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China may accelerate EU approvals of rare earths applications
China will speed up the approval and examination of rare earth exports for European Union companies and also give a decision on its investigation into EU brandy imports before July 5, said its commerce ministry on Saturday. The price commitment consultations between China, the EU and Chinese electric vehicles exported to Europe have also reached a final phase. However, both sides still need to make efforts. According to a statement, the issues were discussed by EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Paris on February 2. The comments are a step forward in resolving issues that have plagued China's relations with the European Union for the last year. China's decision to suspend the export of rare earths, and magnets related to them, in April, has thrown supply chains into chaos for automakers, aerospace companies, semiconductor firms, and military contractors all over the world. The ministry stated that China was very sensitive to EU concerns and "was ready to establish a green-channel for qualified applications in order to accelerate the approval process." The statement said that during the meeting, Commerce Minister Wang "expressed his hope that the EU would meet us halfway and adopt effective measures to facilitate and safeguard compliant trade of high-tech products with China." Chinese anti-dumping actions that imposed duties up to 39% of European brandy imports - French cognac being the worst affected - also caused tensions between Paris and Beijing. Brandy duties were imposed days after the European Union acted against Chinese-made vehicles imported to protect its local industry. This prompted France's president Emmanuel Macron accuse Beijing "pure retaliation". Chinese duties have affected sales of brands such as LVMH Hennessy and Pernod Ricard Martell, Remy Cointreau and Pernod Ricard Martell. Beijing had originally planned to decide on brandy duty by January but then extended it to April, and again to July 5 China's Commerce Ministry said on Saturday that French firms and associations have submitted proactively applications for price commitments on brandy to China, and that Chinese investigators have reached an agreement on the basic terms. The Chinese authorities are now reviewing the entire text of these commitments, and will make a final announcement by July 5. In April, the European Commission announced that the EU and China also agreed to examine setting minimum prices for Chinese-made electric cars instead of tariffs levied by the EU last summer. China's Commerce Ministry said that the EU also suggested exploring "new technical pathways" relating EVs. The Chinese side is now evaluating this proposal. (Reporting and editing by William Mallard, Tom Hogue and Brenda Goh)
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Indonesia anticipates concluding free trade negotiations with EU by the end of June
Indonesia announced on Saturday that the free trade talks with the European Union which have been ongoing for nine years are expected to be completed by the end June. Airlangga hartarto, chief economic minister of Southeast Asia's largest economy, met EU Commissioner for Trade Maros Séfcovic on Friday in Brussels. Airlangga Hartarto stated in a press release that "Indonesia has agreed to resolve outstanding issues, and we are prepared to announce the conclusion of substantial negotiation by the end June 2025." He didn't disclose any details about the agreements that may have been made. Denis Chaibi said, "Negotiations continue and the substance will determine the timing." When we know the outcome, we will provide more details. In terms of total trade, the EU was Indonesia's fifth largest trading partner in 2013. The two countries exchanged $30.1 billion worth of goods and services last year. Airlangga reported that Indonesia had a trade surplus of $4.5 billion. Indonesia and the EU had previously disagreed over EU trade rules that may have been linked to deforestation, which could impact Indonesian palm oil. Jakarta also banned exports of minerals. Indonesian officials are motivated to speed up talks on free-trade agreements. They want to diversify their country's export destination as they face the challenges of U.S. Tariffs. To end the U.S.'s trade deficits around the world, President Donald Trump of the United States announced "reciprocal tariffs" that were halted since July. Indonesia faces a tariff of 32%. (Reporting and editing by Edwina gibbs and Tom Hogue; Gayatri suroyo)
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Jameson Taillon and Cubs shoot to tie series with Tigers
Jameson Taillon's strikeout numbers aren't high, but he consistently puts in strong starts. On Saturday, Taillon will be looking for his fourth straight victory in the middle match of a three game road series against the Detroit Tigers. Taillon (5-3; 3.76 ERA), has had a good outing in each of his last seven starts. He has only allowed four runs over the past three appearances. In a 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, Taillon held them to just two runs and three hit in 6 1/3 innings. It was the sixth time in a row that he has struck out four batters or less. It was the eighth time in this season that he allowed four or fewer hits. Craig Counsell, the manager of the team, said that his biggest strength was being an elite striker. "He's always at the top of the league in terms of walk rates." Taillon made four career starts for Detroit. He has a 1-2 record with a 7.45 ERA. Keider Montero will likely be the Tigers' bulk reliever on Saturday, after Tyler Holton (2-2 ERA 4.13) is the opener. Montero's (2-1, 4.02 ERA) early in the season was used to fill in for a spot starter or as a six-man starting rotation. Due to injuries, he is the current No. Reese Olson, Jackson Jobe and other players are injured. Montero has not allowed a single run over his last two starts. His latest outing, however, was an adventure. He allowed seven hits and one walk in four 2/3 innings against Kansas City, but made crucial pitches when runners were on base. Montero, through Carlos Guillen as interpreter, said: "I am proud of what we achieved (Sunday)." He was much more clean in his last home appearance on May 26, as he only allowed the San Francisco Giants one hit over five innings. Montero did not face the Cubs in his two seasons of major league baseball. Holton has a 1-0 career record (one start) in three games against the Cubs. He's thrown four innings of scoreless and hitless baseball. The Tigers won the first game of the series in a thrilling thriller on Friday night. Tarik Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Young Award recipient, pitched 7 2/3 inning despite eight hits and a 3-1 win. Detroit's Kerry Carpenter, who is not known for his defensive skills, stole Seiya Suzuki's extra-base hit by leaping at the fence in right field after Will Vest replaced Skubal. Jahmai Jones' solo homer in the bottom of inning gave Detroit a boost. Jones, who was promoted from Triple-A Toledo the previous day, was making his Tigers debut as well as his first appearance in the majors of the year. A.J. Hinch, Detroit's manager, said: "He is a great hitter and makes excellent decisions." Hinch said. "He has a good deal of thump and athleticism. He also has some speed. And he's perfect for the role we want to play him." He can be a great player off the bench, and he may even get a few starts. Counsell does not want to emphasize the fact that the Cubs will be facing the team in the AL with the best record. He said, "It is a series that will be held in June." There will be many people in attendance this weekend. It's a lot of fun for the players. It's fun for them. It's an interesting challenge to face a strong team. It's a challenge against a good team. "But other than that it's only three games." Field Level Media
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AFR reports that Rio Tinto is in talks to bailout an Australian aluminium smelter.
The Australian Financial Review reported that Rio Tinto, a global miner, is in discussions with the Australian federal and state government about a multi-billion dollar bailout of its struggling Tomago aluminum smelter located in New South Wales. Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper reported late Friday that discussions centered on a smelter’s electricity contract from 2026-2029, and federal production tax credit. Rio, the New South Wales Premier Chris Minns' office and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's office did not respond immediately to requests for comments on the report. According to the report, the future of the facility owned by Rio has been uncertain in recent months, due to rising energy costs. Rio, the largest iron ore producer in the world, announced that it would make a decision on the future of the smelter by the middle of the year. This facility, located about 125 km north of the state capital Sydney, uses approximately 10% of New South Wales power to produce 590 000 tonnes of aluminum per year. It is also owned by CSR, Hydro Aluminium and Rio. The centre-left Australian government pledged A$2billion in production credits in January to support the country's aluminium smelters including the Tomago plant to switch to renewable energy before 2036.
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Rex’s Akrake Set for July Drilling Ops off West Africa
Akrake Petroleum, Rex International's indirect subsidiary, has completed the development plan for the Seme field offshore Benin, with the drilling operations scheduled to begin in early July 2025 using Borr Drilling’s jack-up rig.Akrake holds a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with the government of Benin for the offshore Block 1 exploration license, which also includes the Sèmè Field.As art of the work-program for Block 1 under the PSA, Akrake is working on the redevelopment of the Sèmè Field.This is a phased development, the first of which will be to bring the field into production, while gathering more data on the subsurface, in order to optimize further development of the field, including heretofore untapped deeper reservoir sections.To this end, the reprocessing of 2007 3D seismic data has been completed, and a detailed field development plan has been finalised.Offshore operations have started, with an ongoing site-survey over the intended drilling and production location.In April 2025, Rex's Lime Petroleum, which owns Akrake Petroleum, signed a contract for Borr Drilling’s Gerd jack-up rig, to be used for an anticipated 120-day drilling campaign in Benin.The rig is scheduled to arrive in Benin later in June 2025, with drilling to begin in early July 2025.Borr Drilling’s Rig Up for 120-Day Drilling Campaign off West AfricaOver the ensuing 100 days, three well-bores will be drilled. The first will be an appraisal well designed to gather new data on deeper reservoir units.Following this, two horizontal production wells will be drilled and completed in the H6 reservoir, in which subsurface analysis has suggested significant remaining reserves, even though there has been previous production.Drilling is expected to be completed in early October 2025, at which time a Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU) will arrive, along with a Floating Storage and Offloading unit (FSO).The MOPU will be hooked to the newly-drilled wells, and production is expected to start in October 2025 at production rates of approximately 16,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd).Contracts have been signed for both the MOPU and FSO, and the MOPU is currently in a yard in Dubai for refurbishment, before heading to Benin in the middle of September 2025.Rex’s Akrake Signs Deal for Production Vessels at Seme Field off BeninAkrake is the operator of the Sèmè Field in Benin, and holds approximately 76% working interest, with the remainder of the working interest held by the government of Benin (15%) and Octogone Trading (9%).
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Indonesia anticipates concluding free trade negotiations with EU by the end of June
Indonesia announced on Saturday that the free trade talks with the European Union which have lasted for nine years are expected to be completed by the end June. Airlangga hartarto, chief economic minister of Southeast Asia's largest economy, met EU Commissioner for Trade Maros Séfcovic on Friday in Brussels. Airlangga Hartarto stated in a press release that "Indonesia has agreed to resolve outstanding issues, and we are prepared to announce the conclusion of substantial negotiation by the end June 2025." He didn't disclose any details about the agreements that may have been made. A request for comment from the EU representatives in Jakarta was not responded to. In terms of total trade, the EU was Indonesia's fifth largest trading partner in 2013. The two countries exchanged $30.1 billion worth of goods and services last year. Airlangga reported that Indonesia had a trade surplus of $4.5 billion. Indonesia and the EU had previously disagreed over the EU's rules on trade for products that could be linked to deforestation, which would affect Indonesian palm oils, as well Jakarta's bans on exports raw minerals. Indonesian officials are motivated to speed up talks on free-trade agreements. They want to diversify their country's export destination as they face the challenges of U.S. Tariffs. In an effort to reduce the U.S.'s trade deficits around the world, President Donald Trump of the United States announced "reciprocal tariffs" that were halted until July. Indonesia faces a tariff rate of 32%. (Reporting and editing by Edwina G. Gibbs; Gayatri S. Suroyo)
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China's central banks purchases gold for the seventh consecutive month in May
The People's Bank of China's (PBOC) official data showed that China's central banks added gold to their reserves for the seventh consecutive month in May. Gold spot prices, which are often viewed as a safe haven from geopolitical and economic uncertainty, remained stable in May, after reaching an all-time peak of $3,500 for one ounce in April. China's gold reserves increased to 73.83 millions fine troy pounds at the end May, from 73.77million ounces ounces ounces by the end April. The PBOC reported that its gold reserves had fallen to $241.99 billion by the end last month from $243.59 at the end April. Gold market experts say that despite the high price of gold, Beijing is still willing to keep adding to its gold reserves despite this. This is due to fears about a tariff war and a 27% increase in 2024. The PBOC has not made public the reasons behind the gold purchases. After an 18-month gold buying spree in 2024, the PBOC paused for six months before resuming gold purchases when Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. Metals Focus, a consultancy, said that central banks around the world are on course to purchase 1,000 metric tonnes of gold by 2025. This would be their fourth massive purchase as they diversify from dollar-denominated investments into bullion. Reporting by Yukun Zhi and Ryan Woo from Beijing, Polina Devlin in London and Brenda Goh from Shanghai; editing by Tom Hogue
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Trump claims that China's Xi has agreed to allow rare earth minerals to flow into the US
U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to allow rare earth minerals and magnetics to flow into the United States. This could reduce tensions between world's largest economies. When asked by a reporter on Air Force One if Xi agreed to this, Trump responded: "Yes, he had." The Chinese Embassy in Washington has not responded to a comment request immediately. Trump's comments came a day after he had a rare phone call with Xi to resolve trade tensions which have been brewing for weeks. Then, Trump stated that the talks had "reached a very positive conclusion," adding that there should be "no questions" about the complexity of Rare Earth Products. Two sources with knowledge of the issue said that China granted temporary export licences to the rare-earth suppliers for the three largest U.S. automobile manufacturers. On Monday, the top U.S. aides to President Obama will meet with their Chinese counterparts for more talks in London. Trump said to reporters that "we're very much advanced" in the China deal. On May 12, in Geneva, Switzerland the countries reached an agreement to rollback for 90 days most triple-digit tit-for -tat tariffs that they had imposed on each other after Trump's inauguration. The financial markets, which had been worried about trade disruptions, rallied upon hearing the news. China's decision to suspend the export of magnets and minerals in April has caused supply disruptions for automakers, computer chip makers and military contractors worldwide. Trump accused China of breaking the Geneva Agreement and ordered a halt to chip-design software, as well as other shipments into China. Beijing denied the claim and threatened countermeasures. China could use rare earths and other minerals to exert political pressure on Trump if the economy sags due to companies being unable make mineral-powered goods. Trump, since returning to the White House, has threatened a variety of punitive actions against trading partners. However, he has retracted some of these measures at the last moment. This on-again-off-again strategy has confused world leaders and scared business executives. Trevor Hunnicutt, Leslie Adler, and Edwina gibbs edited the report.
WTI-Brent Spread at its Narrowest in Nearly Two Years as US Prices Rise
Analysts and traders reported that the spread between U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude and Brent crude futures was at its tightest since September 2023 as U.S. oil prices increased on a declining rig count, and Canadian wildfires cut supply.
Brent futures were up 2.75% as OPEC+ increased output, limiting gains.
Why it's important
A narrower spread can indicate a closed window of arbitrage for traders, and weaker shipping economies to Europe and Asia. If Brent crude premium remains low, the tighter spread could be an early indication that U.S. crude imports are likely to fall in the coming weeks.
Since the Dated Brent price is determined by WTI Midland most trading days, the spread between them is more closely correlated with freight rates.
By the numbers, the spread between two crude benchmarks was as low as $2.78 per barrel on Friday. A discount of $4 a barrel is usually considered to be the level which encourages U.S. imports into Europe as traders view it as an arbitrage opportunity.
According to Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group, the spread has remained below $4 a barrel on average since May 1. This is partly due to concern about U.S. oil production.
Since April, OPEC+ members including Saudi Arabia, Russia, and others have increased their production by 1.37 million barrels a day or 62%, of the 2.2 millions bpd that they intend to bring back onto the market. Baker Hughes, the energy services company, said that the U.S. oil rig count fell four times to 559 during the week ending June 6. This is the lowest level since November 2021. It has sparked some concern about future U.S. output. Traders and analysts say that this has created a price which encourages U.S. crude oil to stay on the domestic market.
Analysts said that the wildfires in Canada's oil producing province of Alberta, have further boosted U.S. crude prices, as Canadian crude production has decreased by approximately 7%.
Sparta Commodities analysts said that the Canadian wildfire season is underway and further disruptions could push WTI/Brent below $3 in the summer.
KEY QUOTES
Flynn, of Price Futures Group, said: "When you take a look at the WTI/Brent Spread you can see a bit the concern about the leveling off U.S. Production and the tightening up of export barrels."
(source: Reuters)