Asia / Pacific

Bloomberg News reported that SoftBank 'Corp and mobile payment operator PayPay were?in discussions to invest in retail juggernaut Seven & i Holdings. Bloomberg reported that the investment is likely to 'total several hundred billion yen.' Sumitomo Mitsui Card - a division of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group - may also be a shareholder. Could not verify the report immediately. SoftBank, Seven & i PayPay, SMFG and SMFG declined comment. Seven & i operates 7-11 stores around the world, with Japan and America as its two largest markets. The investment would be a great boost to the embattled 'Seven & i', who...

India's Oil?and?Natural?Gas Corp. will build a 1,75 million metric tons (about 13,000,000 barrels) strategic petroleum reserve at Mangalore, in southern India. The company announced this in a late-night stock exchange filing on Thursday. India, which is the third largest oil consumer and importer in the world, was severely affected by the blockade imposed on the Strait of Hormuz - during the Iran War. Around a fifth (25%) of all energy in the world passes through this?waterway. India has increased its energy cooperation, with countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Japan and others, in order to strengthen its emergency stockpile....

The oil price fell on 'Friday, but remained on course for a weekly gain as renewed U.S. - Iran fighting disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This stoked concerns about supply disruptions. Brent futures fell 68 cents or 0.9% to $75.62 per barrel at 0817 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), which is a blend of U.S. and Canadian crudes, fell 64 cents or 0.9% to $71.44. Brent was expected to gain about 5% this week and WTI would increase by about 4%. Vandana Hari, an analyst at Vanda Insights who provides oil market analyses, said that although...

The International Energy Agency said that the recent escalation of hostilities between the U.S., and 'Iran, could change its 'forecast of an 'important oi l market surplus next year. The global oil market received some relief last'month, as a peace deal between the U.S.A. and the 'Iran opened the Strait. Its closure had effectively cut off 'as much as 14 million barrels of crude oil per day during the height of the biggest oil supply crisis ever. The agency reported that global oil production rose by 4.1 mbpd in June but was still 9.4 mbpd lower than pre-war levels. The...

Local officials said that a drone strike caused the fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in southern Krasnodar, and authorities in Taganrog evacuated residents after another strike. The authorities reported that preliminary information indicated no injuries. In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on 'Russia's energy infrastructure and other infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s war effort. The Ilsky refinery with its capacity of?around 138,000 barrels per day has been attacked before. Fuel shortages and price increases across Russia are a result of the attacks on oil refineries. Yury Slyusar, the Governor of Rostov, said on Telegram that fires are being...

Shares of India's largest?software exporter,?Tata Consultancy Services, advanced by more than 4% the day after beating a?quarterly revenue estimate.?Deal wins and increasing AI-related revenues raised hopes for a slow earnings recovery. TCS traded 1.8% higher, at 2,086 Rupees, at 9:59 am IST in Mumbai. This boosted the?Nifty50 index by 1.1%. The IT index rose about 2%. The results of the IT company kicked off India's first-quarter earning season, which saw earnings downgrades due to a slowdown in client spending and concerns that AI could disrupt the business models of software companies. TCS's quarterly sales increased 14% over the previous year...

Two sources familiar with the matter said that Russia's Saratov refinery stopped processing oil on Wednesday due to damage caused by a drone attack. In recent months, Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure to try and undermine Moscow's military effort. Fuel shortages have been reported in Russia as a result of the attacks, with long queues at fuel stations, higher fuel prices and fuel exports being restricted. This week, the largest oil refinery in Russia, Omsk, halted its operations after a drone attack by Ukraine. Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov region, said in a Telegram message...

On Thursday, member states returned Syria's voting right to the global chemical weapons watchdog after a "significant change in circumstances", as they called it, since the fall of Assad. Syria was stripped of its rights by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in 2021 after it was found that its forces had repeatedly used poisonous gas during the civil conflict. This was largely symbolic but sent a message to Syria that any breach of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention prohibiting the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield would not be tolerated. The OPCW stated that "after...

According to sources in the trading world, India's Bharat Oil Corp and Japan's Taiyo Oil purchased 'crude' from the United States this week, as refiners sought to diversify their supplies amid the Middle East conflict. Four sources claim that BPCL purchased West Texas Intermediate crude oil from Vitol. The refiner has booked an Aframax Tanker that can?carry up to 600,000.0 barrels of crude oil, according to two of the witnesses. They added that the oil was purchased at a price premium of?around 6 per barrel over dated Brent. A separate trader reported that Taiyo Oil purchased 2 million barrels for...

Oil prices rose on Thursday, after the U.S. launched new?strikes in Iran. This dented hopes of an end to the Iran war, and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint that supplies one-fifth of the world's oil supply before the war. Brent crude futures were up 78 cents or 1% at $78.8 per barrel as of 0054 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures rose 74 cents or 1.01% to $74.26 per barrel by 0054 GMT. WTI and Brent crude prices rose by more than $1 in the post-settlement trading on Wednesday,...

The International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast for global growth in 2026 to a slow 3.0% on Wednesday, warning about the ongoing risks associated with the Middle East war, trade fragmentation, and possible corrections to market expectations in AI. The 'global lender' said that the world economy avoided a sharper decline, as demand for AI and technology helped to offset the sharp fall in energy supplies due to the war. The growth rate should return to 3,4% by 2027. However, this is still lower than the 3.5% average seen between 2024 and 2025. The IMF forecasted 3.1% growth in April....

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran the United States would likely launch additional strikes on Wednesday night, following the attacks of the previous day. "I'll give a little warning. We're going hit them hard tonight," Trump said to reporters before his meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the NATO Summit in Turkey. Trump had said to reporters in Ankara that a memorandum-of-understanding between the United States & Iran, which served as an initial ceasefire agreement, was "over". He did not say that Washington would go back to full-fledged warfare, and it was not clear if the negotiations to turn...

Emirates Global Aluminium announced on Friday that its Al Taweelah refinery in Abu Dhabi had restarted the production of feedstock for aluminum smelting. The restart has raised expectations of a faster than expected recovery in aluminium production, after disruptions caused by war with Iran. It also added pressure on benchmark prices for aluminum at the London Metal Exchange. The contract was last down 1.5%, at $3.152 per metric ton. In early July, EGA announced that it would restore production at the Al Taweelah Complex earlier than expected, although hot metal production could take up to one year to return to...

Gold?edged down on Friday - and was on course for a 'weekly drop, on fears that escalating U.S. - Iran tensions would fuel inflation. This could keep the Federal Reserve hawkish in its monetary policy. Gold spot fell by 0.2%, to $4.113.02 an ounce at 0735 GMT. It was on track for a weekly drop of 1.5%. U.S. Gold Futures for August?delivery fell 0.4% to $4121.90. Tim Waterer is the chief analyst at KCM Trade. He said that gold was in consolidation mode after yesterday's gains. Traders were hesitant to commit to further upward movement due to the uncertainty surrounding...

Copper prices were flat on Friday as fears faded of an economic hit and a drop in metal demand due to a spate of tit for tat attacks between the U.S.?and Iran. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was?largely steady, with a drop of only 0.01% at $13,487.5 per metric ton as of 0700 GMT. The red metal prices are now close to the levels they were at the beginning of the week. This is the culmination of a few volatile days, during which fears about a new round in the conflict between the U.S. Prices...

Gold prices rose on Friday as the dollar weakened, but were on course for a weekly decline on fears that the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran could fuel inflation. This would keep the U.S. Federal Reserve in a hawkish policy direction. As of 0303 GMT spot gold was up by 0.2%, at $4,128,92 per ounce. It is heading for a weekly decline of over 1%. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery were unchanged at $4,139.50. Dollars were at their lowest level in a week, which made greenbacks priced bullion more accessible to holders of other currencies. Tim Waterer...

The Iran War has caused a supply shock that is reviving the old Western aluminum smelters. Magnitude 7 Metals in the U.S. is reactivating its New Madrid smelter located in Missouri. Over the Atlantic, Norwegian producer Hydro announced the partial restart of the Slovalco joint-venture smelter. The two plants were idled due to low aluminum prices and a spike in energy prices that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Washington and Brussels are both desperate to reduce their reliance on an import of a metal used in a wide range of industries. The return of these zombies smelters will not...

The dollar, which had recently surged, was stabled and copper rebounded on Thursday as the market looked beyond the escalation of Gulf hostilities. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 1.62% to $13,379 per metric ton at 0700 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract rose 0.16%, to 103.160 yuan (15,182.65) per ton. This was a slight improvement from the earlier drop of 1.32%. Although the copper market is still watching Middle East conflict developments closely, investors have "tended to price in an expectation that any escalated tensions will be brief and a solution?will be...

Iron ore prices were range bound on Thursday as investors weighed the potential supply risks arising from a strike threat by some BHP iron ore employees against a seasonally weakened demand in China, the world's largest consumer. As of 0304 GMT, the most-traded contract for?iron?ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange increased 0.27% from 745.5 Yuan ($109.66), a metric tonne. As of 0254 GMT, the benchmark August iron ore contract on Singapore Exchange fell 0.18% to $98.85 per ton. BHP's Port Hedland Iron?ore operation in Western Australia may see hundreds of workers walk off their jobs next week. This would be...

Gold prices fell more than 1% after the?U.S. Donald Trump declared that the interim peace agreement with Iran is "over", which sent oil prices soaring and revived fears of inflation. Gold spot fell by 1.4% at 1027 GMT to $4,049.92 an ounce, its lowest price since July 2. U.S. gold futures for August delivered fell 2.3% to $4.059.80/oz. Oil prices rose by more than 6% following a statement from?Trump that the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Iran in June to end their four month conflict was "over", and that he did not want to engage Tehran. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo...

India's import restrictions have caused shortages on the world's largest market for precious metals, driving premiums up to their highest levels in six months despite a weaker than usual demand. India's lower imports, which meet more than 80% its silver demand by purchasing it overseas, could have a negative impact on the global price of silver, as well as help narrow its trade deficit and reduce pressure on its currency, the rupee. Chirag Thakkar, the chief executive officer of Amrapali Group Gujarat - a major silver importer - said that "Silver Imports are almost at a standstill, creating a severe...

Gold prices dropped more than 1% on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the interim peace agreement with Iran had "ended". This sent oil prices up and fuelled fears of inflation, as well as higher U.S. rates. Spot gold dropped 1.02%, to $4,063.67 an ounce, by 0850 GMT. It had fallen to its lowest level since July 2, earlier in the session. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 1.97% to $ 4,074.80/oz. Trump stated that the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June with Iran to end a four-month conflict was "over" and added that he did not...

Aluminum gained on Wednesday as a result of'renewed tensions in the Middle East' after 'fresh U.S. attacks on Iranian targets threatened derailment of a fragile ceasefire. As of 0700 GMT, the benchmark three-month aluminum?on London Metal Exchange was?up by 0.33% to $3,148 per metric ton. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded aluminium contract rose by 0.68%, to 23,075 Yuan ($3,394.38) per ton. The rise in prices comes after the latest U.S. airstrikes on Iranian targets, and projectiles have 'hit ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This could undermine efforts to restore a?normal supply? in the region. Around 9% of the...

Dutch prosecutors announced on Wednesday that they had opened a criminal case against Tata Steel's Dutch subsidiary for "intentionally polluting" the environment. The prosecutors said a criminal probe?into Tata’s massive plant in?IJmuiden on the Dutch coast, west of Amsterdam, gave clear indications that company did not take enough care to avoid hazardous pollution. Tata was also accused of operating without the necessary licences and inadequate maintenance for its highly polluting coke oven. Tata's Dutch division, which is part of Tata, said that they disagreed with these accusations and had made significant improvements to reduce pollution in the past years. It...