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Brazil's Petrobras receives green light for drilling near the mouth of Amazon River
The Brazilian environmental agency Ibama has given the green light to state-owned oil company Petrobras for exploratory research, including drilling wells in the Foz do Amazonas area, near the mouth the Amazon River, according to a firm statement released on Monday. Petrobras has said that the drilling will begin immediately and should last for around five months. They also added that at this time, they won't be producing oil. Petrobras considers the area in deep water off the coast of Amapa to be its most promising oil frontier. It shares geology with the nearby Guyana where Exxon Mobil has developed huge fields. Petrobras said it aims to gain more geological data through exploratory research, and assess if there is oil or gas in the region on a commercial basis. Petrobras has conducted an environmental impact assessment as part of its bid for drilling in this environmentally sensitive area. Emergency response Test in August to evaluate its readiness Last month, Documents shown Petrobras failed a part of the test and had to submit its plan for animal rescue again. Petrobras' statement on Monday said that it "fully complied with the environmental licensing processes" and met all the requirements set by Ibama. Magda Chambriard, CEO of Petrobras, celebrated the grant of the license with a press release. She called it "a success for Brazilian society." She said, "We hope to achieve excellent results in our research and prove that there is oil in the Brazilian part of this new global frontier of energy," Ibama made his decision as Brazil prepared to host the global summit on climate change COP30 in November this year, which will be held in the Amazonian town of Belem. Brazil is expected call for the international community's acceleration away from fossil-fuels. Environmentalists have been harshly critical of Brazil's energy policy and climate leadership ambitions. (Reporting and editing by Sarah Morland, Brendan O'Boyle and Isabel Teles)
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Brent Oil Market Structure: Physical markets reflect concerns about supply glut
The discount between the Prompt Brent futures and six-month contracts reached its highest level since December 2023, Monday. This reflects a growing belief that there is enough supply as OPEC+ producers and others increase their output. According to traders and LSEG, weakness was also seen on the physical crude oil market in Europe and Africa as a result of a plentiful supply and a cooling season demand in preparation for winter in the northern hemisphere. Brent's first-month contract was as low as 56 cents per barrel below the contract to deliver in six months The first discount since May was implemented on 16 October. The spread between the WTI Crude Futures Contract and its major U.S. counterpart The trader also traded in contango after moving towards this structure last week. MARKET WEAKENS ON SURPLUS A market structure called contango, which is characterized by a lower price for immediate delivery than for later deliveries, indicates that the perception is that supply will be abundant in the near term and demand will weaken. The weaker Brent/WTI structure is due to the decisions of OPEC+ to increase oil production more quickly, and the resilient production by the U.S., and other non-OPEC+ nations, according Tamas Varga. Analyst at brokerage PVM. Bjarne Schieldrop, SEB, said that "more weakness is to come" as oil from the sea arrives in ports. The Middle East OPEC countries are boosting exports, along with lower consumption after the summer. Both contracts spent most of the year with the opposite structure. This is called backwardation. In this case, the prices for the futures are higher than the current price. This reflects the perception of a tight supply in the near term and solid demand. Brent's 6-month spread briefly sat in contango during May. After Israel's attack on Iran's nucleotide facilities, it reversed and climbed to $7.50, its highest level since October 2023. It was in positive territory until last week as supply risks were supportive. Contangos encourage traders to store oil in order to sell it at a higher price later. PHYSICAL MARKET ALSO SHOWS WEAKNESS Also, the North Sea physical oil markets, which support the Brent futures contracts and the Brent physical benchmark used for pricing about two thirds of world oil, are weakening. Brent swaps for short-term, also known as contracts for differences (CFDs), entered contango Friday in the first three weeks of contract. This was a sign that there is more supply. Price differential between North Sea Forties and Brent dated According to LSEG, Brent oil plus 35 cents reached a low of three weeks last week. West African crude markets are experiencing a decline in grades due to a weakening of demand from Europe and Asia, and fierce competition from Latin American crudes. The traders said that November loading programs have already begun to appear for the 21-35 Angolan cargoes and 35 Nigerian cargoes that remain unsold. West African grades are typically traded a month ahead of most other grades, giving traders a good indication of the future of the physical market. (Reporting and editing by Alex Lawler in London and Jan Harvey.
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Gold Reserve: Citgo auction is threatened by fees of $170 million
Gold Reserve, a Toronto-listed company, accused the firms that advised a U.S. Court on the auction for Citgo Petroleum parent's parent that they received $170 million from parties who would receive proceeds and a bidder recommended as the winning party. These accusations are just the latest twist to an auction which has been dragging on for almost two years. They could also threaten to slow down further. The Delaware court began to discuss the fees on Monday following Gold Reserve's Motions earlier this month. Gold Reserve wanted to disqualify a judge and court officer overseeing the auction, as well as advising firms Weil Gotshal & Manges and Evercore for the alleged conflicts of interest. Michael Bowe's counsel, Gold Reserve, said that "normal people would question the impartiality" of advisors, who had received $170,000,000 in fees from Gold Reserve, the party whose bids were being evaluated in the auction process. Robert Pincus, a court officer, changed his recommendation in August for the winner of the auction to Elliott Investment Management’s Amber Energy. Gold Reserve subsidiary Dalinar Energy was no longer recommended. This prompted objections from other bidders and creditors. Gold Reserve now claims that Weil was representing Elliott during the Citgo sale, and that both advising firms were in contact with holders of Venezuelan debt who would be eligible to receive auction proceeds if Amber's proposal went through. Weil Gotshal & Manges (WGM), Evercore, and Elliott have not responded to our requests for comment. The auction of Venezuelan-owned PDV Holdings, parent company of Houston-based refiner Citgo Petroleum aims to compensate 15 or more creditors for debt defaults in Venezuela and expropriations. The court has yet to select a final winner. This month, lawyers representing Venezuela filed a motion to disqualify Pincus as well as the two advisory firms. Gold Reserve has requested a temporary halt to all bids pending the resolution of disqualification motions.
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Russia tightens law on sabotage citing NATO and Ukraine threats
On Monday, Russian lawmakers announced that they had drafted legislation mandating the life sentence for anyone who involves minors in sabotage. The law also lowers the age limit for criminal responsibility of such crimes from 18 to 14. Since 2022 when it sent its military forces to Ukraine, Russia has passed a number of laws that give the state security agencies the power to hold anyone accused of misrepresenting war or of being against the state. Vasily Piskaryov is the chairman of the lower chamber of parliament's Security Committee. He said that a bill, which was introduced in the lower chamber of parliament on monday and supported by 419 of 450 members, would improve the state's security. 'INEVITABILITY OF PUNISHMENT' Piskaryov stated that the bill would "increase inevitability" of punishments for those who attempt to undermine the foundations our state. He said that those who involved children in terrorism or sabotage would face harsher punishments, including life imprisonment, and the age limit for such crimes will be lowered to 14 years of age. Piskaryov stated that the law was necessary because sabotage is a serious threat to the Russian State. He accused secret services from Ukraine and NATO of intensifying subversive activities against Russia, including the involvement of minors. He did not give any specific examples, but instead cited data provided by prosecutors that showed 204 subversive offenses were registered in 2024 but only 174 during the first half 2025. NATO and Ukrainian authorities didn't immediately respond to comments. Kyiv accused Russia in the past of using Ukrainian minors to try and destroy Ukrainian infrastructure in the war. RUSSIA SAYS THE WEST IS HELPING UKRAINE TO ATTACK IT'S ENERGY SITES In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian oil refineries as well as other energy installations. According to Moscow, the West and major NATO countries have provided Kyiv with intelligence. Both Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of killing people. The Kremlin said that a general tightening up of the laws is necessary to maintain order, as Russia faced an unprecedented hybrid attack by the West. This was a result of hundreds of billions in arms and intelligence from the West. Alexei Navalny - who died in a prison in the Arctic in 2024 - was one of those Kremlin critics that said President Vladimir Putin had created a fragile dictatorial regime which would be overthrown by history. (Reporting and editing by Mark Heinrich; reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)
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Climate Investment Funds backs Fiji nature financing plan
Climate Investment Funds, a multilateral lender, announced on Monday that its board had approved a plan for helping restore Fiji's ecosystems and strengthening the island's capacity to withstand global warming. The Climate Investment Funds announced the agreement on Monday, ahead of the November round of U.N. talks. Fiji and the other Small Island Developing States are pushing for the world to do even more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CIF announced that it would provide $27 millions in financing, and hopes to attract an additional $20 million from World Bank and Progreen. This multi-donor initiative is designed to support the development of a sustainable way while protecting biodiversity. CIF stated that the money would fund a variety of projects on land and at sea, and will impact over 80,000 people. The country relies heavily on tourism, which accounts for 40% of economic output, and agriculture, fishing and forestry, which employs 40% of population. CIF's Chief Executive Tariye gbadegesin stated in a press release that "Investing nature is an investment in a prosperous and secure future, especially for Fiji where the natural environment supports the economy." CIF said that cyclones and floods cost the island about 5% of their economic output each year. (Reporting and editing by Mark Porter; Simon Jessop)
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Brazil's Indigenous Battle with a Dry Amazon Rainforest
Brazil's indigenous land is being invaded by farms Fire and drought hazards increase in the territory Native residents change farming practices By Andre Cabette Fabio This scene has been repeated for generations by the Kalapalo tribe's Tanguro Village in Brazil's Xingu Indigenous Park. Instead of the traditional thatched roofing, the communal home is covered in a white plastic sheet, which has been decorated with the brand logo and "for agricultural use only." The roof is just one of the many signs of increased cattle- and soybean-farming on the Amazon's heavily deforested Southeast edges, where the rainforest is warming the fastest. In this region the dry season has gotten several weeks longer. The rainforest is becoming drier and flammable, forcing the 16 ethnic groups that inhabit the area, and the more than 6,000 residents, to adapt their ancient farming techniques to preserve the land and provide enough food for themselves. The people of Mato Grosso, Brazil’s soybean and beef center, are surrounded by fields and pastures that support Brazil’s exports. But they're running out of water and require government assistance to compensate for the poor harvests. Private landowners are converting low-productivity pastures to water-intensive soybean crops and removing trees from their properties. Conservation of the Amazon rainforest is vital for Indigenous peoples and the entire world. The Amazon rainforest is vital for the world and Indigenous peoples. It absorbs and stores huge amounts of carbon dioxide that warms our climate. Carbon is released into the air as the Amazon is cut. TIPPING POINT Scientists say that the Southeast Amazon is vulnerable to a "tipping-point" due to its high temperatures, long dry season, fire rates, and deforestation. There is no turning back once a tipping-point is reached. Nature is forced into a downward spiral that is self-reinforcing. According to Carlos Nobre, a Brazilian climatologist, the forest would turn into a degraded form or even a "savannah" - an ecosystem of dry grassland with clusters and trees. Experts say that large areas of Amazon are more prone to wildfires due to the deforestation, and warmer temperatures, which have reduced shade and moisture. Ongoing scientific debates are attempting to determine the exact location and extent of the tipping point in the Amazon. Nature published a study in 2021 that found the Southeast Amazon emits more CO2 than it absorbs. This means more vegetation is dying rather than thriving. Farmers tend to have a different perspective, distancing themselves from climate change. Endrigo Dacin, a local producer's association Aprosoja councillor and soybean farmer, said that humans have little impact on climate. He added, "Our rains depend heavily on the oceans." A study published in Nature Communications in September showed that deforestation is responsible for 74% reduction of rainfall in the Amazon rain forest dry season since 1985. Scientists say that localized versions of the tipping points may already be in play on the fragile Xingu Territory. Residents say that as the water level drops and forests warm up, agriculture and fishing are becoming more difficult. "We never imagined we would reach this point. The river is so dry that we are forced to push our boat at certain points," said Sikan Kalapaloo, a nursing students who lives in Tanguro Village. He said, "We're now facing food shortages and certain plants are no longer producing." FIRE CONTROL The indigenous people of Xingu use fires for clearing land to cultivate small plots. This is a low impact intervention, as the plots are usually abandoned after a few years to allow the forest to regenerate. In the last decade, more communities are taking precautions to prevent fires. PrevFogo is a fire brigade operated by the Brazilian federal government. Local residents can also help. Yunak Yawalapiti, a farmer in Yunak Village, watched PrevFogo agents burn 700 square meters of forest so that he could plant his manioc roots. A firefighter issued a warning within minutes, signaling the spread of flames into the forest. Agents were notified to rush with water pumps. The farmer remembered that the forest in the 90s was so humid, that fires did not spread during midday. He said that it doesn't really matter when you start the fire. It spreads. It's as if there is gasoline everywhere. Even under unsupervised slash and burn practices, the Xingu forest did not burn more than 10,000 hectares in a year. Scientists have predicted that as forests near tipping points, they will see a change in the forest's fire proneness. According to MapBiomas' 40-year data, the Amazon saw twice as many fires last year as the previous record in 2016. In 2023, a technical analysis presented at the Brazilian Symposium of Hydraulic Resources revealed a connection between deforestation in the Xingu River Basin and lowered discharges of water. Taliko Kalapalo, a linguistics student swimming in the Xingu river near Tanguro Village, pointed out children kicking water near a sandy shore. He said that the river had lowered and the port was no longer as deep. Adeal Carneiro is a city councillor for Querencia, where a part of the Xingu Territory is located. He said that the use of irrigation water by agribusinesses contributes to desiccation. Imagine irrigating 2,900 acres (4,900 hectares) of land day and night. "It's a lot of water," said he. The manioc roots, which are used to make tapioca (a staple food in Xingu), have also failed due to rising temperatures and drought. Sikan Kalapalo said that communities rely on cash transfers or government aid packages to purchase food. He said, "We cannot live this way forever and rely on assistance".
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Cleveland-Cliffs posts narrower-than-expected Q3 loss on improving auto business
Cleveland-Cliffs posted a loss for the third quarter that was smaller than Wall Street expectations, with its automotive-grade steel division benefiting from recent U.S. Trade policies. Shares of the company rose 22%. Lourenco Goncalves, the CEO of the company, also stated that it had signed a memorandum with a global steel producer. The company is currently exploring rare-earth mining opportunities in Michigan and Minnesota. Analysts at Jefferies said that a potential deal with a global producer of steel could be beneficial to Cliffs' shareholders. We have seen foreign producers willing to invest materially in the US to gain un-tariffed access to US markets under the current administration. Goncalves said that if Cliffs' rare earth exploration was successful, it would align the firm with the national strategy of critical material independence. Goncalves stated that "American manufacturing should not rely on China, or any other foreign nation, for essential minerals." Goncalves noted in the earnings call that on Monday "Cleveland Cliffs has been able to secure 2 or 3 year agreements with all major auto OEMs, covering increased sales volumes and favorable prices through 2027 or 2020." The development comes at a moment when the U.S. Steel industry is seeking to recover demand amid a market surplus resulting from cheaper imports. In an effort to combat the rising competition from abroad, Donald Trump raised tariffs on steel and aluminum imports earlier this year. He also set new tariffs of 25% on medium- and heavy duty trucks and parts imported last week to move more auto production into the United States. LSEG data shows that the adjusted loss for the quarter ending September 30 was 45 cents a share. Analysts had estimated a loss of 48 cents based on LSEG's data. Revenue for the third quarter rose by 3.6% compared to a year earlier, reaching $4.73 billion versus estimates of $4.90. Reporting by Aatreyee dasgupta from Bengaluru, editing by Shailesh Kuber
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Andy Home shares five key takeaways for London Metal Exchange Week.
Metals are a hot topic these days. Silver is catching up to gold in terms of record-breaking prices. Rare earths are at the center of the U.S.-China trade dispute, and the industrial metal supply chain is bending under the new global order of tariffs. The London Metal Exchange Week (LME Week) seminars and parties this year were full of interesting topics. The annual metals conference in London last week was a great success. Here are five key takeaways. GREEN PREMIUMS Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearings (HKEx), the owner of LME, surprised LME Week by announcing a new Dubai-based subsidiary. Commodity Pricing and Analysis Ltd. (CPAL), a subsidiary of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearings, will be the pricing administrator in the roll-out for "green" premiums. CPAL will use the LME's criteria for responsible sourcing and data from the digital platform Metalshub. Metalshub traded more than $220 millions of Class I refined Nickel in 2023. Since March 2024, it has traded 488 tonnes of greenish nickel. Green-ish nickel is defined as metal that has a carbon footprint of less than 20 metric tons for every ton of metal. Metalshub's prices will be used to create a nickel premium that is sustainable, and this template can then be applied to other metals like copper and aluminum. CPAL, assuming that premiums are always available, will "apply structured expertise judgment" if there are not enough trades. It's an interesting venture into the worlds of price reporting agencies like Fastmarkets Media, Argus and S&P Global Platts. The pivot towards Dubai is also significant. HKEx presents it as a means of enhancing the connectivity between China's metal markets and those in the Middle East that are growing rapidly. SMELTERS VERSUS MINERS "You can't be secure if all you have is stuff in the earth." Richard Holtum said that smelting was more important than mining at the LME Seminar. Holtum stated that if the West is to break China's monopoly on exotic metals like gallium and Germanium, they will need to build base metal smelters in order to produce these metals. This argument has been echoed by the Australian government which has committed A$135m ($87.4m) to keep Trafigura's two plants operational. A collapse in the smelting fee for zinc and copper is the backdrop. China's aggressive expansion in processing capacity has squeezed profit margins elsewhere. Spot copper treatment conditions are negative and eroding the revenue streams of smelters. Japan, Spain and South Korea released a rare statement on Wednesday to express deep concern over the current state of affairs in copper raw materials markets. As smelters consider bilateral agreements or tolling contracts, they may no longer be able to maintain the current benchmark pricing system. Everyone loves Doctor Copper Copper was voted the metal with most potential price growth at the LME Seminar. It always does. The bulls in London were in full force this year. The reasons for a higher price of copper include the reallocation of funds to hard assets, the dysfunctional raw material market and the low stock levels resulting from redistribution to the U.S. Even the self-proclaimed contrarians, such as Ken Hoffman from Traubenbach Associates, admit that in the long-term there is a robust growth of demand and a challenged supply. Wood Mackenzie predicts a 24% increase in global copper demand by 2035. Wood Mackenzie warns that data centers and other disruptive industries could "amplify the demand for copper and increase price volatility beyond expectation." The bull story is reinforced by the sharp increase in producer premiums for deliveries next year to European customers. Codelco, a Chilean producer, will now charge $325 per ton above LME cash price for 2026 term shipment. This is an increase from $234 in this year. Aurubis, a German producer, had announced an increase of $315 per tonne. This is a sign that we are in the tariff era. It's a sign of the times. ALUMINIUM: A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER Jorge Vazquez of HARBOR Aluminium, the head of the consultancy, graced the LME Seminar with a maroon sweater number. He surprised the audience by turning bullish about the light metal. Vazquez, who has consistently been bearish on aluminium in past years, now believes that the price will be above $3,000 per tonne, and possibly even $4,000 next year. This is compared to a current rate of $2,765 a tonne. The market has reassessed the dynamics of aluminum supply. Analysts are beginning to question whether the supply will be enough to meet demand for the first decade. GERMANIUM Theo Ruas is the head of global sales for specialty materials at Indium Corp. in the United States. He said that there was no germanium. China's chip-making materials exports have dropped this year, after Beijing tightened the export restrictions by the end of 2020. Project Blue says the price of this material has reached a 25-year high, but Ruas said that some buyers struggle to find it at any price. Gallium may be where germanium is now. Or any other mineral that is dominated by Chinese processing. Rare earths are a major source of friction between the U.S., China and other countries. Beijing recently added five more elements to the list of restricted exports. Most metal traders are unaware of the existence of holmium (also known as erbium), thulium (also called europium), and ytterbium. But they now hold the keys to global markets. These are the opinions of a columnist who writes for.
Investors are watching US-China trade talks as gold prices rise on bets of rate cuts and broader uncertainty.
Gold prices increased by more than 1% on the first day of this week, boosted by expectations for further U.S. rate cuts, and by sustained demand from investors who were awaiting upcoming U.S. China trade talks, and U.S. inflation data due out later in the week.
As of 1330 GMT, spot gold rose 1.6% to $4,318.50 an ounce. U.S. Gold futures for delivery in December rose 2.8%, to $4333.10 an ounce. Gold prices reached a record-high of $4,378.69 per ounce on Friday but ended 1.8% lower, their biggest drop since mid-May, after Donald Trump's comments eased concerns about U.S. China trade tensions.
After Friday's steep sell-off, CPM Group managing director Jeffrey Christian said that political and economic concerns have driven prices higher.
He added, "We expect the price to increase over the next few weeks and months. We wouldn't be shocked if it reached $4,500/oz very soon."
After senators failed to break the impasse for the 10th consecutive time last week, the U.S. shutdown reached its 20th date on Monday. The shutdown also delayed the release of key economic data, leaving investors and policymakers with a data vacuum before next week's Federal Reserve policy meeting.
The U.S. Consumer Price Index data that was delayed because of the shutdown is due on Friday.
The traders have priced in a 99% probability that the Federal Reserve is going to cut interest rates in December. Gold is a non-yielding investment that tends to perform well in low interest rate environments.
Investors will also be looking for updates on U.S. China trade talks after Trump said on Friday that a meeting planned with Chinese President Xi Jinping will go ahead.
"I wouldn't be surprised if gold reaches $5,000/oz next year." Christian stated that the price of gold would rise if political issues continue to worsen.
Silver spot rose by 1.3%, to $52.53. After hitting a record-high of $54.47 on Thursday, the metal dropped 4.4% to $52.53 on Friday.
Palladium rose 0.4% and platinum 1.3% to $1.630.24 an ounce. Noel John in Bengaluru, Pablo Sinha, Kavya Baliaraman and Susan Fenton are responsible for the reporting.
(source: Reuters)