Commodities

Facade lights have been turned off at the Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady, to save energy in Dresden, Germany on Aug. 22. 
Indo-Pacific

China throws Europe an energy lifeline with LNG resales

Surplus gas eases Russia's stranglehold, but gives Beijing outsize influence

24 August 2022
East Asia has continued to import fossil fuels from Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Ukraine war

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan buy $5.5bn of Russian fuel: think tank

East Asian powerhouses keep importing even as others shun Russian oil and gas

23 August 2022
Some commodity prices have returned to their prewar levels, partly thanks to an agreement allowing grain carriers to leave Ukrainian ports, but Asian consumers are not benefiting. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
Market Spotlight

Six months since Russia attacked Ukraine: Will grain prices drop?

Expert warns of possible 'second wave' as fertilizer costs remain a problem

22 August 2022
Analysts say an EU ban on Russian seaborne oil, set to take effect on Dec. 5, gives the bloc added incentive to secure a deal that would ease sanctions on Iranian oil.
Commodities

What an Iran nuclear deal would mean for strained oil markets

1 million barrels per day of Iranian output would spell relief for the EU

21 August 2022
A worker operates heavy equipment to unload coal from a barge into a truck at a port in North Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 13.
Commodities

Indonesian miner to take over Australian coking coal assets for $380m

Sinar Mas arm also announces $200m investment in Ant-backed mobile wallet

15 August 2022
The Mount Weld rare-earths mine in Western Australia. Shares of Lynas Rare Earths, which owns the mine, are at the highest point in about four months.
Supply Chain

Rare-earth prices fall on supply increase and China auto slowdown

Beijing loses leverage of once potent export ban despite rising tensions with Washington

13 August 2022
The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC+, which includes Russia and other producers, announced on Wednesday an output hike of 100,000 barrels a day to start next month.
Commodities

Russia looms large behind OPEC+ output hike decision

Experts see country's role affecting group's bid to prevent sharp fall in prices

6 August 2022
A tanker loads LNG from the Sakhalin-2 project in October 2021. President Vladimir Putin has handed control of the energy project partly owned by Japanese companies to a Russian company.
Energy

Russia's latest move on Sakhalin-2 energy project: 4 things to know

As 1-month countdown ticks off, concerns mount over Japan's LNG supply

4 August 2022
Asian LNG buyers are competing with European purchasers reeling from Russia's move to tighten supplies in July.
Energy

LNG price spike causes energy crises in strapped Asian nations

Pakistan deals with power shortages and production cuts amid tenfold jump

3 August 2022
Indika Energy President Arsjad Rasjid says making the Alva electric motorbike brand affordable is essential for attracting consumers. (Source photo by screenshot from ALVA auto's YouTube page) 
Automobiles

Indonesia's Indika Energy readies 'affordable' e-motorbike venture

President of coal miner also in talks with Foxconn for electric buses, trucks

1 August 2022
A coal depot at a coal-fired power plant in Japan. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Russian sanctions threaten to make coal dirtier, more costly

Global trade reshuffle adds up to more inefficient and expensive coal transport

1 August 2022
An oil platform at the Kravtsovskoye oilfield in the Baltic Sea, Russia, in September 2021: China and India helped prevent a major squeeze on global supplies and took some heat out of price pressures.
Opinion

China and India should reject West's Russia oil-price cap plan

Latest sanction effort likely to backfire and cause market turmoil

1 August 2022
Industrial demand for silver has been hit by China's economic slowdown.
Commodities

Silver prices soften on tumbling demand in COVID-hit China

Industrial production slows in the world's largest consumer

23 July 2022
Novelis, the U.S. unit of Birla-owned metals giant Hindalco Industries, has started work on an aluminum plant in Alabama. (Source photo by Reuters and the Aditya Birla Group)
Companies

Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla in spotlight over Alabama plans

Giant company expects to build $2.5 billion aluminum plant in U.S. state

20 July 2022
India's government wants to sell off company stakes to raise money for infrastructure. (Source photos by AP; screenshots from Hindustan Zinc, IDBI Bank and Ferro Scrap Nigam websites) 
Finance

India accelerates drive to offload company stakes in rush for cash

Analysts say government will meet key fundraising target despite headwinds

19 July 2022
Abednedju Giovano Warani Sangkaeng, president of Indonesian steelmaker Gunung Raja Paksi, is optimistic about about demand in Indonesia even as it declines globally. (Photos by Nana Shibata)
Interview

Indonesian steelmaker senses opportunity in capital relocation

Gunung Raja Paksi president also sees chance in declining Chinese production

19 July 2022
Activists who have long criticized mining companies now say the industry is painting itself green by arguing that extraction is crucial to the world reaching net-zero carbon emissions. (Source photos by Reuters and Nikkei)
Market Spotlight

Mining companies rebrand as heroes of energy transition

Metals vital for reaching net-zero, but industry carbon footprint clouds narrative

11 July 2022
An LNG tanker leaves PetroChina's terminal in Dalian, China. In addition to the top state-owned energy groups, companies tied to regional governments or in the private sector are inking more deals with overseas suppliers.
Commodities

China locks in record long-term LNG deals to bolster energy security

U.S., Qatar and Russia top sellers to world's largest importer

11 July 2022
Kewpie Mayonnaise is one of 93 household items, along with sauces and mustard, whose price is going up in October, its manufacturer said. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Inflation

From mayo to meat, Japan consumers told more price hikes on the way

BOJ survey shows 43% of households say they are 'worse off' than a year ago

6 July 2022
Tesla Model 3s are seen at a factory in Shanghai. The global competition for battery materials is growing as electric vehicles become more popular.
Commodities

Lithium stays sky-high as other EV battery metals come down to earth

Changing tech trends in top auto market China reduce demand for nickel and cobalt

6 July 2022
The Loire River near the Anjou-Bretagne bridge in Ancenis-Saint-Gereon, France, was no more than a dry riverbed on June 13: No one is immune.
Opinion

U.N. Secretary-General: We need a renewables revolution

Rescuing our burning planet depends on accelerating our transition

28 June 2022
Gas prices over the $5 mark are advertised at a gas station in Encinitas, California, on May 9: Drawing a straight line between Biden urging Saudi leaders to pump more oil, the Kingdom obliging and prices taking a tumble would be overly simplistic.
Opinion

Do not expect Biden's Saudi Arabia visit to work miracles

U.S. leverage undermined by policy U-turns and Riyadh's cozy ties with Russia

28 June 2022
From left, former trade ministers Enggartiasto Lukita and Muhammad Lutfi, incumbent Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan and Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Nikkei montage/Reuters/AP)
Inflation

Jokowi emphasizes inflation battle over global trade in cabinet

Indonesian president appoints sixth trade minister in eight-year term

27 June 2022
Hot-rolled coil is used in many products, including cars and appliances, and its price serves as an indicator for economic activity.
Commodities

Steel prices tumble in East Asia on China lockdown glut

Hot-rolled coil stockpiles build up on weak manufacturing demand

18 June 2022
Higher costs for imported wheat and other ingredients have led to a stronger outflow of household income from Japan.
Economy

Japan bleeds $85bn from costly commodities and weak yen

Declining terms of trade put pressure on companies to plan new price hikes

12 June 2022