Asia / Pacific

Beiersdorf, the maker of Nivea, said that the conflict in the Middle East was disrupting sales and deliveries in key Gulf markets. This highlights how geopolitical tensions continue to impact consumer goods companies in the region. Vincent Warnery, Chief Executive of the company, said that due to the conflict the company was unable to ship some products to Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates. "This is something that impacts not only our costs, but also consumption." We hope the war will end soon so that we can get back to business as usual," he said in a press conference....

Sinopec, a Chinese oil company, announced on Monday that it has opened a polyvinyl ethanol (PVA), resin plant in Chongqing. This will help China reduce its dependency on imported materials. The 50,000-metric-ton-per-year plant, operated by Sinopec Chongqing SVW Chemical Co, raises the site's total PVA capacity to 210,000 tons a year, ?Sinopec said in a statement. PVA is an?water-soluble biodegradable polymer that's used in a wide range of products, from face masks to high-value applications such as photovoltaics, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. The company stated that the expansion will make the Chongqing site the largest single-site production facility for 'high-end PVA'...

Abu Dhabi National Oil 'Co announced?on Friday that it will change its benchmark for monthly official sales prices for all of its crude grades from Murban crude to Platts Dubai pricing for the month-to-month from November 1. In a press release, ADNOC said that the change will align ADNOC’s OSPs with the month in which cargoes are loaded. This applies to Abu Dhabi crude grades onshore and off-shore, including Murban Das, Umm Lulu, and Upper Zakum. ADNOC will announce differentials for grades to Dubai prices in the month prior to cargo loading. ADNOC stated that the new pricing mechanism "reinforces...

OPEC+ 'plans to approve a quota for production increase of around 188,000?"barrels a day" on Sunday. After that, it will halt further increases in output, according to sources, until the voluntary cuts are completed. Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait are the core members of OPEC+. They have been increasing their monthly production quotas since most of this year. These increases are largely a paper exercise, due to the disruptions caused by the wars in Ukraine and Iran. One OPEC+ 'delegate' and an OPEC+'source, both of whom said that the group would pause production increases after September as it faces difficult...

ExxonMobil, Chevron and other top U.S. oil companies warn that global supplies of refined products and diesel will remain tight and lead to high prices for the rest of the year. The Iran war is causing major disruptions in energy supply. The two companies both reported huge increases in their second-quarter profits for refining on Friday, as they saw an increase in margins due to declining fuel stocks combined with reduced exports from China and refinery problems in Russia. Mike Wirth, CEO of Chevron, said in an earnings call that "we'll see some upward pressure on product pricing... into the...

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co announced on Friday that it will switch the benchmark for'monthly official sales prices for all crude grades to Platts Dubai Platts 'pricing derived from Murban -crude -futures starting November 1. ADNOC said that the change will bring ADNOC OSPs closer to the month when cargoes are loaded. The change applies to Abu Dhabi crude grades onshore and off shore, including Murban Das, Umm Lulu, and Upper Zakum. ADNOC will announce differentials from Dubai?quotes in the month prior to cargoes loading. ADNOC stated that the new pricing mechanism "reinforces ADNOC’s commitment to price transparency for its...

Fuchs, a German lubricants manufacturer, announced on Friday that the production of its jointly-owned facility in Yanbu (Saudi Arabia) had been suspended until further notification after a Saturday fire caused significant damage to the site. The cause of the fire is not known. It may have been caused by the Houthi?militants who attacked Saudi ports on Saturday. A spokesperson for Fuchs told us that the company relied solely on information supplied by its partner, and was unable to provide further details. The company confirmed that no employees were injured. Yanbu is Saudi Arabia's Red Sea oil port and has now...

Japan's Seven & i Holdings?formed a partnership with SoftBank -Corp, PayPay, and?Sumitomo -Mitsui Card.?Each will invest 100 billion yen (620 million dollars) in the 7-11 operator, a Friday filing revealed. The filing revealed that each of the three would acquire a 2.27%'stake? in Seven & i. LY Corp., a 'SoftBank subsidiary which runs the Line messaging application along with a number of online businesses has also signed a strategic partnership. The filing stated that they aim to 'integrate customer 'information' and create a loyalty point ecosystem across Seven & i physical stores, as well as the online and financial customers...

Local media reported that First Deputy Premier Daniyar Amangeldiev had agreed to a monthly fuel supply of 100,000 metric tons with Russia. Reports stated that fuel would be purchased at the current market exchange rate. Kyrgyzstan relies on Russian imports for over?90% its gasoline and diesel, but the supply has been in question due to Ukrainian drone attacks?on Russian refining facilities and a subsequent shortage. Kyrgyz officials have taken a number of measures in recent weeks to stabilize the fuel market. These include a temporary price control, a ban on exports of petroleum products, and the removal of state regulation...

Austrian oil and gas company OMV reported a record?quarterly profit on Friday, surpassing estimates. Price?hikes?across-the-board more than offset sales impact from the Middle East conflict. Oil companies have benefited as a result of the increased volatility in energy markets, as the U.S./Israeli conflict against Iran has caused sharp fluctuations in crude oil and gas prices. OMV's operating profits jumped by 65% year-on-year, to EUR1.71bn ($1.97bn), exceeding analysts' expectations. The company has confirmed that it expects the Brent price to range between $85-$95 per barrel for the entire year, "subject to the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz". Brent...

Alimentation Couche-Tard, a Canadian retailer, announced on Friday that it plans to 'buy' Poland's Zabka at a cost of 'about $8.7billion. This will be its largest acquisition. It will also expand its presence in Central & Eastern Europe. Last year the company abandoned a bid worth $46billion for Japan's Seven & I. Couche-Tard announced that it has secured commitments from investors including CVC Capital and Partners Group, to tender their shares. This gives it the backing of investors who represent about 57% Zabka's capital. The company has launched a voluntary tender offer for 32 zlotys a share. This is a...

The'regional governor, Andrei Bocharov said that a drone attack caused a fire at an energy facility in Volgograd, causing five injuries. He did not give any details about the facility. A Lukoil oil refinery is located in the region. Bocharov said on Telegram that five people were seeking medical attention after the attacks. Regional governor Yuri Slyusar posted on a messaging app that a woman was injured in Gukovo after a drone strike. Ukraine recently intensified its attacks on Russian logistic hubs such as those of the top online retailer Wildberries. It also continues to strike energy facilities, which has...

The price of gold climbed a little on Tuesday, as investors weighed the mixed signals from potential 'U.S.Iran' talks and awaited this week's U.S. Labor Market Reports for clues about Federal Reserve interest rate trajectory. Spot gold increased 0.2% at $4,059.81 an ounce as of 0257 GMT. Investors are awaiting reports on the U.S. labor market. These include job opening data in the afternoon, the ADP Employment Report on Wednesday, and the nonfarm payrolls numbers on Friday. "Gold is in a consolidation phase." Ajay Kedia of Mumbai-based Kedia Commodities said that if we see a weakening in the U.S. Dollar,...

Gold prices fell on Monday, as concerns about inflation and the war in the Middle East remained. The markets will also be watching the U.S. Federal Reserve policy direction this week. Spot gold dropped 0.3% per ounce to $4,030.34 by 2:00 pm EDT (1800 GMT), and U.S. gold futures for delivery in August settled at $4,090.50, a 0.4% decline. Gold has been in a trading band for over a month, roughly between $4,000 and $4200. The fact that the market may be anticipating a rise in inflation is a positive factor, particularly in July when fresh data are expected to...

Gold prices fell a little on Monday, as concerns about inflation and the war in the Middle East remained. The markets are also watching the latest job reports to determine the Federal Reserve's next policy move. Spot gold dropped by 0.1% at $4,037.01 an ounce as of 12:37 pm EDT (1637 GMT) while U.S. gold futures for delivery in August fell by 0.3% to $4,000.05. "Gold is stuck in a range of trading for over a month, roughly between $4000 and $4200. The fact that the market may be anticipating a rise in inflation is a positive factor, particularly in...

Two industry sources claim that Trafigura, a commodity trading house, holds a large share of zinc available on the London Metal Exchange. This is despite the fact that the prices of zinc, which is used to galvanize steel, have reached their highest levels in nearly four years. Available, or on-warrant, LME zinc stocks Just 73,850 tons of refined zinc were consumed in the world last year. This is equivalent to two days' global consumption. According to the International Lead and Zinc Study Group, the world consumed 13.8 million tonnes of refined zinc in 2012. LME data shows that three entities...

Gold prices fell on Monday as concerns about inflation and the conflict in the Middle East remained. The markets will also be watching the U.S. Federal Reserve policy direction this week, which is based on a number of employment reports. Spot gold dropped by 0.3% per ounce to $4,029.84 at 10:12 am EDT (1412 GMT) while U.S. gold futures for delivery in August fell 0.5%?to $4.029.00. Gold has been stuck between a range of $4000-$4200 for over a month. Marex analyst Edward Meir stated that the market may be anticipating a rise in inflation in July, when new data is...

Indonesia has resumed the export of minerals which may contain rare earth elements in their byproducts. This follows complaints from metals industries about delays due to mandatory rare earth content inspections. The testing of rare earth elements (REEs) in minerals such as bauxite and alumina has caused delays to the exports. Exporting rare earth elements as primary products is in fact prohibited. In a press briefing, Dudung Abdurachman, chief of staff to the president, said that it does not apply automatically to REEs found in products and derivatives as byproducts or accompanying elements. Dudung Abdurachman, the presidential chief of staff,...

Gold prices rose on Monday as oil prices dropped after U.S. President Donald Trump held back on announcing new attacks against Iran, hoping for a quick deal. This helped ease concerns about inflation and rising interest rates. As of 0210 GMT, spot gold was up 0.4% to $4,055.76 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures increased 0.9% to $4054.00. After authorities intervened on the foreign exchange markets to support the yen and make dollar-priced gold more affordable for overseas purchasers, the U.S. Dollar was under pressure. Tim Waterer is the chief market analyst for KCM Trade. He said that gold has had...

Holcim Group, a Swiss building materials company, announced on Sunday that it intends to sell its Philippines operations to Huaxin Building Materials of China in a deal worth at least $807,000,000. Holcim is selling an initial 68% stake at $527 million. The remainder will be sold in the following three to five year period for a price minimum of $280million. Holcim stated that this would result in an overall valuation $807 million. However, the figure may rise "based upon incremental value creation over?this time period". This sale is Holcim's largest divestment, since the $1 billion deal it made with Huaxin...

Holcim Group, a Swiss building materials company, announced on Sunday that it intends to sell its Philippines business to China’s Huaxin Building Materials. The deal could generate at least $807 million. Holcim is selling a 68% initial stake at $527 million. The remainder will be sold in the next 3 to 5 years for $290 million. Holcim stated that the total valuation would be $807 million. However, this figure could increase "based on incremental values created during?this time period". The money raised will be used for?large acquisitions as well as further investments in Holcim’s existing business. After spinning off their...

Gold fell 2% on the Friday, as the U.S. Dollar rebounded after a session in which it had fallen to a low of more than ONE MONTH. However, the metal is still on course for its first gain monthly in five months as the inflation data was weaker and expectations of future rate hikes by the U.S. were reduced. At 12:18 pm EDT (1618 GMT), spot gold fell 1.4% to $4,044.87 an ounce after dropping 2% earlier. U.S. Gold futures for August delivery fell 1.5% to $4043.80. Gold is up 1% this month, the biggest gain since February. Oil prices...

Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest palladium producer reported on Friday that it's revenue and net profit in the first six months of this year had'sharply' increased thanks to higher metal prices, which allowed them to pay interim dividends. It said that the net profit for the first half of 2026 was $2 billion, up from $842 millions in the first half of 2025. Revenues had also grown by 28%, to $8.3billion. EBITDA (earnings before tax, depreciation, and amortization) grew by 50%, to $3.9 billion. The company said that rising prices for non-ferrous metals and precious?metals was the main reason behind...

Gold fell more than 1% on Friday as the U.S. dollar gained ground. The dollar recovered its footing but was still on course to post its best monthly gain since February, as investors reduced their rate hike bets following the Federal Reserve meeting last week. Spot gold fell 1.1%, to $4.055.41 an ounce at 1050 GMT. However, it was on track for a 0.5% weekly increase. Prices have also risen by about 1.7% this month. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery dropped by 1.2% to $4053.60. Independent analyst Ross Norman stated that "gold struggles to gain meaningful momentum and is...