Nasdaq Commodities

Suedzucker, Europe's largest sugar producer, gave an upbeat outlook for its new financial year with a stronger EU sugar market expected to improve its performance.

Chilean miner SQM, the world's No. 2 producer of lithium, said on Wednesday its sales volumes of the battery metal had jumped 180% in the first quarter on rising demand from the electric vehicle industry, prompting it to fast-track existing expansion plans in Chile's lithium-rich Atacama salt flat.

Malaysian long-haul budget airline AirAsia X Bhd reported a record loss for the first three months of the year and its eighth quarterly loss in a row as the coronavirus pandemic devastated demand for air travel.

Indonesia's state oil company PT Pertamina expects to invest $92 billion in the period from last year to 2024, its chief executive said on Thursday, as the country seeks to rely less on energy imports and rein in its current account deficit.

Copper prices rose on Thursday as a softer dollar and worries about a strike in Chile spurred purchases, but plans by top consumer China to manage the supply, demand and prices of commodities capped gains.

Mining and trading company Glencore and other miners are joining forces with battery material supplier Umicore to make the cobalt used in electric cars traceable using blockchain technology, they said in a statement.

Italian fashion group OTB does not rule out further acquisitions after buying German label Jil Sander earlier this year, its founder and Chairman Renzo Rosso said on Thursday, adding he saw more opportunities as a result of the pandemic.

South Africa's biggest food producer Tiger Brands will launch a venture capital fund to invest in food and beverage start ups, with initial allocation of less than 100 million rand ($7.09 million), CEO Noel Doyle said on Thursday.

The global zinc market surplus narrowed in March to 2,100 tonnes from a revised surplus of 56,900 tonnes the previous month, data from the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) showed.

A decade ago, private equity couldn't get enough of plastic packaging. They snapped up companies making bags, films and trays to contain everything from food and fashion to drink to drugs, drawn by reliable cash flows and consolidation prospects.

Indonesia's exports racked up their strongest rise in 11 years in April, boosted by a surge in prices of key commodities such as palm oil and copper, though the unexpectedly robust figure is not expected to change the central bank's policy settings.

Malaysia's Sime Darby Plantation on Thursday reported a higher first-quarter net profit due to improved production of palm fruit bunches and better palm oil prices, although it expects prices to ease in the second half of 2021.

Malaysian palm oil futures slipped on Thursday, extending falls from the previous session as rival oils weakened, although cargo surveyor data showing stronger May 1-20 exports limited losses.

British airline easyJet said it would fly about 15% of its pre-pandemic schedule in its third-quarter, with an expectation it would increase capacity from June onwards, after posting a first-half loss of 701 million pounds ($990 million).

A global aluminium producer has offered Japanese buyers premiums of $185 per tonne for July-September primary metal shipments, up 24-25% from the current quarter, two sources directly involved in quarterly pricing talks said on Thursday.

South Africa's biggest food producer Tiger Brands said on Thursday half-year profit rose by 21%, supported by strong revenue growth in the first quarter and resumed an interim dividend of 320 cents a share.

Swiss duty free retailer Dufry reported on Thursday a 67% plunge in underlying first-quarter turnover to 460.3 million Swiss francs ($510 million), hit by travel restrictions to counter the pandemic.

China's soybean imports from Brazil surged in April from the previous month, customs data showed on Thursday, amid the arrival of cargoes that were ordered earlier in the year but delayed after rain hit the Brazilian crop.

Australia is looking into delays in table grape exports to China, with Trade Minister Dan Tehan saying about 20% of fruit shipped to the mainland is stuck at the border in yet another sign of deteriorating relations.

Indonesia's exports racked up their strongest rise in 11 years in April, boosted by surging prices of key commodities such as palm oil and coal, data from the statistics bureau showed on Thursday as they beat analysts' expectations.