Commodity Compass Newsletter Weeks 16–17, 2026
During Weeks 16 and 17 of 2026, the global commodity markets went through another phase of mixed trading, where certain categories experienced recovery and the prices of other categories weakened due to changes in demand and supply dynamics. Price movement during the period was determined by the industrial consumption dynamics and balance of inventories.
Prices in the food and beverage category were erratic. While US chicken prices rose from $119.8/lb to $121.8/lb, US beef prices decreased slightly from $438.7/lb to $438.4/lb. On the other hand, the price of cocoa in the UK dropped from GBP 2,501/MT to GBP 2,491/MT. Additionally, European coconut oil prices began to decline from $2,316/MT to $2,288/MT. In contrast, the price of coffee in the UK went up from $3,322/MT to $3,422/MT.
In the United States, the cost of a bushel of maize rose from $446.4 to $462.5 cents. The prices of palm oil in China saw a drastic surge from $1,346/MT to $1,394/MT. In the United States, rice prices went from $10.86 to $10.99 per CWT. The cost of soybean meal went from $332.1/MT to $323.2/MT, while soybean oil prices also went up from $67.6 to $70.9 cents/lb and soybean prices surged from 1,164 to 1,166 cents per bushel. International sugar prices dropped from $13.79 to $13.83 cents/lb.
The metals and mining sector saw a huge improvement. Aluminum fell from $3,606/MT to $3,588/MT but UK copper rose from $13,252/MT to $13,319/MT. Nickel’s price rose sharply from $18,059/MT to $18,540/MT. Iron ore cost increased from $106.83/MT to $107.08/MT in China. Lead price rose from $1,950/MT to $1,968/MT. Zinc prices increased from $3,384/MT to $3,455/MT. Similarly, tin prices rose from $49,476/MT to $50,232/MT.
The prices in the chemical sector remained more or less stable, but few price fluctuations were observed. Ammonia prices in China decreased from $427.1/MT to $420.2/MT. Benzene prices decreased from $1,239/MT to $1,236/MT. While ethylene prices dropped from $1,459/MT to $1,405/MT, caustic soda prices dropped from $106.1/MT to $100.8/MT. Methanol prices dropped from $488.6/MT to $476.8/MT. Prices for soda ash went up from $176.1/MT to $177.5/MT and propylene prices increased from $1,342/MT to $1,346/MT.
The precious metals section also witnessed some volatility. Gold prices fell from $4,799/oz to $4,735/oz. Platinum prices fell from $2,098/oz to $2,047/oz and silver fell from $78.70/oz to $77.10/oz.
Similarly, the energy market saw volatility throughout these two weeks. The price of Netherlands coal has fallen from $103.5/MT to $102.3/MT. In contrast, the price of European crude oil increased from $95.8/bbl to $101.3/bbl due to expected restricted supplies. The price of US natural gas increased marginally, from $2.63 to $2.65/MMBtu.
Overall, Weeks 16-17 of 2026 represented a mixed commodity environment, with increased movement in selected food commodities, broad increases in metals, moderate corrections in precious metals, and inconsistent developments across chemicals and energy markets.
