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European countries support $2.5 billion initiative for protecting Congo rainforest
The French presidency announced at a United Nations climate conference that European nations had backed a plan worth $2.5 billion to save the Congo rainforest. This conservation initiative could steal some of the thunder from Brazil's flagship initiative, which is the host country for COP30. The U.N. Climate talks are being held this year in the Brazilian Amazon to draw attention to the issue of emissions caused by rampant deforestation. The initiative "The Belem Call for the Forests of the Congo Basin", led by France and Gabon, and supported by Germany, Norway and Belgium, was reported on by Thursday, and confirmed later by France. Also, the World Bank, African Development Bank, and European Commission have signed up. The goal is to raise more than $2 billion in the next five-year period, as well as domestic funds from Central African nations, to protect the second largest rainforest on earth. Supporters also said that they would help African nations reduce the deforestation by using technology, training, and partnerships. They aim to end deforestation within the Congo Basin in 2030. The Congo, the Amazon - the world's biggest rainforest - and the Borneo-Mekong-Southeast Asia basin, the third-largest rainforest, all face threats from expanding farm frontiers, logging, mining, and other industries. The Congo Basin rainforest covers at least six central African countries, with the majority of it in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo's protection has attracted attention, as it absorbs more greenhouse gases net than any other forest. However, the timing was not in sync with Brazil's agenda for COP30 which places a global fund on the forefront. The Brazilian President Luiz inacio Lula da So has hailed the Tropical Forests Forever Facility as the future of climate financing because it replaces grants by a more scalable model. A diplomat who is familiar with both initiatives said that "in theory, they are both very different." He noted that the TFFF offers annual payments without strings to rainforest nations. The source said that the two rainforest funds competing with each other may not be helpful. Norway pledged an additional $3 billion on Thursday to the TFFF, making it the largest contribution yet. France has said that it is willing to contribute up to 500 millions euros to the Brazilian initiative. Germany promised on Friday a "significant contribution". Reporting by Lisandra paraguassu from Belem, and Simon Jessop from Sao Paulo. Editing by Brad Haynes and Diane Craft.
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Gold prices rise as the dollar weakens and US shutdown fears persist
Gold prices rose Friday, as the dollar softened. The uncertainty surrounding the U.S. shutdown also added to the demand for safe-haven assets. Wall Street indexes are set to suffer sharp weekly drops. As of 3:15 pm, spot gold was up by 0.7%, at $4,005.21 an ounce. ET (2015 GMT). U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery gained 0.5% and settled at $4,009.80 an ounce. Investors worried about the sustainability of an artificial intelligence rally on Friday as they watched tech-heavy markets continue to fall. Other currency holders can now buy greenback bullion at a lower price. Jim Wyckoff is a senior analyst with Kitco Metals. He said, "The recent price movement suggests that we are putting a floor under the gold and silver prices." As a non-yielding investment, gold tends to do well in environments with low interest rates. The U.S. shutdown delayed the release of the non-farm payrolls data for October. Traders turned to the private sector data which showed that there were job losses in the month of October to gauge the probability of another Federal Reserve rate cut this year. According to CME Group’s FedWatch tool, the markets now expect a rate cut of 25 basis points in December. Industry insiders say that China has begun designing a new licensing regime for rare earths, which could accelerate shipments. However, it is unlikely that the restrictions will be lifted as Washington had hoped. The conflicts have not been resolved, even though trade policy has calmed down a bit. Commerzbank wrote in a report that gold is likely to continue being sought after as a "safe haven". India's gold demand has remained low as the volatile price of gold discouraged buyers. Dealers have responded by offering steep discounts. Silver spot rose 0.9%, to $48.41 an ounce. Palladium rose 1.5% to $1,395.49. Platinum was up 0.1% at $1,543.00. All three metals posted losses for the week. (Reporting from Pablo Sinha, Noel John, and Kavya Baliaraman in Bengaluru. Editing by Sahal Muhammad and Alan Barona.
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James Watson, the co-discoverer and inventor of DNA's Double Helix, has died at age 97
James D. Watson has died aged 97. The brilliant and controversial American biologist who in 1953 discovered the structure of DNA (the molecule of heredity) ushered the genetics age, as well as laying the foundations for the biotechnology revolution that swept the 20th century. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, on Long Island where Watson worked for many decades, confirmed his death. The New York Times reported this week that Watson passed away at a Long Island hospice. Watson's later years were marred by his comments about genetics and racism, which led to him being shunned by the scientific community. He was well-known for both his science and his enfant terrible persona, including his willingness use other scientists' data for his own benefit. In his 1968 memoir "The Double Helix," he told a racy and no-holds-barred story of how he, along with British physicist Francis Crick, were the first to determine that DNA is three-dimensional. This achievement earned the two a share in the 1962 Nobel Prize for medicine. It would eventually lead to DNA-based technology and medicine, such as genetic engineering and gene therapy. Crick claimed that the book had "grossly intruded on my privacy", and Maurice Wilkins objected to a "distorted, unfavorable" image of scientists as ambitious con artists willing to deceive their colleagues and rivals to make a breakthrough. Watson and Crick were also widely criticized because they used raw data from X-ray Crystallographer Rosalind Frankin to build their DNA model - two intertwined stairs - without acknowledging her contributions. Watson wrote in "Double Helix" that scientific research is influenced by "the contradictory forces of ambition and fair play". Watson caused more anger in 2007 when he said to the Times of London, "I believe that testing indicates the intelligence of Africans is not really the same as ours." He was forced to resign from his position as the chancellor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York after being accused of promoting racist theories that have been discredited for decades. He later apologized for making similar comments, but he did so in a documentary from 2019. He called the different racial achievement on IQ tests, which is attributed to environmental factors by most scientists, "genetic." 'TOUGH IRISHMAN' James Dewey Watson, born on April 6, 1929 in Chicago, graduated with a degree in zoology from the University of Chicago. In Indiana University he received a doctorate in genetics. In 1951 he joined Cambridge’s Cavendish Lab where he first met Crick. He then began his quest to understand the structure chemistry of DNA. The double helix was waiting for discovery. It opened the door to the genetics revolution. The steps of Crick and Watson's structure were made up of pairs of chemical compounds called nucleotides, or bases. They noted in their 1953 paper that "it has not escaped us that the specific pairing which we have proposed immediately suggests a copying mechanism for genetic material." This sentence, which is often referred to as the greatest understatement of the history and biology, means that the base-and helix structure provides the mechanism for genetic information to be copied precisely from generation-to-generation. This understanding led to the development of DNA techniques and genetic engineering. Watson and Crick separated after their DNA research. Watson was 25 at the time and despite never making another discovery as significant as the double helix he still remained an influential scientist. In a 2012 interview, Mark Ptashne told how Watson had to decide what to do next after having achieved so much at such a young, and still very successful, age. "He found ways to play to his strengths." Ptashne said that Watson's strength was to play "the tough Irishman" to become one the leaders of U.S. molecular science. Watson joined Harvard University's biology department in 1956. Harvard biochemist Guido Guidotti recalled that the existing biology department thought molecular biology was a fad. Guidotti claims that when Watson arrived at the department, he told all of the scientists in it - those whose work focused on whole organisms, populations and not just cells and molecules, "that they should retire." Watson's work earned him the enmity for decades of many traditional biologists. But he also attracted a new generation of scientists and graduate students, who would go on to create the genetics revolution. Watson split his time for eight years between CSHL in Long Island and Harvard. In 1968, Watson began his institutional-building drive. Ptashne said that the lab was at the time "just a backwater infested with mosquitoes". Jim turned the lab into a world-class, vibrant institution as director. GENOME PROJECT Watson was appointed to head the Human Genome Project in 1990. The project's goal was to determine how many chemical units make up the full complement of human DNA. Watson resigned after the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funded the Human Genome Project, decided to patent some DNA sequences. He argued that the genome should be in the public domain. He became the second person to have their entire genome sequenced in 2007. He released the sequence, saying that "genetic privacy concerns" were exaggerated. However, he made an exception and said he didn't want to know whether he carried a gene linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Watson had a gene that was associated with novelty seeking. Watson said in an interview with Discover magazine that his proudest achievement was not finding the double helix, which he predicted would be discovered in the "next year or two", but rather writing books. He said, "My heroes are not scientists." "They were Graham Greene, and Christopher Isherwood -- you know good writers." Friends said that Watson loved the bad boy image he created in "Double Helix" and he stressed it in his book "Avoid boring people," published in 2007. He was married with two sons and made public remarks that often denigrated women. He also boasted about chasing after what he called “popsies.” He personally encouraged female scientists such as biologist Nancy Hopkins of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hopkins, who has been vocal about the anti-woman bias of science, said, "I believe I couldn't have achieved a career as a scientist without his support." "Jim was a huge supporter of me and many other women." It's a strange thing to comprehend. Bill Trott, Rosalba o'Brien and Bill Trott edited this article.
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Duke Energy's power demand in Carolinas exceeds its quarterly estimate
Duke Energy, the U.S. utility, beat Wall Street's estimates for revenue and profit in its third quarter on Friday. This was due to higher electricity rates, strong demand and more contracts signed by Duke Energy with energy-intensive data centres. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the technology industry's AI-driven data centers combined with the accelerating electrification in homes and businesses will push U.S. electricity demand to record levels by 2025 and 2026. Duke, which is a company that primarily operates in North Carolina, has signed energy service agreements worth about three gigawatts with data centers in this year. Deals with Digital Realty and Edged were also made in the quarter reported. Brian Savoy, the Chief financial officer of the company, said that the company had more data center agreements in its pipeline. He did not disclose the number. Savoy stated, "I believe you will see the three gigawatts increase in a meaningful manner as we progress through the quarters." One gigawatt can power approximately 750,000 homes. UTILITIES UPGRADE CAPACITY In order to meet the increasing demand, power companies are accelerating plans to upgrade their electrical systems, install new electrical lines, and build power plants. Duke will add more than 13 gigawatts in energy capacity in the next five-year period, and CEO Harry Sideris stated that the company is expecting to earn the upper half its profit growth range of 5% to 7 percent starting in 2028. He said that the refreshed five-year plan for the company, which is expected to be released in February, would range between $95 and $105 billion. Duke is considering the addition of nuclear reactors, including next-generation reactors, and the extension of some coal plants in order to meet the soaring demand for power in the Carolinas. Duke Florida expects to recover approximately $1.1 billion from storm-related expenses by February of next year. The company's electric utility segment reported adjusted earnings of $1.69 billion for the quarter, up from $1.46 in the previous quarter. Duke has lowered its adjusted full-year profit forecast from $6.17 to $6.442 per share to between $6.25 to $6.35. LSEG data shows that the quarterly revenue was $8.54 billion. This is higher than analysts' estimates of $8.50 million. Charlotte, North Carolina based company reported an adjusted profit per share of $1.81 for the three-month period ended September 30 compared to estimates of $1.75. Reporting by Sumit S. Saha, Bengaluru; Laila Kearney, New York. Editing by Shailesh K. Kuber and Rod Nickel.
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Stocks continue recent decline on AI rally fears, US yields drop
Investors worried about the sustainability and growth of artificial intelligence stocks, while U.S. Treasury rates continued to decline. An index of semiconductors fell 4.5% on Friday. The Nasdaq has dropped more than 4% this week, and is on course to have its largest weekly percentage decline since late March. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, announced his tariffs in April. Since then, the Nasdaq stock has gained over 50%. After our comments, we're still seeing the AI market sell off. The AI race is on. There's a recalibration in multiples, and that's the main weakness," said Michael O'Rourke. Chief market strategist at JonesTrading, Stamford, Connecticut. You could also see it as profit taking. O'Rourke stated that this has been a great year for stocks, particularly in the group. Financial Times reported this week that Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang Has warned China will defeat the In the AI race. This year, the markets have reached new highs due to optimism around artificial intelligence. Bitcoin has also declined for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 345.04 points or 0.74% to 46,567.26, while the S&P 500 declined 75.65 points or 1.13% to 6,644.67, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 435.84 or 1.89% to 22,618.15. The MSCI index of global stocks fell 9.31 points or 0.94% to 982.69. The pan-European STOXX 600 Index fell by 0.55%. The Shanghai Composite Index and China's blue chip CSI300 Index had both closed Friday with a 0.3% decline. The fact that China's trade data was weaker than expected also shows how much Trump's tariffs are hurting. Data showed that China's exports fell by 1.1% in October. This was the lowest performance since February. The data chills Asian markets, reminding them of China's dependence on American consumers. Investors are looking forward to a busy auction week for government debt. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10 year notes dropped 2.4 basis points from 4,093% at late Thursday to 4.069%. The U.S. Dollar was expected to finish the week relatively unchanged. The greenback has been mostly firmer since last week, when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell acknowledged that further easing measures could be risky. The U.S. government shutdown prevented the release key economic data. Data signals from surveys indicate a resilience which could support the argument for not cutting rates during the Federal Reserve's meeting in December. The dollar index fell by 0.19% on the day to 99.50. Meanwhile, the euro rose 0.23% to $1.1574. The dollar gained 0.03% against the Japanese yen to reach 153.11. U.S. crude climbed 0.62%, to $59.80 per barrel. Brent rose to $63.68 a barrel, up by 0.47% for the day.
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Source in the U.S. says that the U.S. supports EU's use of frozen Russian assets as a way to end war.
A U.S. official familiar with the matter said on Friday that the United States supports the European Union in using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine and bring an end to the war with Russia. The European Commission, as the West seeks a way to increase pressure on Moscow has proposed a plan that would allow EU governments to use up 185 billion euro ($217 billion), which is the majority of the 210 million euros of Russian sovereign assets frozen in Europe. Washington "absolutely support (the EU)" and the measures they are taking to be able to use those assets as an instrument, the source said. The source requested anonymity in order to discuss a current issue. After Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops invaded Ukraine in 2022 the United States, along with its allies, prohibited transactions with Russia’s central bank and Finance Ministry, immobilizing approximately $300 billion of sovereign Russian funds. Belgian concerns, where the majority of assets are located, have caused the European proposal to be delayed. Germany said on Friday that recent sightings of drones above airports and military base in Belgium was a message to Moscow not touch the frozen assets. Moscow denies any involvement in the incidents, and promises a "painful" response if its assets were seized. Last month, in a renewed effort to end Russia’s war, U.S. president Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Rosneft, and Lukoil – its two largest oil companies – adding to a basket of unprecedented economic sanctions designed to put pressure on Moscow and those who do business with it. This move underscored Washington's intention to squeeze Russia's financial resources and force the Kremlin into a peace agreement in its full-scale invasion against Ukraine, which has lasted for three-and-a-half years. Washington is closely watching the fallout of the Rosneft-Lukoil deal and "there are other things we could try to do to increase the pressure," a source said.
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Brazil's Petrobras is investing faster than expected says CFO
Petrobras' chief financial officer stated that the company expects its annual capital expenditures will be between the middle and the top of their current estimates as they are investing faster than anticipated. Petrobras has invested $5.5 billion during the third quarter. The cumulative capex of the first nine month in 2025 is now $14 billion. The company plans to invest $18.5 billion by 2025. It may add 10% on the upside or down. Petrobras CFO Fernando Melgarejo told analysts that the firm generates value for its shareholders by speeding up investments. He said that 90% of projects were already contracted, and there would be more flexibility after 2026. Petrobras executives have repeatedly emphasized the need to reduce costs as lower Brent oil prices lead to a review of projects. Magda Chambriard, Petrobras' chief executive officer, said in February that the company had spent 15% more than its guidance for 2024 due to investments made this year. Petrobras is known for investing less in its five-year plans than planned. Since she took over as CEO last year, Chambriard has worked to correct this. On November 27, the company will unveil its strategy plan for 2026-2030. The current plan for 2025-2029 set capex at $111 billion. Reporting by Leticia Fucichima and Fabio Téixeira, both in Sao Paulo, and Fernando Cardoso in Rio de Janeiro. Writing by Fernando Cardoso. Editing by Natalia Siniawski & Paul Simao.
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LBMA reports that silver reserves in London vaults rose 6.8% in October.
The London Bullion Market Association reported that the amount of silver held in London vaults reached 26,255 metric tonnes, worth $41.3 billion at the end October. This is an increase of 6.8% compared to the previous month. Last month, traders and analysts reported that large flows of silver to London's Spot Market in October from the U.S.A. and China eased liquidity constraints in the world's biggest over-the counter precious metals trading center. The short-term borrowing rates for silver in London have eased since the record highs reached in the first half October. However, they remain historically high. London vaults hold both unallocated silver and allocated silver that can be "spoken" for by exchange-traded silver funds. In October, the London market was tight. This coincided with a surge in gold prices in India and strong buying. Spot silver prices reached a record of $54.5 an ounce per troy on October 17th. Last Friday, the metal traded at $48,6. In the midst of London's tightening liquidity, approximately 1,568 tonnes of silver have left Comex storage facilities in the U.S. Since stocks reached a record of 16,543 tonnes (531.9 millions troy ounces), on October 3. Comex inventories have risen sharply in the past year due to uncertainty about U.S. tariffs. The market is still waiting for the U.S. investigation into critical minerals to be completed and the potential impact on trade flows between New York and London. New York is the largest futures exchange in the world. According to an updated list published by the U.S. Geological Survey last Thursday, silver is a critical mineral. Carsten Menke, an analyst at Julius Baer, said that tariffs would have severe consequences for global silver trading. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith; Polina Devtt)
Nasdaq's worst week since April due to AI rally worries, US yields slide
Investors worried about the sustainability and growth of artificial intelligence stocks, while U.S. Treasury rates dipped. The Nasdaq has fallen about 3% this week. Chip stocks and other tech-related shares have also been among the worst performers.
As optimism about artificial intelligence drove markets to new highs, the Nasdaq gained more than half since April when U.S. president Donald Trump announced tariffs.
The Financial Times, however, reported earlier this week that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had warned the U.S. about China's potential to beat it in the AI race.
We're still seeing the AI selloff after our comments... about China winning in the AI race. "You're seeing multiples being re-calibrated in the space. That's where most of the weakness lies," said Michael O'Rourke. Chief market strategist at JonesTrading, Stamford in Connecticut.
You could also see it as profit taking. O'Rourke stated that this has been a great year for stocks, particularly in the group.
Bitcoin was also down this week but last day it rose by 2.09% to $103,197.07.
The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all turned positive late in Friday's session.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 74.80, or 0.16 percent, to 46,987.10. The S&P 500 gained 8.49, or 0.13 percent, to 6,728.81. And the Nasdaq Composite dropped by 49.45, or 0.22 percent, to 23,004.54.
The MSCI index of global stocks fell by 0.58 points or 0.06% to 914.42. The pan-European STOXX 600 fell by 0.55%. The Shanghai Composite Index and China's blue chip CSI300 Index had both closed Friday with a 0.3% decline. The China trade data was weaker than expected, demonstrating the impact of Trump's tariffs.
Data showed that China's exports fell by 1.1% in October. This was the worst performance since the beginning of February. The data shook Asian markets, reminding them how dependent the manufacturing giant is on American consumers. U.S. Treasury rates fell after surveys showed deteriorating consumer confidence, in part due to the U.S. shutdown. Investors also weighed concerns about debt supply. University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index showed that sentiment dropped to 50.3, its lowest level since June 20,22. This was due to concerns about the economic impacts of the government shut down. The drop was primarily due to a dramatic deterioration of respondents' opinions about current conditions. They fell to their lowest ever level. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. notes dropped 0.2 basis points to 4,091% from 4,093% at late Thursday.
The U.S. Dollar is expected to finish the week with a roughly flat value.
Since last week, when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell admitted the risks of additional easing measures, the greenback has largely firmed.
The U.S. shutdown of the government has prevented key economic data from being released. Data signals from surveys indicate a resilience which could support the argument for not cutting interest rates at the Federal Reserve meeting in December. The dollar index (which measures the greenback versus a basket including the yen, euro and pound sterling) fell by 0.11% on the day to 99.57. Meanwhile, the euro rose 0.14% to $1.1563, while the dollar index was down 0.11%. The dollar gained 0.25% against the Japanese yen to reach 153.45. Oil prices gained. U.S. crude oil rose 32 cents and settled at $59.75 per barrel, while Brent crude gained 25 cents and settled at $63.63. Gold prices were also higher. (Additional reporting in London by Lawrence White and Dhara Raasinghe, Editing by Louise Heavens and Deepa Babington; Edmund Klamann and Louise Heavens)
(source: Reuters)