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Commodities

Commodities
Commodity market action from around the world with a focus on the commodities that matter most to investors in Hong Kong and China.
A liquefied natural gas carrier is under construction at a shipyard in Geoje, South Korea. Japan may restart domestic production of LNG carriers, aiming to break into a market dominated by South Korea and China. Photo: Getty Images
China shipbuilding

‘Not easy’: Japan mulls building its own LNG carriers amid Iran energy crisis

China and South Korea dominate global production of vessels for carrying natural gas, but Japan now sees industry as key to its energy security.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Iran war revives pandemic-era shocks – and may go further

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Hong Kong stock market

Recession fears grip markets as energy facilities under fire in Middle East

Semiconductors

Korea, Taiwan chip sectors most exposed to helium shortage amid Middle East war

South Korea and Taiwan face the highest risk as they source most of their helium from Qatar, while Japan is seen as relatively stable, Fitch says.

An LPG gas tanker is seen in Shinas, Oman, on March 11, as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Half of Indonesia is travelling for Eid as US$100 oil threatens state finances

A US$100 oil shock is ballooning fuel subsidies towards a deficit cap breach.

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Iran war shows urgency of Hong Kong’s green shipping transition

As an international maritime hub, the city must speed up green fuel bunkering and strengthen its marine war-risk insurance business.

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China-Africa relations

China’s supply chain meets the wall of African resource nationalism

As resource-rich nations introduce export bans and other limits, analyst says investment may not automatically follow.

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Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest lithium producer, abruptly suspended exports of raw lithium minerals and concentrates, moving its 2027 deadline forward. Other African nations are also finding ways to assert greater control over their raw resources. Photo: EPA-EFE
Iran

Why the Iran war marks a turning point for Gulf-Asia trade

The closure of the Middle East’s important straits – Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb – is forcing Gulf and Asian nations to explore other options.

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China stock market

Which Chinese stocks can help investors withstand Middle East war shocks?

Amid rising oil prices and risk-off sentiment, investors should look to sectors where firms have pricing power, analysts say.

War and conflict

Opinion | US-Israeli war on Iran makes a mockery of global governance rules

Inevitably, the world will be split between those committed to peace and harmony, and those who want to fight to secure dominance.

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US President Donald Trump gestures during a visit to Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, US, on March 11. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks fall further as US and Iran dig in heels amid escalating war

Stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons and threatening the Middle East is of ‘far greater interest and importance to me’, Trump says.

Hong Kong stock continued to fall on Friday. Photo: Jonathan Wong
US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | Iran war disruption just one of many threats to global markets

The danger from the Iran war cannot be assessed in isolation. Rather, it is one of several major vulnerabilities that could trigger a much sharper sell-off.

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Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks fall as oil once again trades over US$100

Brent crude rises as much as 10.5 per cent to US$101.6 a barrel even after Western nations take steps to mitigate oil prices.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran warns of US$200 oil as countries reach for emergency reserves

US president declares ‘we won’ the war as chaos in the Strait of Hormuz sends shock waves through energy markets.

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A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. Photo: AP
Germany

Germany, Japan to unblock oil reserves as G7 stands ‘ready’ to act

The latest announcement came as G7 leaders were set to discuss the widespread economic fallout from the US-Israeli war with Iran.

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Surplus gas is burnt off in a crude oil processing plant in Germany. The German and Japanese governments will free up some of their national oil reserves. Photo: dpa
Japan

Japan to release oil reserves as early as Monday

It will release 15 days’ worth of private reserves and a month’s worth of national reserves.

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2026 Trump-Xi summit

Exclusive | Could China’s rare earth supplies dictate how long US strikes on Iran go on?

The American military’s dependence on Chinese sources gives Beijing leverage in the lead-up to Trump’s trip, sources say.

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China trade

China’s oil-import surge seen shielding economy with 120-day buffer

Crude volumes rose sharply in January and February as Beijing amassed reserves, pre-empting Mideast risks, and analysts say it provides a strong buffer for global supply disruptions.

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A crude oil tanker is guided to a berth at a terminal in China’s Shandong province on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks rebound after oil falls as Trump says Iran war could end soon

US objectives in Iran are ‘pretty well complete’ but the war could continue if Tehran attempted to stop global oil supplies, Trump says.

China energy security

China vows to stabilise oil and gas output in new 5-year plan amid global risks

Amid Mideast instability and US$100 oil, China is mapping out strategic production bases, underpinning long-term energy security.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Superpower contest puts Iran, Panama, Venezuela and Greenland on one map

When one crisis touches canal access, another hits crude and a third touches the Strait of Hormuz, it is hard to call these a coincidence.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, speak at a press conference on US military action in Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington on March 2. Photo: AFP
India

India’s 30-day Russian oil waiver comes with a steep US price tag

Washington has granted New Delhi a brief waiver for stranded Russian crude – but expects it to ramp up American oil purchases in return.

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, India, on December 5, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Reuters
Energy

Oil above US$100 may persist as Goldman warns rally not over

Investors brace for prolonged disruption after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude to levels unseen since the 2022 energy shock.

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Why Hong Kong could be the next global hub for gold trading

If commodity pricing becomes the next frontier of US-China financial competition, Hong Kong could find itself at the heart of that evolution.

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China trade

Iran war fallout grows as China struggles to import vital fertiliser chemical

Supplies of sulphur – a key fertiliser ingredient – are tightening in China just as the spring planting season begins.

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Smoke rises above buildings in Tehran after air strikes on March 1. The escalating conflict in the Middle East is leading to tight supplies of sulphur in China. Photo: Getty Images
China's economic recovery

Stagflation risk emerges amid Mideast oil crisis, clouds China’s economic battle

While rising energy costs from war in Iran may briefly aid China’s deflation battle, analysts warn how oil price spike could threaten nation’s fragile economic rebound.

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A worker fills up a car at a petrol station in China’s Shandong province. A prominent economist said rising oil prices amid Middle East tensions could lead to stagflation in China. Photo: Getty Images
US, Israel war on Iran

Global stock sell-off slams Wall Street as oil prices leap on Iran war woes

The Dow ended down 403 points, after plunging over 1,200 earlier in the day.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | US war on Iran isn’t likely to go as planned

US war planners have overlooked viewing their adversary through realpolitik in the past. They now face a far more organised opponent.

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