Analysis: Commodities

Zambia plans to revoke Glencore's Mopani Copper Mines licences

Zambia plans to revoke the mining licences of Glencore subsidiary Mopani Copper Mines because the company did not give enough notice before suspending its mining operations due to the coronavirus...

China's March crude oil imports rose 4.5% year-on-year on stockpiling

China's crude oil imports in March rose 4.5% from a year earlier, according to official customs data, as refiners stocked up on cheaper cargoes despite falling domestic fuel demand and cuts in...

Malaysia cuts crude palm oil export duty for May to 4.5%

Malaysia has reduced its export duty on crude palm oil to 4.5% for May from 5% in April, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board said on Monday, citing the national customs department.

Glencore copper mine in Congo sends 350 contractors home

Glencore's Katanga Mining sent 350 workers to be repatriated this week after the copper and cobalt miner delayed the commissioning of an acid plant they were working on in Democratic Republic of...

Congo governor condemns rising insecurity at mines in gold province

Illegal mining and trading are fuelling worsening violence on mine sites, the governor of Democratic Republic of Congo's gold-rich Ituri province said, after armed robbers killed four people,...

Vietnam PM approves export of 400,000 tonnes of rice for April

Vietnam will resume rice exports from this month, a government statement said on Friday, after the government last month announced a ban on rice exports to make sure the country has sufficient food to...

Malaysia's top palm producing state to reopen estate, mills without coronavirus cases

Malaysia's biggest palm oil producing state, Sabah, has agreed to reopen plantations and mills that do not have any coronavirus infections, its chief minister said on Friday.

Copper belt miners turn to Tanzania as South Africa lockdown hobbles ports

South Africa's strict coronavirus lockdown has caused miners to divert copper from the country's ports to others in Africa, with Dar es Salaam the clear winner, sources told Reuters.

Kenya's speciality coffee growers hit as lockdowns close global coffee shops

Like many speciality coffee growers, Kenyan exporter Jackson Kanampiu has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis as consumers are barred from the coffee shops that serve niche brews and opt for...

Palm oil prices face 'large decline' as pandemic hammers exports - analyst Fry

Palm oil producers must brace for crude palm oil prices to fall sharply as coronavirus-led lockdowns around the world curb consumption and boost stocks, said leading industry analyst James Fry.

Ventilator orders breathe life into Chinese copper demand

Copper demand in China is getting an unexpected lift from surging orders for ventilators in the global fight against the new coronavirus - the same factor that has subdued the traditional sources of...

Oil tanker freight rates fall ahead of OPEC+ meeting

Supertanker freight rates have fallen after last week's highs as industry participants await the outcome of a meeting of oil producers on Thursday before making further bookings, industry sources...

Coronavirus impact sees Glencore Zambian unit shut copper mines

Glencore's Zambian unit Mopani Copper Mines will shutter its mines on Wednesday following disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic and low copper prices, it said in a statement, after the country's...

Zambia says Glencore declares force majeure at Mopani Copper Mines

Glencore has declared force majeure at its Mopani Copper Mines unit in Zambia and plans to shut its copper mines for three months, Zambian Mines Minister Richard Musukwa said in a statement on...

Brent : Oil storage uneconomical despite hefty supplies as Brent futures strengthen

Traders seeking to store oil have put their plans on hold this week after prompt Brent crude futures surged against future months and made storage uneconomical, despite overwhelming supplies in the...

Airbnb secures $1 billion investment from Silver Lake, Sixth Street

Airbnb said on Monday private equity firms Silver Lake and Sixth Street Partners will invest $1 billion in the U.S. home rental company, bolstering its finances at a time when the coronavirus outbreak...

Exclusive: Silver Lake to seek more than $16 billion for buyout fund - sources

Private equity firm Silver Lake Partners is preparing to seek at least $16 billion from investors for its sixth flagship buyout fund, braving the economic uncertainty of the coronavirus outbreak,...

Swiss gold refiners to resume work, easing supply constraints

Three of the world's biggest gold refineries said they will partially reopen after a two week closure that disrupted global supply of the metal.

Oil: Why does the price of Brent deviates from WTI?

You have to be of a calm nature to follow oil markets recently. Fluctuations are violent due to unpublished data. The market was already suffering from various ills, including oversupply, and its...