Analysis: Commodities

BRENT CRUDE OIL SPOT: Oil: New year, same uncertainty

After five months of monotony, oil markets are coming out of their torpor. The OPEC+ has decided to increase the current production cuts by 500,000 barrels per day. This agreement brings the volume of...

India cuts tax on palm oil imports, could lift shipments

India has cut import taxes on crude and refined palm oil from Southeast Asian countries after a request from suppliers, a government notification said on Tuesday....

Mali lowers 2019/20 cotton crop forecast to 691,300 tonnes

Mali's cotton harvest for 2019/2020 will likely amount to around 691,300 tonnes, around 14% less than earlier forecast, state-owned Malian Company for Textile Development said on Friday, citing...

Mexico sets duties on Chinese aluminium foil and pressure cookers

Mexico's economy ministry has imposed countervailing duties on aluminium foil imports from China after an anti-dumping investigation, the government's official gazette said on Friday.

Zambia plans to compel copper miners to account for gold

Zambia plans to make copper mining companies account for the gold they produce as it seeks to boost revenue from its mineral resources, a senior ministry of mines official said on Thursday.

China November nickel ore imports from Indonesia surge ahead of export ban

China's monthly nickel ore imports from top miner Indonesia rose to a near 6-year high in November although its overall intake fell, as buyers raced to secure as much material as possible ahead of a...

Exports of Nigerian Qua Iboe crude oil to rise, Bonny to fall in February - programme

Exports of Nigerian Qua Iboe crude oil are set to rise in February, while those of Bonny Light will fall, according to preliminary programmes seen by traders.

Ethiopia proposes cutting sugar tax in privatisation drive

Ethiopia plans to cut an excise tax on sugar to 20% from 33% ahead of its privatisation of the sugar industry, according to a draft law in parliament, part of efforts to open up one of Africa's most...

China launches gold options as prices near six-year highs

China, the world's top bullion producer and consumer, launched its first gold options contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange on Friday, adding to an array of investment options for the yellow metal...

AngloGold aims to produce 350,000–400,000 oz of gold a year from Ghana mine

AngloGold Ashanti said it expects its Obuasi gold mine in Ghana to produce about 350,000 to 400,000 ounces per year for the first ten years, after achieving its first gold pour since it was suspended...

Indonesia warns on EU trade deal, dairy imports amid palm oil spat

Indonesia is prepared to walk away from talks on a free trade deal with the European Union over the bloc's stance on palm oil, while also launching a probe into subsidies on dairy imports from the EU,...

Ivory Coast's cocoa belt welcomes rain ahead of Harmattan winds

Farmers in Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions welcomed heavier-than-usual rainfall after weeks of hot and dry weather had threatened the main crop, they told Reuters on Monday.

Indonesia files WTO palm oil suit as tensions with EU grow

Indonesia has filed a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization against the European Union, claiming the bloc's restrictions on palm oil-based biofuel are unfair, the latest in a series of disputes...

How ethanol plant shutdowns deepen pain for U.S. corn farmers

When the U.S. ethanol industry was booming, Indiana farmer Paul Hodgen made good money selling about a quarter of his crop to a local facility that produced the corn-based fuel....

Indonesia president defends nickel export curbs after EU complaint at WTO

President Joko Widodo warned on Thursday that there would be no going back on his policy to curb exports of nickel ore and other minerals, and Indonesia would defend itself against a complaint lodged...

Impala Platinum shuts two mines due to power shortages

Impala Platinum has shut production at its Rustenberg and Marula mines owing to power cuts that have left it functioning at 20%-30% of normal power, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Gold little changed on trade caution; markets eye Fed meet

Gold was steady on Monday as investors await cues from the U.S. Federal Reserve on interest rates later this week, while trying to size up the chances of a new round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

Australia's Newcrest Mining raises stake in Canada's Lundin Gold

Australia's Newcrest Mining Ltd said on Friday it had raised its stake in Canadian miner Lundin Gold Inc to 32% with an additional C$79.6 million investment as it looks to increase its exposure in...

China's crude oil demand seen peaking at 705 million tonnes around 2030 - CNPC research

China's crude oil demand is seen peaking at 705 million tonnes a year around 2030, about 2% higher than an estimate made more than a year ago, according to a forecast by a research arm of state energy...