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India's NTPC reports a quarterly profit increase on lower expenses
NTPC, India's largest power producer, reported a higher adjusted profit for its second quarter on Thursday. This was due to lower expenses as a result of a decrease in fuel prices. The company's profit for the three-month period ended September 30 increased 19.4% compared to a year ago, reaching 56.24 billion rupies ($639.9m). Fuel cost is the total amount of expenses incurred by NTPC in acquiring and consuming the fuels needed for electricity production. This accounts for nearly 60%. Fuel costs fell nearly 5%, resulting in a 1.6% drop in the total expenditures of the state-owned company. India's power generation recovered in the second half of the year after a subdued first quarter ending in June. According to Elara Capital analysts, a low base and an increase in economic activity helped spur demand. Due to grid restrictions however, NTPC’s thermal power segment’s plant load factor (which is a percentage energy used by the power plants corresponding to their installed capacity) fell to 66.01%, from 72.28% during the period of July-September. Since Sept. 2024 the company has added 7450 Megawatts (MW), bringing its total installed power to 83893MW. India is planning to increase its coal-power capacity by 46 percent by 2035. It also plans to expand its renewable power capacity. NTPC's revenue from operations rose marginally by 0.2%, to 447.86 trillion rupees. ($1 = 87.8950 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
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Saudi Arabia's budget deficit reaches $23 billion by Q3
Saudi Arabia's third-quarter budget deficit increased by 160%, as revenues dropped and spending rose. The finance ministry announced this on Thursday. Oil revenues dropped 0.1%, to 150.8 billion riyals. The unwinding of OPEC production cuts weighed on prices. Meanwhile, the Kingdom's Vision 2030 plan for diversification was implemented. In the first quarter of this year, revenues for the world's largest oil exporter fell by 13% compared to last year. 119.1 billion dollars came from industries other than oil. The public spending increased by 6% on an annual basis to 358.4 billion Riyals. The IMF's latest World Economic Outlook raised its forecast of Saudi Arabia’s GDP growth to 4% in 2025 from the 3% projected in April. The IMF revised the growth in 2026 to 4% due to an earlier than expected unwinding in Saudi Arabia's oil production cuts. The OPEC+ group increased crude oil production in October after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia, and other allies decided to accelerate the unwinding of some cuts earlier than originally planned. Saudi Arabia's deficit budget shrank by 41.1% to 34.534 billion Riyals in the second quarter. According to the Ministry, the public debt of the kingdom stood at 1,47 trillion riyals by the end the third quarter.
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Ghana orders the first major audits of mining companies in 10 years
Ghana, Africa’s top gold producer has launched the most aggressive audit of its mining industry in 10 years, targeting top miner to recover revenue lost and tighten up oversight, as a letter from government shows. West African governments are increasing their scrutiny on mining companies to ensure compliance with regulations, and protect revenue from the soaring prices of commodities. On October 20, the spot gold price reached a new record of $4,380 per troy ounce. The audit will include major gold producers including Newmont, AngloGold Ashanti Gold Fields, Perseus Asante Gold, China's Zijin, and China's AngloGold Ashanti. According to a government letter sent by the Minerals Commission to the Ghana Chamber of Mines on October 13, the audit will be conducted by independent consultants and forensic accountants. The Minerals Commission is the industry regulator and will be deploying teams to conduct a nationwide physical and financial audit between November 1, 2018 and June 20, 2026. These teams will examine production volumes, mineral flow, tax and royalties payments, and environmental compliance. By October 31, miners must submit all permits, stockpiles, shipping manifests, 10 years worth of production records, 3 years financial records and 10 years worth of production logs. The letter stated that company-specific reports must be submitted within 30 days after each site visit. The Minerals Commission refused to comment. The Mines Ministry did not respond immediately to a comment request. TRUE REVENUE RESOURSE POTENTIAL The world's second largest cocoa producer will generate 17.7 billion Ghanaian Cedis ($1.68billion) by 2024. This is due to a 25.1% increase in gold production, which helped stabilize the economy following its worst crisis for a generation. Ghana, which exports bauxite and diamonds, as well as manganese and diamonds, expects its gold production to increase to 5.1 millions ounces from 4.8. The letter from the commission details a phased auditory starting with Gold Fields Damang mine in November and Perseus, Canada-based Xtra-Gold Kibi unit by late June 2026. An executive from one of the companies, who asked not to be identified, said that individual companies received letters detailing the schedule. AngloGold Ashanti did not respond immediately to comments from Asante Gold. Gold Fields, Newmont. Perseus. Xtra-Gold. Zijin. Chamber of Mines did not respond immediately either. Ghana audited the mining sector last in 2015, with external investigators' help, but some companies disputed the findings. A source familiar with this process said. Said Boakye is an economist at the Accra based Institute for Fiscal Studies and a research fellow. He said that special audits should not be performed periodically but every year. It's the only method to develop a sound tax policy, and unlock the true revenue potential of the sector. The government has implemented sweeping reforms in order to increase returns. The country's mines ministry said that the country would shorten the licence terms and implement direct revenue sharing with host communities. This is the most ambitious overhaul of mining laws in almost 20 years.
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Letter shows truckmakers asking EU to relax emissions targets
A letter obtained by revealed that European truck manufacturers, including Traton Scania, Volvo, and Daimler Truck, have asked the European Union to relax its CO2 emission rules for this sector. Industry is being pressed to reduce its emissions that are warming the planet. Electric trucks are still a small part of the market because they cost more than diesel versions and buyers worry about charging infrastructure. In a letter dated October 13, the companies demanded changes to the EU credit system, which rewards manufacturers who achieve emissions below the EU targets as well as a linear trajectory from target year to target year. They want to be credited for just beating headline targets. Christian Levin of Scania and Traton said that the letter was a "cry for help". "We don't argue that the targets are incorrect... but it will be very, difficult," said Levin. He is also chair of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association's (ACEA's) board for commercial vehicles. Daimler Truck's spokesperson said that the industry has invested heavily in electrification, but faces "draconian penalties" for not meeting targets. This is despite factors beyond their control such as battery manufacturing and charging infrastructure. Levin said that the best solution would be to eliminate the stupid fines imposed on the industry and instead force everyone to work together through incentives or penalties. According to EU law, truckmakers are required to reduce emissions of new trucks by 15 percent by 2025. This will rise to 90 percent by 2040 compared to the levels in 2019. The majority of truckmakers are on course to reach the 2025 target - mostly by improving their diesel lineup, rather than selling electric trucks. Environmentalists warn that lowering the targets will slow Europe's move to electrification, and could open the door for Chinese producers. Transport & Environment, a campaign group, said that the proposed changes would reduce EU sales of zero emission trucks by 27% by 2030. The European Commission didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. In a letter addressed to EU leaders, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, promised to "concrete" measures that would help heavy-duty vehicle producers reach their goals. Brussels has already considered lowering its CO2 emission target for cars by 2035, in response to pressure from the industry and EU member states.
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Investors assess U.S. China trade deal as Fed lowers rates and gold gains
Gold prices increased by nearly 2% Thursday. This was due to a Federal Reserve rate cut and lingering uncertainties over the outcome a trade agreement between China and the U.S. As of 9:43 a.m., spot gold was up by 1% to $3,970.36 an ounce. ET (1343 GMT) after a nearly 2% rise earlier in the day. U.S. Gold Futures GCcv1 were unchanged at $3.992.40 an ounce for December delivery. U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would lower tariffs against China from 57% to 47% if Beijing resumed U.S. purchases of soybeans and rare earths and cracked down on the illicit fentanyl traffic. The markets have backed off any optimism about the end of the trade wars as details of the U.S. China deal were revealed. Fears that the truce could be temporary led to a fall in equity markets. The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates in line with expectations on Wednesday. However, it indicated that this may be the last reduction of the year, as the government shutdown is threatening the availability key economic data. In a low interest rate environment, safe-haven assets like gold become more appealing as they are non-yielding. Gold tends to do well during times of geopolitical or economic uncertainty. Wells Fargo Investment Institute has raised its gold target for 2026 to $4,500-$4,700/oz from $3,900-4,100/oz previously, citing uncertainty in geopolitical policy and trade. Analysts said that they expect the question marks to continue to drive private and public demand, and higher prices. Other than that, silver spot rose by 1.7%, to $48.34 an ounce. Platinum gained 0.9%, to $1.598.55; and palladium increased 1%, to $1.415.52. (Reporting from Noel John in Bengaluru and Pablo Sinha; editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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Nigeria imposes a 15% import duty to support local refiners
According to a memo from the president seen on Thursday, Nigeria has approved an import duty of 15% on petrol and diesel. The government is trying to protect its multi-billion dollar investments in domestic refinery by limiting an influx cheaper fuel. The government stated that the measure was part of broader reforms to boost non-oil revenue in advance of tax changes planned for 2026. The measure follows the removal of fuel subsides and foreign exchange controls last year. The memo said that "this reform will accelerate Nigeria’s path to fuel self-sufficiency. It will protect consumers and investors, and stabilize downstream petroleum markets." Bola Tinubu, President of the Republic of Nigeria, signed off on new import duties on October 21, 2018. Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer, has been trying to reduce its dependence on imported fuel for a long time. The Dangote refinery, which produces 650,000 barrels of oil per day, was inaugurated last year. This gave the ambition a big boost. The memo said that the refinery, Africa's biggest, was built for $20 billion and faced competition from imported goods priced below the cost recovery. The current pump price is around 928 Naira ($0.6322) a litre. The officials estimate that the duty may increase prices by 99 naira. Fuel shortages have been experienced in Nigeria due to supply issues. $1 = 1,467,8100 Naira (Reporting and editing by Chijioke Ohuocha, Joe Bavier; Additional reporting by Camillus in Abuja)
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Copper backs off Fed caution amid concerns about Chinese demand
The Federal Reserve's cautious comments on U.S. rate cuts and concerns about Chinese demand led to a decline in copper prices on Thursday, compared with the record highs of the previous day. The price of three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange fell 1.8% in open-outcry official trading to $10,978 a metric ton, after reaching a record high on Wednesday, $11,200, due to supply concerns. Robert Montefusco, a broker at Sucden Financial, said: "Copper prices are down today due to the lackluster physical demand and the Fed's dovish sentiment on a rate cut in December. Fed Chair Jerome Powell shocked the markets on Wednesday, casting doubt on the prospects for an interest rate reduction at the next central bank meeting in December. He said that such a move "was not a foregone decision". This helped push the dollar index up to its highest level in three weeks, making commodities priced using the U.S. dollars more expensive for buyers who use other currencies. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell 0.1% to 87.960 yuan (12,348.73 dollars) per ton. The physical demand for metals in China, the top consumer of metals, has been weakening as prices rise. Spot copper prices are higher than SHFE prices. Flipping to a 55-yuan discount per ton of coal on Thursday, from a premium 90-yuan on 15 October. A poll found that major miners have reported lower output of copper in the first nine month of the year. This has led analysts to raise their price predictions for next year. Dan Smith, managing Director at Commodity Market Analytics said that the market is bullish but some miners may be holding it back because they want to sell ahead to lock in high prices. I'd imagine that copper producers are doing a lot of hedging, which prevents prices from rising. These are good numbers for many copper producers." Other metals include LME aluminium, which fell 1.4% to $2.845.50 per ton in official activity, nickel, which dropped 1% to $16,215; zinc, which slipped 1.9% to $3,000; lead, a 0.1% drop to $2.024; and tin, a 0.6% decline to $35,960. Click here for top metals stories ($1 = 7.1230 Chinese yuan). (Reporting and additional reporting by Lucas Liew, Editing by Shareysh Kuber, Shreysh Biswas, and Shareysh Kuber)
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Google Gemini Pro is available for free to Reliance Jio customers in India for 18 months as part of a broader AI push
Reliance Industries in India and Google announced tie-ups in artificial intelligence for consumers and businesses, including a free 18-month subscription to Google's Gemini AI Pro Platform, as part of a push to increase AI adoption in India. The companies have announced that the offer, currently priced at 35.100 rupees (about $399) for 18 months will allow Jio users to access the latest Gemini 2. Pro model, 2TB of cloud storage and its image and videos generation models. OpenAI announced a few days earlier that it would provide users with ChatGPT Go access for a full year in India. India's AI market, which is growing rapidly, has witnessed a rise in competition as firms compete to attract the nearly 1 billion Internet users of India with low-cost or free premium offerings. Google offers Gemini AI Pro for free to Indian students for an entire year, while Perplexity gives Indian users free access to their premium plan through a partnership with Bharti Airtel. Reliance Intelligence, the AI arm of the company, will be working with Google Cloud in order to give organisations access to Google AI hardware accelerators that will help them train and deploy large AI model. Gemini Enterprise will be adopted by Indian companies in partnership with the two companies. Gemini Enterprise enables firms to create and run custom AI agents.
Argentex's collapse on untested currency swings: from rebound to rescue
Argentex’s chief executive Jim Ormonde, and its chief financial officer Guy Rudolph bought shares of the London-listed forex broker in early April as the stock recovered from a March plunge.
Ormonde was appointed 18 months ago amid a sagging stock performance. In a statement on April 2, Ormonde said that Argentex "reset" its 2024 goals and is now "well-positioned to return to profitable expansion." The company's shares have risen more than 50% in the past year.
The company's liquidity position plummeted in a flash, and the financial markets reacted with a dramatic shift.
Argentex became one of the most visible corporate victims in a matter of weeks as a result of the market volatility caused by the global war on trade. IFX Payments bought Argentex for a fraction of its value, and both the CEO and CFO are gone.
Argentex declined comment. IFX, a UK-based company, did not respond to requests for comments.
The 2nd of April was also known as "Liberation Day" when U.S. president Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs in return against a number of countries. This triggered increased volatility among trading firms, with currency markets moving widely.
The Swiss franc, the safe haven currency, surged by 7% against U.S. dollars in April. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank's currencies volatilty index, which measures currency fluctuations, rose up to 28% and reached its highest level for two years.
Argentex has navigated past big market crashes such as the decline of the pound against the dollar, Brexit and COVID-19.
According to two people who are familiar with the firm, despite having done stress tests and scenario modelling, the company had not planned for the rapid devaluation of the dollar against many major currencies. The information they shared was confidential, so the company asked that their names not be used.
One person said that Argentex is most vulnerable to sudden increases in the value of the Swiss franc, the euro, and the pound against the dollar.
ZERO-ZERO LINES
Argentex stated in its annual report for 2024 that it "performs regular stress tests to ensure the group is able to meet its current and future obligations if there were a significant change to the market."
According to this person, Argentex, when the market moved in its favor, was exposed to cash calls by its liquidity providers. It also found itself unable to ask for margins from many of its customers due to its zero-zero line.
Barclays and Citigroup declined to comment. They are two of Argentex's liquidity suppliers.
According to an ex-forex broker, this business model is used by smaller FX brokers in London. It does not require the customer to pay initial margin or additional funds to cover intra-day volatility. Smaller brokers instead include margin costs into the price they charge for trading.
The person stated that Argentex has paid out more than 20 million pounds (26.65 millions) in the 12 days following April 3.
Argentex's full-year financial statements show that at the end December of last year, it had 18.4 millions pounds in cash.
In its financial statements, the company stated that its cash flow position fluctuates significantly from month to month as a result of margin calls and working-capital movements.
One Argentex employee, speaking under condition of anonymity as they were not authorized for public comment, said that "zero-zero contract aren't necessarily the devil." They said that the issue was "ensuring the business is healthy enough to accept those contracts".
One of the two individuals said that the reasons for Argentex’s liquidity crisis were complex. It lacked a hefty financial balance sheet like its larger rivals, and was unable adequately to hedge its positions. The company was attempting to simplify its relationships with liquidity providers and implement a Treasury function to manage their positions when the markets were thrown into chaos by Trump's Tariffs. They also said that they were trying to boost its cash position through new products.
In April, the company announced that it would launch its digital account and payment businesses this summer.
Argentex, which was founded in 2012, received its authorization as an electronic-money institution (EMI) by the UK Financial Conduct Authority in 2018. According to Argentex's website, a quarter are from the financial industry.
According to company filings from 2024, the family office of John Beckwith - one of Britain's richest financiers - backed the company in 2013. Beckwith's Pacific Investments Management held a 17% stake in the company before the deal was announced with IFX, according to LSEG. Pacific Investments refused to comment.
EMIs have flooded London in the past decade. They offer payment services and enjoy a lower regulatory burden than banks.
FCA regulations require EMIs keep counterparty and liquid risks in check, including the risk that a party may not fulfill its obligations.
In a February letter to all CEOs and directors of payment firms, including EMIs (Electronic Money Institutions), the FCA stated that it was still concerned about risks for consumers and integrity of the financial system. The FCA gave EMIs a deadline of March 2025 for them to test their operational resilience in the event of a shock.
When contacted for this article, the FCA declined comment.
Argentex's other regulators in Australia, Dubai, and the Netherlands declined to comment on this matter or didn't respond to any requests for comments.
FIELDING OF BIDS
The company requested that trading be suspended on April 22. It revealed that its near-term liquidity was being affected by margin calls related to its foreign currency forward and options book after the rapid devaluation of the U.S. Dollar in response to U.S. Tariffs and Government Spending Cuts.
The company announced that it would need "an immediate injection of cash to ensure the Company’s continued solvency."
The board had rejected two of the three takeover offers, including one from IFX Payments. The board sought a bridging deal with IFX Payments to meet its liquidity needs.
Argentex had announced on April 25 that it had reached a deal to buy IFX for approximately 3 million pounds. CEO Ormonde was leaving immediately.
Argentex shares began trading again this week and fell 91%. The company announced that it had received a loan of 20 million pounds from IFX, and that Rudolph, the finance chief along with other board members had resigned. ($1 = 0.7505 pounds)
(source: Reuters)