Crude oil dominated the commodity landscape on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, suffering the steepest percentage decline across the complex. WTI crude tumbled USD 5.75, or 5.52%, to settle at USD 98.40 per barrel, while Brent crude fell USD 6.21, or 5.58%, to USD 105.07. Brent’s slightly larger percentage drop made it the marginally weaker of the two benchmarks on the day, with both contracts recording their sharpest single-session losses among all tracked commodities.
Precious metals moved firmly in the opposite direction. Gold advanced USD 28.00, or 0.62%, to close at USD 4,539.20 per troy ounce. Using the standard MCX approximation formula, this translates to roughly Rs 1,21,125 per 10 grammes on Indian exchanges, a figure that would represent a meaningful gain for domestic investors tracking the yellow metal. Silver put in an even stronger percentage performance, rising USD 1.32, or 1.76%, to USD 76.48 per troy ounce — its approximate MCX equivalent works out to around Rs 20,400 per kilogramme.
Copper was the only industrial commodity to close in the green on Tuesday, adding USD 0.13, or 2.13%, to settle at USD 6.34 per pound. That made copper the second-best performer across the entire commodity spectrum for the session, trailing only silver in percentage terms.
Natural gas extended the weakness seen in the energy complex, dropping USD 0.12, or 3.85%, to USD 2.99 per million British thermal units. While its absolute decline was modest, the percentage loss placed it firmly alongside crude oil as a significant drag on the broader energy sector.
Agricultural commodities also closed largely in the red. Wheat retreated USX 6.25, or 0.94%, to USX 661.00 per bushel, while corn suffered a heavier blow, falling USX 9.50, or 2.00%, to USX 465.75 per bushel. Corn’s decline was more than double that of wheat in percentage terms, making it the weaker of the two grains on the day.
Taking the session as a whole, five of the eight commodities tracked closed lower, with crude oil and natural gas accounting for the most pronounced losses. Gold, silver, and copper were the sole gainers, providing a modest counterweight to what was otherwise a broadly negative day for global commodity markets on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
Market data sourced from Yahoo Finance. Prices reflect closing/last traded values as of Tuesday, 19 May 2026, 11:30 PM IST (MCX close). Data may be delayed by approximately 5 minutes. This article is for informational purposes only.
