every day

Oil demand to remain at current levels until at least 2040, Vitol says

The world’s largest independent energy trader is more bullish on oil use for the next 15 years than the International Energy Agency.

January

Financial markets were bracing for another trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Commodity relief as Trump avoids ‘shock and awe’ tariffs

Strategists are now hopeful the US president will increase levies on China only gradually, which would help stabilise the iron ore and base metal markets,

Employees assemble new energy vehicles at an intelligent factory of electric vehicle enterprise Leapmotor.

Has China already reached peak oil?

The country’s demand for crude seems to be plateauing sooner than expected. The implications are huge

The closure of Port Hedland has temporarily disrupted iron ore supply.

Iron ore could collapse 30pc as Rio Tinto floods market

The latest rally in iron ore prices is expected to be short-lived, with Westpac warning the commodity could plummet 30 per cent from current levels.

Australian beef sales to the US surged last year.

Why 2025 could be a bumper year for these Australian farmers

The agriculture sector may be in for a stellar 2025 but much still depends on the weather, Trump’s tariffs, and the war in Ukraine.

Oil is rallying again thanks to hefty US sanctions on Russia.

Oil sanctions send a jolt through the energy market

This year was earmarked as soft for the energy sector, but a sudden package of US sanctions on Russia has made the outlook much more complicated.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/markets/commodities