Commodity

Coal India reported June-quarter net profit of ₹8,850 crore, up 0.7% year on year, even as expenses rose 27% to ₹3,260 crore. The company attributed the cost increase to higher spending on explosives and oil and lubricants linked to the West Asia conflict. Coal output fell 7.5% to 169.63 million tonnes, while offtake rose to 197.86 million tonnes. Coal India also declared an interim dividend of ₹5.50 per equity share.

CCL Products (India) reported net profit of ₹116.8 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, up 61.3% year on year. Revenue from operations rose 13.7% to ₹1,200 crore, while EBITDA increased 21.8% to ₹193.5 crore and the EBITDA margin improved to 16.1%. The company said coffee prices are down about 20% from last year and expectations of a better Brazil crop are easing raw material cost pressures. Under its cost-plus model, it tracks EBITDA per kilogram as a key metric and said lower coffee prices support profitability.

U.S. cotton futures extended early losses on Monday morning, with the most-active contracts down more than 100 points. Export Sales data show 2025/26 export sales have reached 102% of the USDA full-year projection with only two reporting weeks left, indicating effective global supplies are largely exhausted. Speculative net long positions rose to 53,209 contracts, even as nearby prices accelerated lower, suggesting tight spot-market conditions are feeding pressure into the futures curve.

Hindustan Zinc reported stronger-than-expected FY27 first-quarter results, helped by firm realised zinc and silver prices and record-low unit costs, with zinc cost falling to US$851 per tonne. Several brokerages raised target prices and earnings estimates, including HSBC lifting its target to ₹770 while IIFL kept a ₹722 target and Nuvama pointed to ongoing zinc-price support. The results also provide near-term fundamental confirmation for spot and futures markets in zinc and silver.

Gold prices in Pakistan jumped in a single session, with 24-karat gold rising Rs4,000 per tola to Rs431,736 and 10 grams gaining Rs3,430 to Rs370,143. The move followed a $40-per-ounce increase in international prices to $4,093, in line with Pakistan’s pricing mechanism that sets local rates at $20 per ounce above the global benchmark. The report also notes that earlier declines in international prices were mirrored in the domestic market, underscoring the pass-through mechanism.

Private equity-backed US shale assets are being sold at a faster clip, highlighted by Kayne Anderson and Warburg Pincus agreeing to sell WildFire Energy to Magnolia Oil & Gas for about $4.1bn. Matador Resources also agreed to buy EnCap-backed Paloma Permian for $1.3bn. The deals are concentrated in core areas such as Eagle Ford and the Delaware basin, involving hundreds of thousands of net acres and tens of thousands of barrels of oil equivalent per day. The pace has exceeded expectations and reflects buyers’ willingness to ascribe higher values to upstream assets in a higher-price environment.

Meta has left the RE100 renewable-energy initiative as it ramps up investment in natural gas power to support AI-driven expansion of its data centers, including agreements tied to 10 plants in Louisiana totaling 7.5GW and a 200MW project in Ohio. The company still says it will match 100% of its annual electricity use with clean and renewable energy, but its near-term demand is increasingly being met by gas generation. The International Energy Agency projects that natural gas and coal will supply more than 40% of the additional electricity demand from data centers through 2030.

WTI crude oil futures fell exactly 3.12% to USD 89.31 per barrel on July 24, 2026 after reports that China was pushing to restart U.S.-Iran peace talks. Read the daily analysis of WTI crude oil's supply-risk outlook, momentum risk and key technical levels.

Brent crude oil futures fell exactly 3.88% to USD 96.78 per barrel on July 24, 2026 after reports that China was pushing to restart U.S.-Iran peace talks. Read the daily analysis of Brent crude oil's supply-risk outlook, momentum risk and key technical levels.

The expansion of AI computing is testing ESG investment frameworks as big tech’s data center buildout drives up energy use and emissions, prompting some sustainable funds to reassess positions. Microsoft reported a 25 per cent year-on-year rise in total emissions linked mainly to its data centre infrastructure expansion, alongside changes to its approach to renewable energy certificates. At least 74 natural gas-fired power plants are planned across the US to meet projected AI power demand, with estimated annual pollution comparable to Australia, according to Morningstar’s Kenneth Lamont in comments to Sustainable Views.