Natural gas posted the sharpest move across commodity markets on Thursday, May 21, 2026, sliding 4.44% to settle at USD 3.02, a decline of USD 0.14 on the session. The drop stood out as the single largest percentage move of the day across all tracked commodities, pulling the fuel well into negative territory while the rest of the complex traded in a more subdued manner.
Gold retreated modestly, falling USD 25.40 or 0.56% to close at USD 4,517.10. For domestic investors tracking MCX rates, this translates to an approximate indicative price of around ₹1,20,487 per 10 grammes, based on the prevailing exchange rate. The precious metal’s pullback was measured rather than sharp, with silver mirroring the direction but similarly contained in its losses. Silver shed USD 0.38, or 0.50%, to settle at USD 76.35. On an approximate MCX basis, silver works out to roughly ₹203.71 per gramme.
Crude oil presented a contrasting picture, with both benchmarks closing in positive territory. Brent crude was the stronger performer of the two, adding USD 0.84 or 0.82% to reach USD 103.42 per barrel. WTI crude posted a smaller gain, rising USD 0.23 or 0.24% to USD 96.58 per barrel. The spread between the two benchmarks held above USD 6.80, with Brent’s advance outpacing WTI’s by a considerable margin in percentage terms.
Copper was the standout gainer of Thursday’s session, climbing USD 0.11 or 1.68% to USD 6.40. The industrial metal’s advance made it the best-performing commodity of the day in percentage terms among the risers, nudging ahead of Brent crude’s gain. Natural gas, on the other hand, recorded the session’s largest single decline in percentage terms, making it the clear laggard across the board.
Agricultural commodities closed in opposite directions. Wheat edged marginally lower, shedding half a cent or 0.08% to settle at USX 647.00, making it the smallest mover of Thursday’s session in absolute percentage terms. Corn bucked the trend within the grains complex, adding USX 1.50 or 0.32% to close at USX 463.75.
Surveying the session as a whole, the commodity complex closed broadly mixed on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Of the eight commodities tracked, four finished in positive territory — Brent crude, WTI crude, copper, and corn — while gold, silver, natural gas, and wheat all recorded declines. Natural gas bore the heaviest losses by a wide margin, whereas copper led the gainers.
Market data sourced from Yahoo Finance. Prices reflect closing/last traded values as of Thursday, 21 May 2026, 11:30 PM IST (MCX close). Data may be delayed by approximately 5 minutes. This article is for informational purposes only.
