France

A European lobbying group, looking for cover against the U.S. - China trade war, said Monday that China's tightening of export controls is pushing European firms into exploring new supply chain capacities outside the world's largest economy. According to the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, one in three of its member companies are looking to move their sourcing from China because of Beijing's export controls regime. Forty percent of respondents to its recent flash survey reported that the Commerce Ministry is processing export licenses slower than promised. The chamber's President Jens Eskelund said that China's export controls had...

TotalEnergies was accused by a European human rights organization of complicity with war crimes, torture, and enforced disappearances in Mozambique. The complaint was filed to the French prosecutor's office on Tuesday. Four years after an Islamist militant attack that halted construction, the French oil giant, together with its project partners lifted force majeure for their $20 billion Mozambique gas project. The complaint seeks a link between Total and alleged mozambican torture on its evacuated site of the gas project from July to September 2020, after the oil firm exfiltrated their employees and gave the land to government on the basis...

Tyson Foods agreed to cease claiming it would reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050, and to stop marketing beef as climate-friendly in order to settle a suit that accused the U.S. Meat Company of misleading consumers. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group announced this on Monday. The Environmental Working Group reported on Monday that companies have been accused of "greenwashing," where they present an image of environmental responsibility to the public. In the lawsuit filed by Environmental Working Group, Tyson's Brazen Beef brand was cited as an example of misleading advertising. The company claimed that this was the...

The French antitrust authority fined TotalEnergies and Rubis a total of 187 million euro ($217.3) for an anticompetitive agreement that increased fuel prices in Corsica. The island's population is just over 350,000 and it relies heavily on automobiles for transport. All fuels are imported through DPLC depots, which are jointly owned by Rubis TotalEnergies, EG Retail, and TotalEnergies. The watchdog stated that between 2016 and 2023, no other company is allowed to use these depots. The watchdog stated that the agreement reserving the use of Corsican depots for DPLC shareholders only is anticompetitive, and will likely shut out competitors at...

TotalEnergies, the French oil giant, announced on Monday that it had agreed to purchase 50% of EPH's flexible energy generation platform in Western Europe. The deal is a stock-only transaction worth 5.1 billion euros ($5.92 billion). EPH, which is majority owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky will receive 5.92 billion euros in TotalEnergies stock under the agreement. This makes EPH one of TotalEnergies' largest shareholders, with 4.1% of their capital. TotalEnergies is pursuing a strategy to become the leading integrated electricity provider in Europe by combining renewables and flexible generation in order to meet growing demand in sectors like data...

Two trade sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Indian state refiners awarded their first long-term joint tenders in 2026 to Chevron Phillips 66, and TotalEnergies Trading SA for the import of U.S. liquefied gas. India is planning to increase energy imports to the U.S. in order to reduce its trade surplus. This is a major irritation for President Donald Trump who imposed a 50% tariff on Indian imports. The three refiners wanted to jointly purchase 48 large gas carriers or 2 million metric tonnes of LPG by 2026. LPG, a mixture of butane and propane, is used to cook....

The Stellantis-backed ACC Joint Venture is "definitely" giving up plans for a megafactory in eastern Italy. This was reported by the newspaper MF on Friday. MF said that a decision on the Termoli plant, which ACC had designated as one of three European hubs for electric vehicle batteries, should be made by the end of this year or early in 2026. Italian newspaper cites sources to report that the project "is not sustainable due to technical, strategic, and financial difficulties". ACC continues to assess its investment plans in Italy, as well as in Germany. The goal is to make a...

People familiar with the plant's operations said that Motiva Enterprises’ 640,500 barrels per day (bpd), Port Arthur, Texas refinery, along with two other refineries in the east Texas Gulf Coast, were now operating normally following repairs. Sources at both plants say that the Motiva refinery in Louisiana and Valero Energy’s Port Arthur refinery with a capacity of 380,000 bpd suffered multiple malfunctions due to a loss of nitrogen gas. Sources familiar with the operations of the plant said that the TotalEnergies Port Arthur refinery, which produces 238,000 bpd, suffered a boiler failure on October 26. This caused the refinery's steam...

As early quarter results show businesses adapting to President Donald Trump's new tariffs, the outlook for European corporate health is slightly better, according to the latest earnings estimates released on Tuesday. According to data from LSEG, European companies will report an average growth of 0.4% for their third quarter earnings. This is higher than the 0.2% analysts expected just a week earlier. This would still be the lowest quarterly performance since the beginning of 2024. Early Results Beat Analyst Expectations So far, 96 companies in the index have reported their earnings. Of these, 56.3% exceeded analyst expectations. Volvo Cars is...

Albemarle announced on Monday that it would sell a 51 percent stake in its Ketjen refining catalyst solution business to KPS Capital Partners and its 50 percent interest in Eurecat to France's Axens SA in deals valued at approximately $660 million. Albemarle said that proceeds from the sale of lithium would be used to reduce debt and for general corporate purposes. This is part of Albemarle's efforts to increase financial flexibility and focus on its lithium and bromine core units. Albemarle has been attempting to reduce its portfolio in response to the recent drop in lithium prices, which has impacted...

Rhino Resources, a South African oil and gas firm, plans to drill a well for appraisal on a Namibian prospect in 2019 and conduct a flow-test on another to beat TotalEnergies as the first oil producer in this southern African nation. The appraisal well is scheduled for Capricornus, where a flow rate up to 11,000 barrels per day was tested. Meanwhile, the drill stem is scheduled for Volans, which is its latest find of high-yield liquid gas condensate. The new data can help the company to accelerate its discoveries off Namibia where TotalEnergies is expected to make a final investment...

The top brass of the Russian army said that it will use reserve soldiers to protect civilian infrastructure, such as oil refineries, after an increase in drone attacks from Ukraine deep into Russia during recent months. In the midst of a conflict with the West regarding Russia's involvement in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin ordered that the regular army be increased to 1.5 active personnel, making it the world's second largest army after China's. Putin said at least 700,000. Russian legislators say that there are another 2,000,000 men in the active reserves - those men who signed a contract as reservists but...

It said that the French government would continue to oppose any plans to nationalise French steelmaker ArcelorMittal's sites, as its workers are at risk of losing their jobs due to the tough market conditions. After the French lower chamber of parliament approved a motion to nationalize the sites, Finance Minister Roland Lescure issued a statement reiterating the government's goal to avoid any form of nationalisation. La France Insoumise, a far-left party, has put forward the motion that the French Senate will consider. The government has consistently opposed the motion. The bill was passed late Thursday night by 127 votes to...

A union official announced on Friday that American Industrial Partners, an investment firm based in the United States, plans to sell or list Aluminium Dunkerque on the stock exchange, France's biggest aluminium plant. Johan Vlietinck told CGT that the local management had informed the workers of AIP’s plan. Bloomberg News reported earlier that AIP considered a sale or listing of Aluminium Dunkerque. The company acquired the property four years ago after GFG Alliance defaulted on its debts. GFG Alliance is owned by commodities tycoon Sanjeev Gupta. A spokesperson from AIP France stated that the fund did not deny the reports...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or specific stocks. ABIONYX SA: The biotech company Abionyx Pharma has announced a global strategic partnership exclusively with Sebia. This partnership will transform sepsis diagnostics and validate new test for early sepsis detection. Financial terms and milestones remain confidential. Boiron SA, a homeopathic drug manufacturer, announced that Thierry Boiron will step down from his position as Deputy CEO on December 31, 2025. EIFFAGE SA. French construction company Eiffage has won a second contract for the construction of infrastructure at the Madrid street circuit, Spain....

The mines ministry announced that the Democratic Republic of Congo extended for another six months the ban on trading minerals from dozens of sites of artisanal gold mining in the conflict-hit provinces of North and South Kivu. The extension increases compliance pressure on global supply chain for tin tantalum and titanium, which are key inputs to the electronic, automotive, and aerospace industries. According to an order signed by Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba on November 3, the ban introduced in February is still in effect because there is evidence that the illegal supply of mines funds armed groups in eastern...

Solvay, a French chemical company, announced on Wednesday that it has signed two agreements to supply rare-earths to U.S. magnetic makers in order to expand its processing facility. Solvay is one of only a handful of companies outside China that can perform the difficult rare earths separation. In April, it began processing minerals for permanent magnets in its French facility. However, commercial production will depend on government and customer support. Separate statements stated that Solvay has concluded agreements to supply rare-earth oxides with U.S. firms Noveon Magnetics & Permag. In order to reduce dependence on China, the United States, Europe,...

The CEO of Solvay, a chemical group, said that the company would be interested to build a processing plant for rare earths in the United States where there is more financial support than in Europe. Solvay is one of only a handful of companies outside China that can perform the difficult rare earths separation. In April, it began processing minerals for permanent magnets in its French facility. However, commercial production will depend on government and customer support. In order to reduce dependence on China, the United States, Europe, and their allies are racing to develop domestic industries that can produce...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. WORLDLINE: Worldline said it plans to raise 500 millions euros ($583million) as part a capital infusion, which will be used to help the French payments company recover from years' worth of setbacks, and restore investor trust. ELIS SA: A global leader in circular services in action Elis acquired 100% ownership of Lavanderia Hospitalar Acqua Flash Ltda (Acquaflash) in Brazil. The company is based in Brasilia and generated revenues of approximately 6 million euro in 2024. Integration into the Group's accounts...

Exosens announced on Monday that it will nearly double its planned investment in capacity after the French defence tech firm's revenue for nine months jumped by 23%, due to an increase in demand for night-vision equipment from NATO member countries. The manufacturer of night vision equipment and components for scientific instrumentation expects to increase their global capacity by 40% by the year 2027. This is an increase from the 25% it announced in March. An additional investment of £17 million ($20 million) will be made in Europe. In a recent press release, Exosens CEO Jerome Cerisier stated that the company...

European shares rose on Monday as concerns about the stability of U.S. banks eased. Meanwhile, fresh comments by U.S. president Donald Trump helped to calm down trade tensions and encouraged investors to move towards riskier assets. As of 0915 GMT, the STOXX 600 index for Europe was up 0.6% to 569.37. The benchmark index closed Friday nearly 1% lower. European banks gained 0.8% on Sunday, placing them among the top gainers of the STOXX 600. This was after U.S. bank stocks recovered in the previous session, following the quarterly results from regional lending institutions that helped ease concerns over credit...

The gold price surpassed the $4,100 mark on Tuesday. This was boosted by the expectation of a rate reduction this month by the U.S. Federal Reserve, and by investors fleeing to safety following a resurgence in trade tensions with Beijing. As of 12:46 pm, spot gold was up 0.8% at $4,143.17 an ounce. After hitting a high of $4179.48 in the earlier session, spot gold rose 0.8% to $4143.17 per ounce as of 12:46 p.m. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery gained 0.7% to $4.160.20. Metal prices have risen 57% in the past year. On Monday, they broke the $4,100...

Trade ministers and officials of the European Union said that they were seeking to coordinate their response with the United States, and other G7 members to the tighter Chinese controls over the export of rare-earth minerals. China, which is the world's biggest rare earth producer has dramatically increased controls in recent weeks, adding new elements and refining technology, and extra scrutiny to semiconductor users, ahead of scheduled talks between Presidents Donald Trump & Xi Jinping. Maros Sefcovic, European Trade Commissioner, called the measures unjustified. He said EU Ministers who met in Denmark to discuss issues of trade described them as...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. ArcelorMittal : The steel producer ArcelorMittal has announced that it will issue 650 million euros of notes with a 3.250% interest rate due on September 30, 2030. Proceeds from the sale of these notes will be used to refinance existing debt and for corporate purposes. Former French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says that ASML, a Dutch chip-equipment manufacturer, has invested 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in French startup Mistral AI. This could signal the beginning of more consolidation within...