Global commodities traders accelerate their acquisition of material assets, and benefit from the profits of the historical energy crisis to tighten control of complex supply chains.
Trafigura, Vitol, Gunvor and Mercuria have made more than $ 57 billion of net profits since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Now, they spread this criticism in strategic expansion, from refineries and fuel networks to mineral circulation and biofuels.
This increase in investments is a shift beyond the traditional oil trade. Gunvor recently acquired 800 gasoline stations in Pakistan and a Spanish gas factory, while Vitol -backed Vitol has achieved vitality in the Scandinavian wheel.
Marco Donand, chief of Mercury, said that the surprise enabled the projects worth half a billion dollars or more – the aspirations that were previously up.
Mercuria, Gunvor and Vitol also builds metal difference to pick up the increasing demand for copper and aluminum amid energy transmission.
Commercial homes wander in their sharpening amid the increasing competition of hedge boxes such as Citadel and Millennium.
Industry experts say that the dominant players have lost about 10 % of their market share since 2019 due to new arrivals and internal trading by producers and consumers.
In response, companies are enhanced by basic companies by obtaining ships, refineries and power plants. These material assets provide market intelligence and operational flexibility that enhance profit margins.
GUNVOR, although the 2024 net profit is spread less than 729 million dollars, the infrastructure is still investing. Its CEO said that the ownership of the upcoming gas production in the United States was also under study.
VISITOL, the world’s largest energy trader in the world, received $ 13.2 billion in 2023 – more than BP. It has since obtained major assets, including the retail network in Turkey in Turkey, the English projects in South Africa, and the oil projects in Ghana and the Congo.
CEO Russell Hardy said that the growing asset base in Vitol is now more closely integrated with trading, adding that the expansion was “generally good for the company.”
Take Trafgura, the best private metal merchant, a more careful tone. The new CEO Richard Holtum admitted a $ 10 billion base asset base and pointed to the flood of proposals submitted by 700 merchants. But he warned against increasing fixed assets.
Half Trafgura has been reinforced with a value of $ 20 billion since 2021. However, the company has faced setbacks – including Nickel’s fraud of $ 600 million in 2022 and a loss of $ 1.1 billion in Mongolia last year.
However, Trafigura continues to expand, where it got Greenergy in the United Kingdom, an ESSO French refinery, and a gas factory in Texas. Holtum has also started a strategic asset review, with struggling units such as NYRSTAR Australia under scrutiny.
