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US Business Lobby urges Trump to stop new export curbs to China
The National Foreign Trade Council, whose members include U.S. companies like Oracle, Amazon.com, and Exxon Mobil on its board of directors urges the Trump administration suspend an immediate rule that it claims has halted U.S. billions in exports. It also says this will cause China and other countries drop U.S. businesses from their supply chain. The National Foreign Trade Council, in a letter to President Donald Trump, takes issue with the Affiliates Rule which prohibits American companies from shipping technology and goods to companies that are part-owned or controlled by sanctioned companies. In a letter dated October 3, NFTC president Jake Colvin criticized the rule for causing an immediate halt to U.S. Exports. This is in direct opposition to the President's desire to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and to increase U.S. Exports worldwide. If the rule is left in place, it will encourage other countries to switch to non-U.S. made goods. "This would weaken U.S. security, as the rest the world led by China removes American nodes" from their supply chains. Requests for comments were not answered by the White House or the Commerce Department (which oversees export control). NFTC declined comment. The letter shows the level of opposition from the private sector to the controversial rule that has been sought for years by China hawks at Washington in order to clamp down on Chinese companies using subsidiaries not sanctioned to bypass export restrictions and access prized technologies. The rule was implemented on 29 September and adds firms to the Entity List that are owned at least 50% by a parent company listed in this list. The list is updated when companies take actions that are detrimental to U.S. national security or foreign policy. China has strongly opposed the rule. NFTC accused the Commerce Department as well of "significantly slowing" and "even temporarily" halting export license processing, especially for Chinese customers. "Thousands" of licenses, worth billions, were accumulating in the Commerce Department. In August, it was reported that the near-paralysis and turmoil at the agency had left thousands of license requests by U.S. firms to export goods and technologies around the world, including to China. (Reporting and editing by Chris Sanders, Andrea Ricci and Alexandra Alper)
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US business lobby calls on Trump to remove new export restrictions to China
A lobbying group, whose board of directors includes U.S. companies like Oracle.com, Amazon.com and Exxon Mobil, is calling on the Trump administration suspend an executive order that it claims has halted U.S. exports worth billions of dollar and will lead China and other countries drop U.S.-based firms from their supply chain. The National Foreign Trade Council, in a letter to President Donald Trump, and seen by, takes aim at what is known as the Affiliates Rule. This rule prohibits American companies from supplying goods and technology, to companies that are part-owned, by sanctioned companies. In a letter dated October 3, and never before reported, NFTC President Jake Colvin stated that the rule had "caused an immediate pause in billions of U.S. Exports." This was contrary to the desire by the NFTC to reduce the deficit in trade and increase U.S. Exports worldwide. If the rule is left in place, it will encourage other countries to switch to non-U.S. made goods. "This would weaken U.S. security, as the rest the world led by China removes American nodes" from their supply chains. Requests for comments were not answered by the White House or the Commerce Department (which oversees export control). NFTC declined comment. The letter shows the level of opposition from the private sector to the controversial rule that has been sought for years by China hawks at Washington in order to clamp down on Chinese companies using subsidiaries not sanctioned to bypass export restrictions and access prized technologies. The rule was implemented on 29 September and adds firms to the Entity List that are owned at least 50% by a parent company listed in this list. The list is updated when companies take actions that are detrimental to U.S. national security or foreign policy. China has strongly opposed the rule. NFTC accused the Commerce Department as well of "significantly slowing" and "even temporarily" halting export license processing, especially for Chinese customers. "Thousands" of licenses, worth billions, were accumulating in the Commerce Department. In August, it was reported that the near-paralysis and turmoil at the agency had left thousands of license requests by U.S. firms to export goods and technologies around the world, including to China. (Reporting and editing by Chris Sanders, Andrea Ricci, and Alexandra Alper)
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Investors are watching US-China trade negotiations as gold prices rise on bets of rate cuts and broader uncertainty
Gold prices increased by more than 2% on Sunday, boosted by the expectation of continued U.S. rate cuts, and by the demand for safe-haven assets. Investors were also awaiting this week's U.S. inflation data and upcoming U.S. China trade talks. As of 1:47 pm, spot gold was up by 2.3%, at $4,346.39 an ounce. ET (1746 GMT). U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery settled 3.5% higher, at $4.359.40 an ounce. Gold prices reached a record-high of $4,378.69, but they closed lower by 1.8% -- the steepest decline since mid-May. This was after Donald Trump's comments eased concerns about U.S.-China tensions. After Friday's steep sell-off, CPM Group managing director Jeffrey Christian said that political and economic concerns have driven prices higher. He added, "We expect the price to increase over the next few weeks and months. We wouldn't be shocked if it reached $4,500/oz very soon." After senators failed to resolve the impasse for the 10th time last Monday, the U.S. shutdown reached its 20th date on Monday. The shutdown also delayed the release of key economic data, leaving investors and policymakers with a data vacuum before next week's Federal Reserve policy meeting. The U.S. Consumer Price Index data that was delayed because of the shutdown is due on Friday. The traders have priced in a 99% probability that the Federal Reserve is going to cut interest rates in December. Gold is a non-yielding investment that tends to perform well in low interest rate environments. Investors will also be looking for updates on U.S. China trade talks after Trump announced on Friday that a meeting planned with Chinese President Xi Jinping will go ahead. "I wouldn't be surprised if gold reaches $5,000/oz next year." Christian stated that the price of gold would rise if political issues continue to worsen. Silver spot rose by 0.6%, to $52.17 an ounce. After hitting a record-high of $54.47 on Thursday, the metal dropped 4.4% to $52.17 per ounce. Palladium rose 1.5% and platinum 1.9%, respectively, to $1.496.59 an ounce. Reporting by Noel John in Bengaluru, Pablo Sinha, Kavya Baliaraman, and Alan Barona. Editing by Susan Fenton and Shakesh Kuber.
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US yields drop as stocks jump ahead of key earnings reports
The major stock indexes rose on Monday, as investors anticipated more quarterly results this week from big U.S. corporations. U.S. Treasury rates also fell ahead of the upcoming U.S. China trade talks. Gold prices increased by more than 2% as investors awaited further U.S. rate cuts, and a sustained demand for safe havens. Investors also monitor the U.S. government shutdown which is now in its twentieth consecutive day. Government agencies haven't published key economic reports as a consequence. However, the September U.S. Consumer Price Index is expected to come out on Friday. Investors are eager to hear this week's reports from Tesla, IBM and Netflix. They also want to know what Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola have in store. Nasdaq was the leader on Wall Street and gained more than 1%. S&P 500's technology sector led gains in the benchmark. Jake Dollarhide is the chief executive of Longbow Asset Management, located in Tulsa. "Ofcourse, if there are some disappointing earnings that could negatively affect the market." Investors are looking forward to the week wearing rose-colored lenses, and feeling good about how far we've come this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 362.24 points or 0.79% to 46,553.87. The S&P 500 gained 61.30 or 0.92% to 6,725.42 while the Nasdaq Composite rose 298.30 or 1.32% to 22,978.27. Some market watchers believe that tighter credit conditions may help to reduce some of the froth on the market as U.S. regional bank earnings continue to roll in. The MSCI index of global stocks rose 10.95 points or 1.11% to 994.85. The pan-European STOXX 600 Index rose by 1.03%. Japan's Nikkei index soared 2.8%, reaching a new record. A coalition agreement paved the way for Sanae Takaichi, a pro-stimulus politician to become Prime Minister. U.S. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced on Friday that he will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this week in Malaysia to prevent an escalation of U.S. Tariffs on Chinese Goods, which U.S. president Donald Trump has said is unsustainable. Trump confirmed that he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in South Korea, and expressed his admiration for him. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. notes dropped 1.7 basis points from Friday's 4.009% to 3.992%. The dollar's value against the yen, and other currencies was not much changed. The odds of a Bank of Japan interest rate hike in this month were reduced by the markets to just under 20%. Meanwhile, political tensions in France eased. Federal Reserve is still widely expected to reduce interest rates next month by a quarter point and again in December. The dollar index (which measures the greenback in relation to a basket of currency) was down by 0.02%, at 98.51. Meanwhile, the euro rose by 0.03%, at $1.1655. The dollar fell 0.06% against the Japanese yen to 150.53. Spot gold increased 2.29%, to $4346.16 per ounce. U.S. crude dropped 0.83% to $57.06 per barrel. Brent fell to $60.62 a barrel, down by 1.09% for the day.
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Brazil's Petrobras receives green light for drilling near the mouth of Amazon River
The Brazilian environmental agency Ibama has given the green light to state-owned oil company Petrobras for exploratory research, including drilling wells in the Foz do Amazonas area, near the mouth the Amazon River, according to a firm statement released on Monday. Petrobras has said that the drilling will begin immediately and should last for around five months. They also added that at this time, they won't be producing oil. Petrobras considers the area in deep water off the coast of Amapa to be its most promising oil frontier. It shares geology with the nearby Guyana where Exxon Mobil has developed huge fields. Petrobras said it aims to gain more geological data through exploratory research, and assess if there is oil or gas in the region on a commercial basis. Petrobras has conducted an environmental impact assessment as part of its bid for drilling in this environmentally sensitive area. Emergency response Test in August to evaluate its readiness Last month, Documents shown Petrobras failed a part of the test and had to submit its plan for animal rescue again. Petrobras' statement on Monday said that it "fully complied with the environmental licensing processes" and met all the requirements set by Ibama. Magda Chambriard, CEO of Petrobras, celebrated the grant of the license with a press release. She called it "a success for Brazilian society." She said, "We hope to achieve excellent results in our research and prove that there is oil in the Brazilian part of this new global frontier of energy," Ibama made his decision as Brazil prepared to host the global summit on climate change COP30 in November this year, which will be held in the Amazonian town of Belem. Brazil is expected call for the international community's acceleration away from fossil-fuels. Environmentalists have been harshly critical of Brazil's energy policy and climate leadership ambitions. (Reporting and editing by Sarah Morland, Brendan O'Boyle and Isabel Teles)
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Brent Oil Market Structure: Physical markets reflect concerns about supply glut
The discount between the Prompt Brent futures and six-month contracts reached its highest level since December 2023, Monday. This reflects a growing belief that there is enough supply as OPEC+ producers and others increase their output. According to traders and LSEG, weakness was also seen on the physical crude oil market in Europe and Africa as a result of a plentiful supply and a cooling season demand in preparation for winter in the northern hemisphere. Brent's first-month contract was as low as 56 cents per barrel below the contract to deliver in six months The first discount since May was implemented on 16 October. The spread between the WTI Crude Futures Contract and its major U.S. counterpart The trader also traded in contango after moving towards this structure last week. MARKET WEAKENS ON SURPLUS A market structure called contango, which is characterized by a lower price for immediate delivery than for later deliveries, indicates that the perception is that supply will be abundant in the near term and demand will weaken. The weaker Brent/WTI structure is due to the decisions of OPEC+ to increase oil production more quickly, and the resilient production by the U.S., and other non-OPEC+ nations, according Tamas Varga. Analyst at brokerage PVM. Bjarne Schieldrop, SEB, said that "more weakness is to come" as oil from the sea arrives in ports. The Middle East OPEC countries are boosting exports, along with lower consumption after the summer. Both contracts spent most of the year with the opposite structure. This is called backwardation. In this case, the prices for the futures are higher than the current price. This reflects the perception of a tight supply in the near term and solid demand. Brent's 6-month spread briefly sat in contango during May. After Israel's attack on Iran's nucleotide facilities, it reversed and climbed to $7.50, its highest level since October 2023. It was in positive territory until last week as supply risks were supportive. Contangos encourage traders to store oil in order to sell it at a higher price later. PHYSICAL MARKET ALSO SHOWS WEAKNESS Also, the North Sea physical oil markets, which support the Brent futures contracts and the Brent physical benchmark used for pricing about two thirds of world oil, are weakening. Brent swaps for short-term, also known as contracts for differences (CFDs), entered contango Friday in the first three weeks of contract. This was a sign that there is more supply. Price differential between North Sea Forties and Brent dated According to LSEG, Brent oil plus 35 cents reached a low of three weeks last week. West African crude markets are experiencing a decline in grades due to a weakening of demand from Europe and Asia, and fierce competition from Latin American crudes. The traders said that November loading programs have already begun to appear for the 21-35 Angolan cargoes and 35 Nigerian cargoes that remain unsold. West African grades are typically traded a month ahead of most other grades, giving traders a good indication of the future of the physical market. (Reporting and editing by Alex Lawler in London and Jan Harvey.
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Gold Reserve: Citgo auction is threatened by fees of $170 million
Gold Reserve, a Toronto-listed company, accused the firms that advised a U.S. Court on the auction for Citgo Petroleum parent's parent that they received $170 million from parties who would receive proceeds and a bidder recommended as the winning party. These accusations are just the latest twist to an auction which has been dragging on for almost two years. They could also threaten to slow down further. The Delaware court began to discuss the fees on Monday following Gold Reserve's Motions earlier this month. Gold Reserve wanted to disqualify a judge and court officer overseeing the auction, as well as advising firms Weil Gotshal & Manges and Evercore for the alleged conflicts of interest. Michael Bowe's counsel, Gold Reserve, said that "normal people would question the impartiality" of advisors, who had received $170,000,000 in fees from Gold Reserve, the party whose bids were being evaluated in the auction process. Robert Pincus, a court officer, changed his recommendation in August for the winner of the auction to Elliott Investment Management’s Amber Energy. Gold Reserve subsidiary Dalinar Energy was no longer recommended. This prompted objections from other bidders and creditors. Gold Reserve now claims that Weil was representing Elliott during the Citgo sale, and that both advising firms were in contact with holders of Venezuelan debt who would be eligible to receive auction proceeds if Amber's proposal went through. Weil Gotshal & Manges (WGM), Evercore, and Elliott have not responded to our requests for comment. The auction of Venezuelan-owned PDV Holdings, parent company of Houston-based refiner Citgo Petroleum aims to compensate 15 or more creditors for debt defaults in Venezuela and expropriations. The court has yet to select a final winner. This month, lawyers representing Venezuela filed a motion to disqualify Pincus as well as the two advisory firms. Gold Reserve has requested a temporary halt to all bids pending the resolution of disqualification motions.
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Climate Investment Funds backs Fiji nature financing plan
Climate Investment Funds, a multilateral lender, announced on Monday that its board had approved a plan for helping restore Fiji's ecosystems and strengthening the island's capacity to withstand global warming. The Climate Investment Funds announced the agreement on Monday, ahead of the November round of U.N. talks. Fiji and the other Small Island Developing States are pushing for the world to do even more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CIF announced that it would provide $27 millions in financing, and hopes to attract an additional $20 million from World Bank and Progreen. This multi-donor initiative is designed to support the development of a sustainable way while protecting biodiversity. CIF stated that the money would fund a variety of projects on land and at sea, and will impact over 80,000 people. The country relies heavily on tourism, which accounts for 40% of economic output, and agriculture, fishing and forestry, which employs 40% of population. CIF's Chief Executive Tariye gbadegesin stated in a press release that "Investing nature is an investment in a prosperous and secure future, especially for Fiji where the natural environment supports the economy." CIF said that cyclones and floods cost the island about 5% of their economic output each year. (Reporting and editing by Mark Porter; Simon Jessop)
Russia tightens law on sabotage citing NATO and Ukraine threats
On Monday, Russian lawmakers announced that they had drafted legislation mandating the life sentence for anyone who involves minors in sabotage. The law also lowers the age limit for criminal responsibility of such crimes from 18 to 14.
Since 2022 when it sent its military forces to Ukraine, Russia has passed a number of laws that give the state security agencies the power to hold anyone accused of misrepresenting war or of being against the state.
Vasily Piskaryov is the chairman of the lower chamber of parliament's Security Committee. He said that a bill, which was introduced in the lower chamber of parliament on monday and supported by 419 of 450 members, would improve the state's security.
'INEVITABILITY OF PUNISHMENT'
Piskaryov stated that the bill would "increase inevitability" of punishments for those who attempt to undermine the foundations our state.
He said that those who involved children in terrorism or sabotage would face harsher punishments, including life imprisonment, and the age limit for such crimes will be lowered to 14 years of age.
Piskaryov stated that the law was necessary because sabotage is a serious threat to the Russian State. He accused secret services from Ukraine and NATO of intensifying subversive activities against Russia, including the involvement of minors.
He did not give any specific examples, but instead cited data provided by prosecutors that showed 204 subversive offenses were registered in 2024 but only 174 during the first half 2025.
NATO and Ukrainian authorities didn't immediately respond to comments. Kyiv accused Russia in the past of using Ukrainian minors to try and destroy Ukrainian infrastructure in the war.
RUSSIA SAYS THE WEST IS HELPING UKRAINE TO ATTACK IT'S ENERGY SITES
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian oil refineries as well as other energy installations. According to Moscow, the West and major NATO countries have provided Kyiv with intelligence.
Both Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of killing people.
The Kremlin said that a general tightening up of the laws is necessary to maintain order, as Russia faced an unprecedented hybrid attack by the West. This was a result of hundreds of billions in arms and intelligence from the West.
Alexei Navalny - who died in a prison in the Arctic in 2024 - was one of those Kremlin critics that said President Vladimir Putin had created a fragile dictatorial regime which would be overthrown by history. (Reporting and editing by Mark Heinrich; reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)
(source: Reuters)