Entering
Reading the World Economy Game through Raw Materials

prolog
The world of raw materials is as complex as it is important.

Raw materials that govern our daily lives
Processing to create value
Raw materials value chain
Various issues surrounding raw materials
S&P GSCI, an abbreviated version of the international raw materials market
The ultimate weapon on a silent battlefield
Problems to be solved
Rediscover the world map with the raw materials puzzle
Raw materials trade is the lifeblood of the global economy.

Part 1
Oil as a source of power and security

petroleum
Just know this

Oil and crude oil
Barrels and gallons
Oil value chain
Real market and derivatives market
Standard oil type
reserves
oil-producing countries
oil majors
Oil data

Middle East
powerful supply hegemony

The Middle East awakens to oil interests
Huge reserves and world-class competitiveness
Spare production capacity that Western oil-producing countries do not have
The largest importer of Middle Eastern crude oil
Premium applicable only to Asia
Oil becomes a weapon
Oil, which has become a hot topic in Middle Eastern oil-producing countries
Oil-rich countries seeking to transition away from oil
The emergence of shale oil, a powerful competitor

Asia
Another hegemon with enormous demand

The center of oil consumption
Russia's saviors: China and India
Oil-eating hippopotamus, Asia
When you break free from excessive oil cravings
Not only is it the best in crude oil imports, but its refining capabilities are also top-notch.
Meeting global demand for petroleum products
Dependence on Middle Eastern crude oil: a gain or a loss?
Why Middle Eastern Crude Oil Is Preferred
Singapore, Asia's oil hub

USA
Containing the Middle East with shale oil

From an oil importer to an oil exporter
Shale oil, which led a new energy revolution
Shale oil is very American
The oil price war that became a vaccine for the shale industry
Shale oil gets stronger the more it gets hit
Crude oil is also made in the USA
Why US Crude Oil Imports Have Increased
The impact of the sharp decline in US crude oil imports
North American oil hub, the Gulf Coast
dense oil transportation pipelines
Mecca of international crude oil futures trading
New York Mercantile Exchange WTI futures launched in response to market demand
Futures price more important than spot price
The explosion in popularity of futures trading since the 2000s

European Union and Russia
Seeking new opportunities during a supply-demand transition

Why the EU's Oil Demand Has Declined
The European Union's green energy policy
Energy security challenges facing the European Union
Dangerous levels of dependence on Russian crude oil
Diversification of import sources
ARA, Europe's oil hub
ARA is an export-oriented oil hub in the hinterland.
From oil hub to hydrogen hub
The Future of Russia, One of the World's Top Three Oil Powers
The oil industry that led Russia's revival after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Russia's oil industry at a crossroads

[World Oil Map]

Part 2
Minerals and metals that secure future technologies

Minerals and Metals
Just know this before you go

mineral
metal
6 major non-ferrous metals
Rare metals and rare earths
Mining, beneficiation, smelting, refining
London Metal Exchange
Mineral Major
Metal Industry and Energy
reserves
Alloys and plating

china
Unrivaled demand that doesn't even tolerate competition for hegemony

Nonferrous metal prices depend on the Chinese economy.
Another battleground between China and the United States
Iron ore is a black hole, steel is a white hole
Global anti-dumping regulations targeting China
The Rice of Industry, the Future of the Steel Industry
If China reduces metal production, the world's air quality will improve.
Decarbonization is the future competitiveness of China's metal industry.

Australia and Russia
I'm not afraid of a trade war either.

Australia has the world's largest iron ore reserves
International reference price for iron ore
Can Korea maintain its position as the world's leading iron ore exporter?
Russia's Weaponized Strategic Minerals: Platinum Group Elements
Russia is a metallurgical power and a vulnerable nation.
Chile and Indonesia
Hold the fate of future technology in your hands

Chile, a country with diverse mineral resources
AI will be useless if Chilean mines close.
Chile's Faltering Copper Industry
Indonesia, Asia's mineral blue chip
Indonesia's motives behind its ban on mineral exports
My Way in Indonesia

Africa
Another arena of great powers

A country with great potential and unexplored areas
Fierce competition among major powers over Africa's mineral resources
Africa at the crossroads of dependence and prosperity

[World Minerals and Metals Map]

Part 3
Grain, an essential resource directly related to survival

grain
Just know this before you go

agricultural products and grains
List of Grains to Watch Out for
World Agricultural Commodities Futures Exchange
bushel
Grain year
El Niño and La Niña
Grain and fuel
agricultural byproducts
World grain production
grain majors

USA
An agricultural superpower with food hegemony

Dominating the global grain market
Soybeans grow where corn is planted.
The wheat belt of the great plains stretching north to south
The Mystery of U.S. Grain Production
Innovation in agricultural productivity driven by cutting-edge technology
The endless evolution of agricultural technology
Are genetically modified crops a blessing or a curse?
Monsanto's Two Faces
American corn and soybeans are genetically modified crops
If there were no genetically modified crops
A food crisis that no one can avoid
Food resource nationalism and food riots

brazil
The only alternative to the United States

Background of becoming the world's grain warehouse
World's largest soybean producer
Corn that can be grown in three crops
Ranked first in sugar production
The Real Winner of the US-China Soybean War
The Amazon is sacrificed to feed the world
Is beef ruining the Amazon?

russia
Using food as a weapon

The Butterfly Effect of Russia's Heat Wave and Drought
The world's leading soju and beer brand
The cooking oil war brought on by the Russo-Ukrainian War
Cooking oil, an essential part of our diet
Fertilizer is another of Russia's weapons
What Happens When Russia Controls Fertilizer Exports

China and India
Will it cause a global food crisis?

China's grain vacuum cleaner
If China eats less, will the world's food situation improve?
India, a surprising agricultural powerhouse
International sugarflation triggered by India
As China and India's incomes rise, will the world's food shortages worsen?
The threat posed by increased meat consumption

World Grain Map

Coming out
Our Opportunities in the Evolving Raw Materials Market

The United States, China, Russia, the Middle East, Australia, Brazil…
Understanding the flow of raw materials reveals the world order!

From oil to rare earths
A 22-Chapter Map of the Raw Materials Supply Chain: A Global Hegemony Landscape

Since Donald Trump took office as the 47th President of the United States, the existing world order has been shaken.
There were also instances of coveting the territory of Canada and Greenland, which were allies, and cooperating with Russia for profit.
They do not hesitate to slap tariffs on countries with which they have maintained friendly cooperative relations to revive American manufacturing.
High value-added manufacturing companies, such as semiconductor companies, are being pressured to relocate their production bases to the United States.
The prevailing view is that the United States is leading deglobalization and will establish a new world order.

Although we live in an age where nothing is certain, there is one clear criterion for reading the flow.
It is the supply and demand of raw materials.
Raw materials are essential for national management, but options are limited.
Therefore, even if there is a political or diplomatic conflict with a specific country, it may be necessary to maintain a continuous relationship to secure the supply of raw materials.

In fact, the United States, the world's largest grain exporter, sends half of its soybean exports to China even amid its conflict with the country.
Of course, as the US-China dispute continues, China is gradually reducing its imports of US soybeans and increasing its imports of Brazilian soybeans.
Brazil is also an agricultural powerhouse, known as the world's grain storehouse, producing soybeans, corn, and coffee.
However, it will be difficult for China to change its exporting countries all at once to meet its high demand for grain.


Additionally, the United States became an oil exporter thanks to the success of the shale revolution.
The relationship between the Middle East and the US has become competitive over oil exports, and this has led to a change in the US's geopolitical value judgment regarding the Middle East.
Although U.S. crude oil exports to Asia, which absorbs the majority of global oil demand, have increased, Asia still imports far more crude oil from the Middle East than from the U.S. due to its geographical proximity.
As such, there are not enough substitutes for raw materials between countries, so the expected range is limited.
Having a basic understanding of raw materials will provide you with a solid basis for forecasting the big picture, even if the world order is reorganized.


Which country has a stable supply of raw materials?

Strategies and visions of each country drawn on a world map
And the survival method in South Korea

This book covers three major raw materials that are essential for the survival and prosperity of a nation.
These include oil, minerals and metals, and grains.
The author of this book, who has been analyzing and reporting on the international raw materials market for over 20 years, says that anyone interested in the international economy and investment must understand the raw materials market.


For readers who don't even have the courage to tackle the difficult and complex nature of raw materials, we've carefully covered the basics of each raw material.
We have taken care to lay the groundwork by introducing key concepts, major companies, and value chains.
We also addressed raw material supply and demand issues by country and region.
The trajectories of where resources buried in the United States, China, the Middle East, Russia, Asia, Brazil, Australia, Chile, and Indonesia move, are plotted on a map, and their proportions and trends are also drawn on the map, allowing the flow of resource hegemony to be seen at a glance.


Part 1, "Oil as Power and Security," begins with the basics of oil and covers the supply and demand structure, characteristics, and problems of the Middle East, the United States, and Russia, which serve as suppliers of oil, and Asia and the European Union, which serve as consumers of oil.
Part 2, "Minerals and Metals that Secure Future Technology," begins with the basics of minerals and metals, examining the reality of China's unrivaled demand, the strength of Australia and Russia's supply hegemony, which is not afraid of a trade war, and the current status and limitations of mineral reserves in Chile, Indonesia, and Africa.
Part 3, "Grains: An Essential Resource Directly Linked to Survival," explores the agricultural superpower the United States, Brazil, the only alternative to the United States, and the undeniable presence of Russia, China, and India in the global grain market.


The book includes 22 chapters of "Material Hegemony Maps," which depict the movement routes, proportions, and trends of raw materials on a world map.
If we follow the supply and demand issues of major raw material countries, we may face the reality of countries joining forces to seize the initiative in the future.