Russian central bank expects low oil prices to continue for a while
The Russian central bank warned Kremlin policymakers that the United States and OPEC could flood the oil markets and cause a similar price collapse to what occurred in the 1980s, which led to the fall of the Soviet Union. The warning was issued weeks before Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump began negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine. Trump warned that he would impose additional sanctions against Russia if a peace agreement was not reached. He has also promised to increase U.S. production of oil and urged OPEC leader Saudi Arabian to pump more to support the global economy.
Palmetto slips with a second consecutive weekly loss
Palm oil ended lower on Friday, and recorded a second consecutive weekly loss. This was due to a decline in Chicago soyoil and the persistently slow performance of Malaysian palm oil exports. The benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in June on the Bursa Derivatives exchange lost 37 ringgit or 0.84% to 4,376 Ringgit ($990.27). The contract has lost 4.37% in the last week. Anilkumar bagani, Sunvin Group's head of research, said that the futures traded sideways with prices opening lower. This was due to the weakness in Chicago soybean futures as well as a slowdown in Malaysian palm oil.
VEGOILS - Palm up in hopes of better demand, but second consecutive weekly loss
Palm oil prices rose on Friday, on the hope of improved demand from India and China. However, they were still heading for their second consecutive weekly loss because of weakness in Chicago soyoil contracts and Malaysian palm oil exports that have been slowing down. By midday, the benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in June on the Bursa Derivatives Market gained 5 ringgit or 0.11% to 4,418 Ringgit ($999.32). This week, the contract has fallen by 3.45%. Anilkumar bagani, Sunvin Group's head of research, said that the futures traded sideways with prices opening lower.
Russell: OPEC and IEA are focused on China's oil demand but it is the crude imports that matter.
What is more important to the crude oil market? Which is more important: the growth forecasts by major agencies of Chinese oil demand or the actual weakness of imports? The International Energy Agency (IEA), as well as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, (OPEC), both talk about the demand for oil when they forecast the future of the oil industry in China, the largest crude importer of the world. It is a practice that has been around for a while and is not challenged by the market. There is a disconnect in the fact that China's oil exports are actually declining.
Russell: OPEC and IEA are focused on China's oil demand but it is the crude imports that matter.
What is more important to the crude oil market? Which is more important: the growth forecasts by major agencies of Chinese oil demand or the actual weakness of imports? The International Energy Agency (IEA), as well as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, (OPEC), both talk about the demand for oil when they forecast the future of the oil industry in China, the largest crude importer of the world. It is a practice that has been around for a while and is not challenged by the market. There is a disconnect in the fact that China's oil exports are actually declining.
Ecopetrol executive: We are looking to expand our in-house energy production to include wind power.
Ecopetrol, Colombia's state energy company, is looking at new investments, including purchasing projects run by multinationals to meet its own energy needs. A company vice president revealed this on Wednesday. Julian Lemos is Ecopetrol's vice president of strategy and new business. He said that the plan would look to integrate wind power projects into the company's energy matrix which already includes solar. Lemos said at an energy conference held in Cartagena, a Caribbean city. Lemos said, "We are examining various issues and considering various alternatives.
Palm prices end higher due to Indonesia's increased levy and weak Malaysian production
Malaysian palm oils closed higher on Wednesday, after Indonesia reaffirmed its intention to increase the palm oil export tax. Malaysia's lower production figures have however limited gains. The benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in June on the Bursa Derivatives exchange gained 22 ringgit or 0.5% to 4,388 Ringgit ($990.07). The futures market resumed on a bullish note, mainly because Indonesia reaffirmed an increase in export taxes for palm oil. The weaker Malaysian performance of palm oil exports in the first half of march is still limiting gains…
Commodities ignore Trump's noise and focus on fundamentals of trade: Russell
The best way to navigate the challenges that the U.S. president Donald Trump's inconsistent and erratic trade policies are posing for the global commodity markets is to ignore the noise and concentrate on the fundamentals. While the media focuses on every headline-grabbing announcement or social media post regarding new and retaliatory duties from the U.S. president and his administration the commodity markets continue to do what they have done in the past: adapting rapidly changing circumstances.
IEA: Russia's oil export revenue fell in February
The International Energy Agency reported on Thursday that Russia's revenue from crude oil sales and oil products fell by 2.6% in February compared to the same period last year, to $15.88billion. This was due to the fall in crude oil price and the widening of discounts for Russian grades. The report also stated that Russian oil exports fell by 100,000 barrels a day (bpd), compared to January, following a recent round U.S. sanction. However, they were down nearly 500,000 bpd if viewed on an annual basis.
Azerbaijan’s oil production in January and February is down 6.3% on an annual basis
Parviz Shahbazov, the Energy Minister of Azerbaijan, said that the oil production in the first two months fell 6.3% compared to the previous year. According to the Minister, oil exports between January and February dropped from 3.9 millions tonnes to 3.7 in 2024. Azerbaijan’s oil production is on a downward trend since its peak in 2010. Minister also stated that the natural gas exports into Europe dropped to 1.9 billion cube metres (bcm), from 2.1 bcm, a year ago. The total gas exports for the period, including Turkey, fell to 3.8 billion cubic metres (bcm) from 4.1 billion cubic metres.
Russell: China's commodity imports will continue to decline until 2025 due to economic and trade concerns
China's imports have been weak in 2025. This is in line with the recent trend of a softer economy. According to data released by the official customs on Friday, imports of crude, natural gas and iron ore, as well as copper, have all decreased in the first half of this year when compared to the same period of last year. The January-February period saw a rise in coal imports compared with the same period of 2024. However, the figures were significantly lower than in November and Decemeber, indicating that China's appetite is decreasing for the fuel.
Russell: China's commodity imports will continue to decline until 2025 due to economic and trade concerns
China's imports have been weak in 2025. This is in line with the recent trend of a softer economy. According to data released by the official customs on Friday, imports of crude, natural gas and iron ore, as well as copper, have all decreased in the first half of this year when compared to the same period of last year. The January-February period saw a rise in coal imports compared with the same period of 2024. However, the figures were significantly lower than in November and Decemeber, which suggests that China is losing interest in this fuel.
Canada mentions potash and oil as a possible lever to use in the tariff dispute
Melanie Joly, Canada's Foreign Minister, told Toronto businesspeople on Wednesday that Canada may use its oil and gas exports to negotiate if U.S. import tariffs increase. Canada has announced that it will impose tariffs worth C$155 billion on U.S. imports, but so far has not indicated whether or not it would reduce the exports of important commodities to the United States. Canada exports approximately 90% of all its crude oil exports to the United States. "Of Course, there is oil and gas." "We haven't laid that out yet, guys.
After financial disputes, talks to resume Kurdish crude oil exports have been postponed until Thursday
Three sources said that the talks to accelerate a return of oil exports out of Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdistan Region have been postponed until Thursday due to disagreements between oil companies, and the oil ministry. Three sources said that the meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but the initial talks on Sunday failed to reach an agreement on important issues such as how foreign companies in the region will be paid. This forced the two-day delay. The meeting was convened after the Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani…
Palm oil drops on weaker exports and a decline in rival oils
Malaysian palm futures fell on Monday, following a drop in rival oils. Weakness in palm oil exports from Malaysia in February also affected sentiment. By midday, the benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in May on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives exchange had fallen 67 ringgit or 1.47% to 4,487 Ringgit ($1,005.60 per metric tonne). The market also followed the lower performance of Malaysian palm oil in February. Dalian's palm oil contract, which is the most active contract in Dalian, lost 0.4%.
Exports of crude oil by Mexico's Pemex fell 44% in January
Official numbers reveal that crude oil exports from the Mexican state energy company Pemex fell 44% in January, compared to last year, to 532 404 barrels per daily (bpd), their lowest level in decades. The company admits it has been struggling with crude's quality. The level for January is the lowest monthly since records began in their present form in 1990. Exports were just above 811,000 bpd last year and just over 1 million bpd the year before. Sales to the Americas According to figures released on Tuesday, sales to the Americas were 326,944 bpd, or 36% lower than the previous year.
As alternatives gain market share, palm oil prices will be pressured by a slowing demand.
Prices are expected to fall as palm oil production recovers and imports drop due to price-sensitive consumers. This will reduce the advantage of tropical oil over its rivals even though top producer Indonesia increases biodiesel production. Benchmark palm futures have lost market share due to the shift of top importers such as India to cheaper alternatives like soybean and sunflower oil. In recent months, palm oil has traded at a premium to other oils due to the disruptions in supply from top producers Indonesian and Malaysia caused by flooding.
Officials from the palm oil industry say that rising biodiesel mandate will dent Indonesian palm oil exports in 2025.
A senior industry official stated on Wednesday that Indonesian palm oil exports in 2025 are likely to fall 7.3% from the previous year to 27,35 million metric tonnes despite increased production. The world's largest producer of edible oil is increasing biodiesel production. Fadhil Hazan, the head of the Trade and Promotion Division at the Indonesian Palm Oil Association said that the country's crude oil production will likely rise to 50,000,000 metric tons by 2025, from 48,16,000,000 metric tons one year earlier. He said that the trend of export surpluses will continue to decrease as biodiesel mandates increase.
Palm oil climbs as rival oils firmer and output concerns increase.
Malaysian palm futures prices rose on Wednesday due to stronger edible oils from rival producers and concerns about production. Increased buying in anticipation of an industry conference was also supportive. At midday, the benchmark May palm oil contract on Bursa Derivatives Exchange rose 82 ringgit or 1.82% to 4,586 Ringgit ($1,032.65) per metric ton. The contract dropped 0.84% on Monday. Paramalingam Supramaniam is the director of Selangor brokerage Pelindung Bestari. He said that the palm oil market has a positive trajectory, in sync with the growth in Dalian and Chicago.
Export data and concerns about higher Indian duties are cited as reasons for the decline in palm oil.
Malaysian palm futures fell on Monday as the market was pressured by lower estimates of palm oil exports in the first two week's of February, and India raising import taxes for vegetable oils. At the midday break, the benchmark palm oil contract on Bursa Derivatives exchange for May delivery fell 14 ringgit (0.31%) to 4,485 Ringgit ($1,013.10) per metric ton. The contract increased by 0.83% during the previous session. Anilkumar bagani, head of commodity research at Mumbai's Sunvin Group, explained…
