March 18, 2026 -  

Looking at the markets ahead of remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on potential inflation risks driven by the Middle East conflict, gold prices are generally holding steady. Gold remains up about 15% this year. At the same time, copper is down a bit with a slower start to seasonal demand in China.

Mining giant BHP has a new CEO as of July 1 --Brandon Craig.   Craig replaces current CEO, Mike Henry, who will said he was moving on after the company’s failed attempt to buy Anglo American last year.  

And amidst the war in the Middle East, Asia is pivoting to coal.  With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed-and with it, access to about a fifth of the global supply of L.N.G.—utilities from Bangladesh to Pakistan, the Philippines and beyond are turning back to coal to not only ensure affordability for consumers but to keep the lights on reliably.