Market Prices on April 25, 2025
25-04-2025
Global Commodity Market News
U.S. Dollar Index (DXY00) dropped by 0.98% on Monday, reaching its lowest level in three years. The dollar faced a sharp sell-off during the day as a new crisis of confidence in the currency emerged.
The Leading Economic Index in the U.S. for early March declined by 0.7% from the previous month, falling short of the forecasted 0.5% drop. This marks the largest decrease in the last 17 months.
The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) decided to keep its benchmark lending rates unchanged: the one-year loan prime rate remains at 3.10%, while the five-year rate holds steady at 3.60%.
Key Commodity Group Updates:
Metals
The gold market surged to a record high above $3,400/oz as a weakening U.S. dollar and rising economic uncertainties stemming from U.S.-China trade tensions drove demand for safe-haven assets. Spot gold on the LBMA rose by 2.7% to $3,417.62/oz, while June 2025 futures gained 2.9% to $3,425.30/oz.
Iron ore prices on the Dalian Exchange climbed due to short-term demand and the weak dollar, despite ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. May 2025 iron ore futures on the Dalian Exchange increased 1.27% to 715.5 CNY/ton (98.15 USD/ton), while Singapore futures rose 1.69% to 99.15 USD/ton.
The U.S. dollar has reached its lowest point in three years as investor confidence in the U.S. economy wanes following remarks from President Donald Trump regarding Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The dollar’s weakness has made gold more appealing, with prices having risen over $700/oz since the beginning of 2025.
Energy
Oil prices dropped by more than 2% due to positive signals in U.S.-Iran negotiations and hopes to curb the negative impacts of tariffs on fuel demand. By the end of trading on April 21, Brent crude fell $1.70 to $66.26/barrel, while WTI slipped $1.60 to $63.08/barrel.
During negotiations, the U.S. and Iran agreed to begin addressing obstacles to a potential nuclear consensus, according to Iran’s Foreign Minister. Meanwhile, OPEC+—including major producers such as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies like Russia—plans to increase output by 411,000 barrels per day starting May 2025.
Natural gas prices in the U.S. dropped 7% to a five-month low due to record-high production, milder weather, and lower-than-expected demand in the upcoming two weeks. May 2025 natural gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 22.9 cents to $3.016 per mmBTU.
