Commodities Focus

Apr 09 2025 614 ep. 13 mins 263

Commodities Focus Podcast artwork

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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Chinese jet fuel remains bright spark in latest export quota tranche

Apr 09 2025 8 mins

China’s latest round of oil product export quotas had tightened compared to the same tranche a year ago. However, healthy margins and strong aviation recovery have pretty much cemented jet fuel’s position as the king of the barrel for Chinese exporters, though turbulence remains. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Asia oil news editor, Neo Rong Wei discusses China’s latest exp

Low-carbon methanol awaits regulatory backing for transportation use

Apr 08 2025 23 mins

The global methanol market is seeing emerging demand for low-carbon transportation fuels, with particular focus on marine fuels, driven by a need to decarbonize global shipping without disrupting supply chains. While conventional methanol has a history of being used as a transportation fuel, there are many new technologies designed to produce methanol with lower carbon intensity th

Alumina, aluminum markets react to tariffs, new capacity plans

Mar 31 2025 17 mins

Will US tariffs reshape aluminum trade flows? How will new alumina capacity out of Indonesia impact prices? In this podcast, Asia nonferrous metals team lead Jenson Ong is joined by Louissa Liau, associate price reporter for Asia nonferrous metals, and Lucy Tang, market news specialist for Asia metals to discuss the latest developments across the aluminum value chain. Related pri

Mexico’s chicken meat importers mull options in case of trade war

Mar 27 2025 21 mins

Exporters of chicken meat from the US have been mulling what might happen to their trade in the event of a trade war. Mexico is their largest customer, and Brazil is their largest competitor. However, those US exporters supply fresh, brown chicken meat to Mexico, and they’re quietly confident of their ability to hold onto that market. William Bland, EMEA manager of price reporti

Global copper markets navigate trade flow shifts and smelting challenges

Mar 26 2025 15 mins

Copper smelter margins have been facing noticeable pressure in recent months as copper concentrate TC/RCs plunged on tight supply, will this mean more production cuts upcoming? Primary copper prices, premiums, and even byproduct sulfuric acid charges, meanwhile, have been rising. Can these offer enough relief to smelters amid record-low TC/RCs? In this podcast, Asia nonferrous meta

Brazil's evolving role in the global ferrous scrap market

Feb 19 2025 15 mins

Brazil's ferrous scrap exports have undergone a significant transformation, driven by a weakening domestic steel industry and increasing demand from India. Brazil exported a record 800,000 mt in 2023, following a decline in domestic scrap consumption. Looking ahead, the Brazilian recycling sector is diversifying and adapting to international standards while navigating the ongoing c

Understanding the cattle cycle, why US beef prices are at record highs and the role of Australia and Brazil

Feb 14 2025 14 mins

Beef prices in the US started 2025 at a record high. The world’s largest consumer is also seeing a 63-year low in the size of its cattle herd and is expected to continue calling on supplies from Brazil and Australia, the world’s two biggest exporters. That’s because US farmers have been sending a high proportion of female animals to slaughter before they calved, shrinking the

India Energy Week to seek answers on demand trajectory, oil diplomacy and upstream push

Feb 04 2025 25 mins

India's rapidly growing energy demand, the shifting focus of oil producers towards the country, and the transition to cleaner energy sources are key themes at India Energy Week. Delegates will seek insights on how Indian energy companies and policymakers can balance the reliance on traditional fuels with a new energy roadmap. In a comprehensive discussion, Dave Ernsberger, Co-Presi

Emergency or policy? Unpacking Trump’s take on US energy and metals

Jan 28 2025 27 mins

Within hours of being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders, and declared a national emergency with the aim of ensuring reliable energy supplies and position the US as a leading minerals producer. Trump also threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico -- major exporters of crude to the US. How have commodities markets resp

Nickel markets look ahead at battery, steel sector stimulus, Indonesian growth

Dec 30 2024 16 mins

Amid sustained supply growth out of Indonesia while higher-cost production shuts down, will the focal point of nickel markets continues to be shifted to the country? Markets looks ahead at China’s stimulus for support to nickel demand from the steel and battery sectors, but will it be sufficient to underpin prices? In this podcast, Asia nonferrous metals team lead Jenson Ong is j