Commodity Compass Newsletter Weeks 22-23, 2026
During Weeks 22 and 23 of 2026, global commodity markets experienced diverse price movements, marked by notable gains in metals and energy, continued weakness across most grains and precious metals, and mixed adjustments within soft commodities and chemicals.
Food and beverage commodities
Food and beverage commodities displayed widespread variation across categories.
- Beef prices in the US fell from $468.0/lb to $465.3/lb.
- Chicken prices in the US rose from $125.0/lb to $125.2/lb.
- Cocoa prices in the UK fell from GBP 3,086/MT to GBP 3,018/MT.
- Coconut oil prices in Europe dropped from $2,073/MT to $1,979/MT.
- Coffee prices in the UK went down from $3,370/MT to $3,300/MT.
- Maize prices in the US continued to fall from 453.1 cents/bushel to 432.4 cents/bushel.
- Wheat prices in the US dropped from 623.1 cents/bushel to 592.3 cents/bushel.
- Soybeans prices in the US fell from 1,188 cents/bushel to 1,152 cents/bushel.
- Soybean meal prices in the US dropped from $330.8/MT to $320.1/MT.
- Rice prices in the US fell from $12.84/CWT to $12.50/CWT.
- Soybean oil prices in the US increased from 76.0 cents/lb to 77.8 cents/lb.
- Palm oil prices in China came back from $1,371/MT to $1,395/MT.
- Sugar prices globally rose from 14.17 cents/lb to 14.34 cents/lb.
Metals and minerals
Metals and minerals demonstrated strong momentum, recovering robustly across light and base metals.
- Copper prices in the UK increased from $13,631/MT to $13,863/MT.
- Aluminium prices in the UK rose from $3,664/MT to $3,715/MT.
- Tin prices in the UK rose rapidly from $54,793/MT to $55,860/MT.
- Lead prices in the UK went up from $2,020/MT to $2,024/MT.
- Zinc prices in the UK went up from $3,537/MT to $3,590/MT.
- Nickel prices in the UK fell slightly from $18,957/MT to $18,902/MT.
Chemical markets
Chemical markets remained largely subdued with selective recoveries.
- Ethylene prices in China decreased from $1,087/MT to $1,073/MT.
- Benzene prices dropped from $1,174/MT to $1,127/MT.
- Propylene prices decreased from $1,332/MT to $1,330/MT.
- Soda ash prices decreased from $175.8/MT to $173.6/MT.
- Ammonia prices dropped from $348.4/MT to $348.0/MT.
- Caustic soda prices increased from $91.1/MT to $91.5/MT.
- Methanol prices increased from $462.1/MT to $471.0/MT.
Precious metals
Precious metals faced ongoing downward pressure.
- Gold prices in the US slipped from $4,518/t.oz to $4,463/t.oz.
- Platinum prices in the US dropped from $1,941/t.oz to $1,903/t.oz.
- Silver prices in the US fell from $76.04/t.oz to $73.85/t.oz.
Energy market
The overall energy market showed signs of recovery and the upward trend was maintained.
- Coal prices in the Netherlands shot up from $112.4/MT to $137.1/MT.
- Natural gas prices in the US gained from $3.13/MMBtu to $3.26/MMBtu.
- Crude oil prices in Europe recovered from $95.2/barrel to $95.9/barrel.
Overall, Weeks 22-23 of 2026 were defined by solid gains in energy, thermal coal, and base metals, contrasted by persistent weakness in precious metals, primary grains, and petrochemical benchmarks.