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New York takes legal action against 3M, DuPont and others for toxic "forever chemicals" in consumer products
New York filed a lawsuit against 3M, DuPont, and other companies on Thursday, accusing them of harming the environment, and causing people to be sick, by selling toxic "forever chemicals", which were used in consumer products. Letitia J., the state's attorney general, accused the companies for hiding risks associated with chemicals called PFAS. This was done even though they were phasing some of these chemicals out. She said that the defendants did not do anything to reduce the public nuisance caused by their manufacturing and selling of chemicals for many decades. Chemours and Corteva, who were once part of DuPont, are also defendants. James wants companies to pay for cleanup, properly warn consumers of the risks and pay civil fines, damages and restitution. The defendants didn't immediately respond to comments. James stated in a?statement that "for far too long our communities have unfairly borne the costs to protect people from these toxic chemicals forever and clean up their contamination." I look forward to ensuring that the companies responsible for PFAS contamination are held accountable. The lawsuit was filed at a state-level court in Albany, New York state's capital. CHEMOURS SETTLEMENT WITH U.S. DREW CRITICISM Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, also known as PFAS, is found in hundreds consumer and commercial products, including non-stick pans, stain-resistant clothes, and cosmetics. The "forever chemical" label is given to them because they are not easily broken down in the body or environment. PFAS are linked to adverse health effects such as higher cholesterol, lower birth weight, reduced immunity response to vaccines and kidney and testicular carcinoma. 3M has agreed to pay up to $450m to New Jersey over a 25-year period to settle claims that its chemicals contaminated the drinking water of the state. Chemours settled with the U.S. Government for $450 million last month to settle charges that its chemicals contaminated waterways in New Jersey, North Carolina, and West Virginia. Chemours settlement, though the first of its kind for the federal government to settle pollution claims against a PFAS maker, was deemed inadequate by some environmental groups. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, and Attorney General Jeff Jackson, both Democrats called the agreement reached with President Donald Trump's Administration a "backroom" deal that did "virtually" nothing to help residents of their state. Trump's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in May that it would rollback some of the limits set by former President Joe Biden in 2024 for PFAS levels in drinking water. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, New York; editing by Chizu Nomiyama, David Gregorio
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Gold gains more than 1%, but focus shifts to Middle East tensions
Gold prices rose by more than 1% on Thursday, as investors sought bargains after the price fell to its lowest level in a week. Gold spot gained 1.2%, to $4.126.49 an ounce at 11:35 am EDT (1535 GMT), following a Wednesday drop to its lowest price since July 1. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery climbed 1.4% to $4137.20 an ounce. After yesterday's drop, there is some bargain-hunting going on. Bob Haberkorn is a senior market strategist with StoneX. He said that the Fed will be the primary driver of?gold in the short-term. Haberkorn said that if the Fed signals it needs to?further increase rates?, then both metals are likely to be under pressure. The 'geopolitical front' saw the Iranian armed forces launch attacks on U.S. military installations in Gulf neighbouring states after U.S. airstrikes in Iran’s eastern and southern provinces. This put pressure on a ceasefire agreement that had been in place for three weeks. The war may cause higher energy prices, which can lead to inflationary pressures. This could also fuel expectations that central banks will raise interest rates. Gold is often seen as a hedge against inflation. However, rising rates can make gold less attractive by increasing the appeal for interest-bearing investments. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders are pricing in a 63% probability of a rate increase in September. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's meeting in June revealed a growing concern over inflation. A few policymakers saw grounds for an increase before the central bank decided to hold rates. Investors will also closely monitor the Fed's Kevin Warsh congressional testimony and next week's data on inflation to get a better idea of the direction that monetary policy is heading. HSBC lowered its gold price forecasts by?$4,560 and $4,592 for 2026 and 2027, respectively. They were previously $4,864 or $5,000. (Reporting by Sukanya Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Joe Bavier and Dita Pujara) (Reporting by Sukanya Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Joe Bavier and Diti Pujara)
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Sources say that the Saratov refinery in Russia has been shut down since Wednesday after a drone attack.
Two sources familiar with the matter said that Russia's Saratov refinery stopped processing oil on Wednesday due to damage caused by a drone attack. In recent months, Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure to try and undermine Moscow's military effort. Fuel shortages have been reported in Russia as a result of the attacks, with long queues at fuel stations, higher fuel prices and fuel exports being restricted. This week, the largest oil refinery in Russia, Omsk, halted its operations after a drone attack by Ukraine. Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov region, said in a Telegram message on Wednesday that an air strike had resulted in the death of?one individual, several other injuries and damage to what he called "civil?industrial sites". He did not mention the sites. The Ukrainian military, however, said that it had hit a Saratov refinery. Sources claim that drones struck the refinery's primary refining plant, CDU-6. This unit has a daily capacity of 20,000 tons. It is the only one in the refinery. Owner Rosneft has not responded to a comment request. The data from the St Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange showed that fuel from the Saratov Refinery has not been offered since Wednesday. The refinery has also suspended its operations following drone attacks in March and May. The plant will process 5.8 million metric tons of oil in 2024. This is 2.2% of the total oil refining of Russia. It will produce 1.2 million metric tons of gasoline and 1.9 million metric tons of diesel, as well as 1.0 million liters of fuel oil. Barbara Lewis edited the report by Barbara Lewis.
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Wall Street gains as Middle East concerns are offset by tech-related hopes
Investors weighed renewed tensions in Middle East against continued strength in technology shares and resilient data in economics to determine if the market was going up or down. Oil prices fluctuated as the Iranian military responded to a second evening of U.S. airstrikes by launching new attacks against U.S. military facilities in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Brent crude futures fell 0.62%, to $77.54, after earlier climbing to $79 per barrel. U.S. crude fell 0.92% to $72.84 per barrel. Wall Street began the day with optimism after losing a little value on Wednesday afternoon as a result of the renewed military actions in the Middle East. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.16% to 52,433.50 in early trading; the S&P 500 gained 0.41% to 7,513.49 and the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.62% at 26,030.46. MSCI's index of world stocks rose by?0.47%. Treasury markets saw yields on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds drop to 4.56% after starting the month at 4.40%. Max Kettner, HSBC's Chief multi-asset strategist, said that the bond markets remained extremely sensitive to the Middle East tensions due to the potential implications on inflation and global interest rate. He said that the market rates are really following oil prices. "That's been pretty clear over the past few days." VOLATILITY OF TECHNOLOGY In Europe, the pan-European STOXX 600 Index remained unchanged at 0.7%. Tech stocks rose 2.6%. The global sentiment was also boosted by a report that China may allow limited access to AI leaders Nvidia's chips H200 and reports that SK Hynix’s U.S. stock listing of $28 billion was more than 7 times oversubscribed. The South Korean chipmaker's offering, which will finance the construction of new factories to meet the surging demand for AI chips, is expected to be the second largest share sale in the world after SpaceX's $85.7 billion IPO, held last month. HSBC's Kettner stated that the "realised volatility" of South Korea's KOSPI is 75% at present. Comparatively, the realised volatility for a 7-10 year U.S. Treasury exchange-traded funds is typically around 3%. MUTTED CURRENCY Markets Early data from the day showed that the number of Americans who filed for unemployment benefits dropped last week. This suggests the labor market is stable, despite the slowdown in job creation in June. The Labor Department reported on Thursday that initial claims for state unemployment benefit fell by 2,000, to a seasonally-adjusted?215,000 in the week ending July 4. The economists polled for? The economists polled by? The currency markets were largely muted. The dollar barely changed, while the yen remained near a record low. Sterling, the euro and most other European currencies hardly moved on the day. The first FOMC minutes under the new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh were released on Wednesday. They showed that there was growing concern about inflation. According to CME FedWatch, the implied probability that a Fed rate hike will occur this year has increased to 87%. As oil prices fell, gold edged up to $4133.62 per ounce. (Stella Qiu contributed additional reporting from Sydney; Philippa Fletcher and Ros Russell edited the article.)
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Williams does not expect sustained rise in energy prices
John Williams, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said Thursday that despite a renewed 'war in the Middle East he did not expect a sustained increase in energy prices for the rest of the year. The markets expect the oil price to drop over the next 6-12 months. Williams told a bank conference that he thought this was a reasonable baseline. Williams said, "I think that's a pretty reasonable baseline." He was speaking at a conference held by his bank. "I still believe kind of the fundamentals is that energy prices will likely be around their peak before coming down over time." Williams responded to if the Fed would respond to recent events during the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting scheduled for July 28-29. It's not like we make decisions forever. The New York Fed's leader spoke one day after meeting minutes were released for the central banks mid-June meeting on monetary policy, where officials kept their target interest rate range at 3.5% to 3.75%. Although the forecasts were released, they indicated that officials had penciled in rate increases for this year due to persistently higher than target inflation. Chairman Kevin Warsh was leading his first FOMC and refused to give any guidance on the 'outlook. He even refused when asked how incoming data could influence his monetary policies views. Williams stated in a TV interview on Tuesday that his optimism about the overall low levels of inflation has grown due to the falling energy prices linked to the apparent resolution of the Middle East conflict. He also reiterated that the monetary policy was in the correct position, given the risks that the economy faces. The restart of hostilities, which once again threatens the flow of goods and energy, has quickly thrown this outlook into doubt. The risk of rising energy prices and inflation in the rest of the year has increased, with President Donald 'Trump' claiming the agreement which ended the hot phase was now null and void. Williams spoke out as Warsh considers changes to?the Fed's interest rate toolkit?, in an effort to further reduce the size of central bank balance sheets. Many proposals focus on allowing financial firms to keep less emergency cash in hand. However, many are concerned that this could make them more vulnerable to financial shocks. They may also become more dependent on borrowing money from the Fed during times of crisis. Some Fed officials have argued that the Fed's balance sheet is not a problem. They argue that managing short-term interest rates and market liquidity, the Fed's primary goal, has been successful. Williams stated that any change must prioritize the safety and stability the banking system. Williams said that the focus of any change should not be on how much of the Fed's balance sheet can be reduced. Instead, the priority should be to improve and strengthen the financial system.
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Andy Home: The aluminum supply shock has revived long-idled Western Smelters
The Iran War has caused a supply shock that is reviving the old Western aluminum smelters. Magnitude 7 Metals in the U.S. is reactivating its New Madrid smelter located in Missouri. Over the Atlantic, Norwegian producer Hydro announced the partial restart of the Slovalco joint-venture smelter. The two plants were idled due to low aluminum prices and a spike in energy prices that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Washington and Brussels are both desperate to reduce their reliance on an import of a metal used in a wide range of industries. The return of these zombies smelters will not have a big impact on the global aluminium market, but it does show how much the market has changed since the Middle East conflict erupted in February. Back from the Dead (Again) New Madrid began operating in 1971 under the ownership of Canada Noranda, which had a production capacity of 263,000 tons per year. Magnitude 7 Metals, a privately-owned company, reactivated the plant in 2018, but it closed abruptly in 2024. The smelter was the most polluting plant in the nation in 2019. The plan is to restart one 75,000-ton-per-year(tpy) potline by ?the end of the year, with the possibility of operations ramping up further in 2027. New Madrid's revival has been undoubtedly helped by President Donald Trump's decision to double import tariffs last year from 25% to 50%. The premium for U.S. deliveries has risen to $2,375 a ton over London Metal Exchange (LME basis price). The rise in LME's basis price, from $2,200 per tonne at the beginning of 2024, to $3,165 per tonne today is equally important to New Madrid’s revival, even after the recent, and perhaps premature, unwinding of the war premium. SLOVAK REVIVAL The Slovalco Plant, which is owned by Hydro, a 55.3% stake, and by Penta Investments Group (focused on Central Europe), a 44.7% stake, also plans to restart its 75,000-ton capacity. The decision is based on a new deal for power supply with the state-owned hydropower utility Vodohospodarska Vystavba, and a compensation plan for indirect carbon costs in accordance with the EU Emissions Trading System. This latter still requires approval by the European Commission. Europe has lost half its primary aluminium melting capacity since 2022. This makes the restart a major win for Slovakia and Europe. High power costs combined with EU emissions regulations still create a challenging operating environment for aluminium smelters that are power hungry. Hydro stated that the restart of the remaining capacity of 100,000 tons at Slovalco will "depend on (ETS framework conditions) beyond 2030, combined with additional electricity contracts." WINDOW OF OPPPORTUNITY Gulf Aluminium production has fallen by 2 million tonnes annually due to the war in Iran, a result of both direct missile strikes on two plants as well as logistical constraints at others. The market has gone from years of surplus to a deficit in a matter of weeks. LME inventories have been used to fill in the supply-chain holes, and total inventory (including off-warranty metal) is now below 400,000 tons. The war has highlighted existing import dependence in the U.S. as well as Europe, creating a window for idled capacities to be fired up again. It is irrelevant how long the window remains open. There are other parts of the global supply chains that also react. China is increasing exports of semi manufactured products like?bars, rods, and foils to take advantage of the West's metal shortage. Exports of products fell 9.4% in comparison to 2024, but increased by 10% during the first five months of 2018. May's total of 595,000 tonnes was the highest since November 2024. Chinese investors are also investing in the construction of new smelting capacities in Indonesia. According to Macquarie Bank, a new project called Juwan, with a 270,000 tpy capacity, reached its full capacity in the month of January. Export Genius' trade data platform, Export Genius, reports that the joint venture Adaro, which produces 500,000 tpy, exported its first shipments in July. Adaro wants to increase its capacity to 1.5million tpy as part of an overall?national production boom that could result in over 10 million new tons of annual capacity being ramped up in the coming years. The combined restarts of 150,000 tpy at New Madrid, Slovakia and Slovakia are placed in context regardless of their political significance. What happens in the Middle East will determine a lot of what comes next. The LME aluminium prices has fallen aggressively due to'signs of deescalation' and hoped for normalisation in the Gulf smelters. It's beginning to look optimistic, given the renewed U.S. Bombing Campaign and Iranian Retaliation. For now, the window for further restarts is still open. Andy Home is a columnist at. This column is great! Open Interest (ROI) is your new essential source of global financial commentary. Follow ROI on LinkedIn and X. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast daily on Apple, Spotify or the app. Subscribe to the Morning Bid podcast and hear journalists discussing the latest news in finance and markets seven days a weeks.
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Gold increases by over 1% as Middle East tensions dominate the news
Gold prices rose by more than 1% on Thursday, as investors sought bargains after the price fell to a one-week low. Gold spot gained 1%, to $4116.70 an ounce at 09:13 am EDT (1312 GMT), following a Wednesday drop to its lowest price since July 1. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery climbed 1.1% to $4.126.60 an ounce. After yesterday's drop, there is some bargain hunting here. Bob Haberkorn is a senior market strategist with StoneX. He said that the Fed will be the primary driver of gold in the short-term. Haberkorn said that if the Fed adopts a "more dovish" approach to interest rate policy, then gold and silver will move higher. On the other hand, if they signal a need for?further rate hikes?, both metals are likely to be under pressure. In a 'geopolitical' front, Iranian forces launched attacks on U.S. military bases in Gulf neighbours following U.S. airstrikes in Iran’s eastern and southern provinces. This put pressure on a ceasefire agreement that had been in place for three weeks. The war may cause higher energy prices, which can lead to inflationary pressures. This could also fuel expectations that central banks will raise interest rates. Gold is often seen as a hedge against inflation. However, rising rates can make gold less attractive by increasing the appeal for interest-bearing investments. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders are pricing in a 64% probability of a rate increase in September. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's meeting in June revealed a growing concern over inflation. A few policymakers saw grounds for an?rate increase before the central banks decided to hold rates. Investors will also closely monitor the Fed's Kevin Warsh congressional testimony and next week's data on inflation to gain further insight into the monetary direction. In a Thursday note, HSBC reduced its average 'gold price forecasts' for 2026-2027 from $4,864 to $4,925. (Reporting by Sukanya Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Joe Bavier) (Reporting by Sukanya Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Joe Bavier)
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The strategic oil reserves will support the crude demand until 2028
Analysts and officials have said that governments are'set to purchase millions of barrels of crude oil until 2028 in order to replenish emergency reserves depleted due to drawdowns made to plug a 'gap?in the global supply caused by U.S.-Israeli conflict?on Iran. Analysts and officials say that this could increase demand for crude oil, which would help absorb the global surplus expected after OPEC+ increased production. The government drew on emergency reserves to cover supply disruptions caused by the conflict, which removed 1.5 billion barrels of oil from global inventories in this year. Calculations based on data from OPEC, International Energy Agency and U.S. Department of Energy indicate that governments have reduced their emergency reserves. The IEA released a record-breaking 400 million barrels after disruptions along the Strait of Hormuz pushed crude prices dramatically higher. Brent crude surpassed $126 per barrel by the end of April, and U.S. Early March, crude oil approached $120. According to Kpler's commodities analysis firm, replenishing those reserves could lead to a demand of 664,000 barrels a day by the third quarter of 2027. This would help absorb some of the excess supply that is expected next year, as OPEC+ continues unwinding production cuts. This would reduce price drops. Christopher Haines is the head of oil for Energy Aspects. Michelle?Brouhard said that the replenishment of reserves could result in an additional 506,000 barrels per day of crude demand by 2026's fourth quarter, and this number will continue to rise next year. US TO START FILMING FIRST The United States will receive oil back 'later this summer, after releasing 172 million barrels through the IEA program. Under exchange agreements, companies are required to return borrowed barrels and additional barrels in addition to a premium. U.S. Strategic Reserves fell by 6.2 Million Barrels to 319.5 Million in the week ending July 3. This is the lowest level since April 1983. Department of Energy data revealed on Monday. Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy secretary, said at an event held by Next in late June that the government would receive on average 1.28 barrels per barrel of oil released as part of exchange agreements. Wright stated that the returns would be able to help raise SPR stocks above 400 million barrels. Washington is also exploring ways to increase stocks beyond 500 millions barrels. Jay Hakes, former U.S. Energy Information Administration Administrator, said that the United States could replenish its reserves faster than other countries due to exchange agreements which allow stocks to be returned to pre-war levels with no additional government expenditure. Naveen Das is a senior oil analyst with Kpler. He said that the outlook for other IEA members was more discretionary and geared towards 2027. Analysts predict that countries such as?Japan? and South Korea?will replenish their reserves more slowly, and the efforts to do so will depend on oil prices?and government spending decisions. ASIA EXPANDS ITS STOCKPILING Analysts said that lower oil prices may encourage China to stockpile more, which would create a new source of demand in addition to the IEA - countries' efforts to rebuild reserves. Michael Haigh, head of commodities at Societe Generale, said that historically, China has started buying and filling the SPR when Brent crude oil is below its 12-month moving average. Brent front-month contracts were trading at around $78 a bar on Thursday. This was slightly higher than their 12-month moving median of $76.59 a bar, according to LSEG. In addition to replacing the?barrels that were released during the crisis in the Middle East, several Asian countries -- which rely on Gulf supplies -- are increasing storage capacity in order to strengthen energy security. China is constructing 11 new strategic storage sites for oil, and India will more than double the capacity of its strategic petroleum reserves through expansion projects in Padur and Chandikhol. Japan is helping the Philippines develop a national system of strategic petroleum reserves.
The strategic oil reserves will support the crude demand until 2028
Analysts and officials have said that governments are planning to purchase millions of barrels by 2028 in order to replenish 'emergency reserves' depleted due to drawdowns. This is to fill a void?in the global supply caused by a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. They say that this could increase demand for crude oil, which would absorb a portion of the global surplus expected after OPEC+ decided to increase production. The government has reduced emergency reserves following supply disruptions related to the conflict that have removed estimated 1.5 billion barrels of global inventories in this year. Calculations based on International Energy Agency (IEA), OPEC, and U.S. Department of Energy's data.
After disruptions in Strait of Hormuz pushed crude prices dramatically higher, the IEA coordinated a 400-million barrel release. Brent crude reached $126 per barrel by?late April, and U.S. Crude approached $120 at the beginning of March. According to the commodities analysis firm?Kpler, replenishing these reserves could result in 664,000 barrels of daily demand by the third quarter of 2027. This would help absorb some of next year's excess supply as OPEC+ unwinds production cuts. This would reduce price drops.
Christopher Haines is the head of oil for Energy Aspects.
Michelle Brouhard of Kpler, the head of policy and geopolitical risks, stated that refueling reserves would generate 506,000 bpd more crude demand by 2026's fourth quarter, with further growth next year.
US TO START FILLING FIRST The United States has promised to release 172 millions barrels through the IEA program. It is expected that it will begin receiving oil later this year under exchange agreements which require companies to return loaned barrels and additional barrels in addition to a premium. US has signed contracts to lend 133 million barrels out of the 172 millions so far. The Department of Energy reported on Monday that U.S. Strategic Reserves fell by 6.2 millions barrels, to 319.5 Million in the week ending July 3. This is the lowest level since April 1983.
Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy secretary, said at an event held by Next in late June that the government expected to receive on average 1.28 barrels per barrel released as part of exchange agreements. Wright stated that the returns would be able to boost SPR inventories above 400 million barrels. Washington is also exploring ways to increase stocks beyond 500 millions barrels.
Former U.S. Energy Information Administration Administrator Jay Hakes said that the United States could replenish its reserves faster than other countries, because exchange agreements allowed stocks to return back to pre-war level without additional government expenditure.
Naveen Das is a senior oil analyst at Kpler. He said that for other IEA member countries, the outlook is more flexible and based on 2027.
Analysts predict that countries such as Japan and South Korea will replenish their reserves gradually. However, the efforts to do so may depend on the oil price and government spending decisions.
ASIA EXPANDS ITS STOCKPILING
Analysts said that lower oil prices may encourage China to stockpile more oil, creating a new source of demand alongside the restocking of reserves by IEA nations.
Michael Haigh is the global head of commodities at Societe Generale. He said that historically, when Brent crude prices fall below the 12-month moving-average, China begins to?buy and fill SPR.
Brent front-month contracts were trading at around $78 a bar on Thursday. This was slightly higher than their 12-month moving median of $76.59 a bar, according to LSEG 'data.
In response to the Middle East energy crisis, several Asian countries -- who rely on Gulf supplies -- are increasing?storage capacities. China is building eleven new strategic oil storage facilities, and India plans to expand the strategic petroleum reserves capacity at Chandikhol and Padur. Japan is helping the Philippines develop a national system of strategic petroleum reserves.
(source: Reuters)