The Best Way Trading Brief — September 9, 2026: Brent Tops $100 — Recalculate Every Landed Cost Today
The Best Way presents its general trading brief for Wednesday September 9, 2026. Our thoughts are with all those affected across the region’s waters. For traders and material buyers, last night changed the arithmetic of every quotation on your desk: Brent crossed $100 for the first time since July after US forces destroyed five Iranian […]
The Best Way Trading Brief — September 7, 2026: Strikes Hit Shipping, Oil Nears Three-Month Highs — Freight Risk Moves to the Front Page
The Best Way presents its general trading brief for Monday September 7, 2026. With US markets closed for the holiday, the news flow came from the sea and the rate curve: the US and Iran exchanged strikes on shipping over the weekend, crude touched a near three-month high, and September Fed hike odds firmed to […]
The Best Way Trading Brief — September 4, 2026: America’s Jobs Engine Restarts — What 162,000 Means for Wood, Metal, and the Dollar
The Best Way presents its general trading brief for Friday September 4, 2026. The week’s defining data landed this afternoon: US payrolls surged 162,000 in August — triple forecasts, with July’s losses revised into gains. For commodity traders and material buyers, this is not one signal but three. Here is the map. Signal one — […]
The Best Way Trading Brief — September 2, 2026: Strikes Over Hormuz, Hawkish Rates, and a Trade War — Navigating Three Storms at Once
The Best Way presents its general trading brief for Wednesday September 2, 2026. Rarely do three storms blow at once: renewed US-Iran strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz have reignited Gulf shipping risk and lifted oil; hawkish Fed repricing (September hike odds 60–70%, 10-year yields ~4.79%, firm dollar) has knocked metals broadly lower; […]
The Best Way Trading Brief — August 31, 2026: A Hawkish Fed, a Lumber Trade War, and the Map for September
The Best Way presents its general trading brief for Monday August 31, 2026. Two policy shocks reset the board over the weekend: the US Fed chair’s hawkish Jackson Hole debut repriced rate expectations and knocked metals lower, while Canada answered Washington’s wood tariffs with counter-tariffs of its own — including on lumber — turning a […]
The Best Way Trading Brief — August 28, 2026: Wood Down, Copper Near Records, Aluminum in Deficit — A Trader’s Map of Diverging Markets
The Best Way presents its general trading brief for Friday August 28, 2026 — and rarely have our markets diverged so sharply. Wood is falling, copper flirts with records, aluminum runs a structural deficit, and steel is split in two by tariffs. For traders, builders, and importers, here is the map. WOOD — buyer’s market […]
Lumber Prices in the US Drop Amid Weak Demand at Year’s Start
US lumber prices fell at the start of the year, with futures contracts dropping to near their lowest levels since late 2024. This decline reflects a weakening of real demand for wood, particularly due to sluggish construction activity and a lack of renovations. Demand remains subdued as the housing market slows and mortgage costs rise, […]
African Timber Shows Gradual Improvement in Global Markets
The Global Timber Index in December showed positive performance for several African countries in the timber sector, reflecting a relative improvement in production and exports. Increased exports have directly contributed to boosting the returns of local companies and supporting national economies. Improved regulation of logging operations and forest management has been a key factor in […]
Italian wooden furniture exports to China decline as luxury demand slows
Italian exports of wooden furniture to the Chinese market have fallen sharply by 9.9%. This decline comes amid slowing demand for luxury goods in the world’s second-largest economy. Observers noted that changing consumption patterns and a more cautious approach to spending have impacted sales. Global economic challenges have also contributed to reduced demand for high-value […]
Brazil’s Timber Sector Stands Out as a Positive Exception Amid Global Slowdown
The Global Timber Index (GTI) report revealed that Brazil’s timber sector performed positively in October/November 2025, with the index returning to above the 50% threshold. This indicates activity and optimism among companies operating in the timber sector. The report highlighted Brazil as a bright spot compared to other countries that experienced a slowdown in timber […]