Finance & economics | Guns and hoses

Three surprises that could inflame commodity markets in 2024

What it would take for another bout of mayhem

 Chinese Oil Rig, silhouetted before sunrise.
Pumping for AmericaPhotograph: Alamy

As Russia continues to pound Kyiv, Western sanctions are beginning to cripple Arctic LNG 2, the aggressor’s largest gas-export project. In the Red Sea, through which 10% of the world’s seaborne oil travels, American forces are doing their best to repel drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. On January 3rd local protests shut down production at a crucial Libyan oilfield. A severe drought in the Amazon risks hampering maize shipments from Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of the grain.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Guns and hoses”

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