Commodities Update — Gold falls; Grains rise; Copper retreats from 8-week high

Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures jumped on Friday on concerns about hot and dry weather reducing US yields. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 28 August 2022
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Commodities Update — Gold falls; Grains rise; Copper retreats from 8-week high

RIYADH: Gold fell over 1 percent on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in his speech at Jackson Hole said the US economy needed a tight monetary policy until inflation was under control.

Spot gold fell 1.17 percent to $1,738.14 per ounce. US gold futures settled 1.2 percent lower at $1,749.80.

Silver drops

Spot silver dropped 1.83 percent to $18.90 per ounce.

Platinum fell 2.29 percent to $866.96, while palladium went down 1.95 percent to $2,108.87.

Grains up

Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures jumped on Friday on concerns about hot and dry weather reducing US yields.

The most-active CBOT corn contract ended up 14-1/4 cents at $6.64-1/4 a bushel. 

CBOT soybeans settled up 30 cents at $14.61-1/4 a bushel, while wheat rose 16-1/4 cents to $8.05-1/4 a bushel.

Copper retreats 

Copper prices pulled back on Friday after touching their highest in nearly two months after the head of the US Federal Reserve doubled down on more interest rate hikes and warned that it would be painful.

Earlier, copper and aluminum prices had shot up on worries over an energy crisis hitting output while supply is tight and inventories low.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange gained as much as 2.3 percent to $8,316 a ton, its highest since June 30, before paring gains to $8,160.

Copper prices have rebounded 17 percent since touching 20-month lows on July 15, but are still down 25 percent from a record peak scaled in March.

LME zinc added 0.8 percent to $3,575 a ton, lead rose 0.6 percent to $1,987.50 and tin gained 0.6 percent to $24,460, but nickel shed 0.4 percent to $21,600.

(With input from Reuters)


Saudi Maaden reports 156% profit surge to $2bn on strong commodity prices, record production

Updated 05 March 2026
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Saudi Maaden reports 156% profit surge to $2bn on strong commodity prices, record production

RIYADH: Saudi mining and metals company Maaden has reported a 156 percent jump in its net profit attributable to shareholders for 2025, driven by higher commodity prices, record production volumes, and a one-off bargain purchase gain.

The state-backed giant posted a net profit of SR7.35 billion ($1.95 billion) for the full year 2025, an increase from SR2.87 billion in the previous year. The firm’s revenue surged by 19 percent to SR38.58 billion, up from SR32.55 billion in 2024.

This comes as Saudi Arabia steps up efforts to expand its mining sector as a pillar of economic diversification, encouraging international participation and private investment to unlock the Kingdom’s estimated $2.5 trillion in untapped mineral resources under Vision 2030.    

In a statement on Tadawul, the company said: “Performance was led by record phosphate production, near record aluminum production, an increase in all three of Maaden’s main output commodity prices.”

The performance was also fueled by a 60 percent increase in gross profit, which reached SR14.79 billion. In its annual results announcement, Maaden attributed the top-line growth to “higher commodity market prices for phosphate, aluminum and gold business units,” as well as increased sales volumes in its phosphate and aluminum segments. This was partially offset by slightly lower sales volume in the gold unit.

Maaden’s CEO, Bob Wilt, hailed 2025 as a transformative year for the company, marked by strategic growth and operational excellence. “This was a great year for Maaden’s strategic growth. We delivered strong financial results and sustained operational excellence across the business,” he said in a statement.

“This was driven by growth in production across all businesses, including record-breaking DAP (di-ammonium phosphatevolumes), disciplined cost control across and a clear commitment to our role as a cornerstone of the Saudi economy,” Wilt added.

Profitability was further bolstered by an increased share of net profit from joint ventures and an associate. This included a one-off bargain purchase gain of SR768 million related to Maaden’s investment in Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. The company also benefited from lower finance costs.

The fourth quarter of 2025 was strong, with Maaden swinging to a net profit of SR1.67 billion, compared to a loss of SR106 million in the same period of the prior year. Quarterly revenue rose 7 percent to SR10.64 billion.

The firm achieved record production of di-ammonium phosphate, reaching 6.72 million tonnes for the year, a 9 percent increase. Aluminum production remained near-record levels, while the company added a net 7.8 million ounces to its reportable gold mineral resources through discovery and resource development.

The phosphate division saw sales jump 17 percent to SR20.77 billion, with the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization margin expanding to 47 percent. The aluminum business reported a 9 percent increase in sales to SR10.99 billion, with EBITDA more than doubling in the fourth quarter.

Looking ahead, Wilt emphasized that the pace of growth will accelerate as the company advances key initiatives, including the Phosphate 3 Phase 1 and Ar Rjum projects, which remain on budget and schedule. Maaden has also secured a gas supply for its future Phosphate 4 project.

“This pace of growth will only accelerate. Not only as we advance projects and increase the scale of our exploration program, but as we continue to grow production and implement technology that will further modernize, streamline and unlock value,” Wilt added.

Earnings per share for the year rose sharply to SR1.91, up from SR0.78 in 2024. Total shareholders’ equity increased by 18.7 percent to SR61.59 billion.