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Australia invests $33 million in Liontown's Kathleen Lithium operations
The Australian Government announced on Thursday that it would invest A$50 Million ($32.5 Million) in Liontown Resources in order to ramp up operations at the flagship Kathleen Valley Project and to transition from surface mining to underground mining. This is part of a plan to increase domestic mineral supply. The A$15 billion National Reconstruction Fund Corporation will make the investment. This is part of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s effort to support critical mineral projects as well as boost domestic manufacturing. David Gall, CEO of NRFC, said that lithium is a vital mineral and is essential to the decarbonisation effort as well as the Future Made in Australia Strategy. "Australia is well positioned to be a long-term, competitive supplier of lithium for the rest of world. Local lithium production is vital to the nation's resilience and economic security." NRFC has invested A$200m in Arafura Rare Earths in January to develop a mine and processing facility for its Nolans Project in central Australia. According to NRFC, Kathleen Valley will have a mine life of more than ten years and produce 500,000 tons of spodumene per year with the potential for expansion. Liontown is an important lithium supplier for Tesla, Ford and LG Energy Solution. The government investment is part Liontown's A$266million institutional capital raise priced at A$0.73per share. The shares of Liontown were last traded at A$0.845 on Thursday before they were halted pending the announcement. The miner can also use the capital to strengthen its balance sheet. According to LSEG data, Hancock Prospecting, owned by Gina Rinehart, a billionaire Australian, is Liontown's largest shareholder with 18% of the shares. Hancock Prospecting is not expected to participate in the placement as it would dilute their stake. Liontown and Hancock didn't immediately reply to an email asking for a comment.
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Hot South Korean summer drives surge in aircon sales, power demand
South Korea's hot summers are driving a surge in demand for air conditioners, and the electronics giants of the country are promoting home upgrades with power-saving technologies. Samsung Electronics domestic home AC sales increased by 50% during the first quarter 2025, ending in March, compared to last year's same period. LG Electronics also saw a 60% increase in domestic sales over the same time frame ahead of an expected hotter summer. The sales boom is despite the fact that the government estimates 98% of the 51 million households already have air conditioners. Companies are wooing consumers with improved cooling, energy efficiency and AI-powered models. Samsung said in a press release that it expects the positive trend in air conditioner sales worldwide to continue. This is due to an increase in demand for high-efficiency and eco-friendly products as a result of climate change. LG expects to see its air conditioner sales continue to grow this year, as consumers replace their old units with newer models that are more energy efficient. The temperatures in Seoul reached record highs during the summer of this year, with a temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius (100,4 Fahrenheit) at the beginning July, just before August, which is traditionally the hottest month. AC sales are being driven by longer, stronger heatwaves and cooling will account for much of the growth in global power demand in the next decade. According to the International Energy Agency, cooling systems will require more power globally by 2035. This is a rise of around 1,200 terawatt-hours, which is greater than an increase of 800 TWh in data centre demand. Renub Research projects that the global air conditioner market will grow by an average 6.3% per year through 2032, to reach $257.2 billion. According to the IEA, 50% of homes will have air conditioners in 2035 compared to 36% in 2022. According to their respective websites, LG's air conditioner production line was operating above capacity this year while Samsung began working at full capacity 10 day earlier than usual. The South Korean energy ministry warned that record electricity use was straining the grid. Peak demand could reach a record of 97.8 gigawatts (GW) between 5 pm and 6 pm on weekdays during the second week in August, mostly due to AC usage. South Korea has been forced to increase its power reserves and import coal because of the sticky nature of the air conditioning power demand. It also put on standby power plants that were not being used. Last year, residential air conditioning accounted for 16% of South Korea's annual electricity demand. This is up from 14% prior to the pandemic. The government is also providing energy vouchers to low-income families and lowering tariffs. (Reporting from Sudarshan Varadhan in Singapore and Heekyong Ya in Seoul).
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China's steel exports rose in July despite protectionist backlash
China's steel imports increased in July. This continued a record-breaking trend despite countries erecting trade barriers to prevent a flood of Chinese products. Data from the General Administration of Customs on Thursday showed that steel exports rose by 1.7% in July from June, to 9.84 metric tons. This brings total exports for this year to 67.98 metric tons. The total for the year is at its highest level since 1990. Steel exports by the largest steel producer in the world have led to a global protectionist backlash. Since January of last year, almost 40 countries have launched anti-dumping investigations. Vietnam and South Korea, two of the world's largest trading partners, have both imposed tariffs on steel imports from China. They claim that cheap Chinese steel is hurting their domestic producers. As a result, Chinese steelmakers are now exporting semi-finished goods, which have lower tariffs. IRON ORE The data showed that imports of iron ore, the main ingredient in steelmaking, fell 1.3% to 104.62 millions tonnes in July as prices rose. Iron ore price Prices rose by nearly 7% on July bets that they would be tolerated. Beijing's promise to clamp down on price wars had sparked hopes of a new wave of supply side reforms in the steel industry, which is plagued with overproduction. Analysts said that higher prices have dampened the appetite of some steelmakers who are cost-sensitive and suffered losses in 2023 and 2024 due to a faltering market. Imports also decreased as miners sent less shipments in the wake of a rush to meet quarterly targets. Cao Ying is an analyst with broker SDIC Futures. She says that some cargoes have also been delayed due to Typhoon Wipha. Even so, China's monthly imports of iron ore from China have remained above 100 million tonnes for the third consecutive month in July. Imports in July were down on the six-month peak of 105.95 millions tons in June but higher than 102.81 in 2024. Chu Xinli is an analyst with China Futures. "Despite a decline in imports, the iron ore production was relatively high, driven by increased steel profitability, and thus, the imports remained high," he said. China's imports of iron ore in the first seven months 2025 totaled 696.57 millions tons, a 2.3% decrease from the same period a year ago.
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Standard Chartered signs deal with Brazilian forest credit authority
Standard Chartered will sell millions of credits to protect the Amazon rainforest for the Brazilian state Acre, as part of its efforts to expand the carbon credit business and build trust in a nascent industry. Standard Chartered said that its agreement with Acre to sell exclusively forest carbon credits over a five-year period is the first time a major international financial institution has worked in such a way to support the conservation of forests. The involvement of the bank could give legitimacy to a market that has been struggling in recent months, after Brazilian prosecutors sought to cancel a similar $180m carbon offset scheme due to concerns over forward contracts and rights of local communities. Chris Leeds, the head of development of carbon markets at the bank said: "We do everything we can to make sure that these credits are of high quality and reduce a tonne carbon." It is a complicated process. The project will generate up to five million credits by 2026 and bring in up to 150 million dollars. Carbon credit projects which claim to prevent deforestation were scrutinized in the past due to the difficulty in proving the number of trees that the projects prevented from being cut down. Forest carbon credits generated at the national or state level are aimed at reducing deforestation-related emissions. These credits are specifically designed to reduce the possibility that projects will overstate their carbon-reduction benefits. Local and indigenous community are to receive 72% net funds generated by state. They have participated in a consultation process whose main phase began in May 2025. Leeds said that unlike Para's agreement, Acre's does not involve a sale in advance. Leeds added that "there is no obligation on our part to buy the credits today." This is the difference. In July, several Brazilian states signed agreements with the State of Piaui to protect large swathes of forests in exchange for investment. (Reporting and editing by Virginia Furness)
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China's crude oil imports in July are up 11.5% on a year-on-year basis
China's crude oil imports in July rose by 11.5% compared to the same period a year earlier, as state-owned refining facilities maintained high operational rates. However, inbound shipments have slowed down month-on month after reaching their highest level in almost two years in June. Data from the General Administration of Customs on Thursday showed that the world's biggest crude oil importer imported 47.2 million tons of oil in June, which is equivalent to 11,12 million barrels a day. Data showed that the volume of oil imported in July was 5.4% less than 49.89 millions tons in June. Muyu Zhu, a senior crude oil analyst with Kpler, said that independent refiners purchased heavily in June and built up inventory, which explains why their demand for crude in July was lower. Customs data showed that total crude oil imports between January and July were 326.57 millions tons or 11,25 million bpd. This was an increase of 2.8% compared to the same period in the previous year. According to Oilchem, the country's refinery utilization rate increased to 71.84%, an increase of 1.02 percentage points over June and 3.56 points over a year ago. Oilchem reported that state-owned refiners have increased their production rates while independent refiners have decreased them. It said that maintenance had reduced the overall refining output by 79 millions tons in July. However, three refineries, with a total capacity of 28,7 million tonnes, completed their maintenance and returned to service. The data released on Thursday also showed that China's refined oil exports increased by 7.25% to 5.34 millions tons in July from the same period a year ago. The data shows that natural gas imports, including piped gas as well as liquefied gas, fell by 2.1% on an annual basis to 10.63 millions tons. The data showed that natural gas imports, including piped gas and liquefied natural gases, fell 2.1% year-on-year to 10.63 million tons.
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China's July coal imports drop 23% due to abundant domestic supply
Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China's coal imports in July fell by 23% compared to a year ago, due to a limited demand for imports. The imports of coal in July were 35.61 millions metric tons. Although down on the previous year, this was a rebound from June's two-year-low as the hotter weather prompted higher air conditioning demands, which supported electricity consumption. The market will be watching to see if China takes concrete steps in the future to reduce production and curb oversupply at home. The National Energy Administration issued a document on July 20 calling for inspections of coal mines located in eight provinces. This led to the coking coal price rising by the limit each session, as traders hoped that these inspections would cause supply disruptions. LSEG coal analyst said that if the NEA were to take such a step, it would present a substantial risk for domestic coal prices, given the possibility of a decrease in local production. This in turn presents upside risk for seaborne coal prices due to the import price arbitrage dynamics, which is the primary determiner of China's desire for imports. In a recent report, analysts at the data analytics firm Kpler stated that the NEA Directive had only temporarily boosted imports and prices while the broader fundamentals were pointing in the opposite direction. The outlook is still negative due to the continued growth of domestic production, increasing renewables and the weakening demand for steel. Customs data revealed that coal imports for the first seven month of this year were down by 13%, at 257.3 millions tons. (Reporting and editing by Colleen Schmollinger; Christian Schmollinger is the editor)
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China's rare earth exports fell in July, after reaching a peak the previous month
Customs data released on Thursday showed that rare earth exports from China fell 23% in July, after reaching a record one month earlier. However, the data is still too preliminary to make any firm conclusions regarding Beijing's intention to accelerate shipments. Data from the General Administration of Customs revealed that the world's leading producer of rare Earths exported 5,994.3 tons of the material in July. This was a 23% drop from June when exports reached their highest level at least since 2014. China's rare-earth exports are under close scrutiny after Beijing signed a series deals with the United States of America and Europe in order to increase shipments. The agreements also eased the export licensing system, which was imposed by Beijing in April as retaliation to U.S. Tariffs. It is hard to draw any conclusions from the data released on Thursday, as it does not differentiate between rare earths, and other products that are not restricted. Data is volatile, with swings of up to double digits. On August 20, a fuller breakdown including exports of rare-earth magnets will also be released. Magnet exports to Germany and the U.S. grew last month. Magnets are vital to the automotive, electronic and defence industries. China quietly tightens its grip on the rare earth sector, even as the United States and Europe consider or introduce financial support to alternative producers. Last month, it was The first 2025 mining and smelting quotes were issued without the usual public announcement. China's exports of rare earths for the first seven month of this year totaled 38.563.6 tons. This is up 13% compared to the same period in 2024. Reporting by Amy Lv in Beijing and Lewis Jackson; editing by Kim Coghill
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Oil prices rise 1% as US demand remains strong, but macroeconomic uncertainty persists
The oil price rose by 1% on Friday, ending a five-day decline, as the U.S. remained the world's largest oil consumer. However, uncertainty over the macroeconomic effects of U.S. Tariffs limited gains. Brent crude futures increased 62 cents or 0.9% to $67.51 per barrel at 0342 GMT, while U.S. West Texas intermediate crude rose 68 cents or 1.1% to $65.03 per barrel. After Donald Trump's comments about the progress of talks with Moscow, both benchmarks fell about 1% on Wednesday to their lowest levels in eight weeks. A White House official stated on Wednesday that Trump could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin by next week. The U.S. is still preparing secondary sanctions to be imposed, possibly on China, in order to pressure Moscow into ending the war in Ukraine. The United States is the second largest producer of crude oil in the world. Oil markets were still supported by a larger-than-expected decline in U.S. crude stocks last week. Energy Information Administration reported on Wednesday that U.S. crude stockpiles dropped by 3 million barrels, to 423.7 million in the week ending August 1. This was more than analysts expected in a poll which predicted a draw of 591,000 barrels. The United States crude exports and refinery runs increased, with the West Coast and Gulf Coast reaching their highest levels since 2023. JP Morgan analysts said that through August 5, global oil demand averaged 104.7 millions barrels per day. This represents an annual increase of 300,000. However, this is 90,000. bpd less than their monthly forecast. The analysts stated that despite a somewhat soft start for the month, relative our expectations, the high frequency indicators of global oil demand suggest the consumption will improve sequentially in the next few weeks. Jet fuel and petrochemicals are expected to drive this growth. Price gains were capped by global macroeconomic uncertainties after the U.S. imposed a new set of tariffs against Indian goods. Trump imposed a 25% additional tariff on Indian products on Wednesday, citing the continued imports from Russia of Indian oil. The new import tax is set to take effect 21 days following August 7. Priyanka Sahdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova, said that markets have already priced in the downstream effects of the new tariffs (on India) by the U.S. in just three weeks. Trump said that he would also announce additional tariffs against China, similar to the 25% tariffs announced earlier against India for its purchases of Russian crude oil. Sachdeva of Phillip Nova said that tariffs will harm the global economic system, and this will affect fuel demand. He added that the markets are overlooking that the impact on the U.S. inflation rate will be greater. (Reporting and editing by Yuka Yap, Trixie Yap)
Analysts' reactions to the US-China Trade Agreement
U.S. officials and Chinese officials announced that they had reached an agreement on a framework for re-establishing their trade truce and removing China's restrictions on exports of rare earths. However, there was little indication that the long-standing trade disputes would be resolved.
Li Chenggang, Vice Minister of Commerce in China, said that the two teams agreed to implement their Geneva consensus. They would then take the framework agreed upon back to their respective leaders.
An official at the White House said that the agreement allows the U.S. a tariff of 55% on imported Chinese products. The tariff includes a baseline "reciprocal tariff" of 10%, a fentanyl-trafficking tariff of 20% and a 25 percent tariff that reflects existing tariffs. China would impose a tariff of 10% on U.S. imported goods.
MARKET REACTION:
S&P 500 was up 0.1% as investors waited for more details and to see if the decision would be implemented.
QUOTES:
GENE GOLDMAN IS THE CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER FOR CETERA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT IN EL SEGUNDO CA.
The equity markets breathed out a sigh after hearing about a possible US-China deal. This news should be taken with caution. While President Trump announced that the imports of Chinese goods would increase from 30% to 50% and Chinese rare-earths exports could resume, little is known about what China will get in return. "I doubt that this is a one way deal, and therefore the market caution observed overnight."
SAM STOVALL IS THE CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGIST AT CFRA RESEARCH IN ALLENTOWN PENNSYLVANIA.
"We have seen a relatively tepid reaction to news of the 'deal' made with China. To me, that indicates indifference. The market is saying, ok, you've agreed to keep talking and have set up a structure for future discussions, but there hasn't been anything really significant resolved. Tell me something I should know. We all know it won't be good if there isn't a comprehensive solution. We would have to buy our dolls elsewhere, and that will cost more.
The market has struggled to hold on to its gains despite better than expected inflation figures today. I can only assume that the people wanted to hear more about the China negotiations. Investors may have sold because they thought we were overbought.
OLIVER PURSCHE SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT, ADVISOR WEALTHSPIRE ADVISE, WESTPORT CONNECTICUT
The market hasn't reacted to the deal yet because we haven’t seen details. The devil lies in the details, as with most things. Another big news item is that the U.S. has a framework in place for future discussions with China, which contradicts a previous statement that it was a done deal.
The report on inflation this morning, although softer than expected was due to lower energy prices, and also an indication of further slowdowns in the U.S. economy.
ADAM BUTTON, CHIROP CURRENCY ANATOMIST, FOREXLIVE TORONTO
Trump certainly has tried to spin the news positively. "Obviously, this is good news. China and the U.S. reached an agreement. It's unclear what the U.S. is doing and what China wants to achieve. Trump made a hint at this when he said he wanted to expand China's trade. The U.S.-China negotiations have in some ways raised more questions than they have answered. Will this tariff rate stick? What are the U.S. & China working on?
The ultimate conclusion about China is that it's not getting worse. So, that's good. "We probably built in some expectation of maybe material progress."
JOHN PRAVEEN MANAGING DIRECTOR PALEO LEON PRINCETON NJ
"The worst case scenario is likely behind us. Both sides are trying to save face. The U.S. thought the issue of rare earths was important. They reached an agreement. It is a question of whether or not it will be implemented. "The fact that they have an agreement at all is likely to be a relief for market.
Both sides got something. It's important that the situation is de-escalating. It's likely a relief to the markets."
We'll need to wait to see if the tariffs are further reduced. After the dust settles, it'll probably be a bit lower because this tariff level will likely cause inflationary pain to the consumer."
When Trump and Xi get together, they will probably reduce it further. "You need to keep something aside for the meeting."
PETER CARDILLO, CHIEF MARKET ECONOMIST, SPARTAN CAPITAL SECURITIES, NEW YORK:
"That is good news, of course. It's still a while away, and both Trump and Xi have to ratify it, but it's a given that this will happen. This is good news, and it eases concerns... But the real deal is that there's an agreement which would allow China to resume exports of rare-earth products, something I believe was crucial to this."
ROBERT PAVLIK SENIOR PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT, DAKOTAWEALTH, FAIRFIELD CONNECTICUT
It's a positive headline at least. It's positive that both countries are working together to exchange technology for rare-earth materials. We'll wait to see if Xi approves it, and what Trump says."
WASIF LATIF, PRESIDENT, AND CHIEF INVESTOR, SARMAYA PARTNERS PRINCETON NEW JERSEY
"It is becoming clearer that the initial high tariffs and large scales of tariffs were a negotiation tactic. When you saw the cards that each side brought to the table, China with rare earths and the US with other trade-related chips including the impact on students here at universities, you could see how they both wanted to reach an agreement. This is good news for investors.
"However the market already anticipated this because the rally we saw at the low tariffs was already baking in a better result than what was initially being put out. The futures started to fall when the agreement was announced in the early hours of this morning. It felt more like a situation of selling the news than a market impact, because many of the expected benefits were already backed in.
The CPI is currently the news that moves markets. It will be interesting to observe the long-term trade impact of tariffs. Tariffs have been a hot topic for many years. Some people say they are inflationary, while others claim it is deflationary. "But I think that the truth is somewhere between.
CHRIS WESTON HEAD OF RESEARCH PEPPERSTONE MELBOURNE
The devil is in the detail, but the lack reaction indicates that this outcome was fully expected.
The Geneva agreement is a good thing, but the fact that there was no reaction on S&P500 Futures and only small movements in CNH and AUD suggests the outcome was expected. Details matter, particularly the amount of rare earths going to the US and the freedom of US chips to go East. But for now, as long as headlines about the talks between both parties are positive, risk assets will be supported.
LIN GENGWEI is the co-founder and CEO of RAIN TREE PARTNERS in Singapore.
Both sides are willing and under pressure to reach an accord. The Sino-U.S. Rivalry will continue to persist despite the temporary success of these talks.
The U.S. may ease restrictions on chip exports from China in response to both pressures from Beijing and the domestic semiconductor industry.
MARK DONG, CO-FOUNDER OF MINORITY ASSET MANAGEMENT, HONG KONG:
This is good news for the market. There's now a bottom-line that neither side will cross.
Both sides will work to reduce the trade deficit.
ZENG WENKAI, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, SHENGQI ASSET MANAGEMENT, HONG KONG:
The market probably anticipated this -- Trump always chickens out (TACO).
"Look at the way countries negotiate with the U.S. today; it is no longer how Vietnam did things in the early days. Japan and South Korea have taken a more aggressive stance. "Kneeling is not the answer. It only leads to more bullying."
CHARU CHANANA CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGIST SAXO SINGAPORE
The markets will welcome the change in tone, from confrontation to cooperation. We're still not out of danger, even though there are no more meetings planned. Next, Trump and Xi must endorse and enforce the framework.
It's important to not confuse this tactical deescalation with a complete reversal in strategic decoupling. The competition in technology, supply chain, and national security is still very strong. There will always be new issues, and it is the implementation of this "old deal" that will determine how far we go.
TAN XIAOYUN IS THE FOUNDING PARTNER FOR ZONSO, GUANGDONG.
"Talks will proceed under the framework agreed upon, and I think the U.S. is more willing to compromise than China in order to reach an agreement."
"Under current circumstances, U.S. faces more pressing issues, while the Chinese have more breathing room. China used to be defensive but now is offensive by leveraging rare earths and market access. This marks a shift in power and strength."
MICHAEL McCARTHY, CHIEF OFFICER MOOMOO AUSTRALIA SYDNEY
"I will be watching how bonds trade on this day in light of it." Currency markets seem to be taking this in stride and equity markets have returned to their all-time highs.
Since weeks, the market has been anticipating this deal. It will be positive for the market, as the dollar will weaken and equities will rise, but this is not a major change.
CAROL KONG CURRENCY STRATEGIST, COMMONWEALTH BBANK OF AUSTRALIAN, SYDNEY
"I believe in this environment...any hints of progress on a possible trade agreement will be beneficial for markets.
"It's going to be hard for both sides and take a very long time before they can reach a comprehensive agreement." This type of comprehensive agreement usually takes years to reach, so I am skeptical that the framework agreed upon at the London meeting will be comprehensive. "Tensions may have de-escalated temporarily, but will escalate in the coming months."
RAY ATTRILL HEAD OF FOREX STRATEGY, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK SYDNEY
It's too early to declare that a new US-China trading agreement is imminent. We've heard a lot of positive things about agreements, but we've not seen any real progress.
"Our view remains that, whatever is agreed upon in the next few weeks and months - the baseline view - is that the global tariff situation will be far worse than it was before Trump became president. We'll still have a tariff climate we believe is detrimental to global growth."
TONY SYCAMORE MARKET ANALYST IG SYDNEY
If we maintain the terms of the Geneva Agreement we will see US tariffs for Chinese goods remaining at 30% for some time, and Chinese tariffs for US goods remaining at 10%. This is a reduction from 145% and 125%, respectively. This would be amazing.
"I think that was the consensus of the market... now people are trying to decide whether they want to buy or sell the US Dollar and I believe that reflects a little bit of this indecision.
The U.S. equity market is holding up at the moment because of this. I still think they are overcooked and need to pullback. "It's been an incredible run, and we're pushing up against the records from February. For me, it makes sense that they take a break."
DAVID CHAO, GLOBAL MARKET STRATEGIST, ASIA PACIFIC, INVESCO, HONG KONG:
"Recent headlines have shown that both the US and China are ready to reach a deal. This is good news for both markets and policymakers. We believe that cooler heads will prevail and the path has been set for a closer dialogue between top leaders in both countries.
The news that the US and China may have reached a deal over rare earths, semiconductors, or jet engine parts is a good indicator that we are past peak tariff uncertainty. (Compiled by Global Finance & Markets Breaking News)
(source: Reuters)