After Long Avoiding Politics, Commodity Traders Cozy Up to Trump

For decades, the world’s biggest commodity traders have sought to remain outside of politics, doing deals with anyone who has natural resources to buy or sell. Now, Donald Trump is changing the rules of the game.

The US government has plunged into commodity dealmaking in recent months, awarding a series of contracts or partnerships with the potential to be hugely lucrative for the companies involved. The shift means that proximity to the White House is becoming increasingly essential for the handful of typically low-profile trading houses that control the flow of natural resources around the world — and is forcing ...