Mining News
Commodity trading giant Trafigura reports fourfold half year net profit increase
(Kitco News) - Trafigura Group, one of the world’s leading independent commodity trading companies, reported Thursday that for the six-month period ended 31 March 2021, the company’s revenue rose 19 percent to USD98.4 billion from the first half of 2020 as a result of increased traded volumes and higher commodity prices.
The company said that its gross profit of USD4.3 billion was 54 percent higher. The even stronger rise in net profit to USD2.1 billion from USD0.5 billion in the same period last year in part reflected stabilisation of the group’s industrial assets, which had negatively impacted results in the previous year, combined with a very strong trading performance. EBITDA was USD3.7 billion, a 53 percent increase from a year ago, the company noted.
Trafigura said that its both principal trading divisions, Oil and Petroleum Products and Metals and Minerals, showed increased trading volumes, higher margins and larger gross profit. Gross profit margin rose to 4.3 percent from 3.8 percent when compared to the same period last year.
The company pointed out that market conditions, driven in large part by the economic recovery, underlined the need for reliable service providers such as Trafigura with the risk management skills, global network, physical assets and financial capacity to help customers navigate these markets.
Founded in 1993, Trafigura is one of the largest physical commodities trading groups in the world. Trafigura sources, stores, transports and delivers a range of raw materials (including oil and refined products and metals and minerals) to clients around the world and has recently established a power and renewables trading division.
The company also has a majority ownership in global zinc and lead producer Nyrstar which has mining, smelting and other operations located in Europe, Americas and Australia; a significant shareholding in global oil products storage and distribution company Puma Energy; global terminals, warehousing and logistics operator Impala Terminals; Trafigura's Mining Group; and Galena Asset Management.
