A better future for Russian coal?
The period of record growth for thermal coal has apparently come to an end, with Newcastle coal futures, the benchmark for Asia’s coal-consuming region, plummeting 59.2% YTD, from $393 to $160 per tonne, the lowest level since January 2022.
An interrupted friendship
After banning seaborne crude imports from Russia, the European Commission is now considering further restrictions on Russian supplies as part of a new package of sanctions, this time targeted at the Druzhba pipeline.
Lithium taking a nosedive
After skyrocketing to a record CNY 597,500 a tonne in 2002, the price of lithium carbonate in China continues to decline, from CNY 519,500 in January to CNY 165,500 in April this year, down around 68%.