Europe

An official from the?industry?ministry said that Japan would consider buying Russian crude oil after the U.S. granted a 30-day waiver of?sanctions amid the Iran War, taking into account international conditions and its own?national interest. The U.S. waiver permits countries to purchase sanctioned Russian crude oil and petroleum products that are currently stranded on the sea. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described this as a move to stabilize the global energy market, which has been?roiled by Iran's war. Narumi hosokawa, the deputy general-director of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI) immediate crisis management, said, "We will examine the issue in...

dsm firmenich, a European chemicals manufacturer, said on Thursday that it 'expects a slightly... higher adjusted core.profit margin % in 2026. It also said it is focusing on accelerating its growth for the next fiscal. The group stated that "macro-economic issues experienced in the second half 2025 continued into the first quarter of 2026. These include cautious consumer demand, and adverse FX effects." The group expects to achieve an adjusted earnings before interest taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), margin of 20%. This is slightly higher than the 19.6% reported by the company last year and beats?the same figure?expected in average...

Oil prices rose on Thursday as Iran intensified its attacks?on?oil?and?transport facilities in the Middle East. This sparked fears of a long-term conflict and disruptions to oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent futures were up $8.54 or 9.28% to $100.52 a bar at 0354 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $7.22 or 8.28% to $94.47. Brent crude oil hit $119.50 per barrel on Monday. It was its highest price since mid-2022. Then, it dropped when U.S. president Donald Trump announced that the Iran War could end soon. In remarks directed at the U.S., an Iranian military spokesperson said...

According to three sources, the commodity trader Mercuria intends to remove large volumes of aluminum from LME storage facilities, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has 'frozen' Middle East shipments, and put further pressure on supplies in Europe, and the United States. Around 9% of global primary aluminium is produced in the Middle East. Since last week, the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz. Mercuria, a Swiss company, cancelled or designated for delivery on Monday nearly 100,000 tons?of aluminium in LME-approved Port Klang warehouses. The sources who are familiar with the issue...

Brazilian sugar and ethanol ?producer Raizen said on Wednesday it had reached an ?out-of-court agreement with ?creditors and bondholders ?to restructureapproximately ?65.1 billion reais ($12.61 billion) in debt obligations. The company is a joint-venture between Shell, an oil giant listed in London, and Brazilian conglomerate Cosan. It has been in talks for months to find ways to improve its capital structure and reduce its debt. Raizen stated in a?security filing that creditors who hold 47% of the company's unsecured debt had already endorsed this plan. The company has 90 days to get enough?support to receive final approval. After that, the...

Calculations showed that the price of Russian crude oil, used to tax the country, has exceeded the budget target?for the first time since Jan 2025?because?of?the rise in global prices due to the Iran War. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, in 2022, Russia has increased its military spending, increasing its deficit. In January-February, it was 3.45 trillion Russian roubles (43.70 billion dollars), or 1.5%. The Iran War, which involved U.S., Israeli and Iranian strikes on Iran, and Iranian strikes against Israel and U.S. military bases, as well as Gulf states has fueled a significant increase in demand for...

The price of British government bonds?fell dramatically in early trade on Tuesday, as the markets questioned if the plans for a record releasing?of oil reserve could offset any potential supply shocks resulting from the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. As of 0906 GMT the short-dated gilt yields were up around 12 basis points, completely erasing Tuesday's large drops. Investors have also reduced their bets for a Bank of England rate cut in this year. The probability is now?roughly 20 percent, down from 50 percent a day ago. The British public is more vulnerable to a shock in energy prices...

'Britain and its allies are working on a variety of options to support commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz despite iranian threats. The spokesman for Prime Minister Keir 'Starmer said that Tuesday, as the U.S. - Israel war against Iran is roiling oil prices. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has said that the war will end "soon." He also stated that the U.S. would escalate its attack if Iran attempted to block tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Downing Street read out a statement after speaking with the leaders of Germany, Italy and France late on Monday. They...

Each financial market crisis differs, but they all rhyme. Parallels are emerging between the 'tremors' now rippling across private credit and the subprime housing in the U.S. that led to 2007-09 Global Financial Crisis. It's not to say that a replay of the historic crash is imminent. There is a growing danger that the increasing stress in the private credit market - i.e., the lack of liquidity, the opaque pricing and the soaring redemptions – could spill?over into the public markets. BlackRock, with its $14 trillion in assets under management, announced?on? Friday that it had limited withdrawals after an influx...

The German fashion group Hugo Boss announced a better-than expected annual operating profit on Tuesday, despite a difficult market environment. It also said that it has not yet felt the impact of the Middle East conflict. The company's earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), which were 391 million euro ($455million) in 2025, are up from 361 millions euros a year ago, and well above the average analyst forecast of 379million euros, according to a poll conducted by the company. Early trading saw a 4% rise in shares of the company. The stock has risen 1.3% from the beginning of the...

These are the most popular?stories from the Wall Street Journal. ? The accuracy of these stories has not been verified by the site. Rio Tinto has said that it is currently in negotiations with Mongolia regarding the Oyu Tolgoi mine, which is one of the largest deposits of?metal required to build data centers and electric vehicles. Shell agreed to sell Jiffy Lube?to Monomoy Capital Partners in a $1.3billion deal. Shell announced that the sale included Jiffy Lube, the?franchisee Premium Velocity Auto, and a network of stores operated by independent franchisees. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are supporting a new...

Oil prices dropped on Tuesday, after hitting a three-year high in the previous session. U.S. president Donald Trump predicted that the Middle East war could be over soon. This eased concerns about disruptions of global oil supply. Brent futures were down $4.17 or 4.2% to $94.79 per barrel at 0345 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however, was down $3.81 or 4% to $90.96 per barrel. Both contracts had fallen as much as 11 % earlier, before reversing some of their losses. On Monday, oil prices soared to their highest level since mid-2022 as Saudi Arabia and others cut...

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's (BMI) data showed that global EV registrations dropped 11% in February. This was largely due to China's biggest?sales?drop since early 2020 when the COVID-19 epidemic began. China, which has been slackening its policies to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, has stopped funding auto trade-ins. A tax exemption on EVs in China expired at the end last year. BMI reported that China,?the largest EV market in the world, saw a 32% drop in battery-electric car registrations and?plug in hybrid vehicle sales in February, a proxy measure of sales. This dropped to less than 500,000 cars. This is...

Norsk Hydro announced on Thursday that its 'Qatalum' aluminium smelter, located in Qatar, would halt the curtailment begun last week. Production will be maintained at around 60% of capacity with reduced natural gas supplies. Qatalum - which has an annual smelting capability of 648,000 tons - began a controlled shut down on March 3, after it was informed that the gas supply would be cut off. QatarEnergy, a state-owned company, announced the day before that it would halt?LNG output after Iranian drones attacked its facilities. Hydro released a statement saying that Qatalum had decided to stop further curtailment after receiving...

BMW warns that it will not see any relief from the ongoing tariff costs in China and intense competition. The company warned on Thursday about a modest decline in its pre-tax earnings in 2026 and a stagnation of deliveries. BMW's rivals Volkswagen, Mercedes and Audi also reported a weaker 2025 due to trade barriers and falling China sales. They also made mistakes with electrification as the market demand for electric vehicles diverged in key markets. The outbreak of war in the Middle East has roiled nerves, fueling supply chain concerns and driving up fuel prices. It also threatens?demand, which is...

Two sources with knowledge of the matter said that commodities trader IXM has begun initial talks with aluminium suppliers and is looking to restart its aluminum trading business in 2019. One source said that Geneva-based IXM owned by China's CMOC Group, and one of world's biggest traders of non-ferrous physical metals has been discussing internally the rebuilding of a team to trade aluminium since?December. A CMOC spokesperson said: "As a trader, IXM will adjust the trading product to match market conditions." IXM and Lygend didn't immediately respond to comments. This move coincides with some forecasts that?light metals used in 'transport,...

Cemex, the Mexican cement manufacturer, announced on Wednesday that it will be selling some assets in Colombia. It expects this to bring in $555 million. Cemex said in a press release that Holcim would buy a cement mill, a grinding plant and a portfolio of other plants from them for $485m in a deal expected to close before the end of the year. The cement manufacturer said that it is in talks with unidentified parties about other assets worth around $70 million. Media reported that Cemex was 'looking to exit Colombia' after its sales in Central America and the Philippines...

CleanTech Lithium will formally begin the search for "a strategic partner" for its Laguna Verde Lithium project after publishing a prefeasibility report later this month. The process is expected to take between nine and twelve months, according to Chief Executive Ignacio Mehech. The timeline provides a better idea of how fast the London-listed firm hopes to progress one of only a few private-sector projects in Chile that are moving forward. New supply has not been forthcoming despite high long-term expectations. CleanTech announced on Tuesday it had 'agreed contractual terms with Chile’s mining ministry for an exclusive lithium operating contract (CEOL)?for...

Rio Tinto increased its offer of a?aluminum premium to?Japanese customers to $350 per ton for April-June primary shipments. This is up 79% compared to the current quarter. The revised offer, which is 40% more than Rio's prior proposal of $250, would, if accepted by the client, be the highest premium since the April-June 2015 quarter, when it reached $380 per ton. Japan is the largest?Asian metal importer and the premiums it agrees to pay each quarter for primary metal shipments over the London Metal Exchange cash price are the benchmarks for the region. Global?producers in late February offered Japanese buyers...

Rio Tinto announced the first commercial shipment of lithium carbonate from its Rincon project, located in Salta Province in Argentina. This marks the official start of exports. In a late-Monday statement, the company said that a?shipment of?200 tons in 10 containers had left the Port of Buenos Aires for Shanghai, China. It will be received at a warehouse and distributed in Asian markets. The Rincon project will add a production capacity of 53,000 tons per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate starting in 2028. Anglo-Australian Mining Company, a mining company based in the United States, said that Argentina is a key...

The Financial Times reported that Mongolia wants to renegotiate "unfair" terms for Rio Tinto's Oyu Tolgoi copper mine worth $18 billion. The newspaper reported that the Mongolian Prime Minister, Gombojavyn Zaandanshatar, warned Rio in a Monday meeting about the "unfairness" of the current deal. He added that the "situation feels like the Mongolians and their parliament are being misled", the paper said. The report stated that Zandanshatar, along with other government officials, will meet Rio executives this week, including head of copper Katie Jackson to discuss the terms of the deal. Mongolia holds 34% of Oyu Tolgoi - one of...

Customs data showed that China's imports of iron ore in the first two months 2026 increased by 10% compared to a year ago, thanks to stronger exports from Australia, a major supplier, and a higher level of domestic demand. In January and February of this year, the world's biggest iron ore consumer imported 210.02 metric tons. This is up from 191.36 metric tons in previous years. Alexis Ellender is an analyst with the ship tracking firm Kpler. She said that this growth was due to Australia's strong exports in December. China combined import data from January and February in order...

The iron-ore pellet manufacturer?Ferrexpo warned on Monday of "material 'negative consequences" unless they secure alternative?banking agreements after a collapse in a Swiss banking partner MBaer, which sent shares down 4%. Ferrexpo AG's Swiss subsidiary (FAG), had a banking arrangement with MBaer Merchant Bank AG. The bank is slated to be closed by the Swiss financial regulator for alleged money laundering violations and breaches of sanctions against Iran and Russia. Ferrexpro used the bank for 'commercial payments outside Ukraine' and said that MBaer holds about $3 million with FAG. Ferrexpo stated that the collapse of Ferrexpo's Ukraine subsidiaries will not have...

Aluminum prices rose 'again' on Friday, after breaking a three-day winning streak in the previous session. They were on their way to their biggest weekly increase in more than 18-months as a result of?supply -concerns resulting from the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. As of 1050 GMT, the benchmark three-month aluminum on the London Metal Exchange had increased by 1.5% to $3,346.50 a metric tonne. Aluminium, a metal used for packaging and transportation, reached a four-year high of $3.418 per metric ton on Wednesday. The Mideast crisis was threatening to stop shipments. LME aluminum was expected to rise 6.6% in the...