Darrell Fletcher - Copper’s Surge, NatGas Holding $4, and Gold’s Safe Haven Strength
Darrell Fletcher, Managing Director Commodities at Bannockburn Capital Markets joins me to share trading desk insights on the major commodity markets, copper, natural gas, oil, and gold, all moving under the weight of global trade tensions and policy uncertainty.
We begin with copper, which continues to quietly trade above $5.20/lb on COMEX, hitting all-time highs relative to the LME. Darrell highlights the widening US-global pricing gaps across copper, aluminum, and steel, all pointing to pre-tariff stockpiling and a structurally shifting US market. He notes that tariffs appear priced in almost 1:1, and the copper forward curve remains in contango, suggesting a sustained bullish structure.
On natural gas, Darrell sees a "guarded" market, with prices hovering near $4 amid disciplined supply, mild weather, and stronger-than-expected LNG demand. While storage remains 10% below the 5-year average, it’s not yet flashing a major supply crunch—but a hot summer could quickly change that balance.
Oil remains the quiet outlier, grinding below $70 with OPEC+ gradually returning supply and bearish sentiment weighing on the outlook. The $65 level is a key support zone, if broken prices could drop sharply.
Lastly, gold continues to outperform, holding above $3,000 and benefiting from growing global uncertainty and a lack of clear policy direction. Darrell notes it remains the one asset without counterparty risk, and in today’s environment, that makes it especially attractive.
