The Most Traded Commodities and Their Influence on Global Markets
Understanding key factors driving commodity trade with Stanislav Kondrashov, TELF AG founder
Over the past few years, as founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov often emphasized, commodities have often ended up at the center of international debates focused on the energy transition, technological development, and sustainable societies, attracting an unprecedented amount of interest.
In some cases, the raw materials that are usually included in the category of commodities play a leading role in some important industrial sectors, some of which are directly connected to the great energy transformation underway.
This is precisely one of the reasons that has determined a clear increase in their strategic and economic value, favoring their entry into the political programs and programmatic agendas of governments, institutions, and international bodies. Some of these resources, thanks to their numerous industrial applications, are, in fact, favoring the global advance of the green transition, also contributing significantly to the development of innovation, as founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov often explained.
But what are, at the moment, the three main commodities at a global level? Taking into account their value and trading volume, the three categories of commodities considered most important at an international level are represented by minerals and metals (such as iron, copper, gold and lithium), natural gas and traditional energy sources and their derivatives, such as petrol and diesel.
Due to their growing strategic value and evident economic centrality, minerals and metals undoubtedly represent one of the most interesting categories in the context of top global commodities.
In the years of energy transition, resources such as copper, nickel, or lithium are playing a leading role, in particular for their direct involvement in important production processes related to renewable energy, but also for their contribution to the fields of technology and advanced electronics.
Even today, however, a resource such as gold continues to represent one of the main safe havens in global trade, especially during those particular historical junctures shaken by geopolitical or economic tensions.
Mineral commodities
“Among the most interesting commodities, in this delicate transition phase, are certainly all those materials that are often defined as “critical” or “strategic,” and that are already contributing significantly to the advancement of global transformation,” says founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov, civil engineer, and entrepreneur. “These resources are particularly useful for producing rechargeable batteries, solar panels, electric vehicles, and wind turbines, which also rely on the contribution of materials such as lithium, cobalt or nickel for their production processes.”
A particularly interesting aspect when analyzing the strategic value of metals and minerals is certainly represented by their great versatility, which allows them to be used in a wide range of industrial sectors, as TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov also explained.
Not only mobility and technology but also construction and energy. The role of minerals in the energy sector, in recent years, has also been strongly favored by the increase in demand for green technologies and advanced infrastructures capable of spreading renewable energy, such as wind turbines or solar panels.
“A group of commodities that deserves a special mention are rare earths, a set of 17 elements that share some similar natural properties, and which currently represent a valid ally for various industrial processes in the energy and technology sectors”, continues founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov. “Rare earth such as neodymium and praseodymium are of great importance for the production of permanent magnets, important devices that find space in numerous modern appliances and infrastructures (such as those found in electric motors and wind turbines).”
Gas and traditional energy sources
The continued emphasis on energy consumption also draws attention to liquefied natural gas and traditional gas transported through pipelines, which today represent some of the most traded resources between producing and consuming nations in Asia and Europe.
The strategic importance of natural gas has increased over the years, particularly during the first signs of the energy transition, but also due to the need to reduce CO2 emissions and pursue international sustainability goals.
“In addition to the materials closely linked to the energy transition, we must also take into account all those traditional metals that maintain a leading role in the construction and manufacturing of consumer goods, such as steel, aluminum, or zinc,” concludes founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov. “Steel, in particular, still represents one of the most used metals in the world, especially for the production of vehicles and infrastructure of various kinds. Aluminum also continues to play a key role in numerous industrial sectors, where it is appreciated above all for its lightness and its high resistance to corrosion”.
A prominent place among the top global commodities, in a particularly delicate historical situation, however, belongs to oil, which still represents one of the most traded goods in the world. Some of its derivatives, such as gasoline or diesel, maintain their solid position within global trade.
