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US provides nearly $156 Million in funding for Michigan reactor restart
A source familiar with the matter confirmed on Tuesday that the U.S. has disbursed $156 million as the latest installment in a loan guarantee to Holtec International for its Michigan nuclear power station, the company's hope being that it will be the nation's first reactor to restart following a shutdown. The Loan Programs Office of Department of Energy has disbursed the sixth installment of approximately $491 million of the maximum $1.52 billion of loan guarantees that were approved during the term of former President Joe Biden. Entergy, a power company, closed Palisades after more than 50 years of operation in 2022. The plant shut down two weeks earlier than planned due to a problem with a control bar, despite the $6 billion federal program designed to save reactors from increasing costs. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, supports nuclear energy as U.S. electricity demand is on the rise for first time in 20 years due to data centers and artificial Intelligence. Holtec intends to restart Palisades during the fourth quarter. Trump signed executive order in May to speed up the issuance of new nuclear licenses and to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that issues them. Holtec was granted approval by the NRC to load fuel in the reactor this July. (Reporting and editing by Timothy Gardner, with Chizu Nomiyama)
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Petrobras hires Engeman as the manager of fertilizer plants for Bahia and Sergipe in Brazil
Petrobras, the state-owned oil company of Brazil, has announced that it has hired Engeman Industrial Services to manage fertilizer plants in Bahia e Sergipe. Petrobras announced in a press release that the contract for the operation and maintenance of nitrogen fertilizer plants had been signed on Friday, following the completion of an auction. Petrobras says that the plants will be operational again by the end this year. The contract value was not disclosed. According to its website, Engeman provides services in several sectors, including mining, oil and gas and energy. The two plants, if they were to be put back into operation, would reduce Brazil's dependence on imports of fertilizers, which are mainly from Russia. The Luiz-Inacio da Silva administration has made reducing reliance on imported fertilizer a top priority. Petrobras leased two nitrogen fertilizer facilities to Unigel under a 10-year contract in 2019. However, both plants have been closed since 2023. Unigel has cited unfeasible conditions for operating due to the high natural gas price in Brazil. In May, the two companies reached an agreement to resolve legal disputes regarding two fertilizer factories and restore Petrobras ownership of these plants.
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Investors on edge as TSX drops ahead of monetary Policy Meetings
Investors were on edge as they awaited the announcements of the Bank of Canada, and the U.S. Federal Reserve, later this week. The Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 0.3% to 29,339.94 by 10:00 ET (1400 GMT), but remained close to the record high of Monday. The annual inflation rate in Canada rose by 1.9%, mainly due to higher petrol and food costs, but it was still below the 2% predicted by analysts. In a note, Andrew Grantham, senior economic analyst at CIBC Capital Markets said that core inflation measures are likely to continue to fall in the months to come, due to the slack in the economy, and the removal of many retaliatory duties on September 1. We not only expect a reduction of 25bp tomorrow, but also a subsequent one at the October meeting. Money markets expect the BoC to cut its rate on September 17 by a quarter-point. This is a 97% probability. The TSX and other global markets have reached record highs in the last few sessions. Markets are fully pricing in a Fed interest rate cut this coming week. Gold mining stocks dropped 0.7% on the day. New Gold, Orla Mining, and Alamos Gold fell between 2% to 3.8%. Chartwell Retirement Residences fell 1%, while Bausch Health dropped 1.9%. Vermillion Energy, Parex Resources and energy index both increased by 2.3%. Teck Resources, among other stocks, lost 2.2%. The Canadian industry minister said she will be meeting with the CEOs of Teck Resources and Anglo American to discuss their proposed merger next week. (Reporting and editing by Vijay Kishore; Twesha Dhikshit)
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Silver Lake and MGX invest together in Altera
MGX, a partner of Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence investment company MGX, announced on Tuesday that it had joined the group to acquire a majority stake (49%) in California programmable chips business Altera. The size of MGX’s investment has not been disclosed. "Altera is a platform that's the foundation for next-generation computing." It is a chance to transform a company with such importance into a global leader in the AI era, said Omar Alismail. Intel sold Altera 51% to Silver Lake in April. The unit was valued at $8.75 Billion, which is a lot less than the $17 Billion Intel paid for Altera in 2015. Intel completed the deal on September 12. Silver Lake acquired a majority stake of Altera at an equity value around $3.3 billion. This is based on debt financing, cash flow and the value of the business. MGX is under the control of Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is the national security advisor of the United Arab Emirates and brother to the president. He runs a $1.5 billion business empire that includes sovereign wealth funds, G42, and energy. MGX, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala (formerly G42) and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala was founded last year. Its goal is to reach $100 billion of assets. It has become the centrepiece of United Arab Emirates’ drive to dominate financial intelligence. (Reporting and editing by Hadeel al Sayegh)
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Thyssenkrupp receives non-binding offer for Jindal Steel International steel unit
Thyssenkrupp announced on Tuesday that a division within the Indian conglomerate Naveen Jindal Group had submitted a non-binding offer for its steel business. This is the latest development in the long-running effort by the group to sell the unit. Shares in the German conglomerate rose 5.3% at 1334 GMT on news of the indicative offer for Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, Germany's largest metal manufacturer with sales of 10.7 billion euro ($12.6 billion) during the last fiscal year. Thyssenkrupp stated that it would carefully examine the offer, "particularly in regard to economic sustainability and the continuation of green transformation at our steel plants". The bid was not disclosed, nor were any financial details. This comes at a time when the German industrial group wants to divest some of its business in order to be leaner and focussed. Thyssenkrupp would have achieved a major success if it sold TKSE to Jindal Steel International. This was after several years of unsuccessful attempts to sell TKSE by the group that makes submarines to car parts. The pension liabilities, which totaled billions of euros, remained a key concern. In a separate announcement, Jindal Steel International said that its offer would ensure steel production in Germany. This included the completion of a "green steel production site" by TKSE at Duisburg and a commitment worth more than 2 billion euros to increase electric arc furnace capacities. Narendra Misra is the director of European Operations for Jindal. He said: "Our goal to preserve and grow Thyssenkrupp’s 200-year legacy, and help transform it Europe's biggest integrated low emission steelmaker." Thyssenkrupp sold a 20% share in TKSE last year to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky with the intention of selling a 30% further stake to create a joint venture that would be 50-50. The powerful union IG Metall criticised this move. It said that Kretinsky did not provide information on his strategic plans in his role as a coshareholder. The EPCG division of Kretinsky declined to comment. Juergen Kerner, Thyssenkrupp’s deputy supervisory Board chairman and senior IG Metall members said that the news was positive and that further discussions should begin as soon as possible.
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Sweden and Finland call for revision of EU's forest climate targets
Sweden and Finland may suffer "dire" consequences in the economy if they have to reduce their forest harvest to meet EU climate targets, both countries warned this week. In order to achieve net zero emissions in the European Union by 2050, Sweden has been asked to increase the amount of CO2 that is bound by forests. Both countries claim they will miss the EU Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry targets for 2021-2025 and for 2026-30. They blame climate change for the slower growth of trees and increased demand for wood. The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kritersson stated on X on late Monday that the EU's forest policy framework is a problem. If it was not changed, it would lead to unjustified and unreasonable restrictions on Swedish forestry. It is wrong to severely restrict the Nordic forestry in practice. Forests are seen by both environmental and industry groups as an important part of the fight against climate change. Forestry companies stress the benefits of sustainable management, biofuels, and wood as a replacement for fossil fuels, concrete, and plastic. Scientists have warned, however, that monoculture, over-logging and other industrial practices reduce the forest's ability to absorb carbon dioxide and threaten Europe's climate targets. Sweden and Finland, in a letter sent to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that their CO2 targets were unrealistic. Sweden's target was an increase of 4 million tonnes per year by 2030 and Finland's was 3 million tonnes. In a letter, the two countries stated that reduced logging "would have dire consequences for both our economies and labour markets". Around 70% of Finland and Sweden is covered by forests. More than 10% of Sweden’s exports are wood products, and nearly a fifth come from Finland. Over 200,000 people are employed in this sector. (Reporting and editing by Alex Richardson; Simon Johnson)
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JSW Paints bid to acquire up to 75% of Akzo Nobel India is approved by the India Antitrust Watchdog
The Indian antitrust authority said that it had approved the deal for JSW Paints to purchase up to 75% of AkzoNobel's Indian subsidiary. The announcement of the deal in late June comes as Indian paint manufacturers are struggling with increasing raw material costs and increased competition. According to a Geojit Financial Service analyst, after the JSW Paints - Akzo Nobel agreement is completed, it will place the unit in fourth place, by market share, among Asian Paints Berger Paints Kansai and Nerolac, all of which dominate the sector. In recent years, the Indian paints industry has also seen a rise in battles about competitive practices. Grasim Industries' Birla Opus brand was launched in 2024 and began to eat into Asian Paints market share. Later, the company filed a complaint alleging Asian Paints of abuse of dominance in the market. JSW Paints also accused Asian Paints of anticompetitive conduct, but in 2022 the Competition Commission of India dismissed this case, citing that there was no violation of the competition laws. Reporting by Yagnoseni das in Bengaluru, Editing by Shailesh Kuber
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After EU sanctions, India's Nayara Energy increases fuel supply to HPCL
A government source revealed on Tuesday that India's Nayara Energy increased fuel sales to Hindustan Petroleum Corp, after European Union sanctions hit the Russian-backed refiner. Since the imposition sanctions, Nayara operates its 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), Vadinar refinery located in western India at 70 to 80% capacity. Source: Increasing local sales of refined fuels will help the company sustain its refinery operations. The source told reporters that they would like Nayara to work at maximum capacity. HPCL, a state-owned fuel retailer, buys diesel and petrol for local sale from other companies, despite the fact that Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petrol Corp. are self-sufficient, according to a source. HPCL will increase fuel purchases from Nayara in order to compensate for fuel that it normally buys from HPCL Mittal Energy which is closing its Bathinda Refinery, which produces 226,000 bpd of fuel per day, for 40 days. Source: Nayara is majority owned by Russian companies including Rosneft and relies on Russian oil as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other countries have stopped supplying crude because of payment issues. The source also said that India's Finance Ministry was considering allowing the state-run UCO Bank facilitate payment of Nayara's fuel supply deals in India. Some shippers stopped delivering fuels to HPCL via Nayara in the past, forcing HPCL to use an unofficial fleet. Sources said Nayara uses alternative modes of fuel distribution including road, rail, and shipping. Adani, a conglomerate in India, banned last week the entry of vessels sanctioned by the EU, Britain and US into its ports. Sources said that Adani made the decision independently, as India only adheres to United Nations sanctions. It does not follow sanctions unilaterally imposed by other countries. (Reporting and editing by Bernadette B. Baum in New Delhi)
MORNING quote AMERICAS-Wall St eyes election-strewn June, tasks week
A look at the day ahead in U.S. and worldwide markets from Mike Dolan June kicks off with a series of big election results around the world - with huge landslides unfolding for favoured prospects in Mexico and India - while Wall Street has actually perked up in an essential week for the U.S. labour market.
The peso was somewhat tense by the sheer scale of Claudia Sheinbaum's win in Mexico's governmental election, slipping to a five-week low ahead of Monday's open.
Mentored by popular outgoing leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, former mayor of Mexico City Sheinbaum took a historical near 60% of the vote and the judgment coalition was on track for a. possible two-thirds incredibly majority in both houses of Congress -. allow it to pass constitutional reforms without opposition.
On the other side of the world, Indian shares set. record highs, the rupee gained and bond yields dropped as. exit polls indicated a definitive mandate and a 3rd term for. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The polls revealed Modi's Bharatiya. Janata Party set to increase its 303 seats in the 543-member. lower home and most likely get a two-thirds bulk - also enough. to initiate changes to the constitution.
South Africa's rand firmed a touch on Monday, with. experts anticipating union settlements to be the main motorist. after the African National Congress stopped working to secure a bulk. for the first time in 30 years recently - getting as low as. 40% of the vote in the final count. European Parliament. elections are also due at the end of the week.
Back on Wall St, the brand-new month kicked off in a better mood. than the shaky last week of May - in part thanks to a late. rally in U.S. stocks on Friday amid hopes. the economy and inflation were cooling enough to allow the. Federal Reserve ease later on this year.
Possibly partly associated to month-end re-positioning, the. rally marked the most significant everyday gain for the Dow Jones blue-chip. index this year and dragged the S&P 500 into favorable territory. too. S&P futures were greater once again ahead of today's bell.
The release of the Fed's favoured PCE inflation gauge was. broadly as expected - although financial experts argued over which. slice of the numbers to focus on.
The six-month annualised growth rate of core PCE, for. example, rose to 3.2% - its highest considering that July. However the Dallas. Fed's so-called cut mean PCE inflation cut relieved to 2.7%. from 3.3% in March.
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But attention wandered off more to details of the report proving. a weakening of consumer costs - which accounts for more than. two-thirds of U.S. economic activity - and likewise a cratering of. producing business activity in May's Chicago PMI index far. below forecasts.
ISM's production study readings for last month are due. out in the future Monday - but the week will be controlled Friday's. May employment report and numerous labor market updates ahead of. that.
In the meantime, the Atlanta Fed's real-time GDPNow. price quote for U.S. development this quarter slipped back almost a full. portion point over the week to 2.66%.
The full photo has actually sufficed to drag U.S. Treasury. yields back even more from recently's peaks, even. though there's been a distressing re-emergence recently of the. so-called term premium on holding longer-term financial obligation to its most. favorable considering that November.
There was little disruption in crude oil markets,. nevertheless, from the weekend decision by OPEC+ to extend the majority of. its deep oil output cuts well into 2025 as the group looks for to. fortify the market amid warm demand development and rising competitor. U.S. production.
The dollar was higher to start the week - in part as. the euro brace's for Thursday's long-telegraphed European. Reserve bank interest rate cut.
The space between French and German 10-year government bond. yields narrowed somewhat even after Standard & & Poor's cut its. rating on France's sovereign debt late Friday - a move market. participants stated had been commonly anticipated.
The downgrade shows S&P's projection that, contrary to. its previous expectations, France's basic government debt as a. share of GDP will increase as a result of larger-than-expected. budget deficits over 2023-2027.
European and Asia shares were mainly greater, with China's. mainland index a significant underperformer yet once again.
Online style company Shein is preparing to file a prospectus. with Britain's Financial Conduct Authority for approval ahead of. a potential London float which might value the Chinese-founded. company around 50 billion pounds ($ 63.70 billion), Sky News. reported on Sunday.
The confidential filing might happen as quickly as the. coming week, the report added, pointing out sources. The fast-fashion. company stepped up preparations for its London listing after its. attempt to drift itself in New york city dealt with regulative hurdles and. pushback from U.S. lawmakers.
Secret diary products that may offer instructions to U.S. markets later. on Monday:. * US May manufacturing studies from ISM and S&P Global, April. building costs. * US Treasury auctions 3-, 6-month expenses
(source: Reuters)