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Kremlin: Lithuanian minister's remarks about attacking Russian exclave "verge on lunacy"
On Wednesday, the Kremlin called Lithuania's top diplomat's remarks "bordering on insanity", after he said that NATO must?show Moscow they are capable of penetrating Russia's exclave Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad is an exclave on the Baltic Sea coast that lies between NATO member Lithuania and Poland. It is home to around 1,000,000 people and is heavily military, as it serves as the headquarters for Russia's Baltic Fleet. Budrys' country, which is a staunchly allied ally of Ukraine in its fight against Russia, stated in an interview published by the Neue Zurcher Zeitung on Monday that "we?have to prove the Russians we are capable of penetrating their small fortress in Kaliningrad." NATO has the ability, if needed, to destroy Russian missile bases and air defences in Kaliningrad. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesperson, told Russian state TV that when asked about the comments, he said that they showed how irresponsible politicians in?Baltic nations were and that these people should not be taken serious. Peskov said that the statement "borders on insanity". "Unfortunately, the Baltic States - they are really maniacally anti Russian." He said that this anti-Russian feeling blinds people, stops them from looking to the future and keeps them from acting in their countries' best interests. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were occupied during World War II by Nazi Germany and absorbed into Soviet Union before gaining their independence in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR. Moscow claims that Soviet forces liberated these three countries from Nazis. The Baltic nations claim they have'simply swapped an occupier for the other and removed many traces from their Soviet past. In the past, Russia accused the West of trying to isolate Kaliningrad. Vladimir Putin warned against any attempt to?blockade Kaliningrad in December, saying that Moscow would resist and it could lead to "large-scale conflicts." Lithuanian lawmakers had to take shelter in the underground Wednesday after a drone violated Lithuania's airspace. This is the latest of a series security incidents in the Baltic region. Moscow is concerned that Ukrainian drones may be using the Baltic airspace for attacks against targets in Russia. Kyiv, and all three Baltic states have denied this claim. Reporting by Andrew Osborn Editing Mark Trevelyan
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Colombian presidential candidate Valencia promises to end the 'total-peace' policy and will be stricter on security
Paloma valencia, the Colombian presidential candidate, said that if she were elected as president of Colombia, she would abandon the "total-peace" policy of her government and adopt a more aggressive security strategy against armed groups. This is a radical departure from President?Gustavo Petro’s leftist approach. "The policy of total peace ends with me." "Total security will start," Valencia, 48 said in an interview Tuesday. She added that she would reactivate the arrest warrants and increase security forces with United States' cooperation. Valencia, the candidate of the Democratic Center Party, a right-wing party backed by Alvaro Uribe as former president, opposes the continuation of peace talks with dissident groups such as former?FARC rebels and the National Liberation Army, or ELN, along with criminal gangs like the Gulf Clan. Petro's government tried to?negotiate with armed groups in order to end the six-decade war that has claimed more than 450,000 lives. However, talks have failed with less than 3 months remaining of his term. Valencia's platform places a high priority on security. This includes expanding the police force and military by 60,000 people and resuming aerial herbicide spraying for coca plants using non-glyphosate herbicides, which was banned in 2015 due to?health concerns. Valencia, a three-term senator from Valencia, faces a crowded race that includes leftist Ivan Cepeda as well as independent right-wing businessman Abelardo De La Espriella. "We will elect a woman president for the very first time." "We must make history," Valencia said, who has focused her campaign on women voters. The polls indicate a close race for second place. This would determine whether Cepeda of the Historic Pact Coalition is the opponent in a possible run-off. ECONOMIC STANCE Valencia's economic policy favors the?boost of oil, gas, and mining production, including fracking, with environmental safeguards. This is in contrast to Petro's efforts to halt new fossil fuel developments. She said that fracking will be banned in the Amazon and high-altitude paramo ecosystems. She said that a 5% growth in the mining, construction and energy sectors could generate 30 trillion pesos (about $7.9 billion), which would be used to fund social expenditure. Valencia also proposed reducing income taxes, eliminating wealth and financial transaction tax, and supporting the U.S. led "Americas Shield", regional security initiative. The presidential election is on May 31, and more than 41 million Colombians can vote. Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez & Chizu Nomiyama
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Copper prices rise on Chilean supply concerns and hope for Iran war deal
Copper prices rose on Wednesday,?as if to signal that the Iran War was about to end? and as Chile, the top producer of copper, cut its production forecast. Nickel's recent rally also paused while the market awaited more information?on the Indonesian supply outlook. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange increased 0.6% in open-outcry official trading to $13,490 per metric ton after hitting its lowest level since May 8, at $13,350. LME copper is down from $14,196.50, its highest level in over three months, just a week earlier. Profit-taking, the strong dollar, and concerns about demand in China, which is the world's largest metals consumer, are all contributing factors. Ole Hansen is the head of commodity strategy for?Saxo Bank, in Copenhagen. The oil price dropped by 1% after two Chinese oil tankers left?the?Strait of Hormuz, and Donald Trump declared that the Iran war would end "very soon". Chile, the largest producer of copper in the world, also cut its production projections, stating that it will fall by 2% this coming year. Chile announced in February that its output would increase by 3.7% by 2026. LME 'nickel' lost 0.2% of its official activity, falling to $18,770 per ton. Investors sought clarification on plans by Indonesia, the top producer to centralise state control over exports. Indonesian President Prabowo said that his government will issue a?regulation? to strengthen control over commodities exports. Nickel gained in London on Monday, boosted by supply worries that continued into Wednesday's?Chinese trade. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded nickel contract rose 1.9%, closing at 145 390 yuan (US$21 368) per ton. LME tin price jumped 5.6%, to $54,490 per ton. Traders said that this was due to a delayed response?to the news about Indonesia which is also?a major exporter. Other metals include LME aluminium, which fell 0.4% to $3.589.50 per ton. Zinc rose 0.5% to $3.529, and lead remained unchanged at $1.963.
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Nuclear reactor developer Deep Fission eyes $1.66 billion valuation in US IPO
Deep Fission announced on Wednesday that it is aiming for a valuation of about $1.66 billion when it makes its U.S. IPO. The company hopes to ride a wave of investor demand as the use and consumption AI-powered electricity increases. The Berkeley-based company wants to raise up to $156m by selling 6 million shares at a price of between $24 and $25 each. Deep Fission plans to go public as investors are re-engaging in nuclear power following years of public skepticism. Data?centers, artificial intelligence and data?centers have been driving investor interest. The Gravity Reactor is a small modular reactor (SMR), designed to be operated deep underground. Deep Fission claims that the technology is based on the existing pressurized-water reactor (PWR), which powers most of the world's nuclear plants. The Trump administration has also issued a number of executive orders that aim to boost?domestic power capacity? and accelerate the deployment SMRs. In April, the nuclear reactor developer X-Energy listed. As of the last close, its shares are up 16.3% from their IPO price. William Blair, Stifel and Canaccord Genuity were among the underwriters of?the offering. It plans to list under the Nasdaq symbol "FISN". (Reporting by Pragyan Kalita in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
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Freeport Indonesia claims that wet ore is slowing Grasberg's recovery and the full ramp-up will be completed in 2027
The recovery process of PT Freeport Indonesia’s Grasberg copper and gold mine has taken longer than expected. However, the company anticipates that?operations will "approach" their full capacity by the end of 2027. In September of last year, seven workers died when 800,000 metric tonnes of wet material flooded Grasberg Block Cave. The Grasberg Complex is the second largest copper mine in the world and the largest gold mine. Global copper prices rose due to a disruption in production caused by the?mine. Freeport Indonesia CEO Tony Wenas stated in an interview with the company's headquarters in Jakarta that "we found out that the GBC and the ore, now because of the incident, have more water... "since the ore will be much wetter than we thought, it is necessary to modify the chute." He said that the complex is currently operating at only 50% of its normal capacity. This will be increased to 65% later this year. Wenas stated that the copper cathode production in 2027 is expected to be approximately 1.2 billion pounds and gold at one million ounces. This is up from the original?2026 estimate of 800 million pounds copper cathode, and 700 000 ounces gold.
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Snapshot-Indian stocks, rupees, swaps, and call at close
STOCKS: The benchmark BSE Sensex rose 0.16% to 75 318.39 while the broader NSE Nifty index rose 0.17% to 23,659, aided?by a boost?from heavyweight Reliance Industries. Meanwhile, the Iran war-driven upswing of global borrowing costs weighed down on broader sentiment, and pushed the rupee to another record low. RUPEE: Indian rupee fell 0.3% against the U.S. dollar to 96.82. Stalled U.S.-Iran peace?talks kept oil prices high, driving global bond yields higher?and hurting equities amid fears of 'further central bank?rate hikes. Dollar to 96.82 as oil prices remain high due to the stalled U.S.Iran peace talks. This has pushed global bond yields up and hurt equities on fears of further central bank rate hikes. GOVERNMENT BANKS: The benchmark 10-year government bond was quoted at 95.955 rupies, with a yield of 7.0761%. Oil prices were cooled by hopes for a U.S.Iran peace agreement, which likely drove foreign banks to buy late in the session. OVERNIGHT SWAPS: The overnight index swap rate for a?one-year? period was down by more than five basis points at 6.21%. Meanwhile, the swap rate for a five-year period dropped four basis points to 6.8%. India's overnight call money rate was 5.25% and the overnight TREPS rate at 5.07%. Reporting by Nishit Navin in Bengaluru, editing by Mrigank Dahniwala
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Snapshot-Indian stocks, rupees, swaps, and call at close
STOCKS: The benchmark BSE Sensex rose 0.16% to 75 318.39 while the broader NSE Nifty index grew 0.17% to 23,659, aided by a boost?from heavyweight Reliance Industries. Meanwhile, the Iran war-driven upswing of global borrowing costs weighed down on broader sentiment, and drove the rupee -to another record low. The Indian rupee fell 0.3% against the U.S. dollar to 96.82. Stalled U.S.-Iran peace?talks kept oil prices high, driving global bond yields higher?and hurting equities amid fears of 'further central bank?"rate hikes. Dollar to 96.82 as oil prices remain high due to the stalled U.S.Iran peace talks. This has pushed global bond yields up and hurt equities on fears of further central bank rate hikes. GOVERNMENT BANKS: The benchmark 10-year government bond was quoted at 95.955 rupies, with a yield of 7.0761%. Oil prices were cooled by hopes for a U.S.Iran peace agreement, which likely drove foreign banks to buy late in the session. OVERNIGHT SWAPS: The overnight index swap rate for a?one-year? period was down by more than five basis points at 6.21%. Meanwhile, the swap rate for a five-year period dropped four basis points to 6.8%. India's overnight call money rate was 5.25% and the overnight TREPS rate at 5.07%. Reporting by Nishit Navin in Bengaluru, editing by Mrigank Dahniwala
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Sources say that Thyssenkrupp will consider spin-off of materials unit at summer shareholder meeting.
Two people familiar with the matter said that Thyssenkrupp may hold an extraordinary general meeting in the summer, to allow investors to vote on a possible spin-off of its materials trading division MX. The discussions?underscore Miguel Lopez's attempts to continue with the company overhaul to a holding company, despite recent setbacks after talks to sell Thyssenkrupp Steel to Jindal Steel failed. Sources said that Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board, which is meeting on Wednesday, could decide to send official invitations to shareholders in the next month. This would mean an EGM might take place at the end of July or beginning of August. The people who spoke to me said that no?firm decisions had been made, and the timeline could change. MX, which employs over?15,000 employees and represents more than one-third of the?Thyssenkrupp sales, saw its adjusted operating 'profit? nearly triple in the second quarter to EUR81million ($94million) for a margin 2.6%. MX's revenues for the quarter rose by 5%, to EUR3.19billion. In February, sources had said that MX’s performance in the second quarter would determine the division’s readiness to enter the capital market. They added that a spin-off could happen as early as this year. Thyssenkrupp stated that it was "confident" MX would be successful on the capital markets, even in a challenging environment. They declined to comment about the timing. The plans to separate MX are a response to the increasing consolidation of?the materials industry. Worthington Steel, a U.S. company, recently acquired smaller German 'rival Kloeckner & Co after combining Ryerson & Olympic Steel. Thyssenkrupp has already spun off or listed its marine and hydrogen divisions under Lopez in an effort to simplify the conglomerate, which makes everything from autoparts to cement plants.
McGeever: Trump blinks at the bond market's teeth as it grows bigger and worse.
U.S. president Donald Trump is learning - once again - how powerful and unforgiving bond markets can be.
The global sovereign debt market has been ravaged by a selloff, and rising inflation has caused yields on long-dated bonds to reach their highest levels in decades.
BNP Paribas' analysts predict a "deanchored rise" to 5.50% or even higher.
The Federal Reserve's response function has also been dramatically repricing, and traders are now putting 80% of a rate increase by December. They were preparing for two to three rate cuts in this year before the Iran war.
The U.S. doesn't stand alone. The 30-year gilt rate climbed to 5.90% on Monday, its highest level since 1998. The UK bond sale has been fuelled not only by inflation concerns but also by increasing alarm about the country's financial outlook.
It's already a political issue. Andy Burnham, mayor of Manchester and widely considered the frontrunner for replacing embattled PM Keir starmer in a leadership race, retracted this week on a pledge to ease fiscal rules by the government if he won.
Trump might seem to share little with a leftist mayor from the North of England. The rate drop and inflationary surge have been so severe, that Trump now seems to be backing off some of his previous pledges.
Trump has recently lowered his expectations for the incoming Fed chair Kevin?Warsh to preside over rapid and aggressive rate reductions.
Trump said in an interview published by Fortune magazine on Monday that he might have to wait for the war against Iran to be over before lowering interest rates. He said that he couldn't look at figures until the war was over.
Trump continued his comments on Tuesday by telling the Washington Examiner that he would let Warsh do whatever he wanted to. He's very talented, and he will be fine, he will do a great job.
REALITY CHECK
Uncertainty surrounds whether Trump's softening of his stance on interest rates was a result of his own assessment or that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Bessent is a former hedge-fund manager and former George Soros colleague who has been familiar with bond market sentiments for a long time.
Trump seems to accept the fact that rates will not be reduced any time soon.
The energy supply shock caused by the Iran War and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz - the sea route that used to carry a fifth of all global oil and LNG supplies - has led to a surge in price pressures.
Inflation is also on pace to surpass 4%. It has exceeded the Fed's target of 2% for over five years. According to a survey by the Philadelphia Fed of professional forecasters, CPI inflation is expected to average 6% in this quarter.
Be Rational
The pressure on the bond market to raise rates is increasing, both from the long and short ends. The spread between the two-year and the midpoint of fed funds' target range is the largest in over three years. Investors are clearly saying that the Fed needs to tighten its policy.
Tim Duy, SGH Macro Advisors, argues that an "rational" Fed will raise rates in September. It would still be less than two month before the midterm elections and Trump is unlikely to welcome this.
Duy says that inflation is "a clear liability" for Trump as he enters these elections. This complicates the president's calculations.
Even though Trump may no longer be as adamant about lower rates, that doesn't mean he's now open to higher rates.
Trump told CNBC about a month back that he'd be disappointed if Warsh did not cut rates immediately. He posted this on his Truth Social platform only two weeks ago: "Interest rates too high!"
The reality of the U.S. Bond market's $30 trillion is beginning to bite.
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(source: Reuters)