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Energy Markets

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

HDFC Bank drags down Indian shares; oil prices also weigh

Indian?shares fell on Monday. The decline was largely due to the?HDFC Bank reducing its quarterly net interest margins. By 10:04 a.m. IST, the?benchmark Nifty 50 index fell 0.60%, to 24,187.25. The BSE Sensex dropped 0.76%, to 77566.17. HDFC Bank fell 5%, its steepest intraday drop in four months, after in-line June-quarter profit was overshadowed by a sharper-than-expected net interest margin decline. HDFC Bank's?drop was greater than Reliance Industries' 0.3% increase and ICICI Bank?s 0.6% gain after their results. Reliance surpassed profit expectations on the strength of oil-to chemicals and telecom?verticals. This was announced after market hours on Friday. ICICI Bank...

Oil & Gas

European chemical earnings will test the recovery of demand after conflict-driven pricing boost

Investors are increasingly interested in whether this temporary boost can offset weak demand and the mounting competition of Asian producers. The Middle East conflict has tightened supply conditions, which have helped to support pricing. This has given breathing space to Europe's chemical sector. However, weak demand, overcapacity globally and increasing competition from Asia are still weighing on the long-term outlook of the industry. Investors are also interested in whether the companies have reported sustained volume gains or only temporary price increases, as well their outlooks for second half of the calendar year. Brenntag, BASF, and Evonik are among the chemical...

Fossil Fuels

Indian shares could open slightly lower due to concerns about the Middle East; earnings are in focus

Indian shares will open slightly lower?Monday due to rising oil prices, a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. This is offset by better than expected earnings from 'heavyweights' Reliance Industries & ICICI Bank. As of 7:59 am IST, the GIFT Nifty futures GIFc1 were trading at 24,297.5. This indicates that the Nifty 50 may open below Friday's closing price of 24,334.3. U.S. troops struck Iran for the ninth day in a row as the number of American?military casualties increased to three. Concerns grew over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures rose 2.5%, topping $90...

Oil & Gas Refining

Ambani's Reliance outperforms the profit forecast on oil-tochemicals and telecom strength

Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire Indian, and his Reliance Industries beat market expectations on Friday for its first-quarter profit, thanks to strong performance in their oil-tochemicals, retail, and telecom businesses. The results showed the resilience of Reliance’s diverse businesses during a quarter that was marked by?elevated oil prices, geopolitical conflicts and supply-chain interruptions. Reliance’s operating performance improved across its?three main verticals. The oil-to chemicals business, including its'refining operations', saw a 17.2% increase in core earnings from the previous year. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of O2C Business, said that the business had a strong performance in the quarter. This was supported by record-high...

Oil & Gas

Sources say that Pakistan and Kuwait are discussing an expanded defence pact.

Five sources familiar with the talks claim that Pakistan is negotiating a broader?defence agreement with Kuwait, in exchange for energy investment and cooperation. All sources agreed that the talks are still in a 'early stage' and could be complicated by the heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, according to one source. According to a report on Thursday, there are growing concerns in Islamabad about the possibility that the mutual defence agreement signed with Saudi Arabia last year could drag Pakistan into a war between Iran and the United States. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country, told Iran that it would...

Oil & Gas Refining

Baghdad wants more US energy investment. ConocoPhillips and BP join forces in Iraq

ConocoPhillips announced on Friday that it had acquired a 42% share in BP Energy Company?Kirkuk Ltd. This will allow ConocoPhillips to join BP in redeveloping 'four' oilfields located in northern Iraq. The agreement will be signed by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi during his official visit to Washington. He is looking for greater U.S. investments in Iraq's power, oil and gas sectors after the disruptions caused due to the conflict with Iran. The contract covers more than 3 billion barrels equivalent of initial gross recoverable resource, with additional exploration potential across the Baba, Avanah and Jambur domes in the Kirkuk...

Fossil Fuels

India's Jio Financial Services leaps after quarterly profits surges

Shares of Jio Financial Services soared on Friday after the non bank lender reported a more than doubled?quarterly?profit,?adding investor confidence in its expansion into lending, payments and insurance, as well as asset management. The stock rose as high as 6.1%, and by 10:29 am IST was up as recently as 3.9% to 244.83 rupees. This makes it the biggest gainer in the benchmark Nifty50. Jio Financial, which was spun-off from Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries in 2023 and will be listed on the stock exchange, announced that its net profit for the June quarter more than doubled to 8.3 billion rupees...

Oil & Gas Refining

Seven & i shares rise 3% after Zabka convenience stores stake talks

Seven & i shares rose 3% on Friday in Tokyo after the Japanese retailer announced that it is in talks to buy a stake from Polish convenience store operator Zabka Group. Nikkei reports that the '7-Eleven owner may consider acquiring Zabka share held by funds. The investment is likely to be several hundred billion dollars (several billion yen). The deal would expand Seven & i’s reach beyond its strongholds of Japan and North America to Eastern Europe. This is part of the retailer’s efforts to grow under the leadership Stephen Dacus. Naoshi Matsumoto is an analyst with Yamawa Securities. He...

Fossil Fuels

Chevron signs MOUs for West Qurna 2 oilfield and Nassiriya oilfields in Iraq

According to a senior Chevron executive, Chevron plans to sign memorandums with the Iraqi Government on Friday to advance its interests in the West Qurna 2 oilfield and Nassiriya. The executive stated that the?company continues to talk with Iraq about producing technical studies and evaluating potential pipeline routes for transporting crude oil out of Iraq and bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Ali al-Zaidi visited Chevron Houston's headquarters on Thursday, as part of his five-day visit to the U.S. that included a Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump. Iraqi government seeks to secure U.S. partnership during this week's trip to the...

Oil & Gas

Sources say that Iran has told the Houthis they must close their Red Sea Gateway if US strikes power grid.

Three sources said that Iran had asked the Houthi movement in Yemen to be ready to shut down the Red Sea Oil Route if?the United States struck Iranian power infrastructure. This poses a powerful new threat to global oil supplies. Two senior Iranian sources, as well as a'regional source' familiar with the issue, said that the idea was discussed within the Islamic Republic leadership and the message had been'sent' to Iran's Houthi ally. Sources said that the Houthis were recently informed of Tehran's request. This was not previously reported. They didn't give any further details about how the message was...

Refined Products

Russian regions report death and injuries after another Ukrainian drone attack

As Kyiv continues its campaign against the 'Russian energy infrastructure, authorities in three Russian regions have reported deaths and injuries caused by Ukrainian drones and rocket strikes. Mikhail Yevrayev, the governor of 'Yaroslavl Region,' 250 km (155 miles) east from Moscow, where an oil refinery has been repeatedly attacked, said one man was killed and four others injured. He claimed that 19 drones had been?downed in the area, but did not specify which targets they were aimed at. Russian media reported that there were casualties in the Volga River region of Saratov after a drone attack on the city of...

Fossil Fuels

Kashagan Oil Operator says arbitration prevents Kazakhstan from enforcing fine

The operator of Kazakhstan's Kashagan Oilfield announced?on Thursday? that an international arbitral tribunal has issued a restraining order prohibiting Kazakhstan from enforcing an environmental fine. The Kazakh Justice Ministry announced on Tuesday that Kashagan's operator must pay a fine of $4.90 billion ($2.3 trillion tenge) by July 20, 2012. The country is involved in arbitration with oil companies that work on its oilfields. It accuses them of environmental violations and corrupt practices. The North Caspian Operating Company, Kashagan’s operator, stated in a statement: "The Arbitral Tribunal has issued a Restraining Order which prohibits the Republic to take any measures to...

Crude Oil

Crude Oil

Morning Bid Europe-Rising Oil, rains on AI Party

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. While Spain hoisted the World Cup in celebration, the U.S. Military began?its ninth day of attacks against Iran. Iran was also?hitting targets throughout the region. On Sunday, only a few ships crossed the 'Strait of Hormuz. One was on fire. Brent crude oil rose above $90 per barrel for the very first time since June. Treasury bond futures fell as investors lowered the odds of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September. The implied probability was around 65%. The rise in 30-year Treasury...

Crude Oil

Weekend Reads: Crude pricing, resource wars and empires

Want some inspiration? Weekend Reads is a weekly roundup of what the Open Interest team has read, watched and listened to. This week, the Open?Interest team has chosen to focus on the 'race to reinvent critical mineral resources,'?oil benchmarks that are under pressure and great-power geopolitics. This weekend, we are reading... MIKE DOLAN is a columnist for ROI Finance & Markets. The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Survey found that China was viewed as more favorable than the United States in 36 countries. The U.S. Department of Energy released this release by ROI Metals columnist ANDY HOME. It details five...

Crude Oil

QUOTES - 'Bloodbath:' Analysts react on Asian shares falling due to tech selloff

Asian markets fell sharply on the Friday. Equity benchmarks in Japan, Taiwan and China dropped as much as 6 percent, as global declines in technology stocks intensified. Japan's Nikkei benchmark 225 index has entered correction territory after falling more than 10% from its June 25 high. TAKAMASA ikeda, SENIOR PORTFOLIO MANGER,?GCI RESOURCES MANAGEMENT TOKYO : The Nikkei index is highly correlated to the SOX. The SOX index's growth was not sustainable, and a correction has occurred. A correction was expected, but is happening sooner than the market anticipated." The market is now unsure if hyperscalers can make returns to justify...

Mining

Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources

Gold prices steady as markets evaluate Middle East escalation and Fed raise bets

Gold prices were little changed Monday as investors assessed the escalation of the Middle East conflict that has pushed up oil prices, and another U.S. Federal Reserve official signaled that higher interest rates may be necessary to reduce price pressures. As of 0455 GMT, spot gold was $4,018.90 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August 'delivery' gained 0.1%, to $4 023.10. U.S. gold futures for August?delivery gained 0.1% to $4,023.10. Brian Lan, GoldSilver Central's Managing Director, said: "The war continues, and the focus is on rising oil costs that could lead higher inflation. This is what keeps gold under pressure."...

Mineral Resources

Copper prices rise as fears over supply offset demand concerns

Prices of copper edged up on Monday due to a?shrinking inventory and supply risk, but uncertainty about the?demand outlook limited gains. By 0300 GMT, the benchmark three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange had risen 0.16% to $13,546.5 per metric ton. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract rose 0.39%, to 104210 yuan (US$15,389.50). Daniel Hynes said that the growth of copper production in Chile, the world's largest producer, has been "elusive" so far, according to a note by Daniel Hynes senior commodity strategist with ANZ. South32, an Australian mining company, reported lower fourth quarter copper production, falling...

Mineral Resources

Gold prices rise but will lose weekly value due to inflation and rate hike concerns

Gold prices climbed on Friday but were set to fall?weekly? as tensions between the U.S. and Iran pushed up oil prices, raising inflation fears and supporting an expectation of higher U.S. rates. Gold spot rose 0.7%, to $3.996.29 an ounce, by 1010 GMT. It had fallen as low as it has been since July 1, earlier in the day. Prices are down by over 3% for the entire week. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery gained 0.2% to $4,000. Fawad Razaqzada is a Forex.com market analyst. He said that when the price drops, some short sellers will profit. If oil...

Mineral Resources

Official: Zimbabwe's only lithium salt plant is unable to process metal from third parties

An official stated on Friday that Zimbabwe's only lithium sulphate facility, owned by China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt?, has no capacity to process minerals from other producers. This is ahead of an export ban for concentrates next year. Africa's largest lithium producer will implement a ban in January to encourage miners to process the battery metal at home, creating higher-valued export earnings and more jobs?in its economy. The government told lithium miners to send their concentrates directly to local plants. One of the plants in Zimbabwe, owned by Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and operated by Prospect Lithium -Zimbabwe has not yet been...

Mineral Resources

India's JSW Steel beats its quarterly profit forecast on the back of firmer prices and steady volumes

India's JSW Steel reported a?profit in the first quarter that was more than twice as high, exceeding analyst estimates. Net profit margins also improved due to a?resilient volume and?firmer domestic prices, which outweighed the?pressure?from higher coal costs. The top steelmaker in the country reported on Friday a net profit of 482.79 million rupees (46.51 billion rupiahs) for the three-month period ended June 30. LSEG data shows that analysts had predicted an average of 31.11 billion rupees. Elara Capital analysts said that prices of flat steel products like hot-rolled and cold-rolled coils rose in India both sequentially and on an annual...

Mineral Resources

Gold prices drop the most in six weeks as inflation fears are fueled by Middle East conflict

Gold is on track to suffer its largest weekly loss in six weeks on Friday as the escalating U.S. - Iran conflict has pushed up oil prices. This will increase inflationary pressures, and strengthen the case for higher U.S. rates. Gold spot was up 0.6% to $3,993.22 an ounce at 0758 GMT. It had been as low as it has been since July 1, earlier in the day. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery gained 0.1% to $ 3,996.90. The metal is down 3% this week, the biggest drop since June 1. This week's softer U.S. inflation data has not...

Mineral Resources

Metals like copper and industrial metals are falling as Middle East conflict weighs on the demand outlook

Copper and the base metal complex as a whole fell on Friday due to deteriorating risk sentiment from the Middle East conflict. This prompted inflation fears and cast a shadow on the demand outlook. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 1.01%, to $13,461 per metric ton at 0715 GMT. Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 0.73%, to 103 550 yuan (15,284.13) per ton. Copper, also known as "Dr Copper", fluctuated throughout the week. In London, it is expected to end the week with a marginal gain of 0.08%. As a result of the breakdown...

Mineral Resources

Metals like copper and industrial metals are falling as Middle East conflict weighs on the demand outlook

Copper and the wider base metal complex fell on Friday as inflation fears and a deteriorating risk outlook prompted by the Middle East conflict weighed down the demand outlook. The benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.88%, to $13,479.5 per metric ton at 0300 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 0.63%, to 103650 yuan (15,299.12 dollars) per ton. Copper, also known as "Dr Copper", fluctuated throughout the week. It is on track to finish the week with a 0.2% increase. The Strait of Hormuz has been affected by the breakdown of peace...

Mineral Resources

India will launch headline service output index in a few months, Statistics Secretary says

India's statistics secretary announced that the country will launch a headline "Index of Services Production" within months. This index will give investors for the first time a monthly measure of output in India's dominant service sector. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation published trial monthly indices on Tuesday for 19 sub-sectors of formal services, covering approximately 60% of that economy. However, it did not release a composite headline measurement. India does not have an official monthly measure of output in its dominant service sector. In an interview late Thursday, Statistics Secretary Saurabh Garg stated that "we?are hopeful" to be...

Mineral Resources

India's SBI Funds Management raises $31 billion at the country's fourth most-bid IPO

India's SBI Funds Management drew bids worth ?3 trillion Indian rupees ($31.14 billion), making the asset manager's $1.03 billion initial public ?offering (IPO) the country's fourth-most-subscribed issue. The $278.5 millions raised by anchor investors, such as BlackRock, sovereign wealth funds in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Norway, is included in the IPO subscription numbers. India's primary stock market made a strong return with the IPO that closed on Thursday. This was after a subdued start to the year. India will see a flurry of public offerings during the second half of the year. Reliance Jio's mega listing and the National Stock...

Mineral Resources

Sources say that China will launch a second futures contract for lithium this year to gain more price power.

Sources say that China plans to launch its second Lithium futures contract by the end of the year. The move is part of a drive to increase hedging options for 'its vast electric vehicle battery supply chain' and to gain a greater global price control over battery metal. Two sources familiar with the matter said that the Guangzhou Futures Exchange was working on the launch a futures contract for lithium hydroxide, which would complement the existing lithium hedge tool and challenge rival bourses. One source said that the new futures on lithium could be launched in October. Another said they...

Mineral Resources

Gold prices fall as inflation worries are revived by tensions in the Middle East

Gold prices fell on Thursday, as tensions in the Middle East increased inflation fears and uncertainty about U.S. interest rate trends. Gold futures in the U.S. fell 0.4% to $4.037.20 per ounce at 0834 GMT. Spot gold dropped 0.7% to $4.032.19 an ounce. Gold is still influenced by geopolitics and inflation. The continued U.S. attacks against Iran, and the disruptions of the Strait of Hormuz are supporting oil prices and maintaining inflationary risks," says?Niko tzabouras a senior analyst at Jefferies owned Tradu.com. After reimposing its naval blockade, the U.S. launched a second wave of attacks against Iran's missile and coastal...