Asia / Pacific

Wang Di, China's embassy to Canada, said that the Lotus electric cars from Geely Holding Group will be arriving in Canada by next month as a result of an agreement signed between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Xi Carney. The vehicles will be the 'first' Chinese-owned, manufactured and sold vehicles under an agreement that allows for up to 49,000 Chinese electric cars to enter Canada at a reduced rate of tariffs each year. Carney is trying to diversify Canada’s trade away form the United States. Wang stated that "Geely EVs are coming to Canada next month, and there...

Alexei Zabotkin said that the Russian economy will likely be affected by Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian oil refineries in the second half. Kyiv's increasing frequency of drone attacks has caused fuel shortages throughout Russia, the world's largest oil producer. Queues at petrol stations and restrictions on what each customer can purchase have been seen. Russia's refinery industry has reduced petrol production by 25% in the first half of this year, compared with last year. President Vladimir Putin asked officials to look for ways to boost the growth of the?Russian Economy. Zabotkin said to reporters that "of course,?the situation in...

Oil prices increased on Monday following days of titt-for-tat attacks?by the United States and Iran?in the Middle East, which highlighted the fragility of the interim peace agreement and once again slowed down energy shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures rose 52 cents or 0.672% to $72.51 per barrel at 2313 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up 71 cents or 1.03%, trading at $69.94. Brent crude dropped 10.6% last weekend, its third consecutive weekly decline. Crude shipments through the Strait increased last week to the highest level since February, when the U.S. - Israel conflict with...

Wang Di, China's ambassador in Canada, said that Geely Holding Group Lotus electric vehicles would arrive in Canada within the next month as a result of an agreement reached between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese president Xi Jinping. The vehicles will be the first Chinese owned and manufactured cars to be sold under an agreement that allows for up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter Canada at a reduced rate every year, as Carney attempts to diversify Canada’s trade away the United States. Wang stated that "Geely EVs are coming to Canada next month, and there will be...

Wang Di, China's Ambassador to Canada, told? Wang Di, China's ambassador to Canada, told? The first Chinese-owned,?manufactured? vehicles will be sold under an agreement that allows for up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter Canada at a reduced rate every year. Carney is trying to diversify Canada’s trade away the United States. Wang stated that "Geely EVs are coming to Canada next month, and there will be a ceremony in Montreal when the cars arrive." Lotus Cars didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The Global Affairs Department of Canada could not comment immediately on the expected arrival...

IMF Chief Economist?Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas stated on Friday that strategic petroleum releases prevented a more rapid rise in oil prices due to the Middle East war. However, the global economy is at risk if the fragile ceasefire agreement between the U.S. Gourinchas said in an interview that the reserves of the countries were now depleted. This meant they would have less maneuvering room if the conflict flared up again. Gourinchas has warned for years that geopolitical tensions can lead to an even more fragmented global economy. He did not give any details on a new forecast the IMF will release on...

Venezuela is receiving cash, emergency aid and rescuers after two powerful earthquakes that shook the area around Caracas left thousands of people missing. Details of foreign aid are listed below: UNITED NATIONS U.N. humanitarian?body reported that 25 international teams with 1,000 personnel total had been mobilized. Tom Fletcher, the chief of aid at the United Nations, said that a collective effort would be needed in order to support a government-led response. UNITED STATES The U.S. State Department announced that it is?mobilizing? $150 million in assistance. The U.S. State Department said it is mobilizing $150 million in aid. Washington will also...

Indian sources in the refining industry said that several middlemen offered discounted Iranian oil to Indian'refiners' as Tehran tries to speed up sales following Washington’s temporary waiver of sanctions. After the first round of talks in a new peace agreement, the United States lifted sanctions against Iran for 60-days, allowing for a limited window to resume energy trade. Sources said that the Iranian state oil producer had allocated oil to Indian refiners through NIOC and intermediaries. "Apart from NIOC several traders contact us to sell Iranian?oil. One of the refining source said, "My priority is to give NIOC a chance."...

Venezuela is receiving cash, emergency aid and rescuers after two powerful quakes shook areas around the capital Caracas. Thousands of people are still missing. Here is the list of foreign aid: UNITED NATIONS According to U.N.'s humanitarian affairs agency, 25 international?teams with a total of 1,000 personnel have been mobilized. Tom Fletcher, the chief of aid at the United Nations, said that a collective effort will be needed in order to support government-led efforts and assist communities. UNITED STATES The U.S. State Department announced it would mobilize $150 million of aid. The U.S. State Department said it is mobilizing $150...

The oil prices dropped on Friday morning, and are headed for steep losses this week amid easing supply concerns. More oil tankers have left the Strait of Hormuz as stranded vessels leave. Brent crude futures dropped 19 cents or 0.25% to $75.07 per barrel at 0055 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down 13 cents or 0.18% to $71.79 per barrel. The benchmark contracts both rose more than 2% after an unknown projectile hit a cargo ship near Oman. This prompted the U.N. shipping agency to suspend their voluntary evacuation scheme. Two U.S. officials said that Iran shot at the...

After two powerful earthquakes in?Venezuela on Wednesday, governments and humanitarian groups have started sending cash, teams of rescuers, and other aid. The death toll is expected to increase. According to the latest statistics, the back-to-back earthquakes, measuring 7.2 & 7.5 in magnitude, struck roughly 160 km (100 miles), west of Caracas. They damaged at least 250 buildings, and trapped about 200 people. U.N. HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE Tom Fletcher, the U.N.'s chief of aid, said that the office for humanitarian affairs was in charge of coordinating the deployments by international teams to search and rescue urban areas. He said that "the...

After two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela on Wednesday, governments and humanitarian groups around the world have started sending cash, teams of rescuers, and other types of aid. The number is expected to rise. At least 250 buildings were damaged by the two quakes that struck Caracas in a distance of?160km (100miles). The latest count shows 200 people still trapped under debris. U.N. HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE Tom Fletcher, the U.N.'s chief of aid, said that the office for humanitarian affairs was responsible for coordinating the deployment international search and rescue teams. He said that "the coming days will need a massive...

Ferrari and BMW have introduced new models with lightweight, cost-effective aluminum wiring. This is accelerating the shift away from copper as the dominant material for electric wiring ever since the invention two centuries ago of the electric batteries. JPMorgan predicts that the decisions will affect around 2% global copper demand in this year. Tesla and Chinese EV makers have also made similar moves. The structural increase in copper prices could lead to even more copper being switched over to aluminium. This is due to the increased demand for data centres and green energy, as well as the shortage of copper....

Guinea's mines minister said that the country aims to be a regional hub for gold refining. This is part of a wider push by West African producers to 'process bullion locally instead of exporting it into the Middle East. Gold prices are high, and the move aims to preserve more value for consumers at home. Bouna Sylla, Mines Minister Bouna Sylla said over the weekend that there was no problem if each country (in West Africa) had a refinery. "If you are not competitive in the market, your refinery will either fail or succeed due to economics and not politics."...

Gold prices fell on Monday as recent hostilities in Gulf added to inflation fears and expectations of rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, putting pressure on the non-yielding material. As of 1053 GMT, spot gold was down by 1.3% to $4,036.19 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell by 1.1%, to $4.051/oz. Bullion experienced a weekly decline of 1.7% on Friday, and is on course for a monthly loss in excess of 10%. A U.S. official announced on Sunday that Iran and the United States had agreed to cease recent hostilities and re-start talks regarding their dispute...

Gold fell on Monday, as recent hostilities in the Gulf increased inflation fears that fueled expectations of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve. This pushed the non-yielding material down. As of 857 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.9% to $4,049.90 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery lost 0.8%, to $4.063.50/oz. Bullion experienced a weekly drop of 1.7% on Friday, and was on course for a monthly decline of over 10%. A U.S. official announced on Sunday that Iran and the United States had agreed to cease recent hostilities and resume talks about their dispute over...

Gold prices?reduced on Monday, as the recent U.S. - Iran?strikes in the Gulf pushed up oil prices. Expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve rate hikes also weighed on this non-yielding material. As of 0602 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.8%, at $4,057.77 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 0.6% to $4072.20. Metal was heading for a fourth consecutive monthly loss of 10.5%. Tim Waterer is the chief market analyst for KCM Trade. He said: "U.S.-Iran were back at it over the weekend with new military strikes reported from both parties. This casts doubt on how long oil...

Gold prices?reduced on Monday, as the recent U.S. - Iran?strikes in the Gulf pushed up oil prices. Expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve rate hikes also weighed on this non-yielding material. As of 0242 GMT, spot gold was down 0.7%, at $4,061.35 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery lost 0.5%, to $4076.40. Metal was heading for a fourth consecutive monthly loss of 10.4%. Tim Waterer is the chief market analyst for KCM Trade. He said: "U.S.-Iran were back at it over the weekend with new military?strikes from both parties. This casts doubt on how long oil will remain at...

Gold prices rose on Friday, as the dollar fell and expectations of an interest rate increase in the U.S. eased after inflation data. However, they are still heading for a fourth successive weekly decline. By 1:35 pm EDT (1735 GMT), spot gold had risen 1.3% to $4,077.64 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery settled 1.2% higher at $4,096.30 an ounce. The U.S. Dollar eased off recent highs following the release of the Fed?s preferred inflation gauge on Friday. The U.S. The Personal Consumption Expenditures Index soared 4.1% over the '12 months to May', which was in line with...

The Mexican silver miner Sinda raised $213 million in its U.S. initial public offering. Shares of the company fell 10% on their debut at the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks of the San Miguel de Allende, Mexico based company opened at $10.80 each, lower than the $12 offered price. Sinda sold 17,75 million shares within the marketed price range of $11.25 - $13.25 per share. In recent months, a growing number of mining firms have turned to the capital markets to fund their capital-intensive operations and capitalize on the high metal prices. Pricing of the IPO below the middle of...

Copper fell on Friday, and was 'on track for its steepest week-to-week drop in more than three months. A selloff in technology equities spilled over into the metal. Benchmark 'three-month' copper on the London Metal Exchange was down by 0.3% to $13,236 per metric ton at 0920 GMT. Metal, considered to be a bellwether of global economic health, is on track to end the weekend down 2.6%. This would mark the biggest weekly drop since the week ended March 20. Apple's price increases fueled concerns about the inflationary impact of tech giants' spending. Robert Montefusco, senior broker at Sucden Financial,...

The price of iron ore rose on Friday, erasing earlier losses. It was set to be the first weekly gain for seven weeks as traders covered their short positions amid resilient consumer demand in China. The iron ore contract most traded on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange closed daytime trading up 0.81% to 748 yuan (109.98 dollars) per metric ton. This was a 0.3% weekly gain. As of 0825 GMT, the benchmark July Iron Ore was trading at $99 per ton on the Singapore Exchange. It has gained 0.2% this week. The morning trade saw both benchmarks fall as the sentiment...

Gold fell on Friday for a fourth consecutive week, due to the resilient dollar and expectations that U.S. interest rates will be raised faster in order to curb inflation. By 0441 GMT, spot gold had fallen 0.6% to $4.002.77 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 0.7% to $4017.30. Bullion is on course for a 3.8% loss this week after slipping below $4,000 on Wednesday, the lowest level since November 2025. The rapid repricing by the hawkish Fed created a strong bullish movement in the U.S. Dollar, which led to the significant decline in gold prices, said Kelvin...

The copper price is expected to fall by at least 1% on Friday due to a stronger dollar and continuing macroeconomic concerns. However, dip buying has limited the loss. Benchmark three-month?copper on the London Metal Exchange fell by?1% at $13,137 per metric ton?by 3:00 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract remained largely unchanged, with a 0.1% increase at 101,360 Yuan ($14900.84) per ton. The copper price was expected to drop by over 3% in both markets at the end of this week. The U.S. dollar gained 0.09%, partially reversing Thursday's ?decline and making greenback-denominated commodities more expensive...