Commodity Compass Newsletter Weeks 14-15, 2026
During Weeks 14 and 15 of 2026, the global commodity markets saw a continuation of a mixed performance where some commodities recovered from previous corrections while other commodities faced price pressure. Changes in the commodity market for this period were mainly due to trends in industrial demand, inventory, and changes in supply conditions in key producing countries.
The performance of food and beverage commodities remained varied. The price of beef in the US declined from $440.3/lb to $429.7/lb, showing a weakening demand for protein products. The price of US chicken also took a negligible dip from $120.9/lb to $120.7/lb. The value of cocoa in the UK has also dropped from GBP 2,444/MT to GBP 2,378/MT. Moreover, while coconut oil prices went down from $2,343/MT to $2,379/MT, and the UK price of coffee decreased from €3,395/MT to €3,241/MT.
Maize prices in the US fell from $454.0 to $447.9 per bushel. China's palm oil prices dropped from $1,417/MT to $1,393/MT. The price of rice in the US fell from $11.27/CWT to $10.98/CWT. The price of soybean meal rose from $315.8/MT to $319.1/MT. The soybean oil price increase proved insignificant remaining steady at 68.4 cents per lb. The price of soybean saw an uptick from $1163 cents per bushel to $1167 cents per bushel. Global sugar prices dropped from 15.32 cents/lb.
The prices of metals as well as minerals displayed selective strength after a number of minor corrections over the week. UK copper prices rose from $12,301/MT to $12,664/MT indicating positive trajectory overall. A rise in the aluminum price from $3,471/MT to $3,475/MT further strengthened the upward trajectory. Nickel price rose from $17,141/MT to $17,159/MT. The China iron ore price saw a slight increase from $107.02/MT to $107.40/MT. Other metals performed quite strongly. For example, lead price rose from $1,923/MT to $1,934/MT, tin from $46,873/MT to $47,484/MT and zinc from $3,240/MT to $3,306/MT.
The chemical markets have mostly maintained their upward trend. China ammonia prices saw an uptick from $387.4/MT to $394.2/MT due to steady regional demand. Methanol's price increased from $486.8/MT to $499.3/MT amid shrinking supply conditions in producing regions. Propylene prices increased from $1,284/MT to $1,353/MT. Soda ash prices moved from $175.9/MT to $176.0/MT. Benzene prices dipped marginally lower from USD 1,239/MT to USD 1,236/MT, while ethylene prices fell from USD 1,485/MT to USD 1,483/MT.
Precious metals have shown small recovery. Gold increased from $4637/oz to $4708/oz and platinum from $1955/oz to $2027/oz. Silver added $1.33 per ounce of metal during the week 15 to close at $74.03/oz of metal compared to $72.70/oz. This movement was consistent with all three metals. Hence, it indicates a shift in an investor position.
The energy markets, however, experienced marked pressure. Falling from $116.9/MT to $109.0/MT Netherlands coal prices were down substantially. European oil price dropped down from $106.3/bbl to $101.4/bbl amid eased supply-side concern. US natural gas price moved downwards, decreasing from $2.83/MMBtu to $2.73/MMBtu.
Weeks 14–15 of 2026 reflected global market fragmentation. Selective strength in chemicals and precious metals offered some encouragement, but persistent weakness across energy markets tempered the overall outlook.
