Benelux

The Dutch government estimated on Monday that the European Union could supply enough kerosene for the EU economy to last about five months. This would be based on domestic production and strategic reserves. The Iran War has caused a potential shortage of jet fuel within the next few weeks. In a letter sent to the Dutch parliament, it was stated that the domestic supply of jet fuel (or kerosene) is 78% below normal levels as most imports have ceased. The Netherlands is home to several of Europe's biggest refineries, located in the Port?of Rotterdam. The government announced measures to protect...

The Dutch government announced temporary tax breaks on Monday to compensate for the rising cost of fuel. It also said it was preparing a broader package of measures in case energy prices worsen. The government allocated around 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) to temporary tax relief measures for commuters and truck drivers, but did not lower fuel taxes as many of them requested. These measures include targeted support to lower-income people with energy bills and a?support for homeowners to reduce their consumption. The government stated that there are no immediate fuel shortages as European oil, jet fuel and diesel supplies...

Holders of bonds issued by Ukraine's Naftogaz, the state energy giant, have hired lawyers to prepare for what appears to be a second debt restructuring since Russia's invasion in 2022. Source familiar with the matter confirmed that the funds hired Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton - the same firm which represented VR Capital and bondholders when Naftogaz wrote off its debt in?2023. In the face of ongoing Russian attacks, the Ukrainian state energy company, which has recently hired Rothschild to be its debt advisor, is struggling with how to pay a repayment of nearly 700 million euros ($821million) due in...

The Italian Treasury confirmed an earlier report that Lorenzo Mariani would be the new Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo Defence Group, replacing Roberto Cingolani. Rome, as expected, also proposed the reappointment of Claudio Descalzi at Eni's helm and Flavio Cataneo, Enel's, to their respective energy groups. Cingolani did not win a second term, despite a rise in sales and orders at the state-controlled group since he became its leader in 2023. He also secured a number partnerships with European competitors. Leonardo's shares, which had more than quadrupled in value under Cingolani, dropped this week amid reports of his possible removal,...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France or Benelux. ECB/VILLEROY : According to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, France's central bank chief Francoisvilleroy de Galhau, the?European Central Bank aims to stop any inflation caused by energy. However, it is still too early to talk about dates for interest rate increases. France/Israel: According to a German Foreign Office statement, the foreign ministers from Germany, France, Italy, and Britain have urged Israeli lawmakers to drop a bill that would allow the death penalty to be imposed in Israel. HAL TRUST HAL Trust, a Dutch investment...

Weekly data from the European Commission on Thursday showed that diesel prices at the pump in the EU's 27 members?states reached their highest level since records began in 2005. The average EU-27 diesel price per litre was 2.06 euros on 23 March, up from 1.95 euro the previous week. Data is based on fuel prices, including tax. * The average retail diesel price is now above?2 per litre, for the first since June 2022. This was the last major fuel supply shock after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The EU petrol prices rose to 1,89 euros per litre, up from...

Dutch Central Bank Governor,?Olaf Sleijpen?said Tuesday that the rising oil and gas prices will likely affect the economy faster than they did during '2022's energy crisis. The Dutch representative in the ECB Governing Council stated that he and his colleagues would have more information on their April meeting about the second-round effect, which occurs if firms raise?their price to offset higher input cost and employees demand higher wages. We can't control the price of oil and gas, but we are able to act if we notice second-round effects. "I think we'll have more information?on that front - in April", he...

Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Secretary, gave an ultimatum to the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday. The agency had one year to abandon its support for goals to reduce energy emissions to zero net or else risk losing membership. At the biennial meeting of the agency, European countries downplayed the "threat" and reaffirmed their commitment to cleaner fuel. In 2015, the U.S., along with nearly 200 other nations, signed the Paris Accords. This international agreement aims to reduce global warming through the burning of less oil, coal and gas, and to reach net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050....

Two sources familiar with the matter said that TotalEnergies, the French oil giant, has acquired the remaining 45% of Lukoil's stake in the Zeeland Refinery, located in the Netherlands. Sources did not know whether Total paid for the shares, and if so, how much. Or if they engaged in another agreement, such as a swap of assets with Total's Russian projects, to gain full control. TotalEnergies declined comment. Lukoil didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. In October, the U.S. Treasury issued sanctions against Lukoil to try to pressurize Russia to 'end its war with Ukraine.' This prompted the...

By America Hernandez PARIS, February 5, 2019 - French oil giant?TotalEnergies signed two agreements to supply Airbus with 3.3 terawatt hours of electricity. The companies stated that this amount would cover half the sites’ power needs in the next decade. Germany and Britain are key growth markets for Total. Total is focusing on markets that have deregulated electricity markets, where it can own and build renewable assets and sell directly to clients. The company has a'strategy' that includes owning gas-fired plants and signing supply deals to provide continuous power sourced both from renewables and gas assets. These contracts, which are...

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 World Steel Association cut its forecast on global 'crude steel demand' for this year. This was partly because of the Iran War, which has slashed Middle East consumption. The industry group reduced its forecast of growth in 2026 steel demand to 0.3%, or 1.72 billion tons. This is down from an earlier forecast in October that was 1.3%. "We expect that the conflict in the Middle East will result in a sharp decline in the region's demand for steel in 2026. This was a strong area for growth," said Alfonso Hidalgo Calcerrada. "We're now transitioning to a modest growth...

Here are some company news and stories that could have an impact on markets in France and Benelux or individual stocks. RENAULT Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the French automaker Renault Group, will not seek to continue his term in spring 2027. This was confirmed by a source familiar with the matter on Wednesday. AIRBUS SE Airbus, the aerospace manufacturer, has announced a new subsidiary that combines Skywise digital and Navblue into a single entity. KERING SA Kering, the owner of Gucci, announced on Wednesday that it had struck a deal with Qatar's Al-Mirqab Group in which they would?sell? an 80%...

Buy expensive steel that is made using a "nascent" technology powered by green hydrogen, which barely exists? Under European Union plans, which aim to bolster the steel industry of the EU while still meeting?its environmental targets, this is what Europe's automakers face. They are already under pressure from a fiercer competition in China. The EU changed its CO2 emission targets for new cars in December to 90% by 2035, from 100%. This was a shift from the earlier 100% target. EU WANT TO BOOST EUROPEAN STAINLESS SECTOR The new proposal is tied to the EU Industrial Accelerator Act, due to...

The Dutch state-owned financial institution Invest International will lend a total of $60 million to the chipmaker 'Nexperia, in order to finance a series of global investments at 'its production sites. The funds will be used to boost production, modernise the production lines and improve productivity. Nexperia in the Netherlands, a unit of China's Wingtech, was caught up in a corporate standoff with Europe after a Dutch state intervention installed an European management team last year. According to the Dutch newspaper FD, this move scared away investors and caused a global crisis in terms of chip supplies for the automotive...

Outokumpu, a Finnish stainless steel'maker, warned on Thursday that despite a core profit of over $500,000 for the fourth quarter 2025 which was above market expectations. At 1319 GMT, the shares were down about 5%. Last year, European Steelmakers were under pressure from a weak domestic market, high energy costs and cheap Asian imports. They welcomed EU protections such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism or the European Commission’s proposal to reduce import quotas. Marc-Simon Schaar, the finance chief at CBAM, told reporters that despite the fact that he expected a'significant recovery in volumes' and saw more activity on the...

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the EU must simplify its regulations to be more competitive with the United States and China. Over the last two decades, EU growth has consistently been lower than that of?the United States, with EU innovation and productivity, especially in fields such as AI, falling behind. "Let's take the U.S. as an example again." Von der Leyen stated on Wednesday that there is only one financial system and capital. "In Europe, we don't only have 27 different systems of financial supervision, each with their own supervisor. More than 300 trading...

ArcelorMittal reported a fourth-quarter core income that was above the?market?forecasts, on Thursday. The company expects lower imports of steel into Europe to help restore profitability for its mills in Europe. In the first hour of trading, its shares rose by more than 3% and reached their highest level since August 2011. Since the beginning of the year, they have gained about 25%. According to LSEG, the multinational group headquartered in Luxembourg posted earnings of $1.59bn for the quarter. This was higher than analysts' estimates of $1.51bn. EU MEASURES ARE A BONUS?FOR DOMESTIC INDUSTRIES Even though global trade volatility hurt visibility...

A Trump administration official who is familiar with the plan revealed that President Donald Trump will launch a?strategic critical minerals stockpile? with $12 billion of seed money from the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The investment is a 'last ditch effort by Washington to counter what they perceive as Chinese price manipulation for minerals such as lithium, nickel, and rare earths, which are vital to items like electric vehicles, high-tech weapons, and many other products. Bloomberg News reported that the project, Project Vault will combine private financing with a $10 Billion loan from the EXIM Bank in order to stockpile minerals for...

Mozambique President Daniel Chapo inaugurated a 200,000-metric-ton-per-year graphite-processing plant on Friday at a Chinese mine, as the country boosts its output of the battery mineral. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the annual global production of graphite is 1.6 millions metric tons. Mozambique, meanwhile, is one of world's leading producers of this mineral. It is an?excellent conductor of electricity and heat, and is used to make?batteries and mobile phones for electric cars. China is the largest graphite producer and miner in the world. Chapo said Mozambique was making the most of its resources, including a liquefied gas project worth...

ArcelorMittal is a multinational steelmaker that was the former owner Acciaierie d'Italia, an Italian steel company. On Thursday, it announced that it filed a 1.8 billion euro claim ($2.2 billion) against the Italian Government over losses?linked with its investment in ADI's factories. This filing is a 'tit-fortat' move after Italy's state appointed administrators of ADI (formerly known as ILVA) sought around 8 billion euros in damages from ArcelorMittal alleging it mismanaged ADI’s steelworks. Early in 2024, the government assumed control of ADI after ArcelorMittal. ADI has struggled to maintain its production due to high energy costs and low demand. In...

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...