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Iron ore slips on risk-off sentiment, but set for weekly gain
Iron ore futures fell on Friday amid riskoff sentiment across the financial markets due to the intensifying UkraineRussia conflict, however they were on track for a weekly gain on solid demand. The most-traded January iron ore on China's Dalian Product Exchange (DCE) traded 1.2% lower at 768.50 yuan ($ 106.06) per metric load at the midday break. Still, the agreement was up 2.9% for the week. The benchmark December iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 1.3% lower at $100.70 a lot since 0507 GMT. It is up 5.5% for the week so far. ( China's) Daily hot metal output has been steady and at a. high level ... which indicates iron ore intake remains strong. even into the winter season off-peak season, said a trader. Second, there's winter restocking now for mills as obvious. by stocks held climbing, the trader included. We believe that the counter-cyclical increase in Chinese steel. production seen in recent weeks might be a sign of front-loading. manufacturing and exports ahead of prospective U.S. tariffs next. year, stated Goldman Sachs analysts in a note. However, risk-off sentiment throughout monetary markets due to. the increasing conflict in the Ukraine-Russia war weighed on costs. Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic. missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, further. intensifying the 33-month-old war. Potential dangers from possible tariffs on Chinese products. might also dampen metals demand next year. Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE fell, with coking. coal down 0.5% at 1,285 yuan a load, and coke. falling 1.8% to 1,901.50 yuan. Steel standards on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE). were likewise down. SHFE rebar slid 1.4% to 3,279 yuan a lot,. hot-rolled coil dropped 1.2% to 3,452 yuan, wire rod. reduced 1.1% to 3,578 yuan, and stainless steel. shed 1.1% to 13,195 yuan.
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Many base metals fall on firmer dollar, risk-off belief
Base metal costs primarily traded lower on Friday, pushed by a stronger dollar and riskaverse belief due to the intensifying conflict in the UkraineRussia war. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME). relieved 0.2% to $8,992 per metric ton by 0540 GMT, while. the most-traded December copper agreement on the Shanghai Futures. Exchange (SHFE) fell 1.1% to 73,640 yuan ($ 10,162.01) a. heap. Escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war rattled danger appetite. across financial markets, while a more powerful dollar - on track for. the eighth straight weekly gain - made greenback-priced metals. more costly to holders of other currencies. I believe the war is a wild card so risk-off pivot will harm. base metals. The higher dollar is putting pressure on base. metals too, said a metals trader. There is still no good news from China on how they'll. stimulate more, although they are on the best track. Bitcoin is. eliminating attention from commodities too, the trader. stated. Bitcoin came within a whisker of closing above $100,000 for. the first time on Thursday as the election of Donald Trump as. U.S. president stimulated expectations that his administration will. create a friendly regulative environment for cryptocurrencies. Physical copper demand revealed a slight uptick during China's. traditionally strong usage season, as shown by a. modest decrease in SHFE stocks. SHFE copper stocks were last at 130,465 loads,. the most affordable because Feb. 8. LME aluminium fell 0.6% to $2,616.50, while nickel. edged 0.1% higher to $15,725, zinc was flat at. $ 2,990, lead increased 0.5% to $2,008 and tin. was down 0.2% at $28,690. SHFE aluminium fell almost 1.2% to 20,450 yuan a. lot, nickel dropped 1.6% to 125,120 yuan, lead. declined 0.2% to 16,945 yuan, tin was down 1.3% at. 240,350 yuan and zinc alleviated 0.1% to 25,155 yuan. For the top stories in metals and other news, click. or
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New york city Times organization news - Nov 22
The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has actually not confirmed these stories and does not vouch for their precision. - Gautam Adani, the billionaire chair of Indian corporation Adani Group and among the world's wealthiest people, has been indicted in New york city over his function in a $265 million bribery scheme, according to U.S. district attorneys. - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated on Thursday he would choose former Florida Chief law officer and loyalist Pam Bondi to be U.S. Attorney General, moving quickly to change his previous nominee Matt Gaetz after the embattled previous congressman withdrew from factor to consider. - Donald J. Trump's social networks company is considering developing a cryptocurrency payment service, according to a. hallmark application filed this week, the most recent sign of the. president-elect's welcome of the crypto market. - A federal grand jury prosecuted Phillips 66 on. charges of violating the Tidy Water Act by dumping almost. 800,000 gallons of contaminated wastewater into the Los Angeles. County sewer system and failing to report the incident to. authorities.
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South Korea's mountain of plastic waste reveals limits of recycling
South Korea has actually won global praise for its recycling efforts, however as it prepares to host talks for a global plastic waste contract, specialists say the country's method highlights its limitations. When the talks referred to as INC-5 start in Busan next week, dispute is anticipated to centre around whether a U.N. treaty ought to seek to restrict the amount of plastic being made in the very first place. Opponents of such a technique, consisting of significant plastic and petrochemical manufacturers like Saudi Arabia and China, have argued in previous rounds that nations ought to focus on less controversial topics, such as plastic waste management. South Korea says that it recycles 73% of its plastic waste, compared to about 5% -6% in the United States, and the nation might appear to be a design for a waste management approach. The bi-monthly MIT Technology Evaluation magazine has ranked South Korea as among the world's finest recycling economies, and the only Asian nation out of the leading 10 on its Green Future Index in 2022. But ecological activists and members of the waste management market say the recycling numbers do not inform the entire story. South Korea's declared rate of 73% is an incorrect number, since it just counts plastic waste that reached the recycling screening center - whether it is recycled, incinerated, or landfilled later, we do not know, stated Seo Hee-won, a scientist at regional activist group Climate Change Center. Greenpeace estimates South Korea recycles only 27% of its overall plastic waste. The environment ministry states the definition of waste, recycling techniques and statistical estimation vary from nation to nation, making it hard to examine evenly. South Korea's plastic waste generation increased from 9.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 12.6 million tonnes in 2022, a 31%. jump in three years partially due to increased plastic packaging of. food, presents and other online orders that mushroomed during the. pandemic, activists said. Information for 2023 has not been released. A considerable amount of that plastic is not being recycled,. according to market and federal government sources and activists,. in some cases for financial factors. At a shuttered plastic recycling site in Asan, about 85 km. ( 53 miles) south of Seoul, a mountain of about 19,000 tonnes of. finely ground plastic waste is piled up untreated, emitting a. slightly noxious smell. Local officials stated the owner had run. into money problems, but could not supply information. It will most likely take more than 2-3 billion won ($ 1.43. million-$ 2.14 million) to remove, said an Asan local. federal government official. The owner is believed not able to pay, so. the cleanup is low concern for us. Reuters has reported that more than 90% of plastic waste. gets discarded or incinerated since there is no low-cost way to. repurpose it, according to a 2017 study. NO CONCRETE GOALS South Korean government's guidelines on single-use plastic. products have also been criticised for being inconsistent. In. November 2023, the environment ministry alleviated limitations on. single-use plastic including straws and bags, rolling back guidelines. it had enhanced just a year earlier. South Korea lacks concrete goals towards reducing. plastic use outright, and reusing plastic, said Hong Su-yeol,. director of Resource Flow Society and Economy Institute. and an expert on the country's waste management. Nara Kim, a Seoul-based advocate for plastic usage decrease. at Greenpeace, said South Korea's culture of valuing fancy. product packaging of presents and other items needs to change, while other. activists pointed to the influence of the country's. petrochemical manufacturers. Business are the ones that pay the money, the taxes, stated. a recycling industry authorities who decreased to be recognized. since of the level of sensitivity of the problem, including that this. enabled them to wield influence. The environment ministry is. the weakest ministry in the government. The environment ministry said South Korea manages waste. over the entire cycle from generation to recycling and final. disposal. The government has actually made some transfer to motivate Korea Inc to. recycle, including its petrochemical market that ranks 5th. in global market share. President Yoon Suk Yeol stated at the G-20 summit on Tuesday. that efforts to lower plastic contamination must also be made for. sustainable development, which his federal government will support. next week's talks. The federal government has actually altered guidelines to allow companies. like leading petrochemical manufacturer LG Chem to. create naphtha, its primary feedstock, by recycling plastic. via pyrolysis. SK Chemicals' depolymerisation. chemical recycling output has already been utilized in products such. as water bottles as well as tires for high-end EVs. Pyrolysis includes heating waste plastic to extremely high. temperatures triggering it to break down into molecules that can be. repurposed as a fuel or to produce second-life plastic items. But the process is costly, and there is likewise criticism that it. boosts carbon emissions. Business have to be behind this, stated Jorg Weberndorfer,. Minister Counsellor at the trade area of the EU Delegation to. South Korea. You need business who truly believe in this and wish to. have this change. I believe there should be an alliance in between. public authorities and business..
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New Alliance Targets CTV Deliveries for Japanese Offshore Market
Strategic Marine, Mirai Ships, and Ragnar Energy Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a framework for exclusive newbuild collaborations, aiming to deliver vessels tailored for Japanese offshore markets.The MoU sets out the terms for exclusive collaboration on the design and construction of Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs), a predominant asset utilized during the operational and maintenance phase of offshore wind farm operations, together with supporting role during the construction phases of the offshore wind farm.These vessels are intended to serve Japan’s growing offshore energy market, leveraging local construction expertise and cutting-edge engineering solutions.The collaboration aims to deliver vessels tailored to Japanese offshore market demands while maintaining the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and environmental sustainability.The signing also signifies a unified approach towards net-zero goals established globally and supports Japan in their track towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46% by 2030.
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The majority of base metals fall on firmer dollar, risk-off belief
Base metal rates mainly traded lower on Friday, pressured by a stronger dollar and riskaverse belief due to the escalating conflict in the UkraineRussia war. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME). eased 0.1% to $8,999 per metric load by 0334 GMT, while. the most-traded December copper agreement on the Shanghai Futures. Exchange (SHFE) fell 0.9% to 73,800 yuan ($ 10,184.65) a. load. Escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war rattled risk cravings. throughout monetary markets, while a more powerful dollar - on track for. the 8th straight weekly gain - made greenback-priced metals. more expensive to holders of other currencies. I think the war is a wild card so risk-off pivot will hurt. base metals. The greater dollar is putting pressure on base. metals too, stated a metals trader. There is still no excellent news from China on how they'll. stimulate more, although they are on the ideal track. Bitcoin is. eliminating attention from commodities too, the trader. said. Bitcoin came within a hair of closing above $100,000 for. the first time on Thursday as the election of Donald Trump as. U.S. president spurred expectations that his administration will. produce a friendly regulative environment for cryptocurrencies. Physical copper need showed a small uptick throughout China's. traditionally strong consumption season, as indicated by a. modest decline in SHFE inventories. SHFE copper stocks were last at 130,465 loads,. the most affordable since Feb. 8. LME aluminium fell 0.4% to $2,620.50, while nickel. edged 0.1% greater to $15,725, zinc advanced 0.4%. to $3,003, lead increased 0.5% to $2,009 and tin. was up 0.8% at $28,980. SHFE aluminium fell nearly 1% to 20,520 yuan a ton,. nickel dropped 1.5% to 125,390 yuan, lead. decreased 0.3% to 16,920 yuan, tin was down 0.9% at. 241,240 yuan while zinc rose 0.2% to 25,245 yuan. For the leading stories in metals and other news, click. or
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Gold surges and euro droops as wider war risks increase
Gold was headed for its largest weekly gain in almost 8 months on Friday and the euro hovered at a 13month low as Russia decreased its limit for using nuclear weapons and fired a hypersonic ballistic rocket at Ukraine. The threat of escalation also sent European gas costs to a 1 year high and pressed investors towards safe havens, underpinning German financial obligation and putting the Swiss franc on course for its very first weekly rise in 2 months. In Asia on Friday, chipmakers led stocks a bit higher after Nvidia touched a record high in U.S. trade on solid profits, with shares in Taiwan and South Korea up more than 1% and the Nikkei gaining 0.8%. Gold was consistent at $2,677 an ounce and up more than 4.5% for the week so far while bitcoin, based on the edge of breaking above $100,000 for the very first time. Assets connected to Adani Group companies stayed under pressure, with dollar bonds nursing losses following chairman Gautam Adani's indictment for scams by U.S. district attorneys. Russia on Tuesday decreased its threshold for using nuclear weapons and over night responded to the U.S. and UK allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with western weapons by firing a. hypersonic intermediate-range missile at Ukraine's Dnipro. Those weapons usually bring nuclear warheads, stated. experts at ANZ Bank, noting the attack sent oil rates higher. The exchange suggests the war has actually entered a new stage,. raising concerns around interruptions to provide. Brent unrefined futures are up almost 4.5% on the week. and edged approximately touch a two-week high of $74.44 a barrel in Asia. trade. The euro has been friendless and down for seven of the past. 8 weeks as Europe deals with U.S. tariffs, slowing development, the. collapse of Germany's federal government and pressures in France's. federal government over its 2025 budget plan. There doesn't appear to be anything on the plus side of the. euro ledger just at the moment, said National Australia Bank's. head of FX research, Ray Attrill. At $1.0469 the typical currency is close to breaking support. at last year's low of $1.0448. European stocks are also. headed for a 5th weekly drop in a row, while world stocks. are up 1% today. The dollar index considered a weekly gain of 0.4% and. traded at 107.05. S&P 500 futures were flat. Benchmark. 10-year Treasury yields held at 4.432%, more or less. stable on the week. Markets suggest about a 58% possibility of a Fed cut, down from 83%. a week earlier. Information in Japan showed core inflation held above the main. bank's 2% target in October, keeping pressure for a rate increase. Markets are pricing about a 57% opportunity of a 25 basis point Bank. of Japan rate hike in December and the possibility has actually injected. some volatility and even support for the yen. The yen, down 4% this quarter, was trading firmer at 154.38. per dollar in early morning trade. Together with speculation about (finance ministry). intervention, I think selling on upticks on dollar/yen is quite. decent, said Keita Matsumoto, head of financial institution. sales and options at Citigroup Global Markets Japan in Tokyo. Our investor customers and business customers are rather. sellers of dollar/yen near 155.
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Oil increases as intensifying Ukraine war increases supply risk
Oil rates increased on Friday after Russia said it had fired a ballistic missile at Ukraine and alerted of a widening dispute, raising the possibility of tightening up unrefined materials. Brent unrefined futures gained 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $ 74.37 a barrel by 0007 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures increased 17 cents, or 0.2%, to $70.27 per barrel. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Ukraine war was growing into a worldwide dispute after the U.S. and Britain allowed Ukraine to strike Russia with their weapons. Putin, who said Russia responded to using U.S. and British rockets by firing a new type of hypersonic medium-range ballistic rocket at a Ukrainian military center, alerted the West that Moscow might retaliate further. After approval from the administration of President Joe Biden, Ukraine struck Russia with six U.S.-made ATACMS on Nov. 19 and with British Storm Shadow rockets and U.S.-made HIMARS on Nov. 21, Putin said. Russia is among the world's top crude oil producing nations, even with output declines following import bans tied to its invasion of Ukraine and supply curbs by manufacturer group OPEC+. Russia this month stated it produced about 9 million barrels of oil a day. Ukraine has used drones to target Russian oil infrastructure, consisting of in June, when it used long-range attack drones to strike 4 Russian refineries. Swelling U.S. crude and fuel stocks minimal cost gains, with government data released this week revealing crude increased by 545,000 barrels in the week to Nov. 15 to 430.3 million barrels and fuel inventories by 2.1 million barrels to 208.9 million barrels. Some analysts anticipate another dive in oil inventories in next week's information. We will be anticipating a rebound in production in addition to US refinery activity next week that will bring negative ramifications for both unrefined and key items, stated Jim Ritterbusch of Ritterbusch and Associates in Florida. The world's leading crude importer, China, meanwhile on Thursday revealed policy procedures to improve trade, including assistance for energy product imports, in the middle of concerns over U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's dangers to impose tariffs.
CORRECTED: Rift between China and the Philippines over South China Sea deepens
Under Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the relationship between Manila and Beijing has soured. Manila is now turning back to the United States for support in its maritime disputes against China.
This timeline shows the key events that have escalated tensions in the Philippines-China relationship since 2023:
Marcos will visit Beijing for three days, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and agree to establish direct communication between their foreign ministers on the South China Sea.
FEB 2, 2014 - Under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the Philippines allows the United States to access four additional military bases.
FEB 13-14: The Philippines accuses China of using a "military grade laser" to target one of their ships. The ship was resupplying troops aboard a warship Manila intentionally grounded in 1999 on the Second Thomas Shoal, a dispute. Marcos summons China's ambassador.
APRIL 3, 2019 - The Philippines reveals locations of four additional bases Washington can use in accordance with EDCA. Three of the bases face north toward Taiwan, and one is located near the disputed Spratly Islands.
APRIL 11, 2019 - The largest joint military exercises in history between Filipinos and Americans begin in the Philippines.
APRIL 22: Marcos and his Foreign Secretary meet with China's former foreign minister Qin Gang at Manila. They pledge to work together in order to resolve maritime disputes.
May 1: U.S. president Joe Biden receives Marcos, the first Philippine leader to visit the White House in 10 years. They expressed "unwavering dedication to freedom of overflight and navigation in the South China Sea".
May 3 - The United States, Philippines and other countries agree to new guidelines regarding their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. These guidelines specifically state that the mutual defense commitments will be invoked if either country is attacked "anywhere" in the South China Sea.
JUNE 6, 2009 - First trilateral manoeuvres by the coast guards from the United States of America, Japan, and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
AUG. 5 - The Philippines has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannons at a supply vessel transporting food to troops on Second Thomas Shoal. This area is known in China under the name Renai Reef, and in Manila it is called Ayungin Shoal.
AUG 7: The Chinese coast guard asks the Philippines if they can remove the warship that is stranded on Second Thomas Shoal.
OCT 22-24: The Philippines accuses Chinese Coastguard vessels of deliberately colliding with their vessels supplying its forces stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal. The incident was not serious.
The Philippines has called on China to remove "illegal structures", which are built in its exclusive economic zones (EEZ), stop reclamation of these areas, and take responsibility for any damage caused by the activities.
NOV 21: The Philippines and United States militaries launch a joint patrol from the waters near Taiwan up to the South China Sea.
NOV 25: The Philippines and Australia launch their first joint air and sea patrols in South China Sea.
DEC 9-10: The Philippines accuses China that it fired water cannons at its boats including one with its military chief and rammed others, causing severe engine damage. China's coastguard says that the Philippine vessel deliberately rammed their ship.
DEC 19: Marcos says that a paradigm shift is required in the way his country views the South China Sea. Diplomatic efforts with Beijing are heading in a "poor" direction.
DEC 21: China warns against Philippines "misjudging the maritime situation" and says that bilateral relations between the two countries are at a crossroads.
JAN 3: The Philippines and United States conduct their second joint patrol of the South China Sea, while China is conducting a similar activity in the disputed watersway with its air and naval forces.
FEB 9: The Philippines and United States conduct joint maritime exercises for the third time in the South China Sea, while China continues its "routine patrols".
The Philippine Coast Guard accused China of making "dangerous" and "blocking" maneuvers when its vessel was patrolling near Scarborough Shoal, in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has condemned China's coast guard for their "reckless" "illegal" actions which led to the collision of a Chinese ship with a Philippine vessel, causing damage to the latter, and injuring its crew during a resupply for troops on the Second Thomas Shoal. China claims that the Philippine vessels intruded illegally into the waters near the shoal.
MARCH 6, 2019 - The Philippines summoned China's deputy head of mission to Manila in protest against "aggressive" actions by Chinese naval forces towards the resupply missions.
China has warned the United States to refrain from "stoking up trouble" and taking sides in the South China Sea dispute, following the statement made by U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken, during a trip to Manila. Blinken claimed that a security agreement with the Philippines included attacks against the Philippine Coast Guard.
China's coastguard claims it has taken action against Philippine vessels resupplying troops on the Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines, however, has branded the actions, which included the use of water cannons that damaged their ship and injured crew members, as "irresponsible" and "provocative".
The Philippines summoned China's envoy on March 25 to protest "aggressive" actions in the South China Sea. Manila's Defence Minister dared Beijing, to support its vast claims of sovereignty by taking them before international arbitration.
(source: Reuters)