Energy:
1. Japan begins releasing additional national oil reserves.
2. The Argentine government announces a partial fuel tax increase in May.
3. The Iran war prompts a large number of LR2 refined oil tankers to switch to transporting crude oil.
4. Russian Deputy Prime Minister: The UAE's withdrawal from OPEC will not trigger a price war.
5. California gasoline prices surpass $6 per gallon for the first time since 2023.
6. US Department of Energy: Seeking to exchange up to 92.5 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
7. International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol reiterated that the world is facing the biggest energy crisis in history.
8. Oman crude oil's official selling price in June was $104.73 per barrel, down $19.32 from May.
9. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Novak: OPEC will assess various possibilities for supplying the global oil market at its May 3rd meeting.
10. According to an Associated Press report on the 30th, US President Trump proposed a new plan to establish a maritime alliance to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 11. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Novak: All oil shipments from Kazakhstan have been diverted from the Friendship Pipeline to other destinations; the Schweit refinery has not received any oil through this pipeline.
Precious Metals and Mining:
1. Chilean statistics agency: Chilean copper production fell 9.04% year-on-year in March.
2. Bank of America: Copper mine supplies remain tight, and we expect continued shortages this year and next.
3. Sources: India's gold imports in April are expected to fall to 15 tons, the lowest level in 30 years.
4. Citi: Maintains its gold price target unchanged, with a 0-3 month target of $4,300 and a 6-12 month target of $5,000.
5. Data shows that as of the end of March, the Reserve Bank of India held 680.05 tons of gold reserves domestically, while its total gold reserves amounted to 880.52 tons.
6. Bank of America: Raised its 2026 aluminum price forecast by 12.7% to $3,309 per ton. The forecast for aluminum prices to reach $4,000 per ton has been moved forward from the second quarter of 2027 to the fourth quarter of 2026.
