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Thailand yet to finalise regards to multilateral tidy power handle Singapore
Thailand is yet to settle regards to an extension to a multilateral deal with Singapore to import hydropower from Laos through Malaysia and Thailand, a senior Thai federal government authorities informed Reuters on Tuesday. Singapore's Energy Markets Authority (EMA) stated last month it would double the capability of electricity traded as a part of the second phase of the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS) through extra supply from Malaysia. Singapore have arrangement with Malaysia, but for Thailand ... we're still in conversation within our nation with the firms, Sompop Pattanariyankool, Thailand's deputy long-term energy secretary stated on the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week conference. Pattanariyankool did not offer specifics, and stated the whole. thing remains in the process of discussion. Singapore's EMA did not right away react to a demand. seeking remark. Grid affiliation is widely seen as an essential service to cut. southeast Asia's growing reliance on fossil fuels for power. generation, and EMA called the first-of-its-kind multilateral. deal in the area historical when it was signed in 2022. Reuters reported in July that Singapore had yet to sign a. renewal handle Thailand and Malaysia due to difference over. the amount of power to be acquired, as both countries were. asking Singapore to guarantee the purchase of a repaired quantity of. electrical energy to cover transmission expenses. Ever since, Malaysia has actually agreed to directly supply power to. Singapore through the LTMS corridor. The chief executive of. Malaysia's nationwide energy confirmed on Tuesday that it had. began exporting power to Singapore. ( As a) part of the LTMS, we have the MS version of it,. which is Malaysia, Singapore, and this is where the nations do. business-to-business collaboration, Jalaluddin Bin Megat. Hassan, president and chief executive officer of Tenaga. Nasional, stated on the sidelines of the very same event. Pleased to share that it began last month. However, it was not clear just how much power will be exported. from Laos through Thailand as a part of the 2nd phase of the LTMS. job as Thailand has yet to concur with the terms. Singapore used almost 40% of its contracted capability. during the first 9 months after the very first phase of the LTMS. became functional in July 2022, according to information from energy. think-tank Ember. However as global gas costs plunged from record highs,. power imports from Laos fell to nearly no in the fifteen. months that followed, Coal information showed.
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Shanghai bourse lifts alumina trading limit, margin ratio after rate rally
The Shanghai Futures Exchange stated on Tuesday it would increase the trading limit and margin ratio for hedging transactions for alumina futures contracts to 9% and 10%, respectively, from 8% and 9%. previously. The changes will work from the close of. settlement on Oct. 23, the bourse included. The 2nd adjustment in two weeks comes after prices of. alumina have actually rallied in the middle of issues about bauxite supply from. major provider Guinea. Bauxite is fine-tuned into alumina, the primary. ingredient for making aluminium. The most-traded November alumina contract on the bourse. has actually leapt 16% because the first working day this month. to as high as 5,003 yuan per metric heap on Tuesday, the greatest. level given that it was released. It pulled back a bit to end daytime trade 2.91% greater at. 4,951 yuan per load. Healthy demand and improving power supplies have assisted to. boost aluminium output in China, with September output in the. world's most significant aluminium producer rising 1.2% from a year. earlier to 3.65 million heaps, main information revealed recently.
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Safe-haven need secures gold near all-time highs
Gold climbed on Tuesday, trading not too far away from the record peak it hit in the last session, as concerns over increasing geopolitical tensions, U.S. election uncertainties and prospects of central banks decreasing interest rates improved demand. Spot gold rose 0.5% to $2,733.15 per ounce by 0936 GMT and U.S. gold futures acquired 0.3% to $2,747.60. Bullion, considered a hedge against geopolitical and financial uncertainties, hit an all-time high of $2,740.37 on Monday. The non-yielding property has actually acquired more than 32% up until now this year. Uncertainty is the keyword at the minute and safe-haven like gold is really the most essential haven asset potentially in traders' portfolios at the moment, said Ricardo Evangelista, senior analyst at ActivTrades. I would not be shocked to see the $2,800 being touched at some point, Evangelista stated, including that rate cuts, purchases from some reserve banks, geopolitical instability and unpredictability over the result of the U.S. governmental election are enhancing demand for the metal. Gold's rally comes regardless of a firmer U.S. dollar and Treasury yields, and the strength of gold's momentum has actually exceeded weaker physical need and greater supply, analysts said. The precious metal could keep printing never-before-seen costs as long as markets can keep shaking off the ongoing rebound in U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar, said Han Tan, primary market analyst at Exinity Group. Sustained internet inflows into bullion-backed ETFs must likewise maintain the benefit momentum in area gold. International physically-backed gold ETFs saw their fifth successive monthly inflow in September, bring in $1.4. billion, according to the World Gold Council (WGC). From the technical point of view, the Relative Strength. Index (RSI), presently at 74, suggests that gold rates moved. into overbought territory. An RSI above 70 suggests a. product is overbought. Area silver rose 1.3% to $34.19 per ounce after. striking its highest since late-2012 in the last session. We should see silver cross above $35 before the November. 5th ballot day, offered the tailwinds for rare-earth elements. stay intact, Tan added. Platinum rose about 1.5% to $1,018.63 per ounce. Palladium added 2.1% to $1,072.72.
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Equinor says gas supply to Europe untouched by Sleipner B outage
Norway's Equinor has shut output from its Sleipner B gas platform in the North Sea due to a smoke alert in an electrical facility, however will maintain its supply dedications by pumping more from other fields, it stated on Tuesday. We will continue to fulfill our supply commitment, a company spokesperson stated. Norway is Europe's biggest supplier of gas and a. significant manufacturer of oil, pumping some 4 million barrels of oil. comparable per day from more than 90 overseas fields, about half. of which is gas. The export capacity of the Sleipner field was briefly. decreased by 7.1 million cubic metres of gas each day to 11.0 mcm,. while Norway's general scheduled exports for the day stood at 336. mcm, gas export system operator Gassco separately said. Equinor in a statement said its emergency situation group had actually been. signaled to the Sleipner B event at 0240 GMT. It was not immediately clear for how long the interruption might last,. the company said.
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Russian rouble reinforces vs dollar ahead of reserve bank rate choice
The Russian rouble reinforced versus the U.S. dollar but compromised versus China's yuan on Tuesday ahead of an expected rate trek at the reserve bank's Oct. 25 board conference. At 0930 GMT, the rouble was down 0.26% at 13.47 against the yuan, and up 0.4% at 96.40 versus the dollar, according to data put together by LSEG. The Russian central bank is anticipated to hike the key interest rate by 100 basis points (bps) to 20%, the exact same level as at the start of what Russia calls its unique military operation in Ukraine, according to a bulk of experts surveyed . Western sanctions, troubled the Moscow Stock Market ( MOEX) and its cleaning agent, the National Clearing Centre, on June 12, stopped all sell dollars and euros at MOEX, making China's yuan the most-traded foreign currency in Russia. Trade in dollars and euros has moved to the non-prescription (OTC) market, obscuring cost data. The Russian rouble has actually been primarily deteriorating against all major currencies in September-October, approaching the 100 mark against the dollar. One-day rouble-dollar futures, which trade on the Moscow exchange and are a guide for OTC market rates, were up 0.4% at 96.43. The central bank's official exchange rate, which it calculates using OTC data, was set at 96.09 to the dollar. The rouble reinforced by 0.1% to 104.58 against the euro , LSEG data revealed. Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's. main export, was up 0.88% at $74.73 a barrel.
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DR Congo army takes Kalembe town back from M23 rebels, spokesman states
Democratic Republic of Congo's army on Tuesday said it had taken back the eastern town of Kalembe a day after it was taken by M23 rebels. Kalembe, a town in Walikale area in militia-plagued North Kivu, came under M23 control on Sunday morning when rebels seized it from Congolese militaries and the Wazalendo alliance of pro-government armed groups. The Tutsi-led M23 group has been waging an insurgency in the main African nation's east since 2022. Congo and the United Countries accuse neighbouring Rwanda of backing the group with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda rejects this. Congo army spokesman Sylvain Ekenge stated Kalembe had been reclaimed on Monday. He said by means of telephone on Tuesday that combating between the Wazalendo and the M23 happened in areas that were not under army control. Military soldiers were flown in on helicopters on Monday early morning to handle the scenario, he said. The M23 did not right away react to a request for remark. An authorities from Walikale territory, Kabaki Alimasi, verified the army had taken the town back however stated fighting continued close by. The M23 are not far, he stated. We can hear shooting, the population that got away has not yet returned. The M23 insurgency in Congo's mineral-rich east has actually deepened a humanitarian crisis in North Kivu, where around 2.6 million individuals were displaced as of end-September, according to the U.N. aid firm OCHA. Settlements between Congo and Rwanda are occurring in the Angolan capital Luanda as part of a long-running effort to curb the battling.
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Boliden's Q3 revenues up nearly 60% as production picks up
Swedish mining group Boliden reported a larger than anticipated increase in its core revenues on Tuesday, stating production during the quarter had been excellent and metals rates were getting. Boliden's third quarter operating profit, leaving out the revaluation of procedure stock, totalled 3.0 billion Swedish crowns ($ 274 mln), up 58% from 1.9 billion crowns a year previously. That was above the expectation of 2.3 billion Swedish crowns seen in a company-provided agreement. Our mine production throughout the quarter has actually been excellent, Boliden's president Mikael Staffas said, including that the Garpenberg mine has had a record ore output and the Kankberg mine set a brand-new record production for gold. Quarterly earnings for the mining group rose 14% to 22.2 billion crowns, from 19.4 billion in the exact same duration last year. Shares in Boliden increased 8% in early trading before quiting their gains. In a research study note, JPMorgan kept in mind Boliden's 2024 assistance is the same but stated the 2025 outlook is weaker than its own price quote. Staffas told Reuters that it is practical the company will finish 2024 extremely close to the initial assistance. The company revealed in September it expected hold-ups to start of Odda expansion job, now anticipated at the end of the very first quarter of 2025. The delay followed a string of obstacles over the current quarters, with falling metal prices, lower mining grades and the suspension of production at the business's Tara mine, on top of the fire at its smelter at Ronneskar in 2015. On Tara, Europe's largest zinc mine, the company stated preparations for a reboot are running according to plan. It also added it expects to acknowledge an insurance income of 935 million crowns in the 4th quarter of 2024 related to the fire.
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Stocks slide, yields up on 'greater for longer' rates see
International stocks dipped on Tuesday, while bond yields and the dollar traded near multimonth highs as financiers reined in expectations for more big U.S. rate of interest cuts ahead of the U.S. election. Bucking the pattern in the equities market was the European heavyweight software application company SAP, which rose to an all-time high after raising its full-year targets. The MSCI All-World index ticked 0.2% lower, while U.S. futures indicated another weaker start open after Monday's drop in the benchmark indices. We're getting really near to the U.S. election and the information in the U.S. has actually been strong. So there is a question about how much the Fed can do, said Peter Schaffrik, global macro strategist at RBC Capital Markets. The opportunities of the U.S. Federal Reserve delivering a. quarter-point rate cut at its Nov. 7 conference have actually declined to 87%. from near certainty a week earlier, according to CME's FedWatch. tool. A host of information signalling U.S. financial strength have tossed. cold water on bets over another outsized cut, following the. Fed's decision to cut rates by half a point in September. Adding to the unpredictability was the looming U.S. election,. where previous Republican president Donald Trump and Democrat Vice. President Kamala Harris are caught in a tight fight to win over. some of the more competitive states ahead of the Nov. 5 voting. day. Trump's lead in online wagering surveys has helped the dollar's. current increase to a 2-1/2 month high as his proposed tariff and tax. policies might suggest stronger inflation and keep U.S. interest. rates greater for longer. The dollar index was just below that peak at 103.89. As neither party holds a clear benefit in any of the secret. swing states that could decide the result, the race stays too. close for pollsters to call, and we anticipate volatility to pick up. in the coming weeks in the middle of elevated unpredictability, said Mark. Haefele, primary investment officer, UBS Global Wealth Management. Political and geopolitical uncertainty kept safe-haven gold. pinned near record levels, up 0.6% at $2,735 an ounce. Standard 10-year Treasury yields rose 2 basis. indicate 4.21%, extending a sharp relocation higher and striking their. highest given that late July. ASIA TRADE Financiers likewise took some cash off the table in Japan, which. holds an election on Sunday. Stocks, bonds and the yen have all. fallen in tandem as surveys have shown the possibility of the. ruling coalition losing its bulk. Japan's Nikkei ended down 1.3% to touch its least expensive. given that early October, while the yen hit 151 per dollar. for the first time given that July. It's a little capital flight out of Japan, stated Naka. Matsuzawa, Japan macro strategist at Nomura. More broadly, he. said, markets were starting to hypothesize on a red sweep,. providing Republicans the White Home and Congress in November. Besides the yen, foreign exchange markets steadied after a. session of selling nearly whatever versus the dollar. The. Australian and New Zealand dollars were each up about 0.4% on. the U.S. dollar while the euro and sterling increased 0.1%. The move pushed sterling simply listed below $1.30, however. traders beware as Bank of England Guv Andrew Bailey is. due to speak at 1325 GMT and has recently suggested the main. bank can move more aggressively to cut interest rates. China's markets were pinned well listed below current highs, while. traders await more details and especially more federal government. seriousness and costs to support the ailing economy. Oil rates likewise steadied and Brent unrefined futures. traded at $74 a barrel, down 0.3% on the day. China's. oil-demand development is expected to remain weak in 2025, the head. of the International Energy Company stated on Monday. A reasonably bare data calendar puts additional focus on U.S. revenues for insight into the economy and markets' mood. General Motors, Texas Instruments Verizon. , Lockheed Martin and 3M are amongst those. reporting on Tuesday.
Asia shares wobble; bitcoin rallies on 'Trump trade'
storyp1> SINGAPORE, Oct 21 (Reuters) Asia shares dipped in and out of favorable area on Monday, under pressure from weak point in Chinese stocks, however bitcoin BTC= scaled a threemonth peak as Trump trades continued to ramp up.
Gold XAU= hit another record high on conflict in the Middle East and an incredibly close U.S. governmental election, with the yellow metal anticipated to remain in favour amongst much worldwide unpredictability.
Optimism over Beijing's variety of stimulus steps initially announced late in September has actually developed into care in current days as investors seek to further details of more financial assistance from policymakers.
Though China cut its benchmark financing rates on Monday, the relocation was prepared for.
Equities in Hong Kong . HSI were last down 0.6%, while China's blue-chip index . CSI300 swung between losses and gains. It last traded 0.4% greater, while the Shanghai Composite Index . SSEC acquired 0.36%.
That topped gains in MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan . MIAPJ0000PUS, which were last up a limited 0.11%, an action back in sentiment after U.S. stocks published a sixth straight week of gains on Friday.
Japan's Nikkei . N225 rose 0.34%.
More information on Chinese stimulus might take some time to emerge.
We may have to wait up until late October or early November for concrete strategies from the Standing Committee meeting of the National People's Congress, stated Chaoping Zhu, worldwide market strategist at J.P. Morgan Possession Management in Shanghai.
U.S. ELECTION
With just about two weeks to go before the Nov. 5. U.S. election, bets that a Donald Trump triumph are on increase in some financial instruments.
The Republican prospect's tariff, tax and migration policies are viewed as inflationary, and hence unfavorable for bonds and positive for the dollar. He is likewise viewed as taking a more beneficial stance towards cryptocurrencies.
(It) appears now that Trump's ahead in the crucial battlefield states, which suggests he's quite well positioned to restore the White House and I believe the markets began to factor that in last week with the stronger equities, greater yields, U.S. dollar undoubtedly doing extremely, very well and bitcoin on track for a 10% gain over the past week, stated Tony Sycamore, a market expert at IG.
Bitcoin BTC= was last 0.5% greater at $69,100, after having actually touched its greatest level considering that July at $69,487 earlier in the session. The world's biggest cryptocurrency acquired 9.6% recently, and is up more than 8% for the month so far.
Things look pretty good for bitcoin right here. I think it can continue greater, said Sycamore.
The dollar hovered not too far from a high of more than 2 months versus a basket of currencies =USD on Monday, with the dollar index last at 103.46.
Sterling GBP=D3 dipped 0.02% to $1.3045, while the euro EUR=EBS fell 0.01% to $1.0865.
In the bond market, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield US10YT=RR ticked up one basis point to 4.0907%, while the two-year yield US2YT=RR last stood at 3.9568%. US/
Area gold XAU=peaked at a record of $2,727.39 an ounce, extending its rally after having acquired more than 2% recently.
Among the clearest Trump trades up until now has been gold, provided his belligerent stance on trade and determination to weaponise the dollar, keeping need for diversity well supported among emerging central banks, said Arun Sai, senior multi possession strategist at Pictet Asset Management.
Oil rates ticked greater on Monday, nursing a steep fall from recently. O/R
Brent crude futures LCOc1 were last 0.4% greater at $73.36 a barrel, while U.S. crude CLc1 ticked up 0.43% to $69.52 per barrel.
World FX rates YTD http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Asian stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
(Reporting by Rae Wee; Modifying by Edwina Gibbs)
To read Reuters Markets and Finance news, click https://www.reuters.com/finance/markets For the state of play of Asian stock markets please click: 0 #. INDEXA
(source: Reuters)