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Commodities

Commodities
Commodity market action from around the world with a focus on the commodities that matter most to investors in Hong Kong and China.
Veterinarians treat an orangutan named Sampurna during a rescue operation at a palm-oil plantation near an area affected by wildfires, in Kuala Satong village, Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Orangutan rescued from Borneo fire battles respiratory illness

Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain forest and land fires across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra.

China-Africa relations

Truce in DR Congo offers US mining foothold while Chinese firms dominate output

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China food security

China must ‘take all necessary measures’ to secure autumn harvest: Li Qiang

China’s Communist Party

In Focus | Why China’s mineral hubs and border regions face heaviest anti-corruption toll

China’s past CCDI annual plenums stress intensifying efforts to combat corruption where ‘power, funds and resources are concentrated’.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China's economic recovery

China’s steel sector must avoid US rust belt’s fate: party journal

Trade barriers, oversupply and falling export prices are squeezing steel producers as the Qiushi Journal warns against letting the industry contract.

US Federal Reserve

US Treasury bond buy-back reinforces gold debasement trade ahead of Jackson Hole

Treasury buy-backs bolster gold’s rally as investors await US Federal Reserve’s annual meeting at Jackson Hole.

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Indonesia

Indonesia takes on Malaysia in battle over palm oil pricing

Palm oil is just the start. Indonesia’s new trade exchange also aims to oversee nickel and coal export volumes, prices and taxes.

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Workers transfer palm fruits to a truck before being processed into crude palm oil at a palm plantation in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. Photo: AFP
China exports

China’s strategic mineral shipments rebound to US but slump for Japan

July customs data shows Beijing easing supplies of rare earth magnets to the US while export curbs deepen Japan’s material shortages.

US-China trade war

Money and ‘a lot of noise’: how the US’ critical-minerals sector vies with China

State-backed funding is driving American efforts to build domestic supply, but industry trends and price gaps are still seen as hurdles to reducing reliance on China.

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Banking & finance

Hong Kong taps tech strength in joint venture to power gold settlement

Alibaba Cloud among partners chosen to create a platform for Hong Kong’s gold clearing and settlement system next year.

Gold bullion bars. Photo: AP
China energy security

China eyes peak oil demand by 2030 amid pipeline increase, smart rig tech plan

Beijing’s peak-oil plan pairs an expansion of China’s network of pipelines with 15-km-deep drilling rigs.

A liquified natural gas storage tank at Rudong port in Nantong, Jiangsu province. Photo: Reuters/File photo
China trade

What China’s ‘no’ on Australian bean shipment says about trade ties

Incident sparks concern, but indicates China taking a proactive stance, not necessarily a gloomy forecast for relations, experts say.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Chokepoints and the cost of cutting off access

The most dangerous chokepoint may not be the narrowest strait or rarest tech but where the final decision rests with the fewest people.

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Uzbekistan

Jim Rogers eyes up China’s yuan as he warns of a US market crash

Legendary investor lauds the yuan but says his cash holdings are still in US dollars because the Chinese currency lacks full convertibility.

Legendary American investor Jim Rogers speaking at an investor event in Hong Kong on Saturday. Photo: Themis Qi.
Banking & finance

Reduce your exposure to US assets before they lose value, Swiss bank warns

Swiss private bank says structurally high inflation and government deficits will erode value of US dollar and Treasuries over the next decade.

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A broker works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Photo: AP
Banking & finance

Opinion | Just like with the yen, America cannot save the AI bubble

The Japanese currency and US tech stocks share the same fatal problem: momentum can’t survive broken fundamentals.

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Indonesia

Why Prabowo’s change in tone might not signal a change in Indonesia’s course

Analysts said his rare self-criticism showed responsiveness to pressure but questioned whether a commodity policy shift marked real change.

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China-Africa relations

How Africa is becoming a ‘strategic hub’ for Chinese industrial expansion

Countries including Zimbabwe and Guinea are ending the pit-to-ship model that saw them exporting raw minerals with limited local gains.

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Large piles of bauxite ore, which is refined into aluminum, sit at a treatment area storage in Guinea. Photo: Shutterstock
Gold in Hong Kong

Why Fed moves trump geopolitical risks, China gold buying in analysts’ forecasts

Bullion forecasts have softened, LBMA’s survey shows, despite the World Gold Council reporting unprecedented demand in second quarter.

China-Japan relations

China detains Japanese executives in dual-use technology export probe: report

Several Japanese detained upon entering China, according to newspaper, as Beijing alleges foreign firms violated export restrictions.

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China stock market

Gold breakout rally sends Chinese bullion stocks near record highs

Sovereign-debt risks and reserve diversification seen helping revive investor optimism in the precious-metals market.

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The price of gold rose 1.3 per cent to US$4,479 an ounce on Tuesday. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Trump extends Jones Act waiver for 90 days, narrows scope

The extension ensures the US military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources, the White House said.

The Rishiri Galaxy, an oil and chemical tanker sailing under the flag of Panama, at the Texas City docks next to the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery soon after the US announced a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act shipping law on March 18. Photo: Reuters
Rare earths

Despite global tensions, China’s rare earth producers have profitable first half

Rapid expansion of AI supply chain has given rare earth prices a strong upwards trajectory, analyst says.

China trade

Lab-made diamonds ride AI demand for chip cooling as China leads industrial boom

Exports surge in first half of year, as the superior heat dissipation of diamonds expands market beyond jewellery, positioning China for further growth.

China trade

July trade robust, fresh Chinese sanctions, Unitree IPO opens

This week: July trade growth moderates, Beijing retaliates against US sanctions and services activity growth slips. Next week: Subscriptions start for Unitree IPO, Tencent and Chinese chipmakers report interim earnings, July factory gate prices and more.

Air conditioners for export to Europe at a warehouse in Jiaozhou, Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua
Gold in Hong Kong

Gold’s price potential still ‘explosive’ amid Beijing hoarding

Rising demand from central banks to drive a rebound despite temporary downside pressure from energy and interest rates, Goldman Sachs says.

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South Korea’s central bank announced earlier this week that it would end a 13-year hiatus on gold purchases. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

Copper floods US as traders anticipate Trump tariffs while ‘Taco’ concerns loom

Traders ship more than 200,000 tonnes of the industrial metal into American ports in July to front-load anticipated levies, as fears of policy reversal persist.

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China-Latin America relations

Cuban spy-base allegations, new Trump tariffs: 7 Latin America relations reads

From global soybean market updates to China’s best trade partners, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in July 2026.

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