Commodities (Crude Oil & Copper) & Macro Outlook

According to CME data reported by Jin10 Futures, on August 4, precious metals and energy futures showed divergent performance. Gold trading volume reached 136,835 contracts with 372,182 open interest contracts, up 26,550 and 4,792 respectively from the prior session. Silver volume rose to 50,787 con

Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 3.34% to 66,090 points Wednesday, marking its sharpest one-day gain in weeks. Chip stocks led the rally across Asia, with SoftBank Group surging over 10%, according to CNBC. Tokyo Electron added 3.64%, Advantest gained 7%, and Kioxia rose 6.34%. South Korea's SK Hynix jumpe

The World Bank recommends the Philippines address high generation costs through competitive power contracts, faster renewable energy deployment, and improved grid infrastructure to reduce electricity bills, according to its latest Philippines Economic Update released Monday, August 3. Generation cos

According to the World Bank's report launched on August 3, Philippine residential electricity rates at $0.21 per kilowatt-hour are among the highest in Asia, exceeded only by Singapore's $0.23, and significantly higher than Thailand ($0.13), Indonesia ($0.09), and Malaysia ($0.05). The disparity per

According to Jin10, citing Al Jazeera and Iranian media, on August 5, an Iranian official stated that negotiations for an agreement with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz have been delayed due to U.S. intervention and military threats. The official said: "Iran will not reach any agreement under the

According to Jin10 Futures citing Fubao Information, spot aluminum prices rose to 23,720 yuan/ton as of August 4, up 0.94% from the previous day and 15.82% year-over-year. Key drivers include easing macro headwinds following the Federal Reserve's unchanged interest rate stance; Middle East

According to ADNOC data, retail fuel sales across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states declined 2.6% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, falling to 2.03 billion liters, primarily driven by elevated crude oil prices reducing consumer

According to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), retail fuel sales in the Gulf Cooperation Council region grew 1.7% year-over-year in the first half of 2026.

According to Yonhapinfomax, S&P 500 E-mini futures rose 0.23% to 7,786 during early Asian trading on August 6 amid easing Middle East tensions. Nasdaq-100 E-mini futures fell 0.04% to 29,850.75. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's remarks on a potential U.S.-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait o

According to Yonhapinfomax, South Korea's Bank of Korea (BOK) officials today (August 5) held differing views on inflation pressures as July consumer prices rose 2.8% year-over-year, slower than expected, while core CPI climbed 2.6% YoY—the highest in 2 years 7 months. Durable goods prices

South Korean government bond yields fell across all maturities on the morning of August 5. The decline was driven by a sharp drop in international crude oil prices, which eased concerns over consecutive interest rate hikes. The 3-year benchmark Korea Treasury Bond (KTB) yield dropped 5.6 basis

The Bank of Japan released minutes from its June 15-16 monetary policy meeting on the 5th, revealing that most committee members assessed upside risks to inflation due to persistent logistics impacts from Middle East tensions. Members identified concerns that high oil

According to its June policy meeting minutes released on August 5, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised its benchmark rate to 1.0%, the highest in 31 years, with most board members citing persistent inflation risks. The committee noted that higher crude oil prices and currency fluctuations continue to

According to Guru Club, crude oil futures fell sharply on August 5. SC crude dropped 6.01% to 504.7 yuan per barrel, low-sulfur fuel oil (LU) declined 3.82% to 4,462 yuan per ton, and fuel oil fell 3.99% to 3,319 yuan per ton.

According to Shanghai Ganglianjin, battery-grade lithium carbonate (MMLC) midday prices rose 250 yuan per tonne to 140,200 yuan per tonne today, compared to the previous day's 16:30 closing level.

According to Guru Club, the China Containerized Freight Index (European route) futures fell over 8% intraday on August 5, closing at 1652.0 points.

According to BlockBeats, on August 5, the U.S., Iran, and Oman approached finalizing a 60-day interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Under the proposed arrangement, vessels entering the Persian Gulf will transit through Iranian waters, while those departing for the Arabian Sea will use Om

According to AXIOS, the U.S. is close to reaching an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, with the announcement targeted for Wednesday.