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China's demand for iron ore has pushed the price of iron ore to a 5-month high.
Iron ore rose to its highest level in more than five months Tuesday, underpinned by a resilient consumer demand in China and broad-based gains on the stock markets. The May contract for iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange gained 0.69%, to 801 Yuan ($114.77), per metric ton. The market reached its highest level since late July, at?806 per ton. As of 0819 GMT, the benchmark February iron ore traded on the Singapore Exchange rose 0.74% to $106.55 per ton. The iron ore futures market?ended on a positive note in 2025 as the?demand for steel in China was?strong and steelmakers were restocking in preparation for the Lunar New Year holidays in February. From December 26 to 31, the capacity of Chinese electric arc and blast furnace steel furnaces increased by 0.32%, respectively. This indicates a higher demand for feedstock. Chinese Stocks Investor sentiment was positive ahead of the Lunar New Year, and shares rose to their highest level in more than a decade. Hong Kong shares also rose. Coking coal and coke, the other steelmaking ingredients, fell 0.1% and 0.72% respectively. Steel benchmarks rebar fell 0.1%. Hot-rolled coils gained 0.18%. Wire rods advanced 0.67%. Stainless steel grew 1.82%. $1 = 6.9794 Yuan (Reporting and editing by Sumana Nandy, Harikrishnan Nair).
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China bans the export of dual-use military items to Japan
China has banned the export of dual-use products to Japan, which can be used to military purposes, according to a statement from its commerce ministry on Tuesday. This is Beijing's response to the recent comments made by Japan's prime minister about Taiwan. Dual-use items are products, software, or technologies with both civilian and military uses, such as certain rare earth elements, which are vital for drones and chips. The statement added that any organisation or individual from any country that violates the ban will be held liable. Beijing and Tokyo's relations have deteriorated since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that a Chinese attack against the democratically-governed island of Taiwan would be considered an existential danger to Japan. Beijing said that the remarks were provocative. Taiwan is a part of China's territory. Taipei denies this claim. Later, the?Chinese Foreign Ministry questioned Japan's motivations in Taiwan. It said that its "provocations", could be used as a pretext to build up its military and overseas missions. The Japanese Cabinet approved in late December a record-breaking spending package for the fiscal period beginning in April. This included a 3.8% rise in the annual budget of the military, which now stands at 9 trillion yen (57.7 billion dollars). China's Xinhua News Agency commented in December that it was "alarming", in recent years, to see Japan "dramatically" re-adjust its security policy. It said Japan increased its defence expenditure year after year and relaxed restrictions on?exports. They also stated they were working to develop offensive weapons, and planning to abandon the three non-nuclear principle. China slowed down exports of rare Earths to Japan more than a decade ago during a diplomatic dispute. China's customs data has not yet shown any sign of a decrease in rare earths exports to Japan, despite the fact that data is being released with some delays. Exports increased 35% in November, the last month with data. This was the highest total of the year. Reporting by Ethan Wang and Yukun Zhang; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Thomas Derpinghaus
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The Gulf exchanges are gaining on the rise in Fed rate-cut bets
The Gulf stock markets rose early on Tuesday, after the Federal Reserve officials' dovish comments prompted a rise in interest rate bets. However, weak oil prices limited gains. Neel Kazhkari, Minneapolis Fed president, said that inflation was gradually decreasing but that unemployment could "pop". This would increase the likelihood of rate cuts. Investors await the non-farm payrolls data on Friday for new clues about?the Fed?s next move. CME's FedWatch showed traders inclining toward easing. The Fed's position?has implications for Gulf economies where most currencies are pegged to the U.S. Dollar, making it a stable anchor for regional currency. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index rose 0.1% thanks to a 3.7% increase in Saudi Arabian Mining Company. Dubai's main stock index rose 0.6% with Emaar?Properties, a blue-chip developer, rising 1.1%. Abu Dhabi's Index increased by 0.3%. A survey on Tuesday showed that the non-oil sector of the United Arab Emirates maintained a robust growth in December, even though it was a little slower than a month ago. The Qatari index rose 0.4% led by the Qatar National Bank, which grew 1.3%. The market also weighed the possibility of increased Venezuelan crude production following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. (Reporting and editing by Sumana Naandy in Bengaluru, Ateeq Sharif in Bengaluru)
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FT reports that Italy and Pirelli are exploring new ways to stop Chinese involvement in tyremaker.
The?Italian?government and Pirelli, the?tiremaker, are looking at new ways to stop Sinochem from investing in the?company based in Milan. This is due to pressure coming from?the United States. The Financial Times reported Tuesday that the United States was exerting pressure on Pirelli. Camfina, Pirelli's Italian-American investor, had complained earlier that Sinochem was preventing the tyremaker from expanding in the U.S. as Washington tightens restrictions on Chinese technology for the automotive industry. According to LSEG 'data, Sinochem is Pirelli’s?largest shareholder with a stake in the company of approximately 34.1%. Rome is considering a new intervention, as Washington's upcoming ban on Chinese-backed software and hardware that interacts with U.S. vehicles comes into effect in March. The FT report could not be verified immediately. Pirelli refused to comment. Sinochem and Italian government officials did not respond to requests for comment. Sinochem and the Italian government did not respond to requests for comment. Reports indicate that U.S. officials have pressed Italy in recent months to reduce Sinochem's power, while Pirelli made several proposals to Sinochem, including a stake-sale, but Sinochem didn't immediately respond. According to a report in the FT, Sinochem?last week appointed BNP Paribas?as advisers?to investigate sale options. Last year, sources close to the matter said that Sinochem would consider bids for its Pirelli share if they came with a premium. (Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)
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Gold reaches a new high in a week on Fed rate-cut betting and Venezuela turmoil
Gold prices rose?on Tuesday, reaching a new high. The Federal Reserve's dovish remarks?boosted bets for interest rate reductions and Venezuelan tensions increased demand for safe-haven assets. As of 0722 GMT spot gold was up 0.4% to $4,463.63 an ounce after climbing nearly 3% the previous session. Bullion reached a record-high of $4,549.71 in December and recorded its best annual performance since 1979 with a 64% jump last year. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery? rose 0.5% to $4473.90. "The comments by Fed officials certainly didn't harm but it doesn’t seem like the calculus has changed that much." "We have a busy week ahead with the release of Friday's jobs report," said Ilya Spivak. On Monday, Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed, said that inflation was "slowly" easing. However, there was the risk that the unemployment rate would "pop", increasing the likelihood of rate cuts. Investors expect two rate cuts at least this year. They will be looking for monetary policy clues in the Friday nonfarm payrolls report. On Monday, the former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro denied narcotics-related charges. The arrest of Maduro by Donald Trump rattled leaders around the world and caused officials in Caracas to scramble to regroup. Spivak stated that "the capture of Maduro demonstrated this rupture between the U.S., China and (the ongoing trend) de-globalisation." In a low interest rate environment, and in times of geopolitical uncertainty or economic instability, non-yielding investments tend to perform well. Silver spot?gained 2.8 percent to $78.64 an ounce after reaching an all-time high of $83.62 per ounce on December 29. Silver's annual gains in 2025 were 147% higher than gold. This was the best year ever for silver. After reaching an all-time record of $2,478.50 on Monday, spot platinum rose 2% to $2,315.69. It rose by more than 5% in the morning session, reaching a new high. Palladium was 2.2% higher, at $1.745.68 an ounce. Reporting by Ishaan arora, Editing by Sherry j. Phillips and Subhranshu Sahu
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Holcim acquires French precast concrete maker Alkern
Holcim announced on Tuesday that it has completed the purchase of French precast cement maker Alkern. This is the latest acquisition for the Swiss based building materials manufacturer. Alkern employs 1,000 workers and has over 50 production sites in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Its net sales are expected to be around 250 million euros (about $293 million) by 2025. Holcim did not disclose the price of the acquisition. Holcim stated that the acquisition would increase earnings from the first year. Holcim aims to generate half its sales from building solutions in 2030. In the first nine months of 2025, this figure was 37%. Holcim is interested in expanding into this market because it provides an additional growth channel for its traditional cement business. It also allows more cross-selling and differentiating its products from its competitors. Alkern, a privately-held company, produces precast concrete products like pipes, curbs, and paving stones that are used in infrastructure projects, industries, and buildings. Dragan Maksimovic is Holcim’s regional head for Western Europe. He said that Alkern’s precast concrete offerings in France as well as its walling, flooring and water management system are complementary to Holcim’s portfolio.
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Gold reaches a new high in a week on Fed rate-cut betting and Venezuela turmoil
Gold prices rose again?on Tuesday, reaching a new high. The dovish remarks?of?Federal Reserve officials increased interest rate-cutting bets while Venezuelan tensions also boosted safe-haven demand. As of 0534 GMT spot gold was up 0.5% to $4,469.96 an ounce after a nearly 3% rise in the previous session. Bullion reached a record-high of $4,549.71 in December and recorded its best performance since 1979 with a 64% jump last year. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery rose by?0.7%, to $4481.30. The Fed's comments certainly did not hurt, but the calculation doesn't seem to have changed that much. "We have a busy week ahead with the release of Friday's jobs report," said Ilya Spivak, Tastylive's head of global macro. Neel Kahkari, Minneapolis Fed president, said on Monday that inflation was slowly easing but the risk was the unemployment rate could "pop", increasing the likelihood of rate cuts. Investors expect two rate cuts at least this year. They will be looking for monetary policy clues in the Friday nonfarm payrolls report. On Monday, the former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro denied narcotics-related charges. The capture of Maduro by Donald Trump rattled leaders around the world and caused officials in Caracas to scramble for regrouping. Spivak stated that "the capture of 'Maduro' illustrated this rupture between U.S.A. and China, and (the continuing trend of) deglobalisation more broadly." In a low interest rate environment, and in times of geopolitical uncertainty or economic instability, non-yielding investments tend to perform well. Silver spot?gained 3% to $79.18 an ounce after reaching an all-time peak of $83.62 on December 29. Silver's annual gains in 2025 were 147% higher than gold. This was the best year ever for silver. After reaching an all-time record of $2,478.50 on Monday, spot platinum rose 2.8% to $2,334.25/ounce. It rose by more than 5% in the morning session, reaching a new high. Palladium was 1.9% higher, at $1.739.25 an ounce. (Reporting and editing by Sherry Phillips, Subhranshu Sahu and Ishaan arora)
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MORNING BID - EUROPE - Stocks calm down, continue record run
Kevin Buckland gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The global stock market's march to higher peaks shows no sign of slowing down. Tokyo, Taipei, and Seoul were among the markets that soared to new peaks on Tuesday. This was after the Dow made the same move overnight on Wall Street. Once trading begins, the FTSE 600, DAX 100 and STOXX will likely extend their record-breaking runs. The political turmoil in Venezuela has not slowed the market. Investors have been grabbing oil and defense shares with a risk-free attitude. Crude oil traders are still unsure of what all this means. The $1 per barrel gains made on Monday are not sustained. The U.S. has a continuing oil embargo against Venezuela, and the country is running out of storage. Reports indicate that President Trump is scheduled to meet with U.S. oil executives in the coming week to discuss increasing Venezuelan crude production. However, analysts believe it will be many years before meaningful increases in capacity are achieved. The currencies have been looking elsewhere, with the possible exception of the oil-linked Canadian Dollar and Norwegian Krone. After today's consumer inflation data from around Europe, the focus will shift to a series of U.S. job?data culminating in Friday's non farm payrolls report. After weaker than expected manufacturing data and a warning by Fed official Neel Kazhkari, the U.S. Dollar made a round trip on Monday. It rose to a four week?high before falling again. All of this serves to show how sensitive the markets are to the outlook on U.S. monetary policies. The following are the key developments that may influence Tuesday's markets: German and French CPI (both Dec). German, French and Italian PMIs, British, US, British, US, December
Stocks at record highs as US information leaves June Fed cut bet intact
Financiers stretched recordbreaking stock rallies on Friday and favored U.S. Treasuries to push yields to their lowest in a month after nottoohot, nottoocold U.S. tasks information secured the conviction that the Federal Reserve will start reducing by midyear.
The dollar continued to swoon against its currency competitors after the Labor Department said U.S. job development sped up in February, even as the joblessness rate leapt and wage gains moderated. The mixed report continued the table a prepared for rates of interest cut in June by the Fed.
It really kind of strengthens what Chair (Jerome) Powell was stating this week, about the confidence he had in the capacity to begin the rate cutting cycle this year. So the market should be pleased with this report, said Lindsey Bell, chief strategist with 248 Ventures in Charlotte, North Carolina
The economy's doing fine. Its slowing in an orderly way, not too quickly. Its doing what the Fed requires.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq increased to records after the open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average did not rather still increased 122.27 points, or 0.31%, to 38,912.86. The S&P 500 gotten 21.53 points, or 0.42%, to 5,178.89 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 101.28 points, or 0.62%, to 16,374.65.
After the commonly expected payrolls number, attention will instantly turn to next Tuesday's U.S. inflation report.
Central lenders from the United States and Europe have this week raised expectations that cuts in loaning expenses will begin in the summertime on both sides of the Atlantic, pressing stock indices to new highs again on Friday.
A day after the European Central Bank held rates consistent on Thursday, ECB policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said there would be a rate cut in the spring, which he specified as from April up until June 21, the date of the reserve bank's meeting that month.
Some traders even bet on a May cut by the Fed after U.S. employers added a surprisingly robust 275,000 jobs last month, even while data for prior months were revised down to reveal less task gains.
The immediate takeaway is the concentrate on the joblessness rate going from 3.7% to 3.9%, said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio supervisor at Dakota Wealth.
More joblessness rate suggests that the economy is slowing, which would, in the markets' view hopefully, require a rate cut faster rather than later.
MSCI's gauge of stocks around the world increased to its highest level ever and was up 4.24 points, or 0.55%.
In Europe, the STOXX index of 600 business was somewhat firmer after striking a brand-new life time high. The index was 0.14% higher, while Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 2.30 points, or 0.12%
While reserve banks on both sides of the Atlantic manage When they will start reducing loaning, expectations of precisely costs, financiers pushed up the yen after reports that Japan's reserve bank might start carrying up rates from negative area as soon as this month.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 1.21% greater, while Japan's Nikkei rose 90.23 points, or 0.23%, to 39,688.94.
The dollar headed for its sharpest weekly drop of the year on the growing probability of lower loaning expenses.
Versus the Japanese yen, the dollar compromised 0.81%. to 146.84. The dollar index, a basket comprised of six. currencies from significant U.S. trade partners, fell 0.24% to 102.51. Its largest element, the euro, was up 0.13% at $1.096.
Hopes of rate cuts put downward pressure on U.S. federal government. bond yields. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes. fell to its lowest because Feb. 2 and was down 1.3. basis points from late Thursday at 4.077%.
The 2-year note yield, which normally moves in. action with rate expectations fell to its lowest because Feb. 7,. and was 6.6 basis points lower at 4.4505%.
German bund yields were on track to tape-record their. most significant weekly fall since mid-December on raised bets of an ECB. cut in rates.
Spot gold also logged another record and was up 0.57%. at $2,171.39 an ounce. U.S. gold futures gained 1.07% to. $ 2,181.00 an ounce.
U.S. crude lost 0.51% to $78.53 a barrel and Brent. was up to $82.64 per barrel, down 0.39% on the day.
In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin acquired 2.04% to. $ 68,712.00. Ethereum rose 3.03% at $3992.1.
(source: Reuters)