Commodities (Crude Oil & Copper) & Macro Outlook

LG Chem announced Q2 earnings on the 31st, reporting revenue of 14.1759 trillion won and operating profit of 599.6 billion won. The operating profit figure exceeded analyst consensus expectations of 410 billion won and marked a turnaround from a Q1 loss of 49.7 billion won. The company attributed th

According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, crude oil imports grew 5.9% year-on-year in June, while total petroleum product sales declined 7.9% compared to the same period last year. Gasoline sales fell 7.1% and kerosene sales dropped 14.9% year-on-year.

POSCO Argentina's lithium business recorded 11 billion won in operating profit in Q2, marking its first quarterly profit since operations began. The achievement follows the March milestone of first monthly operating profit at the 25,000-ton annual capacity Phase 1 plant completed in 2024. The

According to POSCO Holdings, the company's Argentina subsidiary recorded its first quarterly operating profit of 11 billion won on sales of 108 billion won in the second quarter of 2026, marking a turnaround from the 25,000-ton-per-year lithium brine facility that commenced operations in

According to JinLianChuang, on July 31, domestic gasoline and diesel retail prices rose by 685 yuan/ton and 655 yuan/ton respectively. The adjustment came as crude oil prices climbed, with the reference crude price averaging $88.05/barrel and the variance

According to the Bank of Japan, import prices have seen a significant year-over-year increase in recent weeks, driven by yen depreciation and sustained elevated commodity prices, particularly crude oil. The central bank attributed the acceleration in import price inflation to weakness in the

According to the WTO, Brazil initiated dispute settlement proceedings yesterday (July 30) against new U.S. tariff measures on Brazilian products imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Brazil claims the tariffs violate multiple provisions of the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Tra

According to Shanghai Baosteel, MMLC battery-grade lithium carbonate midpoint price fell to 143,350 yuan/ton today, down 1,250 yuan/ton from yesterday's 4:30 PM closing price.

SK Hynix's absence from South Korea's credit market this week caused public and corporate bond auctions to nearly disappear, with only two issuers—Korea Airports Corporation on the 27th and Small and Medium Business Corporation the previous day—proceeding with offerings. The vacuum emerged after SK

Brent crude oil declined 2% during intraday trading on July 31, falling to $85.13 per barrel.

Brent crude oil fell below $85 per barrel intraday on July 31, declining 2.60% during the trading session.

According to Yonhap Infomax, Sae-A Steel reported Q2 operating profit of 65.5 billion won (approximately $48.8 million USD equivalent) on July 31, exceeding market expectations by 19.3% and revenue by 9.9%. First-half cumulative operating profit reached 91.6 billion won, representing 93% of the

U.S. President Trump signed a measure on Thursday authorizing the government to impose export restrictions on certain industrial waste containing critical minerals and rare elements under the Defense Production Act. The measure aims to secure critical mineral supply and reduce U.S. dependence on

According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, the producer price index fell to 47.8% in July, marking the fourth consecutive monthly decline. The raw material input price index stood at 53.2%, while the nonferrous metals smelting and rolling processing sector fell below 45.0%. The purchasing v

On July 31, 2026, 01:00–01:15 (UTC), BTC surged rapidly within 15 minutes, posting a Return % of +0.72%. The price ranged from 64,725.4 to 65,432.2 USDT, with an Ampl of 1.09%. Against the backdrop of a sharp drop in US stocks amid elevated geopolitical risk, BTC showed relative resilience, rebounding more than $1,200 from intraday lows. Its 24-hour gain was about 1.95%, with clearly increasing market attention and heightened volatility. The main driver of this anomaly is a sharp spike in demand

Australia's Producer Price Index (PPI) rose to 3.6% year-on-year in the second quarter, up from 3.0% in the previous quarter.

According to Gate data, the US dollar strengthened against the Japanese yen on July 31, rising 0.65% to 160.535. Meanwhile, gold prices declined to 4,094.83 USD per ounce, down 0.26% intraday, while silver prices rose to 58.849 USD per ounce,

According to Gate data, WTI crude fell 1.4% during the trading session on July 31, with prices currently at $81.49 per barrel.

Korea Zinc is forecast to achieve a 129.76% year-over-year surge in operating profit for Q2, reaching 594.8 billion won, according to a consensus of five major securities firms compiled by Yonhap Infomax. The performance improvement is driven by silver spot prices rising to $72.9 per ounce in Q2

According to Golden Bullion Group, China's refined oil prices are set to rise as expected today (July 31). Gasoline prices increase by 685 yuan per ton, while diesel prices rise by 655 yuan per ton. In per-liter terms, 89-octane gasoline rises by 0.51 yuan, 92-octane by 0.54 yuan, 95-octane by 0.57