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LME copper prices tick up after tensions in the Middle East end
The London Metal Exchange saw a rise in copper?prices on Monday as the market digested the weekend's tense U.S. Iran?peace talks. Benchmark three-month Copper?on LME gained 0.71% to $13,692?a metric tonne by 0700 GMT. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 0.08%, to 104 890 yuan per ton ($15 476.21). After the peace talks between the U.S.A. and Iran, traders closely monitored the macroeconomic climate. David Wilson, BNP Paribas' head of metals strategy, stated that the market was just waiting and watching to see what would happen. Mediators confirmed that the first round of high level peace talks ended on Monday. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, threatened to restart attacks while Tehran announced that it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. The conflict has affected the?base metal market, dampening the risk appetite and increasing energy prices. This has dimmed growth expectations. Wilson stated that "LME copper is moving based on expectations of rate and inflation on the one hand and a Gulf Peace dividend on another." Markets are also awaiting a report and recommendations from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick? on possible copper tariffs. This is due at the end of June. Metals from Europe and Asia have been shipped to the United States due to tariff concerns. Metals from Europe and Asia are being shipped to the?U.S. Copper stocks at?LME registered warehouses decreased on Friday Exchange data revealed that?fell another 3,575 tons to 352150 tons. The number of cancelled warrants, which indicate metal that is destined for withdrawal, reached 37%. The SHFE reported on Thursday that copper inventories in warehouses monitored by the exchange fell 23.6% during the past week. Aluminium gained 0.62% on the LME, while zinc rose by?0.48%. Lead rose 0.1%, nickel rose 1.65%, and tin increased by?3.08%. The SHFE showed that aluminium rose by 0.92%. Zinc fell by 0.32%. Lead dropped 0.49%. Nickel slipped 0.09%. Tin gained 0.67%. $1 = 6.7775 Chinese Yuan (Reporting and editing by Mrigank Dahniwala, Subhranshu Saghu).
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Two Palestinian teenagers are killed by Israeli soldiers in West Bank
Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian teens?in occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military claimed the two had attacked a nearby Jewish settlement with firebombs and?burning tires. Officials from the Palestinian Authority did not comment on the incident that resulted in death near Beit Ummar. The Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that the teens were between 15 and 19. A relative also confirmed their ages. It was not possible to independently verify Israel's military account. It claimed that its forces shot at three individuals who were hurling fire bombs and burning tyres in the vicinity of Karmei Tzur settlement. The military reported that one of the three victims was injured and two were killed. WAFA reported that the third person is in stable condition at a hospital. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), he's 15 years old. Israeli troops have conducted frequent raids on the West Bank, and in recent months tightened restrictions on movement in Palestinian villages near settlements. Most countries and U.N. agencies view Israel's settlements under international law as illegal and as a major obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state. Israel, however, rejects the idea that the territory is occupied. Instead it views it as disputed. Israeli settlements have increased their attacks on Palestinians, and the villages they live in. U.N. figures show that at least 57 Palestinians were killed in incidents between settlers and the military since the beginning of the year. According to Israel's Shin Bet security service, Palestinians also committed?attacks against Israeli soldiers and settlers?in the West Bank. At least one of these attacks was fatal in 2026. Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Pesha Magid; Editing and production by Rami Ayyub, Gareth Jones and Maayan Libell
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Gold recovers from a one-week low after Iran mentions progress in peace negotiations
?Gold recovered from a more than one-week-low on Monday as oil prices dropped after Iran cited the progress of U.S. - Iran peace talks. However, bets on higher interest rates following hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve signaling weighed on metal's prospects. As of 0608 GMT spot gold was up 0.8% to $4,194.99 an ounce after dropping to its lowest level since June 11, on Friday. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 0.8% to $4213.10. According to Press TV, the first round of talks between senior U.S. officials and Iranian officials took place in Switzerland on Monday. An Iranian spokesperson for the foreign ministry said that good progress had been made. In a joint statement issued by Qatar and Pakistan, the two nations that are mediating the situation, it was stated that?U.S. The United States and Iran have agreed on a roadmap to reach a final agreement within 60 days. Edward Meir is an analyst with Marex. He said, "The current situation in Switzerland?is very different than a few hours back when they were fighting. But now, it appears that there's some progress." "We will continue to trade on geopolitical principles for some time, but since the situation is still fluid, it's best to stay out of the fray for the moment." Brent crude futures dropped more than 1% following the announcement. The rising oil prices fuel inflation fears and increase expectations for higher interest rates. When rates are high, gold tends to lose its appeal as it doesn't yield any interest. Investors were led to believe that a rate increase was imminent because of the emphasis placed by Fed Chair Kevin Warsh on inflation during his press conference last week. Nine out of 19 Fed policymakers think they'll need to increase the policy rate in this year. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders now see an 89% probability of a rate hike in December. This is up from 61% prior to?the Fed meeting. Silver spot rose by 2.4%, to $66.48 an ounce. Platinum gained 0.7%, to $1675.91. Palladium increased 1.8%, to $1280.45. (Reporting and editing by Rashmi aich, Sonia Cheema, Harikrishnan Nair in Bengaluru)
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ROI-Guinea bets bauxite dominance can reshape aluminium supply: Andy Home
Guinea, a country in West Africa, is now the world's largest producer of bauxite - the raw material that ultimately becomes aluminium. It is now trying to use its newfound dominance in order to exert greater control over price and industry structure. Just as Indonesia did in nickel, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in cobalt. Three resource giants struggle to control mining sectors which have?grown too large too fast, flooding global markets and crashing the prices. Indonesia uses mining quotas. The Congo has export quotas. Guinea is considering a combination of the two to stop operators from exporting more than what their mining quotas permit them to produce. Conakry has the opportunity to follow Indonesia's example by shifting from bauxite to alumina refinement and capturing more value of its resources. The commitment of Chinese state-owned aluminium producer Chalco to build a $1 billion refinery is proof that the strategy is working. BAUXITE BOOM Bauxite, the third-most abundant element on Earth's surface, is too dispersed and/or too low in quality to be converted into alumina. Guinea is home to the largest reserves of metallurgical Bauxite in the world. It also produces a highly-pure?product valued for its low natural silica content. China has become the largest producer of bauxite in the world, surpassing Australia by 2023. It now represents around 40% of the global production and 70% of seaborne exports. Guinea's exports increased by 25% in 2025 to 183 millions metric tons, which led to the prices falling by nearly half during the last year and first part of 2026. The government is looking for the best way to slow down the market without creating the kind of disruption that Congo's export quotas caused. CHINESE DEPENDENCY China is increasingly dependent on Guinea to supply bauxite for its massive aluminium sector. Imports from Guinea grew rapidly, rising from 334,000 tons of bauxite in 2015 to 149,000,000 tons by 2025. By then they represented 74% of total bauxite exports. China's bauxite deposits are depleted after decades of mining, and they're a lower quality than those found in Guinea. The country's alumina refinery capacity has also been boosted in the past century. This is far more than its domestic bauxite mine capacity. The Chinese have plenty of time to prepare for the planned crackdown by Guinea on its bauxite industry. Imports from Guinea in March reached a record monthly volume of 18 million tonnes. The scale of the flow of materials makes it difficult to break the dependence. The nature of the dependency will however change. ALUMINA AMBITIONS Chalco's commitment to building the new 1.2-million-ton-per-year alumina refinery shows how seriously China takes the threat to the flow of raw materials. This is the first significant overseas investment by China's giant state corporation in alumina. This is the third alumina refinery announced by China in recent months. The only refinery in Guinea is the Friguia plant. It was built in 1960 and has been owned by France's Pechiney and then by U.S. producers Reynolds, and since 2008, by Rusal. The refinery was shut down between 2012 and 2018, but it is now operating, although at a lower capacity than its original 650,000 tons per year. Conakry's government aims to build five or six additional processing plants by 2030, with a combined?capacity of 7 million tons alumina. The seizure last year of mining assets by Emirates Global Aluminium for failing to fulfill a commitment for refining, has served as a warning to other operators. NEW INDUSTRY HUB Guinea follows Indonesia's lead, which in 2023 banned the export of bauxite to force miners into building up processing capacity. Guinea does not have enough energy to refine alumina or smelt it into aluminium. If Guinea is able to implement its strategy successfully, it could be a catalyst for the development of a West African hub for alumina. Other African bauxite-producing countries are also following the same path of value-added to keep more of their mineral revenue. Nigeria signed a $1.3billion investment deal with Africa Finance Corporation to build an alumina refining plant, while Ghana wants to do the exact same thing under the auspices?of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation. The shift in Africa from mining to "first-stage processing" could have a transformative effect on the aluminum supply chain. The seaborne bauxite industry will shrink. The global alumina market will grow and China's domestic refineries of alumina will be in competition with the largest raw material suppliers. Andy Home is a columnist at. This column is great! Check out Open Interest, your new essential source for global financial commentary. Follow ROI on LinkedIn and X. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast daily on Apple, Spotify or the app. Subscribe to the Morning Bid podcast and hear journalists discussing the latest news in finance and markets seven days a weeks.
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Gold recovers from a one-week low after Iran mentions progress in peace negotiations
?Gold recovered from a more than?one week low on Monday as oil prices dropped after Iran cited the progress of U.S. - Iran peace talks. However, bets for higher interest rates following hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve signalling limited the metal's gain. As of 0424 GMT spot gold was up 0.4% to $4,176.34 an ounce after dropping to its lowest level since June 11, on Friday. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 1.2% to $4194.40. According to Press TV, the first round of talks between senior U.S. officials and Iranian officials ended in Switzerland on Monday. An Iranian spokesperson said that 'good progress had been made. In a joint statement, the mediating nations Qatar & Pakistan stated that Iran and the U.S. agreed on a road map to reach a final agreement within 60 days. Edward Meir is an analyst with Marex. He said, "The current situation in Switzerland?is very different than a few hours back when they were fighting. But now, it appears that there's some progress." "We will continue to trade on geopolitical principles for some time, but since the situation is still fluid, it's best to stay out of the fray for the moment." Brent crude futures dropped over 1% following the announcement. The rising oil price fuels inflation fears and increases expectations for higher interest rates. Gold tends to lose its appeal when interest rates are high because it doesn't?yield any interest. Kevin Warsh, Fed Chair, spoke about inflation at his press conference last week, but without any other more nuanced comments on what could clear the bar for a rate increase. This led investors to believe that an increase was imminent. Nine out of 19 Fed policymakers think they'll need to increase the policy rate in the coming year. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders now see an 89% probability of a rate hike in December. This is up from 61% prior to?the Fed meeting. Silver spot rose by 1%, to $65.53 an ounce. Platinum fell by 0.3%, to $1,659.40. Palladium increased 0.6%, to $1,265.12. (Reporting and editing by Rashmi Cheema, Sonia Cheema, and Harikrishnan Nair in Bengaluru)
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Indian shares surge on hopes for peace in the Middle East; Reliance's Jio IPO gets a boost
Indian shares rose in the early trade on Monday, following their Asian counterparts after the?U.S. - Iran peace talks at the weekend raised hope that the long-running?conflict might be coming to an end. The first round of 'U.S.-Iran 'talks ended on a positive note, with progress made on a roadmap to a final agreement within 60 days. This helped calm investor nerves following a tense start marked by Tehran announcing it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz. As of 10 a.m. IST, India's benchmark Nifty rose by 0.5% to 24,133. The BSE Sensex gained 0.52%, reaching 77,192.54. 13?of 16 major sectors? gained. Small-caps and middle-caps gained 0.4% and 0.2% respectively. The only thing that is causing concern at this point is the rain deficit, said G. Chokkalingam. He's the founder and head researcher of Equinomics. Brokers say that the Jio Platforms, AI businesses and new energy businesses will be the key growth drivers for the oil-totelecom conglomerate. Sources claim that Jio filed for a $3.8 Billion IPO, which could be the largest in India. The IT index, which fell 3.7% Friday following Accenture's poor demand forecast, rose 1.2%. The return of foreign inflows, after a record outflow of $30.6 billion year-todate, helped boost market sentiment. Foreign investors purchased 48.59?billion?rupees ($515.2m) worth of Indian shares last Friday. This was their 'largest daily purchase since February 1, driven by changes in an FTSE Index. Chokkalingam stated that "concerns about foreign?outflows will ease as a result of recent policy measures and the decline in crude oil prices." Kirloskar Oil Engines, a stock in the oil industry, soared by 20% after receiving an order.
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Any progress with Hormuz on the line is good.
Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the markets will be like in Europe and around the world. The 'off-again-on-again' peace talks between Iran and the U.S. have been making?progress in Asia. After President Trump threatened to 'freshly attack Iran,' and Tehran announced that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, everything seemed to be in doubt. Iranian negotiators then claimed that progress was made during the first round of talks. Meanwhile, officials from Oman and Pakistan said a committee would be formed to oversee the negotiations with the goal of achieving a deal within 60 days. It was unclear what the status of the strait is. The U.S. Central Command reported that 55 vessels had passed through the strait on Saturday. Tracking showed 32 the day before. Iran said a system would be established to regulate the waterway. This could include a fee for shipping. Brent crude oil reversed course and fell?2.5% below $79.00 per barrel. Meanwhile, Asian share markets rose. Wall Street Treasuries and futures pared their early losses despite the growing risk of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Futures suggest that there is a 75% probability of a rate hike as soon as September, and a 41 basis point tightening at the end of the year. The yields on 2-year Treasuries have reached their highest level since early 2025, at 4.2276%. Trump caused a stir when he posted that Keir Starmer, the UK's Prime Minister, was going to resign. This followed reports in multiple media that Starmer planned to announce his plans in order to allow for a leadership contest by Andy Burnham. Burnham won a seat in Parliament by a landslide last week. Burnham, if true, is expected to take the top job. He will likely shake up the Cabinet - including replacing Finance Minister Rachel Reeves. The gilt market does not know how serious Burnham is about fiscal discipline and is concerned that he may end up borrowing and spending more. Key developments which could affect the?markets on a Monday: - Federal Reserve Board governor Christopher Waller makes a welcome speech ECB President Christine Lagarde speaks with Economy Commissioner Valdis Dobrovskis EU Consumer Confidence for June Canadian Inflation for May
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London Copper prices rise after volatile Mideast Peace Negotiations
The London Metal Exchange saw a slight increase in copper prices on Monday, as the market digested the turbulent weekend of U.S. - Iran peace negotiations. Benchmark three-month Copper on the 'LME rose 0.41% by 0300 GMT to $13,650.5 per metric ton. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 0.46%, to 104 490 yuan per ton ($15 425.16). After the peace talks between the U.S.A. and Iran, traders closely monitored the macroeconomic climate. Mediators confirmed that the first round of high level peace talks concluded on Monday. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, threatened to resume his attacks and Tehran announced that it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. Conflict has affected the base metal market, dampening appetite for risk and increasing energy prices. This has had a negative impact on growth expectations. Brent crude fell by 2.04%. Market participants are also watching the potential introduction of U.S. tariffs on copper imports. Copper prices have been supported by tariff concerns and material has been pulled from outside U.S. warehouses. Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, is expected to review the tariff and make a recommendation by the end June. The U.S. is considering a 15% tariff on copper imports starting in 2027 and then a 30% tax from 2028. The SHFE reported on Thursday that copper inventories in the?warehouses it monitors fell by 23.6%. The data from the exchange showed that on Friday, copper inventories in LME registered warehouses dropped by 3,575 tons. This brought their total to 352,150 tonnes. The number of cancelled warrants (indicating metal earmarked to be withdrawn) reached 37%. Aluminium was the least affected metal on the LME, with a 0.01% decrease. Zinc rose by?0.1%, while lead fell 0.13%. Nickel grew 0.94%, and tin jumped?1.12%. Other metals on SHFE have also seen a rise of 0.33%. Zinc has fallen by 0.72%. Lead is down 0.76%. Nickel is down 0.98%. Tin is down 1.69%.
Palm oil continues to gain on rival oil, a weaker Ringgit
Malaysian palm futures rose for the second consecutive session on Monday,?and reached a one-and a half-month high. Supported by stronger Dalian edible oils, a weaker Ringgit and a stronger Chicago edible oil, gains were capped however by the weakness of crude oil.
By midday, the benchmark palm oil contract on Bursa Derivatives Exchange for September delivery had risen 8 ringgit or 0.17% to 4,654 Ringgit ($1,121.72) per metric ton.
The contract reached 4,692 ringgit at the beginning of the session, which was its highest level since 6 May before reducing?gains.
A Kuala Lumpur trader said that "Palm rose due to a weaker ringgit, and Chicago soyoil was supportive. However, gains were limited by the?crude-oil weakness".
The Chicago Board of Trade soyoil price was?up by 0.72%. Palm oil prices on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 0.53% while the most active soyoil contract gained 0.01%.
As palm oil competes to gain a share in the global vegetable oil market, it tracks the price fluctuations of competing edible oils.
The palm ringgit's currency has weakened by 0.39% compared to the dollar. This makes the commodity more appealing for buyers with foreign currencies.
Intertek Testing Services, a cargo surveyor, reported that exports of Malaysian products containing palm oil for the period June 1-20 increased 19.1%, to 907,067 tonnes, from a month earlier.
Brent crude prices 'fell by about 2% after U.S. - Iran talks ended in Switzerland. Tehran said it had obtained waivers for oil and petrochemical exports. This eased concerns about a shortage of supply on?global market.
Palm oil is less appealing as a biodiesel feedstock due to lower crude oil futures.
Technical analyst Wang Tao said that palm oil could return to the high of 4,690 Ringgit reached on June 3, as more than 86.4% has been reversed from the previous level.
(source: Reuters)