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Getting Started

You have access to Market Lens — so how do you get from a fresh sign-in to answering the questions that actually drive decisions: where are my costs heading, where are the opportunities right now, and how much should I trust the numbers? This guide is the answer. Market Lens puts institutional-quality market data, machine-learning forecasts, risk analytics and AI-written advisory reports in your browser — nothing to install and nothing to maintain. You sign in and you are working.

Three principles behind every screen

• AI-native. You never run a model. The platform has already run them and surfaces the result wherever it is relevant to the decision in front of you.
• Modern SaaS. Everything runs in your web browser. There is no desktop software to install, no per-seat hardware to buy, and no maintenance on your side.
• Transparent ML. Forecasts are never black boxes. A historical accuracy scorecard, confidence bands that reflect real market volatility, and regime signals that tell you what kind of market you are in all let you see the evidence before you trust a number.

Which user are you?

Both personas work from the same data — the difference is emphasis. Procurement wants budget-planning horizons, hedging guidance and cost-trend clarity. Traders want near-term signals, positioning data and fast-moving opportunities. Market Lens shows each role the lens that fits, without splitting the underlying truth.

Signing in

Market Lens is browser-based, so there is nothing to install. Open the application address and sign in with the credentials your organisation has issued. Once you are authenticated you land on the platform with access to exactly the commodities and capabilities your organisation's subscription includes — see What you can see: entitlements below.

The persona switcher

In the header sits a persona switcher with three modes. It changes which navigation items and dashboards are emphasised, so the platform leads with what matters to your role. There are two roles but three modes: the extra All Views mode simply shows everything at once, for people who span both worlds.

The sidebar

Navigation lives in a collapsible left sidebar that lists every area of the platform. Collapse it to reclaim width while you study a chart; expand it when you want to jump somewhere new. The items shown reflect both your current persona mode and the capabilities in your subscription.

Favorites — your quick-access shortlist

• On any commodity's detail page, click the star to favourite it.
• Favourited commodities collect into a Favorites group pinned at the top of the sidebar, so the prices you watch every day are always one click away.
• Un-star a commodity to remove it from the group.

Star your active basket once and your daily workflow starts from your own shortlist rather than the full catalogue — the fastest way to build a personal watchlist.

What you can see: entitlements

Your organisation subscribes to certain commodity categories and/or specific commodities, and you see only what that subscription includes. This keeps the platform focused on your markets rather than the full catalogue. If you go looking for a commodity and cannot find it, the most likely reason is simply that it is not part of your organisation's current subscription — contact your account manager to ask about adding it.

What subscriptions include

• Browse prices and market snapshots for your entitled commodities.
• See the current market regime — what kind of market each commodity is in right now, such as calm, volatile or trending.
• Review COT positioning — how large participants are positioned in the futures market.
• Inspect futures chains — the forward curve of contract prices across delivery dates.
• Read the accuracy scorecard — the historical track record of the forecasts, so you can judge how much weight to give them.
• Read AI-generated advisory reports and insights — plain-language interpretation of what the data means.
• In short: this is the read-and-interpret half of the platform. Which of these surfaces are switched on varies by subscription, so confirm the specific ones you need with your account manager.

Premium capabilities go beyond viewing in the browser: downloading and exporting published forecast data into your own spreadsheets or planning models, and accessing the full published forecast history rather than just the current view. If either is part of your workflow, confirm with your account manager that your subscription includes it.

Common access questions

• Why can't I see commodity X? Access is scoped to your organisation's subscription, and private data feeds additionally require explicit entitlement — contact your account manager to add coverage.
• Can I export the data? Yes, to CSV or Excel from commodity and forecast detail pages; exporting forecast data is a premium capability.
• Getting help. For adding commodities, enabling private entitlements or turning on premium capabilities, contact your account manager.

Where to go next: procurement users continue to the Procurement Guide: The Weekly Cost Review; traders continue to the Trading Guide: The Daily Routine.