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Copper nears a one-week low due to stronger dollar and growth concerns
Copper prices fell to a new low Thursday, and other base metals followed suit. The strong dollar and growing global growth concerns - amidst escalating tensions with Iran and Israel - contributed to the decline. As of 0852 GMT the LME's 3-month copper fell 0.5% to $9,608 per kilogram, its lowest since June 13. A stronger U.S. Dollar on the rise due to geopolitical worries tends weaken U.S.-dollar-based prices. John Meyer, an analyst at SP Angel, said that long-only funds were sitting on the sidelines because of elevated risk concerns. He added that the pullback is also due to reduced activity because U.S. traders will be away on Juneteenth Thursday. Oil prices and rising Middle East tensions boosted the dollar, which was also bolstered by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s cautionary tone regarding inflation. Israel attacked a nuclear site in Iran and Iranian missiles struck an Israeli hospital as U.S. president Donald Trump kept the rest of the world guessing whether the U.S. will join Israel to attack Tehran's nuclear sites. Inflation, high oil prices, and war tend to cause supply chain disruptions, raise costs, and reduce investment, slowing down global growth. LME copper inventories Data for Wednesday revealed that the number of tons dropped by 4,025 to 103 325. This was the lowest level in over a year. Copper has been flooding into the United States in recent months. It is now fetching a premium because of the expectation that Trump will impose tariffs. LME Aluminium fell by 1.2% to $2.515.5 Metal industry sources reported that premiums for customers buying aluminum on the physical market of the United States dropped by more than 7% Wednesday, as traders speculated on possible reductions in U.S. tariffs on Canadian shipments. LME tin fell 0.4% at $32,240. Zinc dropped 0.4% at $2,625.5. Lead dipped 0.2% to $1,988.5. Nickel gained 0.6% to $15,140. The International Lead and Zinc Study Group said on Wednesday that the global surplus of zinc decreased in April, while the surplus of lead increased. Ashitha Shivaprasad, Bengaluru. Edited by David Evans.
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French spot prices jump on anticipated heatwave
The French spot electricity price increased sharply on Friday as the demand for power is expected to rise in France because of an anticipated heatwave and in Germany, as the half the country returns to work after the Corpus Christi holidays. At 8:32 GMT, the French baseload contract for Friday had increased by 27.8% to 65.50 Euros per Megawatt Hour (MWH). The German equivalent contract was not traded. Riccardo Paraviero, LSEG analyst, says that the price signal for Friday in Germany is bullish, as residual load will increase significantly with demand expected to rebound and wind supply to plummet. Data compiled by LSEG shows that the German wind energy output will drop to 4.8 GW this Friday. In France, it is estimated to be down 630 Megawatts, to 3.1 GW. The data revealed that German solar power production has increased by 1.2 GW to 21 GW. The French nuclear availability dropped by two percentage points, to 67%. This was due to planned and unplanned shutdowns that took out two reactors. Operator EDF stated in an online message that the Paluel 2 nuclear reactor was shut down early on Thursday morning for a fix to a problem with a fusebox outside of the nuclear area. Data compiled by LSEG shows that power usage in Germany will increase 3 GW following the partial holiday in western Germany, and demand in France will rise 1.3 GW to 47.6 GW. Meteo France, the state forecaster, has issued heatwave alerts. Usually, higher temperatures mean more cooling demand. The German power contract for the year ahead was up by 0.5% to 93.25 Euros/MWh. However, the French baseload contract for 2026 was not traded after it closed at 66.65 Euros/MWh. Benchmark European carbon permits fell 0.1%, to 74.52 Euros per metric ton. A report released by the energy think tank Ember on Thursday showed that Europe's top data centres are facing a major change as developers will move to wherever the connection times are fastest, unless more proactive planning is done for electricity grids. Forrest Crellin reported. Mark Potter (Editing)
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As the Middle East crisis flares, stocks tumble and safe havens benefit
Investors, worried about the United States' potential for a recession, pushed global stocks down and the dollar up on Thursday. During the Israel-Iran war, they sought out safe assets and abandoned riskier ones. Donald Trump, who spoke to reporters in front of the White House Thursday, said, "I might do it." I may or may not do it." The Wall Street Journal reported Trump told his senior aides that he had approved plans for an attack on Iran, but he was waiting to give the final order until Tehran abandoned its nuclear program. The STOXX 600 index fell for the third consecutive day in Europe. It is now down by nearly 2.5% for the week. This will be the biggest weekly decline since April's tariff-induced turmoil. U.S. S&P futures dropped 0.6% despite the fact that most U.S. market, including Wall Street and Treasury Markets, will be closed for a holiday on Thursday. Kyle Rodda is a senior financial market analyst at Capital.com. He said, "Market participants are still edgy. He said that speculation was rampant "that the U.S. would intervene. This would be a material escalation, and could invite Iran to retaliate directly against the U.S. This scenario could lead to a regional conflict that would have implications for the global energy supply, and possibly economic growth. The Middle East crude supply shocks have been the main cause of recent market anxiety. They've driven crude oil prices up 11% in one week. Brent crude rose by nearly 1%, to $77.40 per barrel. This is close to the highest price since January. Gold, which usually struggles when the dollar increases, has pared its earlier losses and is now trading at $3,366 per ounce. The dollar rose, but the euro fell by 0.1% to $1.1466. Australian and New Zealand Dollars, both risk-linked currency, were down 0.7% and 1.0%, respectively. CENTRAL BANK POLICY The Federal Reserve sent mixed signals to the markets overnight. To Trump's dismay, policymakers kept rates as expected and maintained projections for two quarter point rate cuts this year. Jerome Powell, the Fed chair, was cautious about future easing, and said at a press conference that he expected "meaningful" inflation as a result Trump's aggressive tariffs. MUFG strategists said that the Fed is "underestimating the weaknesses in the economy which were present before the shock of the tariffs, and specifically, ignoring the cracks in the labor markets that have been evident for years." We maintain that the longer people wait before easing up, the more they might need to do. The markets will be looking for possible catalysts in a series of central bank decisions coming out of Europe. As expected, the Swiss National Bank reduced interest rates to zero. The franc was left to drift, since markets had already priced in an approximate 20% chance of a half point cut. Karsten Junius is the chief economist of J Safran Sarasin. He said that the SNB was not concerned about avoiding the appearance of being a currency manipulation. However, it would be politically prudent to avoid appearing too eager to move the policy rate to the negative. The franc was stable against the dollar at 0.819 and the euro, 0.9395, last. Next up is the Bank of England, which is expected to maintain UK rates at their current levels. Data released on Wednesday revealed that inflation was lower than expected in November, but food prices rose. Policymakers will also be looking at the impact of higher energy costs due to the Israel-Iran conflict. The dollar fell by 0.1% to $1.341.
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S&P says that India's new gold lending rules will reshape the business models of lenders.
S&P Global Ratings warned in a Wednesday note that new rules by India's central banks will force lenders to rethink their underwriting procedures and prepare for higher costs in the near term. The Reserve Bank of India released its final guidelines for gold-backed loans earlier this month. They mandated a move to cash-flow-based credit assessment and tighter monitoring of the loan-to value (LTV). S&P stated that these changes would have the most impact on nonbank lenders who are heavily dependent on gold loan portfolios. The first is that the finance companies will incur upfront costs when they switch to a cash-flow-based assessment of borrowers' creditworthiness, said Shinoy Varghese. Credit analyst at S&P Global Ratings. Lenders must comply with the new standards by April 1, 2026. The new rules give lenders more flexibility when it comes to offering short-term loans for consumption borrowing. However, including interest rates into LTV calculations could reduce actual payments made to borrowers. S&P stated that the biggest changes will be for gold-loan specialist companies like Muthoot Finance, Manappuram Finance, and Manappuram Finance. The report also warns that the gold sector could be more susceptible to sharp price corrections as lenders expand their risk appetite and explore different loan structures. Nishit Navin, Bengaluru. Edited by Nivedita Battacharjee.
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Japan re-signs long-term LNG contracts on AI boom and national energy plan
The emergence of artificial intelligence and the rising cost of cleaner energy, combined with a new energy plan and the rise in costs for cleaner energy, has brought Japan back into the limelight for LNG producers. Japan, which is the second largest LNG importer in the world, has secured long-term deals with Qatar, and other buyers are also securing such agreements. Japan's LNG exports have been falling for over a decade, as the nuclear power plants that were idled following the Fukushima catastrophe began to operate again and renewable energy sources grew. The AI boom will require enormous power consumption from data centres. Japan's 7th Strategic Energy Plan, released in February, identified gas as an important source of energy even after the country achieves its goal of achieving zero net carbon emission by 2050. Yukio KANI, CEO of JERA (Japan's largest power generator and LNG purchaser), said that the data centre boom is changing the curve. "If we need quick solutions for data centers, Japan needs LNG." This is an external change." Kani stated that the rising costs of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia have also dimmed the prospects for these fuels. He said, "Until two to three years ago, ammonia development was expected to be faster, but we now have paused." "In the last year or two, we have been switching back to LNG." STILL IN THE MIX According to the Japanese energy plan, if Japan meets its target of reducing emissions, it is expected that annual LNG demand will fall from 66 millions tons to 53-61 million tons by 2040. In a scenario with lagging decarbonisation technology, METI predicted that demand would rise to 74 millions tons. Amid price volatility and the risk of supply disruption, the plan calls for public/private cooperation in order to secure long-term fuel contracts. Under Japan's previous decarbonisation-focussed energy plan, gas importers had hesitated to sign long-term contracts. Takashi Uchida is the chairman of Japan Gas Association, and Tokyo Gas, the top city gas supplier. Lachlan Clancy, energy partner of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, said: "It is very clear that LNG can play a significant role as a fuel for transition, and now it is firmly in the mix during this investment cycle." According to the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators in Japan, Japan has also auctioned new gas-fired capacity to replace coal power plants. In the last two years, 7 gigawatts were awarded. The organisation predicted that the capacity of LNG-fired power plants would increase to 85.75GW by 2034, from 79.98GW in 2024. According to Japan's Energy Plan, power generation is expected to increase between 12% and 22 % from levels in 2023 up until between 1,100 terawatt hours and 1,200 Terawatt Hours by 2040. The International Energy Agency predicts that Japan's data centers will consume 80% more energy, or 15 TWh by 2030. Morgan Stanley predicts that Japan's imports of LNG will reach 78 million tonnes in 2030, as the gas-fired generation of electricity increases amid rising costs for solar and wind energy. 'UNCERTAINTY AHEAD' Since METI's energy plan was released, Osaka Gas has signed a 15 year pact, Kyushu Electric Power announced that it would be signing a long-term contract with Energy Transfer. JERA also inked four deals of 20 years with U.S. companies NextDecade Infrastructure, Cheniere Marketing, and Commonwealth LNG. From late 2022 until early this year, Japanese purchasers announced three contracts longer than 10 years. Masanori Odaka, analyst at Rystad Energy, predicts that more deals will be made soon as utilities look to replace volumes expiring for supply security, and to meet seasonal demand. Last month, it was reported that JERA and Mitsui & Co were in discussions for a long-term supply of electricity from QatarEnergy’s North Field Expansion Project. There is still uncertainty about Japan's LNG demand, mainly because of its inability to meet its carbon neutrality goals and the pace at which it restarts nuclear plants. Importers have increased their trading operations to address this issue and are now pursuing flexible contracts. Tokyo Gas' Uchida said that, with the government providing multiple future scenarios it was no longer possible to give a definitive forecast for energy demand and supply. This highlights the uncertainty in the near future.
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London metals prices ease due to dollar strength and Middle East conflict
London metals prices dropped on Thursday due to a stronger dollar, while markets were focused on the developments in Israel-Iran. As of 0715 GMT, the LME's 3-month copper price was down by 0.52%, at $9,605 a metric ton. LME aluminium fell 0.6% to 2,532, while tin dropped 0.8% at $32,100. Zinc also declined 0.8%, to $2615.5. Lead dipped 0.18% to $1,989.5. Nickel was unchanged at $15,050. Dollar strengthened, buoyed up by demand for safe-haven assets due to the threat of a wider conflict in the Middle East with possible U.S. participation. Greenback prices of commodities are usually more expensive when the dollar is higher. Investors closely followed tensions in the Middle East as U.S. president Donald Trump kept the rest of the world guessing as to whether Washington would join Israel’s bombardment against Iranian nuclear sites. The conflict entered its seventh-day. ANZ stated that in the long term, "any sustained increase in energy prices will likely end up weighing on the copper markets due to the higher costs to producers," Copper supplies are limited, and stocks are low In LME-registered storage warehouses, 107,350 tonnes has dropped 60% since March and is at its lowest level since May 2024. The most traded copper contract on SHFE fell 0.39%, to 78.310 yuan (10,891.36) per ton. SHFE nickel rose 0.46%, to 118.890 yuan per ton, and lead rose 0.53%, to 16,925. Tin fell 0.05%, to 263,300. Aluminium eased 0.24%, to 20,585. Zinc shed 0.59%, to 21,865. Click or to see the latest news in metals, and other related stories. Data/Events (GMT 1100 UK BOE June Bank Rate ($1 = 7.1901 Chinese Yuan) (Reporting and Editing by Sherry Jacobi-Phillips; Sherry Li, Michele Pek)
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Dalian Iron Ore Gains after Five Days on Firming China Steel Production
The iron ore futures price ended a five-day loss streak on Thursday, amid increased steel production in the world's largest consumer China. However, gains were partly offset by a prolonged crisis on China's real estate market that continued to weigh down on demand prospects. The September contract for iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange closed at 698 Yuan ($97.07), up by 0.43%. As of 0703 GMT, the benchmark July Iron Ore traded on Singapore Exchange was up 0.6% at $92.95 per ton. Mysteel, a consultancy, reported that the daily consumption of iron ore fines for sintering increased by 2.4% on a weekly basis to 609 300 tons per day. This is the highest average daily usage in the last seven months. The mills used more feedstock in order to maintain the high production. Hexun Futures, a broker, said that despite the fact that downstream demand has slowed in China, inventories are still increasing. Steelhome data shows that total iron ore stocks across Chinese ports increased by 1.06% in a week to 133.4 millions tons on June 13. Hexun added that the market has become cautious and real estate sales have slowed. Official data released on Monday showed that China's new house prices dropped in May, continuing a stagnation of two years. Goldman Sachs projected late Monday that demand for new homes will remain below the 2017 market peak in the coming years. This suggests a property slump in the second largest economy in the world. Analysts at ANZ say that meaningful growth in steel demand and iron ore consumption is unlikely to occur until the new construction sector picks up. Coking coal and coke, which are used in steelmaking, also fell by 0.13% and 0.1% respectively. The benchmark steel prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange have gained ground. The Shanghai Futures Exchange saw a rise in steel benchmarks. $1 = 7.1904 Chinese Yuan (Reporting and editing by Sherry Jab-Phillips, Rashmi aich and Michele Pek)
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Mike Dolan: A weak dollar can soften the impact of any oil shock on Europe.
Oil-importing nations will not be able to avoid a blow in the event of a second energy price shock due to Middle East tensions. However, a rare period of dollar weakness can help soften the blow for other countries. The majority of crude oil prices are in U.S. Dollars, so the impact on regions such as Europe is magnified when the price increases during times of dollar strength. The dollar's decline has actually had the opposite impact, reducing the price of oil as a result of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. We're not in a'shock zone' yet, but we are still a long way from it. The dollar-based price of global crude oil has risen by about 14% in the last week. However, they are still well below their January peak and about 7% less than a year ago. The impact on Europe has been more benign, thanks to the 12% increase in the euro against the dollar this year. The euro price for Brent crude has fallen by 20% in the last year and is down 12% this year. The greenback's fall is a welcome respite for oil-importing countries, as it helps to soften the blow of soaring oil costs and limit the economic impact. If the dollar continues to fall, this could reduce the relative impact of a renewed squeeze on energy prices in Europe. This could, in turn support Europe's performance against the United States in this year, and further undermine the American exceptionalism narrative that has fuelled extraordinary portfolio flows into the U.S. over the past few years. The continued dollar weakness, coupled with a new drop in energy prices, would only increase pressure on the European Central Bank (ECB) to lower interest rates. This is to avoid a significant undershoot to its 2% inflation goal. INCREASINGLY INSTABLE According to UniCredit's Keller the dollar/oil relationship is another example of an economic relationship that has become, "increasingly instabile" this year. The dollar's correlation to stocks, bonds, and commodities has changed as foreign investors who have trillions invested in U.S. bonds and stocks began rethinking the dollar in light of America’s trade wars, reworked allies, and upended local institutions. The dollar's loss of its'safe-haven' status in times of stress and uncertainty is most obvious. It fell along with stocks and bonds, during an April that was turbulent. The link between the dollar and oil has become especially unstable. A stronger dollar, all else being equal should lower oil prices because it will reduce demand from non-Americans around the globe due to the additional local currency costs of a barrel. The opposite, theoretically, should also be true. In recent years the opposite was true. A spike in oil price after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered inflation, and steep Federal Reserve rate increases. This was followed by a subsequent drop in oil and inflation, and the start of a Fed easing program. The dollar's movement was closely correlated with the energy price during that period. The dollar index soared by 20% when the oil prices doubled between the mid-2021 and immediate aftermath of the Ukraine Invasion. This amplify the rising costs of energy for Europe. This relationship was broken again after the U.S. elections last year, when the dollar rose initially even though oil prices were falling. The dollar hasn't strengthened as much this month, despite the fact that the correlation was positive after January. This is because the rise in crude oil prices after the Israel/Iran conflict broke out did not coincide with the strengthening of the dollar. The greenback is still hovering near new lows. Relationships are influenced by the background, of course. The primary concern at the moment is that after a decade-long dollar strength, a multiyear unwind will be required as trade, investment and economic imbalances must be corrected. If this is the case, a new oil price spike will be less severe for global economies than it was last time. These are the opinions of a columnist who writes for.
Sony makes a case for a finance division spin-off as part of its latest corporate transformation
Sony will host an investor day Thursday to set out its financial business strategy
Four years ago, the company took control of its financial unit.
Investors have praised the focus on entertainment
By Sam Nussey
TOKYO (May 27) - Sony is preparing to unveil its growth strategy on Thursday for the financial division of the company, which will be spun off. Investors have welcomed this as the latest chapter in Sony's transformation.
Japanese conglomerate once known for its household electronics has been praised for shifting their focus to entertainment. This now accounts for more than 60% sales.
This financial spin-off shows the complicated path Sony has followed, just four years after it acquired full control of its business through a $3.7billion deal.
Sony executives will discuss the spin-off as well as the growth strategy of the financial unit at an Investor Day on Thursday.
The company intends to distribute to its shareholders, through dividends-in-kind, just over 80% (of its shares) in Sony Financial Group. This includes both banking and insurance.
This is the first partial Japanese spin-off to take advantage of the 2023 tax changes and the first direct listing in over two decades.
A direct listing is when a company goes public on the stock exchange without an IPO.
Sony responded to a question from an investor by saying that the spin-off would separate the balance sheets between the non-financial business which seeks capital and asset efficiency and the financial company which expands through accumulating capital. This will help investors understand the aims of both businesses.
Sony stated that the spin-off is a safer alternative to an IPO because it allows a large scale separation within a short period of time.
Hideki Manymiya is the chief financial officer at materials maker Resonac, which plans to spin off its petrochemicals division in two years.
Sony will retain just under 20% of the financial business that licenses its brand.
That's Entertainment
The Japanese company wants to expand into entertainment from movies to games and music and to maintain its leading position in image sensors (a type of semiconductor) for smartphones.
Hiroki Totok, CEO of Sony's chips business, said this month that it was necessary to invest in manufacturing processes.
He said that there were a variety of options, including bringing in investment partners, or adopting a fab light strategy.
Sony, in addition to manufacturing image sensor, has partnered up with Taiwan Semiconductor Co Ltd for the contract chipmaker’s Japan venture.
David Dai is an analyst with Bernstein. He said: "Outsourcing production to TSMC will be the best way to reduce costs and increase efficiency."
Sony announced this month that it expects its operating profit to remain flat this year, after factoring in the 100 billion yen ($701.16 millions) hit caused by President Donald Trump's U.S. trade war.
The conglomerate has committed 1.8 trillion yen in strategic investments, and 1.7 trillion yen for capital investments, over the next three years.
Sony has been widely reported to be looking for deals to expand its intellectual property access in order to fuel its entertainment businesses, and Japan is one of its main targets.
Reports have stated that it bought a stake of Kadokawa, after considering acquiring the media giant. It also considered bidding on Paramount Global in last year.
Sony has a growing presence in anime, with its planning company Aniplex (under its Japan music division) and Crunchyroll, a streaming service that is part of Sony's pictures segment.
Crunchyroll CEO Rahul purini stated that "it is still early for us, and the opportunity is huge both because of the size of the current market and...the audience continues to grow."
Although anime is growing quickly, it still does not rival the size of Sony's music, games and movies businesses. The company does, however, break down the earnings.
Dai from Bernstein estimates that anime will account for between 35 and 40% of the profits in the picture business within two to three year. (1 dollar = 142.6200 Japanese yen)
(source: Reuters)