Commodities

The OPEC logo, pictured in Algiers in September 2016: being seen in a more favorable light is a double-edged sword for OPEC.
Opinion

OPEC+ nations must not squander the chance for a makeover

Time the anachronistic cartel moved to cement its relevance

29 July 2021
A vehicle drives on a salt flat in Olaroz, Argentina, a source of lithium for batteries.
Automobiles

Lithium and copper spark $9bn cost headache for Japan automakers

No relief in sight from rising prices of materials to make cars cleaner and electric

25 July 2021
Australia is the world's top iron-ore producer, supplying 53% of global exports in 2020. (Photo by Fumi Matsumoto)
Commodities

Australian mining industry digs deep for labor shortage answers

Rio Tinto reports steep decline in iron-ore output as prices go up

19 July 2021
Brine pools at a lithium mine in Chile: Recovering lithium through the evaporation pond method typically takes more than a year.
Materials

Panasonic joins US project that extracts lithium for EVs 'in weeks'

Japanese battery maker teams with Schlumberger in search for stable supply

17 July 2021
Freeport Indonesia's Grasberg copper and gold mine complex.
Commodities

Freeport Indonesia-Tsingshan talks for copper smelter fail

Japan's Chiyoda wins estimated $2.7 bn project in East Java

16 July 2021
A copper smelter: High-quality copper is a key component in electric vehicles. 
Commodities

Chiyoda seals $2.7bn deal for Indonesian copper smelting plant

Metal processed in East Java will feed rising demand for EV components

15 July 2021
A Posco Steel plant in Pohang, South Korea, in 2018. The country's government met steelmakers on Thursday to discuss the consequences of a planned EU "carbon border tax".
Climate Change

South Korea fears EU green plan as China starts carbon trading

Seoul summons steel makers for talks on coping with carbon border tax

15 July 2021
A solar system is installed on a roof in Sydney: much of the silicon used in solar panels is made in China, specifically in the Xinjiang region.
Energy

Xinjiang labor clouds solar sector as panel prices swell

Sanctions risk compounds shortage in one of world's top silicon-producing regions

4 July 2021
The market caps of COSCO Shipping Holdings and Asian steelmakers took noticeable leaps in the first half of 2021. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Markets

Indian steelmakers and China's COSCO Shipping lead stocks rally

Alibaba and Pinduoduo slip as Asian stocks underperform global peers in first half

1 July 2021
Men work inside a furniture factory in Ho Chi Minh City in 2006, and containers at Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong city in 2019. Vietnam overtook China last year in furniture exports to the U.S. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji)
Economy

Vietnam's furniture sector 'nervous' over US logging probe

Washington investigates nation's timber industry and ties to illegal logging overseas

28 June 2021
Posco's plant in China's Guangdong Province produces 450,000 tons of automotive steel sheets a year. (Image courtesy of Posco)
Business deals

South Korea's Posco builds Chinese auto steel venture with HBIS

Rivals invest $600m to supply galvanized sheets as China's car industry expands

26 June 2021
China will release copper, zinc and aluminum from its national strategic reserves for the first time in more than a decade amid rising commodity prices.
Caixin

China launches probe into commodities amid surging prices

Inflation concerns spark joint effort as post-COVID demand outstrips supply

24 June 2021
Saudi Aramco's oil facility in Abqaiq, pictured in October 2019: crude supply has been deliberately restricted.
Opinion

Surging oil prices are a crucial test for OPEC+ nations

Producers' alliance must not become a victim of its own success

23 June 2021
Medium- and long-term structural factors such as investment curbs and rising demand in anticipation of decarbonization efforts are sending prices soaring.
Datawatch

Natural resources exposed to growing supply risk

High prices seen continuing over mid- to long-term

22 June 2021
Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery: the future will continue to rely on existing energy sources while the contribution of alternative technologies to the evolving global energy mix grows.
Opinion

Aramco Asia says there is cause for optimism

The future of one of Asia's most important energy relationships

22 June 2021
The Nikkei index at one point fell over 1,000 points, or 3.5%, to reach its lowest level since May 20. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Markets

Japanese stocks jolted by US rate rise concerns

Nikkei benchmark down over 3% as sell-off spans multiple sectors

21 June 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
The benchmark food price index published by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, which tracks the prices of meat, dairy, cereals, vegetables oils and sugar, has hit the highest level in nearly 10 years. 
Market Spotlight

Decade-high food prices hit Asian consumers and businesses

Bread and mayonnaise costs surge in South Korea and Japan as Thai farmers gain

14 June 2021
An oil tanker docks at a port in China's Zhejiang Province. China, the world's biggest petroleum importer, has struggled to attact international traders to the Shanghai International Energy Exchange.
Commodities

Shanghai oil price lags Brent and WTI as global money stays offshore

Yuan barrier and suspected Iranian smuggling keep Chinese market isolated

11 June 2021
Gold prices in China have recovered from the lows plumbed during the pandemic last year.
Commodities

Beijing's money laundering crackdown dents China's gold premium

$18 bonus in Shanghai plunges to $33 discount over a week

10 June 2021
The benchmark price for gold slipped below $1,700 an ounce in New York at the end of March, a nine-month low and a 3% drop from the beginning of the year.
Market Spotlight

India's appetite for gold dulled by COVID lockdown

After missed opportunity, jewelers hope for November wedding boost

7 June 2021
Hoa Phat has acquired rights to the Roper Valley iron ore mine in Australia, which has the capacity to produce 4 million tons yearly. (Photo courtesy of Hoa Phat)
Materials

Vietnam steelmaker buys Australian iron ore mine to secure supply

Hoa Phat's move comes as world's largest steelmaker China boosts production

4 June 2021
Scott Morrison's assertion that the aid package will secure a "boost to Australia's long-term fuel security by locking in the future" of its refining sector seems less plausible.
Opinion

Australia throws good money after bad propping up local oil refineries

Canberra should know by now that "fuel security" is a mirage

28 May 2021
Normal production and sales in China's metal industry have been disrupted, according to the country's top economic planning agency.
Commodities

China warns of punishment for commodity speculators

Iron ore, copper and aluminum prices under pressure

24 May 2021
The impact of the pandemic has done little to soften demand for copper as China, the largest buyer of the metal, extends its speedy recovery.
Market Spotlight

China and green energy drive copper prices to record high

Shares in Asian miners and nonferrous producers surge despite supply concerns

24 May 2021