Aussie Pressured by Fed’s Push Back and China Beef Ban

Aussie Pressured by Fed’s Push Back and China Beef Ban The Australian dollar briefly rose above its 100-day moving average again this week in what appears to be a false break after Federal Reserve officials pushed back on the notion of negative U.S. rates. The currency had been stuck below the rolling gauge since January …

Iron Ore Tests key Support But Refusing to Buckle

Iron Ore Tests key Support But Refusing to Buckle Onshore iron ore futures have held above key support levels this morning, having failed to break below the weekly pivot point at RMB 625.7. Fundamentally vulnerable on the back of a global slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increasing bearish rhetoric regarding the performance …

Iron Rises With Brazil Flows, Australian Spat in Focus

Iron Rises With Brazil Flows, Australian Spat in Focus Iron ore futures gained as major producer Brazil continued to post lower shipment figures and investors tracked escalating trade tensions between China, the top iron ore buyer, and Australia, its largest supplier. Brazil’s daily average exports of iron ore and concentrated products was 1.04 million tons …

China imports more energy products, soybeans in January-April

China imports more energy products, soybeans in January-April China, the world’s leading energy and food importer, bought more crude oil, natural gas and soybeans in the first fou r months of the year, customs data showed. The country imported some 170 million tonnes of crude oil in the period, up 1.7 percen t year on …

China’s tariff threats on Australian barley force farmers to pause mid-planting

China’s tariff threats on Australian barley force farmers to pause mid-planting Australian grain farmers have stopped sowing barley mid-stream in some paddocks as they brace for lower prices and the prospect of losing a major market in a brewing trade storm. At the weekend, farmers were told by Australian grain groups that China was proposing …

Recovery Quickens as PBOC Vows Support

Recovery Quickens as PBOC Vows Support Chinese industrial commodities began the week on the front foot after the central bank pledged more powerful policies to combat the coronavirus’s hammer blow to growth. The evidence of the past few days, from shrinking crude and metals stockpiles, to the rebound in car sales and usage, suggest that …

China’s April Soybean Imports Fall to Lowest in Five Years

China’s April Soybean Imports Fall to Lowest in Five Years Soybean imports by China fell 12% in April from a year earlier on delayed loadings from top supplier Brazil and as the coronavirus pandemic hurt demand from restaurants. * The country shipped in 6.7 million tons in April, compared with 7.6 million tons in the …

Ship Fuel Supply May Rise as Virus Hits Other Oil Products

Ship Fuel Supply May Rise as Virus Hits Other Oil Products The demand destruction in transportation fuels caused by the coronavirus pandemic is providing an incentive to produce more IMO 2020-compliant ship fuel, according to a report from Energy Aspects dated April 30. Decline in jet fuel demand could easily push up diesel yields by …

Oil Tankers Drag Out Sailing Times as Surplus Snarls Ports

Oil Tankers Drag Out Sailing Times as Surplus Snarls Ports When the supertanker New Vigorous arrived at the port of Antifer in northern France last Saturday, it made a small bit of maritime history. The vessel, laden with 2 million barrels of crude, became the first in almost two years to make the voyage from …

Unexpected Gain in Chinese Exports Is Seen as Temporary

Unexpected Gain in Chinese Exports Is Seen as Temporary China’s exports unexpectedly rose in April aided by stronger shipments to South East Asia, though with the coronavirus pandemic damaging global demand that increase is likely to be temporary. Imports fell. Exports rose 3.5% in dollar terms in April from a year earlier, while imports dropped …