Commodities Focus

In this episode of the Commodities Focus Podcast by S&P Global Energy, host Tina Allagh, lead specialist for nonferrous metals pricing, is joined by senior nonferrous price reporter Colleen Ferguson, metals news reporter Anthony Rizkala and principal aluminum analyst Karen Norton to review the key industry and pricing takeaways from the Miami symposium Feb. 1-3.
How has the current macroeconomic backdrop, with 50% import duties in place since June, impacted sentiment within the domestic aluminum industry? What does the demand environment look like after the removal of electric vehicle incentives and the rise of data center construction? Within the physical aluminum market, what does spot activity look like as existing stocks continue to dwindle?
From current market drivers to the year's forecasted supply and demand balance globally, this episode explores the numerous uncertainties weighing on US aluminum trade.
Related link:
Specification Guide: Global Nonferrous Metals: global_nonferrous.pdf

The US import tariffs for shrimp are redefining cost structures and market access for major suppliers. As the American buyers restructure and rebalance their origin portfolio, major suppliers, India and Ecuador, are dealing with the domino effect. The podcast discusses how the tariff frictions could reorder global trade flows and influence farmgate pricing and stocking decisions in India and Ecuador.
Join S&P Global Energy's Asim Anand, manager, agriculture & food pricing, Max Bouratoglou, principal analyst, Proteins, Elvis John and Felipe Peroni, price reporters for agriculture & food, in a discussion about the intricacies of the global shrimp trade amid these tariffs.

The global demand for basmati rice has been rising, especially in the Middle East and the EU. As a result, the competition to sell this long-grain variety has intensified in recent years. The world's biggest Basmati suppliers -- India and Pakistan -- claim proprietary ownership over this long-grain Asian indica rice. In this podcast, we will shine some light on the fundamental issues in the basmati trade and the way forward for the two South Asian countries.

Join S&P Global Commodity Insights' Asim Anand, manager, agriculture & food pricing, Dipanshi Agarwal, principal analyst, APAC crops, Ayushi Baloni and Namarita Kathait, associate price reporters for agriculture & food, in a discussion about the intricacies of the global basmati trade and why it has become a source of disagreement between India and Pakistan.

The energy landscape in Asia has been evolving in recent years. With a global push towards renewable energy, the longstanding dependence of many Asian countries on coal comes into the limelight. The discussions surround critical questions about whether these nations will be able to transition from primarily fossil fuel-based to a more clean-powered energy, especially at a time when major coal consumers India and China are trying to increase their self-reliance on coal.
Join Andre Lambine, associate director, lead APAC short-term power and renewables research, Tanya Jain, associate price reporter for thermal coal and Anirudh Iyer, senior price reporter for energy transition as they speak to Vaibhav Chakraborty, senior price reporter for thermal coal about the ups and downs of achieving energy stability in Asian countries.

The first pause of triple-digit tariffs between the US and China prompted a container shipping surge. The second pause? Not so much.
The US and China in May took a 90-day breather from triple-digit tariffs that largely halted container ship traffic between the world's two largest economies. Shippers and buyers raced to get Chinese goods on the water to the US during that window in a supply-driven surge to pump up inventories ahead of the holiday shopping season. Mid-August brought another 90-day pause as trade negotiations between the two nations continued, but this time shippers and buyers largely yawned. 
Kristen Hays, manager of the Americas freight pricing team, and Aroob Sheikh and Catherine George, reporters for North and South American container freight markets, discuss the ups and downs of the two biggest players in global trade.
Links: 
Platts Container Rate 13 North Asia-WC North America PCR1300
Platts Container Rate 5 North Asia-EC North America PCR0500
Platts Container Rate 29 North Asia-WC South America PCR2900
Platts Container Rate 31 North Asia-EC South America PCR3100