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Abstract This paper analyzes the degree of dynamic connectedness between energy and metal commodity prices in the pre and post-COVID-19 era, using the time-varying parameter vector autoregressive connectedness approach of Antonakakis et al. (J Risk Financ Manag 13(4):84, 2020). The results suggest that market interconnectedness increased slightly following the outbreak of COVID-19, although this increase was lower and less persistent than that observed after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Furthermore, we find that crude oil was the main net transmitter of shocks before COVID-19 while heating oil, gold, and silver were the main net transmitters of shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, natural gas and palladium were the main net receivers of shocks during the entire sample period, making these two commodities attractive hedging and safe haven options for investors during the pandemic. Overall, our results suggest that hedging and diversification opportunities decrease during crises. Furthermore, they indicate that accurate forecasts of the volatility of several commodities, such as natural gas and different metals, can be obtained by exploiting the information content of crude oil. However, they also reveal that crude oil lost its leading position as a net shock transmitter during the COVID-19 pandemic.