Leslie Hook
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Natural Resources Editor at the FT, covering commodities and mining. Also interested in the environment, energy, tech, China.
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Articles by Leslie Hook
El año en el que los ricos se volvieron locos por el oro
Filas de cajas de seguridad de color gris metálico abarrotan las estanterÃas hasta el techo en la cámara acorazada subterránea de Sharps Pixley, ocultando el deslumbrante tesoro que albergan en su interior. La cámara de Londres está tan llena, que la firma de compraventa de oro busca un emplazamiento para abrir una nueva, según Giles Maber, director de la compañÃa en el Reino Unido.
La nueva obsesión de los millonarios: por qué están acumulando lingotes de oro
Fila tras fila de cajas gris metalizado cubren los estantes que van del piso al techo en la bóveda subterránea de Sharps Pixley, ocultando el tesoro reluciente que guardan adentro. La bóveda de Londres está tan llena que la casa de venta de oro está buscando un sitio para construir una nueva, dice Giles Maber, jefe para el Reino Unido de la compañía. Es parte de una carrera global por construir bóvedas para metales preciosos que va de Suiza a Singapur.
The year the rich went wild for gold
Row upon row of gunmetal-grey boxes fill the floor-to-ceiling shelves of Sharps Pixley’s underground vault, concealing the glittering...
Digital gold, copper and uranium: prospectors stake bets on metals-crypto fusion
Mining and technology groups are developing crypto tokens linked to metals including gold, copper and uranium, as executives look to...
Barrick and Newmont gold mining truce clears way for IPO
Two of the world’s largest gold mining companies, Barrick and Newmont, have agreed to combine some of their biggest mines — a truce that...
Glencore plans secondary listing in Australia
London-listed Glencore is preparing to seek a secondary listing in Australia, in a sign of how the UK’s reputation as a capital markets...
Transcript: JPMorgan walks into another football firestorm
This is an audio transcript of the FT News Briefing podcast episode: ‘JPMorgan walks into another football firestorm’ Marc Filippino Hey...
DR Congo’s cobalt boom carries an unwanted cargo: uranium
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On the southern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the lumbering trucks carrying cobalt into Zambia may soon have to pass...
By Leslie Hook Verified, Camilla Hodgson Verified, Sam Joiner Verified, Chris Campbell Verified, Peter Andringa, Tomas Statius
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Financial Times
Verified
Central banks slashed their gold purchases in early 2026
Central banks bought far less gold during the first quarter of this year than previously thought, suggesting that one of the biggest...
Zijin’s $4bn deal with Allied Gold collapses
China’s Zijin Gold and Canada’s Allied Gold have called off one of the biggest precious metals deals of the year, following FT reports...
Glencore trading profits double on Middle East turmoil
Glencore’s earnings from trading commodities doubled in the first half of the year as war in the Middle East supercharged profit levels...
Citi to join ‘club’ of clearing banks controlling London gold market
Citigroup is set to join the “club” of banks that control London’s $200bn-a-day physical bullion market, as the US bank expands its reach...
Alcoa strikes $4.8bn deal for South32’s alumina and bauxite assets
Alcoa has struck a $4.8bn deal to buy Australian miner South32’s aluminium, bauxite and alumina assets, expanding its global footprint at...
El oro retrocede con fuerza: el motivo que explica su peor trimestre en más de diez años
El precio del oro cayó por debajo de los u$s 4.000 por onza troy el martes, camino a su peor desempeño trimestral en más de una década, en medio de expectativas de tasas de interés más altas y un entusiasmo menguante entre los inversores minoristas. El precio del metal retrocedió apenas por debajo de los u$s 3.943, su nivel más bajo desde noviembre, en las primeras operaciones, antes de recuperarse levemente, con lo que acumula una baja de casi 14% en los últimos tres meses.
Rio Tinto agrees new financial terms for $18bn copper mine project
Rio Tinto and Mongolia have agreed new financial terms for the $18bn Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, after surging prices for the metal and...
Gold heads for worst quarter in more than a decade as retail frenzy fades
The price of gold fell below $4,000 a troy ounce on Tuesday as it headed for its worst quarterly performance in more than a decade, amid...
Zambia’s state-owned miner seeks to revive London listing
Zambia’s state-owned mining group is planning to revive its London listing and boost its freely traded shares, as it works to tap...
Vale shareholders head to vote after board rejects push to oust chair
Vale shareholders are heading to a vote on whether to remove its chair after the board rejected a proposal by the Brazilian mining...
Gold executives warn of smuggling ‘crisis’
Gold executives have warned that a “crisis” of bullion smuggling is fuelling wars and criminal gangs, as high prices have triggered a...
Central banks repatriate gold as global insecurity rises
Global central banks are removing gold from vaults in London and New York as they become more skittish about storing bullion outside...
Central banks repatriate gold as global insecurity rises
Global central banks are removing gold from vaults in London and New York as they become more skittish about storing bullion outside their Upgrade to read this Financial Times article and get so much more. A Silver or Gold subscription plan is required to access premium news articles.
El oro pierde brillo: cae a mínimos de seis meses por este motivo
El precio del oro cayó el jueves a su nivel más bajo en seis meses, ante la confluencia de las tensiones en Oriente Medio, las crecientes expectativas de suba de tasas de interés en EE.UU. y la inminente salida a bolsa de SpaceX, que acumularon presión sobre el metal precioso. El oro retrocedió más del 1% hasta los u$s 4.022 la onza troy el jueves por la mañana, su nivel más bajo desde finales de noviembre, y quedó encaminado hacia su peor desempeño trimestral en casi una década.
Gold sinks to 6-month low as speculative investors exit
The price of gold dropped to a six-month low on Thursday as tensions in the Middle East, growing expectations of US interest rate rises...
Iran war tightens ‘super-squeeze’ in metals markets
The Iran war is creating a “super-squeeze” in industrial metals such as copper and aluminium, say executives and analysts who believe...
Trafigura warns oil at ‘inflection point’ as Iran war stokes bumper half-year profits
Commodities trader Trafigura has warned that global energy markets are at an “inflection point” that could send prices sharply higher as...
Oro sustituye a los bonos del Tesoro como activo reserva, advierte el BCE
Los metales preciosos representaban 27% de las provisiones de los bancos centrales globales al cierre de 2025 Olaf Storbeck y Leslie Hook Fráncfort y Londres / 03.06.2026 00:41:11 El oro superó a los bonos del gobierno de Estados Unidos como principal activo de reserva del mundo después de años de compras incesantes por parte de los bancos centrales y un repunte histórico en el que los precios casi se duplicaron en los últimos dos años.
Gunvor offices raided by Swiss prosecutor as part of bribery probe
Swiss prosecutors have raided the Geneva offices of commodity trader Gunvor, after the company notified authorities that it was allegedly...
Gold replaces US Treasuries as world’s top reserve asset, ECB says
Gold has overtaken US government bonds as the world’s top reserve asset following years of relentless buying by central banks and a...
US start-up plans to drill for lithium under VW and BMW battery factories
A US start-up is planning to drill for lithium directly under battery factories that supply Volkswagen and BMW, in an audacious pitch to...
China’s Zijin faces delays to its $4bn swoop for Allied Gold
Hong Kong-listed Zijin Gold International’s $4bn takeover of Canada’s Allied Gold is facing delays because of opposition from regulators...
Shipping exchange argues Strait of Hormuz is not closed in lawsuit defence
A top shipping exchange has argued that oil tanker operators cannot prove the Strait of Hormuz has been closed by the war in Iran, as it...
Protests spread in Africa as fuel crisis deepens
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Rising fuel prices have triggered deadly protests in Kenya and forced countries across Africa to take emergency measures, as a deepening...
By Leslie Hook Verified, Joseph Cotterill Verified, Monica Mark Verified, William Wallis Verified, David Pilling Verified
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Financial Times
Verified
Anglo American strikes $3.9bn deal to sell Australia coal business
Anglo American has agreed to sell its coal mining operation in Australia to privately owned Dhilmar for $3.88bn, after previous buyer...
India more than doubles tariffs on gold imports
India has more than doubled import tariffs on gold and silver in an effort to shore up the rupee and mitigate the economic disruption...
Coal shipments jump as countries seek alternatives to disrupted gas supplies
Shipments of coal have surged in recent months as countries search for alternative fuels to replace oil and gas supplies disrupted by the...
US and South Africa hold talks on mining deals after year of tensions
The US and South Africa have started preliminary discussions over potential resources deals including bilateral investments in mining,...
ERG faces semi-nationalisation in boardroom showdown
Eurasian Resources Group, the international mining company, is facing semi-nationalisation in a boardroom showdown over efforts to...
Glencore zinc smelter hit by deadly explosion
A deadly blast broke out at Glencore-owned Kazzinc’s zinc smelter in Kazakhstan, triggering an emergency response from government...
DR Congo creates $100mn ‘Mining Guard’ to protect critical minerals
The Democratic Republic of Congo is creating an armed security force to guard mine sites and secure supply chains in the resource-rich...
Mercuria to invest in smelters and mines as it expands metals push
Mercuria is to take its first stake in an aluminium smelter and will also hunt for copper mining investments, marking a shift into asset...
Huida de Ormuz: los petroleros que atraviesan el laberinto iraní
Era de noche cuando el Akti A, un pequeño petrolero que transportaba 300.000 barriles de diésel, logró escapar a través del estrecho de Ormuz. En la madrugada del sábado, justo después de que Irán declarase brevemente que la angosta vÃa navegable estaba "completamente abierta", el Akti A se alineó a la cabeza de una fila de buques desesperados por salir del Golfo Pérsico.
Escape from Hormuz: the oil tankers running the Iranian gauntlet
It was dark when the Akti A, a small oil tanker carrying 300,000 barrels of diesel, made its escape through the Strait of Hormuz.
Energy traders dig in for a long Iran war
The world’s largest independent energy traders are preparing for a long war in the Middle East and a protracted disruption to energy...
US Export-Import Bank boosts energy lending during Iran conflict
The US Export-Import Bank is picking up the pace of its energy lending after the disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East, as it...
Silver market seen as ripe for another price squeeze
The global silver market is ripe for another “squeeze” that could send the price soaring, as low stockpiles and six consecutive years of...
How Donald Trump’s ‘Project Vault’ risks upending strategic minerals market
Standing in the Oval Office in February for the launch of “Project Vault”, mining billionaire Robert Friedland told Donald Trump the...
Commodity traders lost ‘billions’ in early days of Iran war
Commodity trading groups lost billions of dollars at the start of the Iran war after being wrongfooted by bets on falling energy prices,...
The damage wrought to the Middle East’s oil and gas supplies
The six-week-long Iran war struck at the heart of the world’s most energy-rich region, with oil and gas facilities targeted by both sides...
Australia’s unquenchable thirst for diesel tested by Iran energy shock
An unprecedented armada of tankers carrying US diesel is steaming towards Australia to help alleviate the island continent’s fuel crunch,...
Turkey’s gold sales deepen bullion slump
Turkey has sold or loaned out $20bn of gold since the outbreak of the Iran war in a flurry of bullion disposals that contributed to the...
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