Inspired by the Atlas of Global Commodity Flows (Claude & justtinkering.me, 2026, CC BY-NC 4.0), which showed how a map of commodity flows and chokepoints, with guided stories, can explain the world economy. Commodity Radar takes up that idea with its own code, data and stories, and adds the daily news, macro, the economic calendar and the market brief.
Enhanced with AI agents: a daily market watch reads the news each morning and feeds the pins, the policy rates and the calendar, always with its sources.
Data sources and limits
Production. Most figures are for 2025. Metals: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (2025 estimates). Wheat, soybeans and coffee: USDA PSD, 2025/26 crop. LNG: IGU World LNG Report 2026 for the three largest exporters. Still 2024: crude oil, natural gas and coal production (the 2025 country tables of the Energy Institute were not available to us yet) and semiconductors (Taiwan has not reported its 2025 trade to UN Comtrade). Uranium uses 2022 figures from the World Nuclear Association. The line under each commodity gives its year and source.
Routes. Two to ten main export flows per commodity, not every flow. Solid lines go by sea, long dashes by rail or road, dash-dot lines by pipeline, and dotted lines are gold flown to refining and vaulting hubs (Switzerland, London, Dubai, Hong Kong). The map shows the eight largest flows by default; "All routes" shows the rest. Clicking a route gives its source. Where flows between Asia and Europe can use Suez or the Cape, both are drawn and the split is an estimate. Values marked ≈ are orders of magnitude; the others were checked against customs or agency data for 2024. Tracks are simplified for a world map.
Top importers. Mostly 2025, from UN Comtrade, the United Nations database of customs declarations, one stated product code per commodity (a metal crosses borders in several forms, so each list covers one form only). Wheat, soybeans and coffee come from USDA (2025/26). Lists stay on 2024 where large importers have not yet declared their 2025 trade (aluminium, lithium, copper, gold, silver, semiconductors, natural gas); the line under each list gives its year. Values marked ≈ are orders of magnitude.
Trade by commodity (country card). Exports and imports of each country in 2024, in US dollars, as declared by the country to UN Comtrade. Product codes: copper ores and refined copper (2603, 7403); aluminium 7601; nickel ores and unwrought nickel (2604, 7502); lithium carbonate and hydroxide (283691, 282520); cobalt ores, intermediates and oxides (2605, 810520, 282200); iron ore 2601; gold 7108; silver 7106; bauxite 2606; crude oil 2709; LNG 271111; natural gas by pipeline 271121; coal and lignite (2701, 2702); uranium ores 2612; wheat 1001; soybeans 1201; coffee 0901; integrated circuits 8542. Re-exports through trading hubs (Switzerland for gold, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands) are counted where they are declared.
Trade status. The net exporter, net importer and mostly domestic tags read USGS net import reliance, USDA supply and demand and EIA trade balances; they describe the usual structure of trade, not a given month, and are still to be checked one by one.
Macro card.IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026: 2025 estimates and 2026 projections, general government, 61 countries, including the main oil producers. Trade balance of goods and services from the World Bank (latest year, mostly 2025). Hover a figure for its definition. Snapshot taken on 10 Nov 2026; refreshed every month (policy rates, FX, trade balance) and with each new WEO (April and October).
Policy rates.BIS end-of-month series, which can lag a recent decision. A decision logged by the daily market watch replaces it and shows its date and source. About twenty countries have no rate in the BIS series; their card says so.
Exchange rates.BIS monthly averages against the US dollar; the 1-year change compares the same month a year earlier.
Economic calendar. Central bank meetings, macro releases and energy reports that move commodities, with times in Paris time and a link to the official calendar of each release. Expected and previous figures are filled in when the market watch has them from a sourced brief.
Detailed news read. One edition per weekday, written in English from the sourced brief of the market watch. Every story keeps its links to the original reporting.
Market events. Added each weekday morning by the market watch from its sourced brief, at most five a day. Pins cover the last 14 days; a halo marks the last 3.
For information only. Nothing on this page is investment advice. Figures come from the sources listed above and can be revised.
Data: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries and USDA (public domain), UN Comtrade, IMF World Economic Outlook, BIS, World Bank (CC BY 4.0), EIA, IGU, World Nuclear Association; map from Natural Earth via world-atlas; built with D3. Market news is summarised in our own words, with a link to each original article.