East Asia

The Kremlin stated?on? Tuesday that it had not heard any statements from India regarding the halting of purchases of Russian oil? after U.S. president Donald Trump claimed New Delhi had agreed in a trade agreement with Washington to cease such purchases. U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Monday a trade deal with India, which reduces U.S. tariffs from 50% to 18% on 'Indian goods in exchange for India ceasing its purchases of Russian oil and lowering trade barriers. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, said that Russia is?carefully analyzing Trump's remarks about relations with India. Peskov responded: "We haven't heard anything...

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The trade took on a more stable tone during the 'Asia session' on Tuesday. Metals prices stabilized and stocks recovered from the gold-and silver-led crash on Monday. Rebounds were sharp in Tokyo and Seoul, and Indian shares cheered the deal announced by U.S. president Donald Trump on Truth Social. The agreement would lower tariffs on Indian products in exchange for India ceasing to purchase Russian oil. There were no solid details about the timing, and there was little information on the deal. However, it...

The mood was lifted by the resurgence of gold and Asian stocks on Tuesday, as the trade tone cooled down after the wild swings seen in the metals market. A?deal reducing U.S. Tariffs against India also helped. Meanwhile, the Australian Dollar rose 'after an interest rate increase. The central bank of Australia joined Japan in tightening policy. It said that above-target inflation, coupled with a tight labour markets, justified the unanimous decision to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points. The markets had anticipated this move but are now trying to price in the follow-up for May, which was...

Four trade sources reported?on Tuesday that the independent Chinese refiner Chambroad Petrochemical had purchased one Canadian crude cargo for May delivery. This follows a decrease in Venezuelan crude supply to China. According to sources, the refiner is one of the biggest buyers of Venezuelan crude oil. It also imports Canadian oil from the Trans Mountain pipeline for its bitumen manufacturing. Chambroad bought Canadian Cold Lake Crude exported?from TMX for a discount of close to $5 per barril compared to the July ICE Brent contract, according to two people. The crude was to be delivered to the eastern Shandong Province in...

Analysts and traders said that gasoline refining margins fell to near 1-year lows on Monday due to an oversupply of fuel from major exporters, and a swelling inventory at the main hubs. The profits from the 'gasoline' and 'diesel' processing are crucial to oil refiners and major oil companies' earnings. They tend to decline when oil prices increase, as feedstock becomes more expensive. Last week, oil prices rose to $70 a barrel on fears of a U.S. strike on Iran. LSEG data show that the benchmark Singapore margins of?92-octane against Brent crude dropped to $3.73 a barrel on Friday. This...

Chinese independent refiners have purchased discounted Iranian heavy oil to replace Venezuelan shipments which were halted after the U.S. Two people familiar with the matter said that last month, the U.S. claimed control over the OPEC producer. They said that the withdrawal of Iranian crude oil from storage makes up for the fall in Venezuelan supplies to the world’s largest crude buyer. Venezuelan shipments into China have dropped sharply since the middle of December after U.S. president Donald Trump imposed an embargo on ships sanctioned, as part of a larger campaign against President Nicolas Maduro that culminated with his capture...

Global shares dropped on Monday as investors rushed to sell precious metals to offset any losses. This was just before a week filled with corporate earnings and central bank meetings, along with major economic data. Silver is on track to suffer its worst two-day loss since the 1980s. It fell another 7%, adding to Friday's 30 percent drop. Dealers say that pressure on several?silver?futures funds from China contributed to the crash late last week. The CME raised margins for a variety of futures contracts including silver and gold on Monday. The oil prices fell by more than 4% after President...

The profit of Asian refiners from the production of gasoline has fallen to its lowest level in a full year. This is due to a sudden oversupply?from major exporters and swollen inventories in major trading hubs. LSEG data show that the benchmark for Asia,?Singapore -margins?, for 92 octane gas against Brent crude, fell to $3.73 a barrel on Friday at the market's close, its lowest level since 21 January 2025. Gasoline margins began to decline on December 12, and they are now 77% lower than the peak of $17.71 a barrel reached on November 14. Analysts said that margins increased...

Two factors are largely outside the control of OPEC+, and are likely to influence the price of crude in the coming 'weeks. First, whether U.S. president Donald Trump decides to launch a shooting conflict with Iran and whether both sides will be able?to keep oil cargoes flowing and production infrastructure intact. Second, China, which is the world's largest crude importer, will decide whether to ease back on recent imports, given the 16% increase in Brent futures benchmark in January. It was only logical that the eight members with production quotas of OPEC+, given the uncertainty currently gripping the crude oil...

The dollar grew on Friday after U.S. president Donald Trump nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to be?the new chair of the Central Bank. Meanwhile, a reading for inflation was higher than expected. Warsh is a 'frequent critic of the Fed, and is seen as a supporter of lower interest rates. However, he would not go as far as some of his other possible nominees in terms of aggressive easing. If his nomination is approved by a Senate that is closely divided, Warsh will replace Jerome Powell when the term of Jerome Powell ends in May. "Given the history...

Gold and the dollar fell on Friday as global stocks rose, but the dollar rose. Nominated Kevin Warsh is his choice for the next Federal Reserve Chair. Warsh is a former Fed Governor and is seen as a supporter of lower interest rates. He is also considered one?of the?less radical choices from amongst all those who were suggested. The MSCI World Index was last 0.16% up as European shares rose, despite a drop in Asia-Pacific stocks. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was last 0.72% up, retaining gains made after Trump's announcement. It was on course to end January with a...

By Anna Szymanski 30th January - What Mike Dolan, the ROI team and I are looking forward to reading, watching and listening to this weekend. From the Editor Hello Morning Bid readers! The U.S. maintains that it has a "strong dollar policy" but few are able to agree exactly what this means. The dollar fell to its lowest level since early-2022 on Tuesday. This move was initially sparked by Friday's expectations of a joint U.S. and Japanese?intervention in order to prop up yen. After President Donald Trump said that the dollar would "find its levels" in response to the currency's...

The head of the mining lobby in Ghana has said that Ghana's finance minister offered to reduce a mining tax by two percentage points to help push a new gold royalties regime through. Africa's leading gold producer is looking to replace the flat rate of royalty with a sliding scale between 5% and 12% in order to maximize value at a time when prices are surging. The new gold royalties regime will come into effect in 21 days if parliament does not amend it. It adds one percentage point to every $500 increase in gold prices, similar to Burkina Faso's...

Investors shifted their focus to?corporate profits, while also weighing U.S. - Iran tensions. Officials from both sides said on Monday that Iran and the U.S. will resume nuclear talks in Turkey on Friday. Trump warned that if the sides failed to reach a deal, bad things could happen with U.S. warships advancing toward?Iran. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index rose 0.2% thanks to a 1.9% increase in ACWA Power, and a 0.6% rise in Saudi Arabian Mining Company. According to estimates by the government, the economy of Saudi Arabia grew 4.9% on an annual basis in its fourth quarter. This was...

These are the most popular stories from the business pages of the New York Times. The New York Times has not verified the accuracy of these stories. SpaceX, Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company, announced on Monday that it acquired xAI. This is a sweeping move for Musk to consolidate his empire, as he faces questions about its A.I. ambitions. Waymo, owned by Alphabet (parent company of Google), the self-driving cab company, announced on Monday that they had raised $16 Billion to fund their plans for global expansion. U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would be launching...

Francois-Henri Pinault might not have gotten as much as he wanted last week when he sold the controlling stake of his family in Puma, to China's Anta, for $1.8 billion. According to two sources familiar with the matter, there was a "anti-embarrassment clause" in the agreement that sealed the deal. Artemis, Pinault's family company, initially reacted with a cold reception to Anta's cash offer of 35 euros per share for the 29% stake. However, one source said that the Hong Kong listed company agreed to pay more if an even higher offer was made. Hong Kong Stock Exchange filings reveal...

Investors saw that demand and supply prospects remained positive for the "red metal" as they continued to be concerned about supply. As of 0320 GMT the most active copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange had fallen 0.50% to 101,340 Yuan ($14.603.99) per metric ton, after gaining up as much as 0.80% in the previous session. The benchmark copper for three months on the London Metals Exchange rose by 0.82%, to $12,997.50 per ton. Copper prices have been in a downward spiral since Friday after reaching record highs at both exchanges. Shanghai copper fell as much as 13.65% from a...

T&E, an advocacy group for clean transport, said that electric vehicles could make up as much as 85% of all new car sales by 2035. This is based on the EU's plans to lift its 'effective ban' on new combustion engine models. However, this % share may drop to as little as 50%. In December, under pressure from automakers, the European Commission proposed that CO2 emissions be reduced by 90% in 2035 compared to 2021, rather than zero, for all new cars and vans. T&E criticised the EU for its biggest retreat from green policies in years. The proposals would...

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

The price of copper fell on Monday, as investors entered a risk-off mood after Kevin Warsh's nomination to the position of?Federal Reserve Chair. Demand for the metal also dipped in the run-up to China’s Lunar New Year holiday. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most active?copper? contract hit the lower price limits, falling 9% and closing daytime trading at $14,183.56 a metric tonne, the lowest level since January 9. On Monday, three other SHFE metals - aluminium, tin and nickel - also hit the lower price limit. Shanghai aluminium fell 9%, closing at 23,035 Yuan per ton. Nickel and tin, both down...

Iron ore futures fell on Monday, as Chinese inventories increased and steel mills finished restocking. Meanwhile, feedstock demand is expected to remain slow ahead of the Lunar 'New 'Year. As of 0257 GMT, the?most-traded contract for May iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange fell by 0.63% to $788 yuan (US$113.37) per metric ton. The benchmark March ore traded on the Singapore Exchange fell 0.42% to $103.35 per ton. Steelhome, a consultancy firm, released data on January 30, showing that iron?ore stocks at major Chinese ports increased by 1.16% in a week. A note from the Shanghai Metals Market stated...

Capstone Copper Corp. resumed its operations at the Mantoverde Copper and Gold Mine in northern Chile despite a strike by a union that represents nearly 22%. In a filing to the Australian stock exchange dated 1 February, the company reiterated that it expected to continue operating at a level of 50% to 75% normal production throughout this strike. The shares of Capstone Australia listed depositary receipts fell as much as 4.5 percent to A$15.810 per day, their lowest levels since January 23. The decision to resume operations was made following a Chilean Court ruling that authorized the removal of striking...

The copper price fell on Friday due to a stronger dollar, and investors locking in profits after the previous session’s record high. Benchmark three-month Copper on the London Metal Exchange fell?3.3%?to $13,161 per metric ton at 1706 GMT, but held above its moving average of 21 days which provides support for $13,011. The copper price is up by 6% in this month. It has reached a new record high of $14,527.50 as speculators continued their buying spree on Thursday. This drove the LME index of six base-metals contracts to a new'record high. In a recent note, Stonex analyst Natalie Scott...

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