Commodities

A LNG carrier is docked at the ExxonMobil PNG operated plant at Caution Bay, Papua New Guinea in November 2018: the local people have seen very little of the promised benefits.
Opinion

Papua New Guinea a warning for poor nations rich in natural resources

Developing countries often do not profit from wealth lying under the ground

12 January 2021
Gold miners like this one in Victoria are ramping up operations in expectation of renewed interest in the yellow metal as a safe-haven asset.
Commodities

Australian gold miners rush for funding amid rising metal market

Renewed investor appetite pushes even old concerns to restart digging

8 January 2021
A LNG tanker behind a port in Yokohama: Japan should contribute to meeting global demand and supply for capital through trading oil and gas in yen.
Opinion

How Japan can truly reinvent itself as a global financial hub

A key step would be to settle its energy needs in yen, not dollars

4 January 2021
These logs in a back lot of a Daishin Plywood Industry factory in the city of Niigata are what's left of the company's final shipment. They will be gone by the end of next month. (Photo by Kei Sekiguchi)
Commodities

Japan tapers imports of logs from tropical trees to near zero

Major plywood maker pulls plug as Malaysia and PNG move to protect forests

2 January 2021
A Tokyo electronics shop. LCD TVs are selling strongly on stay-at-home demand. (Photo by Kiu Sugano)
Commodities

Prices of BOE and LG Display LCD panels soar as consumers stay home

Cost of large panels for televisions has jumped 60% since spring amid pandemic

26 December 2020
A wind turbine under construction in Yichang, China, pictured on May 10: COVID accelerated ongoing trends that may have been better served by gradual evolution.
Opinion

COVID aftershocks promise further oil market turmoil

Global energy road map deserves calmer rethink in 2021

24 December 2020
Japan boasts the largest network of hydrogen filling stations in the world -- a symbol of the government's faith in the future of hydrogen, and its efforts to win the race to commercialize it.
The Big Story

Be water: Japan's big, lonely bet on hydrogen

The revolutionary fuel is costly -- and key to slowing climate change. Will it pay off?

23 December 2020
Copper foils for lithium batteries are produced at a factory in Tongling, China.
Commodities

Copper and silver prices spike as governments decarbonize

Beijing's public works plans and global efforts to go green spur trading

20 December 2020
Gold-backed ETFs needed only the first 10 months of this year to set a record for the amount of gold added to their portfolios in one year, taking in more than 1,000 tons.
Market Spotlight

Gold loses shine as investors get a shot of vaccine optimism

Price slides but weak dollar and renewed Asian buying support bull case for 2021

14 December 2020
A woman in Vietnam's Quang Ngai Province walks on a road inundated by floodwater caused by an October typhoon.
Agriculture

Vietnam crop prices spike in a stormy autumn

Typhoons hit supplies of pepper, coffee beans and rubber

12 December 2020
Vale's Goro mine, seen in 2015, is one of the largest employers in New Caledonia.
Materials

Vale's move to exit New Caledonia nickel mine heightens unrest

Intruders seize machinery, while authorities halt international flights

10 December 2020
A lithium mine operated by SQM in Chile. Tianqi Lithium has been under pressure from a heavy debt load since acquiring a minority stake in SQM two years ago. (Photo by Nozomu Ogawa)
China debt crunch

China's struggling Tianqi Lithium to get $1.4bn from Australian deal

Company sells almost half its stake in world's largest mine for EV material

9 December 2020
A palm oil plantation in Indonesia: Growers in Indonesia and Malaysia account for more than 80% of global output. (Photo courtesy of Kao)
Commodities

Japan makers face slippery slope in procuring sustainable palm oil

Transition to RSPO-certified product proves out of reach for most companies

6 December 2020
Nippon Steel and ArcelorMittal are expected to invest in a major expansion of AM/NS India's main Hazira steelworks in the state of Gujarat.
Materials

Nippon Steel and ArcelorMittal plot Indian expansion blitz

Former Essar to double capacity by 2030s as demand swells nationally

1 December 2020
Major Chinese banks have warned customers to become more aware of risks as investor losses have made regulators wary of complaints.
Caixin

Chinese banks to freeze new accounts for precious metal trades

Move comes after global price volatility saddles investors with huge losses

30 November 2020
The price of copper, which will be even more necessary for electric vehicles and renewable energy generators such as solar panels, is increasing this year amid surging demand.
Market Spotlight

Green trend stirs copper and nickel markets as supply tightens

Demand high but Biden factor and China dominance fuel uncertainty

30 November 2020
Marine container traffic is rising even amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, pushing up shipping rates. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Commodities

Container shortage in Asia pushes up shipping costs

Rates from China to Singapore up fourfold amid snarls in the US

28 November 2020
One challenge to recycling in Southeast Asia is the sorting and collecting for plastic bottles. (Photo courtesy of Indorama Ventures)
Environment

Thailand's Indorama makes $1.5bn green bet on plastics recycling

Group plans to triple annual capacity to 750,000 tons in five years

22 November 2020
A flame at the production facility of Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield: only around 10% of global emissions from fossil fuels is released during extraction, processing and transportation.
Opinion

Going green should not mean eradicating fossil fuels

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be tackled at the consumer end

13 November 2020
BHP will help develop technology to reduce carbon emissions from iron ore processing.
Environment

BHP and China Baowu Steel join forces to shrink carbon footprint

Aussie mining company will help develop green tech for Baowu mills

11 November 2020
ArcelorMittal's steel plant in Ontario, Canada: Nippon Steel had at one point feared a possible takeover by its larger rival, but the companies have since become allies.
Materials

Nippon Steel and ArcelorMittal draw closer with China's rise

Former rivals turn sights to growing demand in India and Southeast Asia

7 November 2020
The index price for palm oil on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange was 3,064 ringgit a ton as of mid-October, up 38% from a year earlier.
Commodities

China and India demand boosts palm oil price despite EU pressure

EU moves to phase out commodity present long-term price risks, analysts warn

25 October 2020
A cotton farm in Narrabri, Australia: China purchased 63% of Australia's cotton exports in the year through June.
Commodities

Australia's cotton falls prey to diplomatic row with China

Growers eye shift to Vietnam and Bangladesh as biggest buyer shuns Canberra

17 October 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a news conference on Oct. 14.  (Photo courtesy of the Presidential Communications Operations Office)
South China Sea

Duterte reopens South China Sea oil exploration amid Beijing talks

Philippines takes step toward joint projects with China despite maritime dispute

16 October 2020
The IEA said China's emissions have now reached pre-pandemic levels as the country resumed economic activity after the virus came under control.
Interview

IEA head: Beijing carbon goal 'welcome' but policies needed

Fatih Birol says China's emissions have already reached pre-pandemic levels

14 October 2020