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London copper gains; firm dollar, soft US growth data cap rise
London copper rose on Thursday, after U.S. president Donald Trump hinted that a possible trade deal could be reached with China. This signaled a deescalation of tensions with the world's largest metals consumer. However, a stronger dollar, and weak U.S. economic data, capped gains. As of 0402 GMT, the benchmark copper price on London Metal Exchange (LME), rose by 0.2%, to $9,142 per metric ton. Trump stated on Wednesday that he had "potential" deals with India and South Korea, and said that it is very likely that the U.S. would make a deal in China. The dollar rose on Thursday, despite weak U.S. economic data. Investors were also looking for signs that the trade conflict may be ending. The greenback price of commodities is more expensive for buyers who use other currencies. Data showing that the U.S. economic contraction contracted for the 1st time in 3 years during the first quarter was a dampener on the mood. Businesses were rushing to import goods in order to avoid tariffs and higher costs. The decline in trade also highlights the chaotic nature of Trump's often-chaotic trade policy. "Incoming data continue to signal an economy slowdown in the U.S. An increased recession risk is underscored by a slower pace of hiring and a smaller-than-expected drop in GDP," ANZ Research stated. Other London metals saw aluminium rise 0.02% at $2,400 per ton, while zinc rose 0.04% at $2,593.5. Lead fell 0.05% at $1,956.5. Tin gained 0.2%, reaching $31,400, and nickel dropped 0.3%, falling to $15,380. The Mainland China Market will be closed on May 1st for a 5-day holiday to celebrate Labour Day. (Reporting and editing by Sumana Aich, Rashmi Anich, and Neha Arora)
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Woodside and BP Sign Gas Supply Deal for Louisiana LNG
Woodside has signed an agreement with BP for the supply natural gas to the Louisiana LNG project.The agreement represents the first tranche of a diversified portfolio of feedgas that will support the Louisiana LNG project, enabled by the project’s extensive interconnectivity to multiple producing basins and interconnecting pipelines.Under the agreement, Louisiana LNG Gas Management LLC (GasCo), a wholly owned subsidiary of Louisiana LNG, has committed to purchase on a long-term basis up to 640 billion cubic feet of gas from BP for an ultimate delivery to Line 200 beginning in 2029.GasCo will be responsible for implementing the gas sourcing strategy to support the Louisiana LNG project, according to Woodisde.On April 29, Woodside made final investment decision (FID) to the three-train, 16.5 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) Louisiana LNG project, targeting the first LNG in 2029.“Louisiana LNG is a compelling investment, expected to deliver significant cash generation and create long term shareholder value. Securing this gas supply agreement is an important step for the project.“Woodside has a long history of successful collaboration with BP. By drawing upon BP’s experience with MiQ certificates, we can access verifiably low methane intensity molecules for the Louisiana LNG project. This supports Woodside’s goals as a member in the UN Environment Programme’s OGMP 2.0 initiative,” said Meg O’Neill, Woodside’s CEO.
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Couche-Tard opens up negotiations for Japan's Seven & i by gaining access to the books
Alimentation Couche-Tard and Japan's Seven & i have signed a non-disclosure (NDA) agreement that will allow the Canadian company to access the Japanese retailer's data in order to pursue a $47 Billion acquisition. The deal represents progress in the takeover negotiations for Couche-Tard. It operates Circle-K convenience store in Canada and in the United States, and has been trying since August to acquire Seven & i. Seven & i, the operator of 7-Eleven, said that the terms and conditions of the agreement would remain confidential. The agreement includes a clause that protects the target companies against hostile takeovers. Couche-Tard said it may be able to improve its offer if it has access to "full diligence information". The current offer, which is around $47 billion, would be the largest foreign takeover of Japanese companies ever. In a statement, Paul Yonamine, the chairman of Seven & i’s independent special committee for examining bids, stated that "the execution of the NDA" was a positive step towards a constructive engagement with ACT. Seven & i previously stated that Couche-Tard’s refusal to accept "standard protections" such as a stoppage provision in a friendly agreement has prevented a NDA being signed. It also claimed that antitrust hurdles are the main barrier to the transaction in the U.S., but the two companies have been working on finding a buyer since March for more than 2,000 stores which are candidates for divestment. Seven & i, which is pursuing the takeover, has accelerated a revamp of its management and operations. This includes selling non-core lines of business, appointing a chief executive and proposing four board members. According to a recent report, Institutional Shareholder Services, a proxy adviser, has advised shareholders to support the appointment and new board members of Stephen Dacus as the new CEO. Seven & i stocks rose 2.7% on Thursday morning in Tokyo, beating the Nikkei. (Reporting from Urvi Dugar, in Bengaluru; Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo, Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo, and Anton Bridge, in Tokyo. Editing by Alan Barona and Muralikumar Aantharaman, and Sonali Paul.
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S&P downgrades Woodside's credit rating to 'negative" after LNG investment decision
S&P Global Ratings changed the outlook of Australia's Woodside from "stable" to "negative" after the company made a final decision on investment for $17.5 billion in its Louisiana liquefied gas project. The rating agency stated that Woodside's decision to move forward with the project, without a substantial sell-down of the offtake exposure, has reduced the headroom for ratings. The agency has affirmed Woodside's 'BBB+ long-term issuer rating' and 'BBB+ long-term issuer ratings'. The Australian oil and Gas Company approved an LNG project worth billions of dollars in Louisiana earlier this week. They were confident that the U.S. government would be pro-fossil-fuel and there would be a strong demand. Woodside now holds a majority of the U.S. Project after selling a 40% stake to U.S. Infrastructure Investor Stonepeak. S&P stated that Woodside was exposed to market risks of the entire project, compared to its current effective interest of 60% in the project. Woodside's Chief Executive Officer Meg O'Neill reaffirmed this week that Woodside is seeking a further stake diluting in the LNG Project. S&P anticipates that Woodside's fund from operations to debt ratio will track at around 50% in the next few years. The ratings agency stated that future ramp-ups of the Louisiana project will likely reduce cash flow. This means the energy giant has very little capacity to cope with lower oil prices or cost increases at any of their major projects.
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London copper prices rise; weak US economic data and a strong dollar cap gains
London copper rose on Thursday after comments by U.S. president Donald Trump about a possible trade deal with China. This signaled a de-escalation of tensions with the world's largest metals consumer. However, a stronger dollar as well as weak U.S. economic data limited gains. As of 0228 GMT, the benchmark copper price on London Metal Exchange (LME), was up 0.5%, to $9,167.5 per metric ton. Trump said that on Wednesday he had "potential" deals with India and South Korea, and that there was a good chance the U.S. would make a deal China. Investors focused on signs that the trade war could be cooling off as they pushed the dollar higher on Thursday. The greenback price of commodities is more expensive for buyers who use other currencies. The fact that the U.S. economic growth was negative in the first three months also weighed on the mood. The U.S. economic contraction contracted for the 1st time in 3 years during the first quarter. Businesses rushed to import goods in order to avoid tariffs, which would have increased costs. This underscored the chaotic nature of Trump's trade policy. ANZ Research stated that "Incoming data continue to signal an economic downturn in the U.S. An increased recession risk is underscored by a slower pace of hiring and a smaller-than-expected drop in GDP." Other London metals saw aluminium rise 0.08%, to $2.401.5 per ton. Zinc fell 0.1%, to $2.589.5. Lead rose 0.03%, to $1.958. Tin advanced 0.2%, to $31,400. And nickel dropped 0.1%, to $15,400. The Mainland China Market will be closed on May 1st for a 5-day holiday to celebrate Labour Day. (Reporting and editing by Rashmi aich; reporting by Neha arora)
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Polls indicate that Australia's centre left Labor Party is likely to remain in power, as Trump worries weigh on the country.
Two opinion polls released on Thursday showed that Australia's center-left Labor Government is likely to remain in power after a tight national election at the weekend. Voters ranked Donald Trump's policies as their number one concern. According to a RedBridge/Accent poll conducted by News Corp on Thursday, Labor led the Liberal-National Coalition conservative coalition 53%-47% under Australia's preferential voting system for two parties. Votes are then distributed until a winner has been declared. The RedBridge survey showed that Labor could form a majority government or win the election on its own. This is a change from the February poll, which indicated that voters wanted Anthony Albanese to leave office. RedBridge's poll found that Millennials, Generation Z, and older voters are the ones who have changed their minds about Labor. The 18 million Australians who are enrolled in Australia's compulsory voting system consist of 43% Millennials and Generation Z, which is more than the influential Baby Boomer group. The backlash against Trump and his remarks about making Canada the 51st state of the United States fueled a major political comeback by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals earlier this week. Around 48% of Australians ranked Trump's uncertainty as their top concern, while 42% were wary of opposition plans to build nuclear power plants in the country to replace coal-fired energy. A poll online of 1,011 respondents was conducted from April 24 to 29. Peter Dutton, the leader of the opposition, has been campaigning on several policies that are seen as being modeled after Trump's Department of Government Efficiency set up by Elon Musk. He later abandoned a plan which would have required all government workers to return to their full-time jobs. Dutton's popularity has been dragged down by comparisons to Trump and his policies in Australia. A poll conducted last month revealed that Australians had lost faith in the United States. YouGov released a separate poll on Thursday that predicted a Labor majority. The party is likely to win up to 85 seats out of 150 seats in the lower house, while the opposition faces a net loss 11 seats, which would be its worst performance since 1947. Albanese has downplayed the poll results and said it would be an extremely close race. (Reporting and editing by Renju José in Sydney.
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After a selloff, oil prices are now easing up as supply concerns take hold
The oil prices rose slightly on Thursday after sharp drops the day before, driven by signs that Saudi Arabia can produce more and the fact that the U.S. economic contraction in the first quarter. Brent crude futures increased 16 cents OR 0.3% to $61.22 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures rose 6 cents, or 0.1% to $58.27. The two contracts closed Wednesday at their lowest levels in four years. Sources say Saudi Arabian officials have informed allies and experts in the industry that the kingdom does not want to support the oil market by cutting further supplies and is able to handle a long period of low oil prices. Three sources familiar with OPEC+ discussions told us earlier this month that several OPEC+ member countries will propose the group increases oil production in June by a significant amount for a second month in a row. The U.S. economy shrank for the first three-year period in the first quarter. Businesses rushed to import goods in order to avoid tariff-related costs, highlighting the chaotic nature of President Donald Trump’s trade policy. A poll suggests that Trump's tariffs make it likely the global economy will slide into recession in 2019. An oil price poll on Wednesday showed that OPEC+’s decision to reduce supplies and a demand outlook clouded with trade disputes between China and the U.S. will have a negative impact on prices in 2018. In April, a survey of 40 analysts and economists projected that Brent crude would average $68.98 per barrel in 2025. This is down from the estimate of $72.94 in March. U.S. crude oil is forecast to average $65.08 per barrel in 2025, down from last month's $69.16 estimate. The Energy Information Administration reported on Wednesday that U.S. crude stockpiles dropped unexpectedly by 2.7m barrels due to higher exports and refinery demands, as opposed to analysts' expectations, which were based on a poll, of a 429,000-barrel increase. (Reporting from Arathy S. Somasekhar, Houston Editing by Shri Navaratnam.)
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US House votes to rescind California's heavy-duty truck regulations
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to revoke the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of California’s plans for a growing number of zero emission heavy-duty trucks. The House also voted on repealing an EPA waiver granted in December by former president Joe Biden to California's "Omnibus", low-NOx regulations for heavy-duty highway vehicles and off-road engines. Separately, the U.S. House will vote on Thursday against California's historic plan to stop selling gasoline-only cars by 2035. This plan has already been adopted by eleven other states. The EPA granted a waiver for the plan under the Clean Air Act in December. The question remains as to whether Congress has the power to revoke waivers by using the Congressional Review Act. In March, the The Government Accountability Office has said that waivers are not allowed. The CRA allows for repeal of the law with only a majority vote in the U.S. Senate. California Air Resources Board stated Wednesday that the votes were in violation of the Congressional Review Act, nonpartisan analyses by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Senate parliamentarian. A spokesperson for the board said that "CARB will continue to carry out its mission of protecting public health in Californians affected by harmful air pollutants." Republican Representative John James stated that the rules will increase vehicle prices and burden truckers and working families across the nation. California, under an executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020, plans to mandate that by 2045, all medium- and heavy duty vehicles will be zero-emission wherever possible, moving away from diesel powered trucks. CARB reports that heavy-duty vehicles weighing more than 14,000 pounds (6.4 tons) account for over 50% of the nitrogen oxides and diesel fine particle pollution on California's roads. The NOx rule is expected to reduce heavy-duty vehicle emissions by 90%, and will result in $23 Billion in health benefits due to reduced illnesses. The largest U.S. source of transportation is U.S. greenhouse gas emissions Heavy-duty vehicles, with 23%, are the second largest contributors. (Reporting and editing by Stephen Coates; David Shepardson)
Musk announces more cuts during cabinet meeting
Elon Musk, the downsizing czar at Trump's inaugural cabinet meeting, vowed to continue to cut spending.
A new memo from the administration instructed agencies to submit by March 13, plans for a "significant" reduction in staffing. The federal workforce was already feeling the effects of Musk's wave of layoffs, and cuts to programs. The memo did not specify the number of layoffs desired.
The memo was signed by White House Budget Director Russell Vought, and Office of Personnel Management Acting Head Charles Ezell. It represents a major step in Trump and Musk’s campaign to reduce the size of U.S. Government.
So far, layoffs have primarily targeted probationary workers. These workers have less experience in their current positions and have fewer protections. Next, the vastly larger pool of experienced civil servants would be targeted.
Trump announced at the cabinet meeting that Lee Zeldin will be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cut to 65%
More than 15,000 of his employees.
A source in the Interior Department told U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs are preparing for staff reductions of 10% to 40%.
Since Trump's election, 100,000 civilian federal employees have been terminated or bought out.
Musk was invited to a cabinet meeting by Trump, who gave him a remarkable sign of support. He asked Musk to talk about his Department of Government Efficiency which oversees the overhaul.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, wearing a "Make America Great Again", black baseball cap, and a "tech support" T-shirt in front of cabinet secretaries, expressed his confidence that he could cut the $6.7 trillion annual budget by $1 trillion. This extremely ambitious goal would probably mean significant disruptions to government programs.
Musk stated that "the country would go de facto bankruptcy" without such deep cuts in spending.
Trump also signed an executive directive on Wednesday directing agencies and DOGE to review all "unnecessary contracts" and terminate them. He also instructed the General Services Administration (which manages government real estate) to develop a plan to dispose of any unwanted property.
Trump and Musk are yet to slow down the pace of spending. According to an analysis, the government has spent 13% extra during Trump's first full month in office compared to the same period last year. This is largely because of higher interest payments and the rising costs for health and retirement incurred by a growing population.
Trump reiterated that he would not cut popular retirement and health benefits, which account for almost half the budget.
Trump said, "We won't touch it."
Trump wants Congress to extend his 2017 tax cuts. These are the most important legislative achievements of his first term and will expire by the end of the year. According to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the 2017 tax cuts increased the debt of the country by $2.5 trillion -- it is now at $36 trillion. The report estimated that the extension of tax cuts would cost over $5 trillion in a decade.
Republicans are considering cuts in food and healthcare aid to the poor as a way to pay for tax cuts. Specifics have yet to be revealed.
TRUMP SAID SOME WORKERS WERE 'ON THE BUBBLE'
Musk warned that if the demand was not met, the federal employees would be terminated.
Some agencies instructed employees to ignore the order, causing confusion for days about whether Musk or Trump would be able to make good on their threat.
Musk, the richest man in the world, said that his email was a way to check if government salaries were actually going to workers.
He said without supplying any evidence that "we think there are some people on the payroll of the government who are dead".
Trump said that workers who didn't respond to Musk’s email could lose their jobs.
He used a slang expression to describe a situation with an uncertain outcome.
Trump and Musk’s unprecedented government overhaul also froze foreign aid, disrupted scientific research and construction projects.
According to a source briefed about the issue, the GSA (also known as the landlord of the government) plans to cancel 1,100 office leases by the end the year.
The person stated that the terminations would target "soft-term" leases which no longer have cancellation penalties and are easily terminable. The GSA oversees approximately 2,800 "soft-term" leases and thousands of "firm-term", leases which cannot be terminated without cause. (Additional reporting from Nathan Layne; editing by Ross Colvin and Deepa Babington)
(source: Reuters)