Benelux

The "Sell America' trade is back in the news, and even though it may quieten down after reports of U.S. president Donald Trump's possible Greenland deal it's safe to assume that it won't?go away. We've done this before. Last year, the term "de-dollarization", which was coined by Trump's tariffs-based trade war, became a buzzword. Investors were worried that they would reduce their exposure to U.S.-based assets. This?didn’t happen. U.S. Treasury official figures show that foreigners purchased a net of $1.27 trillion in U.S. Securities during the first eleven months of last year. This was primarily due to a flood of...

A person with knowledge of the matter said that Brazilian billionaire Joesley Batista had met with Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez before and after he met with U.S. government officials. He reassured them, according to a source familiar with the situation, that she seemed ready to allow investment in her country's oil and natural gas industry. Source: The Batista's family energy firm Fluxus is evaluating Venezuelan business opportunities. They have consolidated South American assets ever since they acquired it in 2023. Fluxus, Batista and the holding company J&F have declined to comment. The billionaire's?shuttle diplomatics, whose meatpacker JBS is a...

The Netherlands should sharply increase technology ?investment and shake up its labour market to safeguard ?the EU ?country's long-term prosperity, a government-commissioned report said. Peter Wennink, former CEO of ASML, made recommendations Friday on how to boost the productivity growth that has been stagnant. These recommendations echo those in Draghi's report on competitiveness for 2024. Draghi has called for the spending of 150 billion euros (176 billion dollars) over the next decade to attract investment into projects ranging from AI data centres, drones, and small modular nuclear reactors. It is expected that the report of Wennink, in which he described...

By America Hernandez PARIS, December 2 - French oil giant TotalEnergies, along with its other partners in the $20 billion Mozambique Gas Project, have agreed to provide more equity to replace previous contributions from British and Dutch Export Credit Agencies, the company announced on Tuesday. Total reported that the UK and Dutch agencies accounted for about 10% of the initial $15.4 billion external funding obtained by the project. Total's 13 million tons per year liquefied gas project will turn Mozambique into a major exporter of gas when it starts production in 2029, but the project has been bogged down in...

The French antitrust authority fined TotalEnergies and Rubis a total of 187 million euro ($217.3) for an anticompetitive agreement that increased fuel prices in Corsica. The island's population is just over 350,000 and it relies heavily on automobiles for transport. All fuels are imported through DPLC depots, which are jointly owned by Rubis TotalEnergies, EG Retail, and TotalEnergies. The watchdog stated that between 2016 and 2023, no other company is allowed to use these depots. The watchdog stated that the agreement reserving the use of Corsican depots for DPLC shareholders only is anticompetitive, and will likely shut out competitors at...

The Stellantis-backed ACC Joint Venture is "definitely" giving up plans for a megafactory in eastern Italy. This was reported by the newspaper MF on Friday. MF said that a decision on the Termoli plant, which ACC had designated as one of three European hubs for electric vehicle batteries, should be made by the end of this year or early in 2026. Italian newspaper cites sources to report that the project "is not sustainable due to technical, strategic, and financial difficulties". ACC continues to assess its investment plans in Italy, as well as in Germany. The goal is to make a...

As early quarter results show businesses adapting to President Donald Trump's new tariffs, the outlook for European corporate health is slightly better, according to the latest earnings estimates released on Tuesday. According to data from LSEG, European companies will report an average growth of 0.4% for their third quarter earnings. This is higher than the 0.2% analysts expected just a week earlier. This would still be the lowest quarterly performance since the beginning of 2024. Early Results Beat Analyst Expectations So far, 96 companies in the index have reported their earnings. Of these, 56.3% exceeded analyst expectations. Volvo Cars is...

Wall Street's major indexes closed at record highs on Monday for the second consecutive day as investors were optimistic about the prospects of a U.S. China trade deal. They also looked forward to an exciting week that will include high-profile earnings from the technology sector and the widely anticipated U.S. rate cut. U.S. president Donald Trump and his Chinese equivalent Xi Jinping will meet on Thursday in order to decide on a plan that could pause the tougher U.S. duties and China's export restrictions on rare earths. This would ease market jitters about a possible trade war, and send Wall...

Wall Street's major indexes hit new record highs Monday, as the excitement surrounding a possible U.S. China trade deal set a tone for a busy week of high-profile earnings from technology companies and a widely anticipated interest rate reduction. On Thursday, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping (the Chinese counterpart) will meet to discuss the future of the U.S.-China relationship. A framework This could stop the tougher U.S. Tariffs and China's export restrictions on rare earths. It would also ease market anxiety about a possible trade war, and send Wall Street's VIX "fear gauge", to a month-low. During his weekend TV...

Five sources said that an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management wanted to cut costs in Citgo Petroleum, a Venezuelan-owned refiner, while a unit from Gold Reserve was mainly focused on maintaining the statusquo. This is as the long auction which will determine the refiners' future approaches its end. The details of the competing visions of Citgo were revealed ahead of an auction to select the winner of PDV Holding, Citgo's parent. The Delaware court ordered the auction of shares to be held to pay for Venezuelan debt defaults, expropriations and other damages. The judge will decide next week who wins...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. The President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, said that TOTALENERGIES Mozambique has met the conditions to lift the force majeure for its $20 billion LNG project in Southern Africa. DEME GROUP The Belgian engineering company said that it had secured a contract to transport and install inter-array cable at the Nordseecluster A offshore wind farm located in Germany. CARMILA The French shopping centre operator launched a tender on four existing bonds worth 300 million euros. Pan-European market data: European Equities speed...

Stellantis revealed a prototype electric vehicle on Friday, featuring a lighter, faster charging and more affordable battery. This eliminates the requirement for an inverter or charger. IBIS, the Intelligent Battery Integrated System (Intelligent Battery Integrated System), was developed by TotalEnergies subsidiary Saft in partnership. Stellantis stated that it is the first system of its kind, and offers weight and space saving and is easier for service. The new system has a 10% higher efficiency than an electric vehicle with the same size battery, and it reduces charging times by one hour. The public has been unable to accept EVs because...

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is Ukraine's biggest steelmaker. It announced on Monday that it will close one production unit?in the 2nd quarter. The company cited EU environmental policies and high local power prices due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. The plant in Ukraine's south-east, approximately 70 km from the frontline, will close its blooming mill. This mill produces?billets to be used by the small-gauge mills and wire mills of the enterprise. The company stated that the introduction of the Carbon Border adjustment Mechanism by the European Union on?January 1, effectively closed the market for a significant part of Ukrainian metallurgical...

Polish prosecutors announced on Wednesday that European investigators had uncovered a synthetic drugs international network operated from Poland. They have seized over 9.3 tonnes of narcotics as well as arrested more than 100 suspects. Operation 'Synthetic Drugs in More Than 20 Illegal Laboratories' targeted a criminal gang accused of importing chemical pre-cursors from China and India, and manufacturing them in over 20 illegal laboratories for distribution throughout the European Union. The prosecutors said that the 'group' operated a complex supply chain. They imported large quantities of chemicals legally, which were then repackaged to be sent illegally to drug labs in...

The European share market was subdued Friday due to weakness in mining and luxury stocks. This marked a gloomy end to a week that had been dominated by?the beginning of a busy earning season along with geopolitical concerns. The pan-European STOXX 600 index finished at 614.38, while the luxury index fell 3.2%. This was its largest daily drop since early October. Richemont, one of the biggest losers, fell 5.4%, after BofA Global Research cut its recommendation for the Swiss jewellery firm to neutral from buy, and advised investors to "wait", citing inflated valuations following a recent rally. "European stocks are...

Allegro, a Polish ecommerce company, announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to sell its operations in Slovenia and Croatia?to Mutares of Germany. Allegro is aiming to simplify?its global footprint. Allegro claimed that the sale was the last step to turning around Mall Group. The group bought the company in 2022 as a first move beyond its home market Poland. Allegro expanded its presence in Central Europe with the deal, but so far international operations have weighed on its profitability. Allegro announced in March that it would pause the rollout of its third-party market in other countries until it increased...

The Astana International Trade website reported that Kazakhstan's steelmaker Qarmet had placed bonds for seven years worth $500 million at a coupon of 10.2%. The company has issued 5 million bonds at a par of $100. This is the second issue of this kind since it placed $500 million in bonds priced at 11% annually back in September. Trading will start on December 5. Qarmet will use $150 million for refinancing existing loans, and $350 millions to finance investment projects. This includes reimbursement of capital expenditures and refinancing debts. Qarmet, owned by ArcelorMittal until 2023, was sold to Qazaqstan Investment...

It said that the French government would continue to oppose any plans to nationalise French steelmaker ArcelorMittal's sites, as its workers are at risk of losing their jobs due to the tough market conditions. After the French lower chamber of parliament approved a motion to nationalize the sites, Finance Minister Roland Lescure issued a statement reiterating the government's goal to avoid any form of nationalisation. La France Insoumise, a far-left party, has put forward the motion that the French Senate will consider. The government has consistently opposed the motion. The bill was passed late Thursday night by 127 votes to...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or specific stocks. ABIONYX SA: The biotech company Abionyx Pharma has announced a global strategic partnership exclusively with Sebia. This partnership will transform sepsis diagnostics and validate new test for early sepsis detection. Financial terms and milestones remain confidential. Boiron SA, a homeopathic drug manufacturer, announced that Thierry Boiron will step down from his position as Deputy CEO on December 31, 2025. EIFFAGE SA. French construction company Eiffage has won a second contract for the construction of infrastructure at the Madrid street circuit, Spain....

Bosch said that thousands of employees are facing production interruptions due to a global shortage of chips caused by a dispute with the manufacturer Nexperia. China and the Netherlands are locked in a fight for control of Nexperia. However, there is hope that the standoff will ease with the Dutch government sending an official delegation to Beijing to try to reach a compromise. Bosch reported that it was experiencing disruptions at three of its sites: Ansbach, Salzgitter and Braga (both in Germany) and Braga (Portugal). It said: "We continue to do everything possible to serve our clients and to avoid...

The mines ministry announced that the Democratic Republic of Congo extended for another six months the ban on trading minerals from dozens of sites of artisanal gold mining in the conflict-hit provinces of North and South Kivu. The extension increases compliance pressure on global supply chain for tin tantalum and titanium, which are key inputs to the electronic, automotive, and aerospace industries. According to an order signed by Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba on November 3, the ban introduced in February is still in effect because there is evidence that the illegal supply of mines funds armed groups in eastern...

Solvay, a French chemical company, announced on Wednesday that it has signed two agreements to supply rare-earths to U.S. magnetic makers in order to expand its processing facility. Solvay is one of only a handful of companies outside China that can perform the difficult rare earths separation. In April, it began processing minerals for permanent magnets in its French facility. However, commercial production will depend on government and customer support. Separate statements stated that Solvay has concluded agreements to supply rare-earth oxides with U.S. firms Noveon Magnetics & Permag. In order to reduce dependence on China, the United States, Europe,...

Aperam, an European stainless steel manufacturer, reported lower than expected core earnings on Friday. This was due to lower volumes and increasing price pressure in its native continent. The adjusted earnings before taxes, depreciation, and amortization dropped around 25% from the year prior to 74 millions euros ($86million), whereas analysts surveyed by the company expected 76 million euro on average. The main drivers of the decline were lower seasonal volumes, increased price pressures in Europe and temporary soft Alloys contributions. The group made a statement. Data from the company showed that the average steel price per ton fell by 10%...

ArcelorMittal can capture a part of the market void caused by lower imports, once the EU steel quotas are implemented. This was the Chief Financial Officer GenuinoChristino's statement on Thursday. Christino told analysts that he did not see any problem in capturing that portion of the market. In October, the European Commission proposed a reduction of almost half in tariff-free import quotas for steel and a 50% tax on excess shipments. This was done to maintain viable steelmaking within the European Union. However, it is not yet clear when these new measures will be implemented. Christino stated that the current...