Commodity Compass Weekly

Kevin Warsh held his first press conference as Chair of the Federal Reserve, and he used the debut to push back against the market's expectation of summer rate cuts. The read coming out of that room was unmistakably hawkish — a Fed in no hurry to ease, signaling that it intends to keep policy tight until it is convinced the inflation fight is finished. The dollar firmed in response, real yields pressed higher, and the rate-sensitive corners of the commodity complex — precious metals first and foremost — took the brunt of it. Gold, silver, and platinum all closed the week lower.

This week’s commodity story came in two acts.Act one: Wednesday, April 8th. President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, with Tehran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a condition. Act two: the breakdown. The ceasefire began unraveling almost immediately. Pakistan’s Prime Minister announced it covered all fronts including Lebanon — Trump and Netanyahu disagreed publicly. Iran announced tolls of more than one million dollars per ship through the Strait.

This week’s commodity story came down to three data points, and none of them were bullish for a resolution. Iran’s IRGC turned back two Chinese-flagged vessels — CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean — owned by China’s state shipping giant, less than 48 hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi publicly promised safe passage to ships from five friendly nations, China among them. That promise lasted two days. Washington postponed — again. President Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power plants, pushing the threat out to April 6th. And finally, White House proposals went nowhere.

This week, commodity markets traded under the shadow of a single question: what happens if the Strait of Hormuz becomes a battlefield? After last week’s U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, the story shifted from the initial shock to the consequences. Through the week, Iran stepped up threats against shipping lanes in the Gulf while the U.S. and its allies moved additional naval assets into the region, forcing energy markets to constantly reassess the risk of supply disruption.

This was a week where volatility wasn’t random — it had a trigger. The release of the Citrini report sent shockwaves through high-multiple tech names, reigniting questions around valuation, liquidity sensitivity, and just how fragile the AI-led equity rally might be. That pressure in growth stocks quickly bled into broader risk sentiment, and by midweek the tape felt defensive rather than euphoric. At the same time, rhetoric toward Iran turned sharply hawkish, with clear U.S. military positioning into the weekend raising the risk premium across global markets. The combination of tech instability and geopolitical escalation created a classic rotation trade — capital moved out of momentum equities and into hard assets. Safe-haven demand in gold and silver built steadily throughout the week, not in a panic spike, but in persistent accumulation.

This week, commodities traded in a market that was recalibrating fast. U.S. inflation data came in cooler than expected, reinforcing the disinflation trend and sending Treasury yields lower across the curve. That drop in rates, paired with a generally weaker U.S. dollar, created a supportive backdrop for hard assets and rate-sensitive commodities. Broadly speaking, the commodity complex leaned constructive — with precious metals finding a bid and energy stabilizing — even as volatility remained elevated.

This week was defined by a violent correction in precious metals, with both gold and silver pulling back hard after months of relentless upside, as profit-taking, a stronger U.S. dollar, and shifting rate expectations triggered one of the largest weekly drawdowns we’ve seen this cycle. A major macro headline hanging over markets was the growing buzz that Kevin Warsh is President Trump’s preferred pick for the next Fed Chair — a nomination viewed as more hawkish and more market-discipline focused, which pushed yields higher and cooled some of the easy-money narrative that had fueled metals. At the same time, the U.S. dollar staged a notable rebound, snapping a multi-week slide and creating mechanical pressure across the entire commodity complex.

This week’s commodity price action was defined by a dramatic mix of geopolitical risk and shifting macro data that set the tone early — only for sentiment to fade into Friday’s close. Markets opened the week with heightened tensions in Iran, including new confrontations and sanctions headlines that briefly lifted energy and safe-haven commodities on fears of supply disruption in the Middle East. That geopolitical risk premium was amplified by mixed macro data out of the U.S. — where inflation readings showed persistent stickiness even as jobs data remained softer than expected — leaving traders conflicted about the path for policy and growth.

Commodity markets were genuinely mixed this week as a new batch of U.S. economic data exposed growing discrepancies in inflation signals, complicating expectations for monetary policy in 2026. While headline CPI and PPI continued to cool, components tied to shelter, services, and food prices remained sticky—keeping real-asset investors cautious rather than aggressive. Markets also reacted to renewed headlines around Venezuelan oil flows, as U.S. officials signaled flexibility on enforcement amid broader energy-security concerns, weighing on crude but supporting downstream inflation narratives. The metals were the big outperformers this week, while energy continued to show weakness and agriculture was mixed.

Hopes for a December rate cut from the Federal Reserve (given soft inflation and weak hiring trends) buoyed non-yielding assets, but the broader tone remained cautious as traders weighed soft demand against still-ample supply. The result: demand-sensitive commodities — base metals, energy and industrial minerals — came under pressure, while safe-haven assets saw sporadic bouts of interest.

It was a volatile week across global markets as the U.S. government shutdown finally ended, but worries about growth, stretched tech valuations, and policy uncertainty kept investors cautious. Commodities traded defensively ... gold and silver fluctuated on shifting Fed expectations, while platinum, palladium, and copper softened on weak demand signals from China. Matt Geiger of MJG Capital joined the KE Report to discuss the precious metals correction and outlook. In energy, oil edged higher after a Russian export terminal attack, natural gas spiked on cold-weather forecasts, and coal prices rebounded on stronger Chinese and European buying. Agriculture markets saw wild swings following a bearish USDA report, with traders bracing for more volatility into year-end.Click here to listen to all the Clear Commodity podcasts

The headlines this week were dominated by politics and trade: In Argentina’s mid-term elections, Javier Milei’s party secured a decisive win, boosting market confidence in Argentina’s reform agenda, lifting the peso, and energizing investment-interest in Latin American mining and agricultural export sectors. At the same time, the United States and China announced a trade truce: China agreed to resume large-scale U.S. soybean purchases and to delay expanded rare-earth export controls, while the U.S. offered tariff reprieves in exchange. For commodity markets this cell of events meant a dual-push: agricultural commodities — especially soybeans and grains — received a bid on the promise of eased trade friction, while metals and strategic minerals felt renewed focus on supply-chain geopolitics and investment flows.

This week, the dominant headline driving the metals and broader markets was again the escalating U.S.–China battle over rare earth export controls. Beijing unveiled its most aggressive export restrictions yet — expanding the list of controlled elements from seven to twelve, adding rules on processing equipment and forcing exporters to apply for licenses. In Washington, U.S. officials blasted the move as a “global supply-chain power grab,” with Trade Representative Greer calling on China to roll back the curbs. China, in turn, accused the U.S. of stoking panic and distortion, rejecting Washington’s calls to unwind the restrictions. The metals complex had a strong week, until a Friday correction. Energy remained mixed, and grains found a slight rebound.