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Sources say that Mexico renewed its approval of the Nippon Steel and US Steel merger on Thursday.
Mexico's antitrust regulator is expected to renew approval of Nippon Steel’s fraught $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel by Thursday, according three people with knowledge of the matter. This will remove one of the final remaining obstacles to the tie-up. The people declined to name the source as it was not public. Mexican approval for the acquisition first announced in December of 2023 has expired. It must now be renewed to allow the merger to go ahead. Cofece has not responded to our requests for comment. U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel, and U.S. Steel all declined to comment. Investors are anxiously awaiting President Donald Trump's final approval of a deal to ease any U.S. National Security concerns. Trump has technically until Thursday to sign the bill. Both former President Joe Biden, and Trump, who both sought to win over voters in Pennsylvania before the 2016 presidential election, asserted that U.S. Steel must remain American-owned. Biden blocked this deal in January, citing national security concerns. This led to lawsuits from the companies who claimed that the review of their national security was biased. The Biden White House denied the claim. Steel companies saw an opportunity with the Trump administration. The Trump administration began its tenure on January 20, and in April, opened a 45-day review of national security for the proposed merger. Trump's public remarks, which ranged from welcoming the Japanese company to "invest" in U.S. Steel to float a minority stake, caused confusion. At a rally on Friday in Pennsylvania, Trump applauded the agreement between the two companies, saying that Nippon Steel was a "great" partner for U.S. Steel. He later told reporters that the deal was still subject to his approval and he had not yet decided whether Nippon Steel would be allowed to acquire ownership. Reporting by Alexandra Alper, Diego Ore and Rod Nickel. Editing by Franklin Paul & Rod Nickel.
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Thyssenkrupp will spin-off 49% of its defence division TKMS as a dividend to shareholders
Thyssenkrupp will spin off 49% its defence division TKMS as part of a listing in the second half of this year. These comments were made during a press conference in Kiel, Germany where Thyssenkrupp unveiled the new branding of the division. TKMS's order book has reached a record of 18 billion euros, or $20.5 billion. This is due to the strong demand for military products. Volkmar Dinstuhl is responsible for M&A at Thyssenkrupp Automotive. He revealed that the shareholders of the conglomerate "will own a 49% share as part of this spin-off". This was the first time that the size of the stake would be disclosed. Thyssenkrupp, in its divestment plan for 2025, has only stated that it will keep a majority stake in TKMS. TKMS manufactures frigates, subs, sensor and mine hunting technology. Thyssenkrupp continues its strategy of selling stakes in main business lines to become a holding firm. The German company sold a 20 percent stake in its steel business last year after listing Thyssenkrupp Nucera, its hydrogen division in 2023. Reporting by Fabian Bimmer & Christoph Steitz. Editing by Jane Merriman
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Canada's Unifor union calls for retaliatory steel and aluminium tariffs against the US
On Wednesday, Canada's Unifor union called for retaliatory duties on U.S. aluminium and steel after the U.S. government increased the tariffs by 50%. In a press release, Unifor urged the federal government "to act immediately to defend Canada's Manufacturing Sector and counter the escalating Trade Attack." The union has also asked the Canadian government temporarily to restrict the export of metals critical to the U.S. Canada is the biggest seller of metals in the U.S. It exports roughly twice as much aluminium to its southern neighbor as the other top exporters combined. New tariffs Kicked in On Wednesday, Donald Trump's administration asked trading partners to submit their "best offers" so that other import taxes could not be imposed in early July. The Aluminium Association of Canada (which counts Rio Tinto as a member) said that 50% tariffs may force its members into diversification in Europe. Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, reiterated the statement made by his office on Tuesday. He said that intensive and ongoing negotiations are taking place with the United States. He said that the tariffs on steel and aluminum of 50% were illegal. March is a month of celebration. Canada imposed 25% tariffs c$29.8 billion Carney said that Canada could only go so far in imposing tariffs on imports. tit-for-tat tariffs. We have no idea how the day will unfold, or what week it will be, or even what month it will be. "We are hearing about a lot of people saying that they will pause their projects for the moment, but we don't know how long that can last. This is lost productivity you cannot recover," said Keanin Looomis, President of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction. Jeremy Flak is the CEO of Flak global Metals, a U.S. steel trader and producer. He said that the tariffs had led to a pause in orders and a negative demand for the metal, besides increasing uncertainty on the commodity markets. "We don't get any orders." Flak stated that the volume has started to decrease since February.
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Smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads to a third of the US
Forecasters reported that smoke from wildfires burning across three Canadian provinces covered a third or more of the U.S. Wednesday. However, the air quality was not affected except for New England, parts of New York State and the Midwest. According to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, College Park, Maryland, the haze that brought dangerous levels of particulate pollutants to Minnesota the day before, stretched from Dakotas to Ohio Valley to the Northeast, and even as far as Georgia. The haze was particularly thick in New York, New England and the Midwest. Marc Chenard, National Weather Service, said that in many areas the air quality is not affected by the smoke. "But air quality problems are present as far south as New York, Connecticut and other areas where the smoke is thicker in the lower atmospheric layer." Since the beginning of May, scores of wildfires are burning across Canada. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were more than 212 fires burning across Canada, of which half were out-of-control, according to Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 212 active fires were burning in the country. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, so far 2 million hectares (5.9 million acres) has burned. The majority of fires occurred in west-central Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Yang Liu is a professor at Emory University, Atlanta. She teaches environmental health. Liu stated that "it will affect everyone, at some level. All walks of life." "It's bad." He said that the smoke contains small, toxic particles smaller than 1/40th the width of an average human hair. These particles can enter the lungs or even dissolve in the bloodstream. Williamstown, Massachusetts was one of the worst places for air pollution in the U.S. Northeast Wednesday morning. It is located near the borders of Vermont and New York. According to IQAir's website, which monitors air pollution around the globe, it registered a reading of 228. This is considered "very unhealthy". According to the website, an air quality rating below 50 is "good," readings between 100-300 are "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy," and anything higher is "hazardous." Other parts of the U.S. Northeast had much lower ratings, with New York City registering a 56 on Wednesday and Washington registering a 55. On Wednesday morning, air quality in certain parts of the Midwest also improved. Ely, near Minnesota’s border with Manitoba registered a “moderate” reading of 65 on Wednesday, down from a previous reading of 336. Minneapolis, the third-worst air quality city in the country on Tuesday with a reading of 168, now registers at 96.
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The union warns that more than 500 jobs are at risk as Stellantis switches oil suppliers in Italy
A trade union warned on Wednesday that more than 500 jobs were at risk after Stellantis, an Italian automaker, switched from Malaysia's Petronas brand to France's Total. Stellantis did not respond to a request for comment immediately. Petronas is the owner of the Selenia motor oil brand, an Italian supplier that was previously a part of Fiat and sold products under the name "Olio Fiat". Stellantis, a new company created in 2021 by the merger of Fiat-Chrysler and France's PSA (maker of Peugeot and Citroen vehicles), was formed from the merger between Fiat-Chrysler and France's PSA. Also included in the group are Opel and Jeep. The Uilm union announced in a press release that Selenia had lost its "historical" contract of supply with Stellantis, after 112 production years. The result of a competitive bid led to the change. Uilm said that Petronas had announced the decision in a meeting held with its employees. He added that this affected the job security of 450 Fiat workers in Turin, Fiat's home town, and 70 others in Naples in southern Italy. The union has pledged that it will use "all tools available" to protect Petronas employees and other auto suppliers, who are "under severe stress" as a result of Stellantis' decision. The FIM-CISL union reported in January that Stellantis, Italy's only major automaker and the country's sole manufacturer, had a production level of around 475,000 cars in 2016, the lowest since 1956. Reporting by Giulio Pieovaccari, Alvise Armellini and Keith Weir.
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India's Vedanta says Trump's tariffs damaging, seeks import curbs
Vedanta, an Indian conglomerate that converts metals into oil, said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s decision to double the aluminium tariffs from 25% to 50% is a threat to Indian industry which already struggles with soaring imports. The global markets have been shaken by the latest round of Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminium, which went into effect on Wednesday. Vedanta's spokesperson said that the 50% tariff announced by Trump was damaging to India's aluminium industry. The industry is already being pressured from a surge in imports, which threatens to create excess and put domestic market access at risk. The Indian government was urged by the miner, the largest producer of aluminium in the country, to impose tariffs on imports. The spokesperson stated that "..duty guardrails should also be in place for the aluminum industry, which has invested more than 20 billion dollars to date in setting up the current domestic primary aluminum capacity." According to data from the government, India's total aluminum exports dropped 19% in fiscal year ending March 2025 to 2,24 million metric tonnes. Separately the country's federal minister of steel said earlier this year that Trump's tariffs on steel would have a minimal impact on the local industry as India, which is the second largest crude steel producer in the world, does not export significant quantities to the U.S. India implemented a temporary 12% tariff on certain steel imports in April. This is known locally as a "safeguard duty" and was imposed to stop a rush of cheap shipments, primarily from China.
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The top steel and aluminum importers in the US
U.S. President Donald Trump's increased tariffs on imported steel and aluminum - key materials used in industries ranging from construction to packaging - kicked in on Wednesday, pushing duties to 50% from 25% previously. While the tariffs are aimed at encouraging investment in domestic production, they have already fuelled higher costs for steel and aluminum consumers, while undermining manufacturing. Given limited capacity to ramp up domestic output, U.S. import volumes are likely to be unaffected unless the price increases undercut demand, putting the spotlight on firms reliant on these shipments. Here is a breakdown of the imports of both metals into the U.S. and the firms that ship them: ALUMINUM About half of all aluminum used in the U.S. is imported, with the vast majority coming from Canada, which exported 3.2 million tons of the metal to the country last year. In 2024, total U.S. imports of aluminum articles were valued at $27.4 billion, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), with Canada, China and Mexico the top three suppliers. Data from the Aluminum Association shows that transportation, packaging, construction, electrical and consumer durables sectors import the most amount of aluminum by volumes. According to U.S. CBP Bill of Lading data and shared by OEC, these firms were the top importers in 2024: ES Windows LLC: A leading importer of aluminum products for architectural applications like windows and facades. It accounted for 18.4% of shipments Netherlands-headquartered IKEA Group: Designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, home accessories and kitchen appliances. It accounted for 6.34% of shipments. Global automotive manufacturer Nissan, discount retail chain Dollarama and disposable beverage and food supplies firm Lollicup: Each accounted for over 3% of total aluminum shipments last year. Other major importers were Costco, Samsung, and Boeing. About a quarter of all steel used in the U.S. is imported, the bulk of it from neighbours Mexico and Canada. In 2024, total U.S. imports of iron and steel articles were valued at $49.7 billion, according to data from OEC, with China, Mexico, and Canada being the top suppliers. According to U.S. CBP Bill of Lading data and shared by OEC, these were the top importing companies of 2024: Iron & Steel Articles: IKEA accounted for 5.85% of total imports. SIGMA Corp accounted for 3.94% Stelfast, which makes industrial fasteners like bolts and nuts etc, made up 3.32% of shipments. CrimsonLogic, a global technology firm, accounted for 3.21% of shipments. Other notable companies include German technology firm ZF Friedrichshafen, Continental Materials, Stihl and Cosentino. Basic Iron & Steel Electronics manufacturing company TPV Tech accounted for 18.9% of shipments Valbruna Stainless accounted for 12.8% Brose Mechatronic Systems accounted for 5.89% Multinational engineering and technology company Robert Bosch made up 8.89% of shipments (Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
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Treasury yields fall as investors focus on tariff talks
Investors watched the progress of trade negotiations, and awaited Friday's crucial employment report. The dollar dropped and gold remained unchanged. All three indexes of the stock market were slightly higher than their European counterparts in the early trading. Sam Stovall is the chief investment strategist at CFRA Research, a New York-based firm. The markets will be in a sideways motion until July, when we can better gauge the impact of tariffs on Q2 earnings and economic growth. We'll also have a clearer idea of what could happen to the rest of this year. The top European negotiator said that trade talks between the United States are moving forward. He added that the U.S. tariffs on metals have doubled since Wednesday. This is not helping the negotiations. China's restrictions on vital mineral exports has caused concern among automakers around the world, who are concerned that shortages could disrupt global supply chains. Trump said in a post on social media that Xi was "extremely difficult to deal with" and suggested that a quick resolution to trade disputes between the two world's largest economies may prove elusive. Stovall stated that "Tariff threats keep interest rates high, and investors are worried about the slowing global economy." ADP, a payroll processor, reported that the U.S. Private Sector added 37,000 new jobs in the last month. This is 69.2% less than what analysts expected to see on Friday from the Labor Department, which will release a more comprehensive report. Survey data also showed that the U.S. service sector contracted last month. Prices paid, an inflation indicator, reached their highest level since November 20,22. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 47.33 points or 0.12% to 42,568.56, while the S&P 500 gained 11.49 points or 0.19% to 5,981.86. The Nasdaq Composite also rose by 36.59 points or 0.19% to 19,436.37. After Berlin approved a tax relief package for corporations, European stocks rose and Germany’s benchmark index reached a new record high. This was despite survey data showing that euro zone business activity is stagnating and Germany’s services sector has posted its biggest contraction in over two years. The MSCI gauge of global stocks rose by 0.49%. The pan-European STOXX 600 Index was up 0.56%. Europe's FTSEurofirst 300 index grew by 0.54%. The Nikkei soared 0.80% to 37,747.45, while the MSCI broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan closed at 1.31%. The dollar shook amid trade talks, mixed economic data and uncertainty. The index, which measures the dollar's performance against a basket including the yen, the euro and other currencies, fell by 0.41%, to 98.76. Meanwhile, the euro rose 0.52%, at $1.1429. The dollar fell 0.67% against the Japanese yen to 143.03. Investors watched for signs that tariff talks were progressing and looked forward to payrolls data. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. notes dropped 8.3 basis points, to 4.377% from 4.46% at late Tuesday. The 30-year bond rate fell 8.1 basis point to 4.9019%. The yield on the 2-year bond, which is usually in line with expectations of interest rates for the Federal Reserve fell by 6.8 basis points, to 3.889%. Crude prices fluctuated and ended the day slightly higher, as OPEC+ production increases offset supply concerns arising out of Canada's wildfires. U.S. crude climbed 0.03% to $63.43 per barrel. Brent dropped to $65.47 a barrel, down by 0.24% for the day. Investors waited for employment and trade data to see if they could gain ground on the dollar. Spot gold increased 0.85% to $3380.37 per ounce. U.S. Gold Futures increased 0.4% to $3363.50 per ounce.
Sources say that Russia is increasingly relying on cryptocurrency for its oil trade.
Four sources who have direct knowledge of this matter claim that Russia uses cryptocurrencies to avoid Western sanctions in its oil trading with China and India.
Although Russia has publicly endorsed the use of digital currencies and passed a bill last summer to allow them in international trade, the use of these currencies in the oil trade in the country has never been reported.
Sources said that some Russian oil companies use bitcoin, ether, and stablecoins like Tether to convert Chinese yuan, Indian rupees, and other currencies into Russian roubles. They added that this is only a small, but growing, part of Russia's total oil trade which, according to the International Energy Agency, was valued at $192 billion in 2017.
Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, all sources refused to be named.
Cryptocurrencies are already helping countries like Iran and Venezuela, which have been subject to U.S. sanctions, keep their economies going without having to use the dollar as the currency of choice for global oil transactions.
Russia's move follows Venezuela's use of digital currencies in crude and fuel imports after Washington reimposed its sanctions.
A fifth source said that Russia has set up several systems, and USDT (Tether), is only one of them. The researcher, who works for an investigation firm that tracks the use cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions, asked not be identified because of non-disclosure agreements.
The Russian central banking did not reply to a comment request. Last year, it said that sanctions-related delays in payments had become a major problem for the Russian economy.
Donald Trump wants to improve the relationship with Russia while he pushes to end the war in Ukraine. However, it is unclear whether sanctions will be removed. Reports said that the White House had been drafting options to ease sanctions, but Trump stated on March 7 that more sanctions against Russia are being seriously considered.
One of the sources stated that crypto would continue to be used for Russian oil trading even if the sanctions were lifted and the dollar could be used again. They said that it is a useful tool and makes operations run faster.
Two sources familiar with the transactions described how a Chinese buyer who purchases Russian oil pays the trading company that acts as the middleman yuan to an offshore account.
They said that the middleman converts it into crypto, transfers it to another bank account, and then sends it to a third Russian account to be converted to roubles.
According to a source familiar with the operations of the Russian oil trader, the crypto transactions for his sales to China are in the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars each month.
Analysts said that traditional currencies still make up the majority of Russia's oil transaction, but they also suggested other alternatives, such as the UAE dirham.
Garantex, a Russian crypto exchange, has been sanctioned by the United States in 2022, and by the European Union just last month. Last week, the platform suspended its services after Tether banned digital wallets from its platform.
According to a source who advises the Kremlin, cryptocurrency is one way of avoiding payment problems. The Royal United Services Institute in the UK and the Centre for Information Resilience also support this view. Reporting by Anna Hirtenstein, Aizhu chen, editing by Alex Lawler and Dmitry Zhdannikov, Kirby Donovan.
(source: Reuters)