North America

In the weeks following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. troops, local members of the ruling socialist Party went door to door in Maracaibo's oil-rich city, asking the residents if they supported the party which has ruled the country for almost 20 years. About half of the members responded that they did not. "The response was very poor," said someone who led the effort. "There is division among us." Although I was unable to independently verify the results of the canvassing, the reported decline in support was consistent with the information collected from three other areas of the...

Iran's foreign minister stated on Saturday that it will attack U.S. bases if they are attacked by U.S. troops who have gathered in the Middle East. He also insisted that this was not an attack against the countries that host them. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi appeared on Al Jazeera TV in Qatar a day following the announcement by Washington and Tehran that they would continue their indirect nuclear talks after what both sides called positive discussions held Friday in Oman. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that while Araqchi had said that no date has been set yet for the...

Cuba detailed on Friday an extensive plan to protect essential services and to ration fuel, as the communist government dug in its heels to defy a U.S. attempt to cut off?oil supplies to the Caribbean Island. Cubans are already facing severe shortages in food, fuel and medicine. The first rationing measure announced is the first since President Donald Trump warned of tariffs being imposed on any country that exports fuel to Cuba. Ministers of the government said that these measures will ensure fuel supply to key sectors such as agriculture, education, water, healthcare, and defense. As he outlined the details...

United Steelworkers of the United States adopted a national agreement regarding pay and benefits on Friday, averting an nationwide strike which could have affected up to 30,000 workers at?26 companies that operate crude oil refineries or petrochemical facilities. The union and the leading U.S. refining company Marathon Petroleum negotiated the agreement on behalf of refiners, chemical producers and other interested parties. Jamal Kheiry, a spokesperson for Marathon, said: "We are happy that Marathon and USW have successfully concluded a model agreement for new collective-bargaining contracts in the U.S. refinery industry." "We are looking forward to the local sites moving ahead...

The oil prices rose on Friday as traders feared that the talks this week between the U.S.A. and Iran failed to reduce the threat of a war between the two countries. Brent crude futures settled on $68.05 per barrel, up?50 cents or 0.74%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude ended up 26 cents or 0.41% at $63.55 per barrel. Both benchmarks declined overnight, but both Brent and WTI gained more than $1 per barrel during the U.S. trading session before settling. Iran and the U.S. conducted negotiations through Omani mediation in order to resolve?sharp disagreements over Tehran's nuke program. John Kilduff...

Shell has chosen PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) ?as its next auditor after a ?tender process, with PwC set ?to replace ?EY from 2027, the oil major said on Friday. The Financial Reporting Council of Britain announced in December that it had launched an investigation into EY’s audit of Shell's financial statements for 2024 due to possible breaches regarding audit partner rotation rules. Shell stated in a regulatory filing from July that EY violated the rules that require accounting firms to change their lead audit partners 'every five or seven years. Shell announced that it would amend the 2023 and 2024 reports, but...

Sources familiar with the situation said that Mexican officials are looking at ways to ship fuel to Cuba in order to meet basic needs, such as electricity and transportation, without provoking Washington's retaliation. Washington has threatened to impose tariffs on countries supplying fuel to the Caribbean Island. Sources said that high-level Mexican officials had been in contact with their counterparts in the United States to clarify the extent of the tariff threat described by President Donald Trump through an executive order, and to see if there was a possible way to get the fuel they desperately needed. Mexico's ability to...

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced on Thursday that his government will implement a plan to address fuel shortages in the 'next week' as the U.S. attempts to cut off oil supplies to the Caribbean Island nation. Last week, tensions escalated after the U.S. announced it would impose tariffs on products from countries that supply oil to Cuba. This led to a spike in prices for transportation and food, and a severe shortage of fuel. Last month, U.S. president Donald Trump announced that Cuba would cease to receive oil from Venezuela, its largest supplier. Diaz-Canel stated in a two-hour long televised...

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Foreign minister, has left?for Muscat in the Omani capital at the head of a diplomatic delegation for nuclear talks to be held with the U.S. on Friday. Officials from both sides confirmed that the U.S. has agreed to hold talks with Iran in Oman this Friday. However, they are still at odds over Washington's demand that Tehran's arsenal of missiles be included in negotiations and Iran's refusal to talk about anything but its nuclear program. Esmail Baghaei, the Iranian spokesperson, said on Thursday that Iran will engage in talks with...

The Italian tyremaker Pirelli has said that it opposes any spin-off of its 'cyber tyre' activities. This was in response to a proposal put forward by Sinochem, a Chinese shareholder, to settle a governance issue. Directors are against "any project or initiative that might lead to any form of compartmentalization, separation and/or segregation, even only partially, and of any nature," ?Pirelli said in a statement. It added that the board supported the position by a vote of 9-5, with five directors appointed in China voting against. Sinochem, a Beijing-controlled company, is the largest shareholder in Pirelli with a stake of...

India and the U.S. are expected to sign a "formal" trade agreement in March. After that, New Delhi will lower tariffs on U.S. products, said Trade Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday. This was the first official timeline of the adoption of the deal. Washington will then reduce the duty on Indian exports from 50% to 18% within a few days. Goyal stated that India will purchase about $500 billion worth of U.S. products over the next five years. This includes $70-80 billion of Boeing aircraft. In the deal announced Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump reduced U.S. Tariffs on Indian Goods...

Suncor Energy, a Canadian oil sands company, will present to the market options for long-term supply of bitumen this spring. This was announced by the chief executive on Wednesday. Rich Kruger, speaking to analysts in a conference call, said that the bitumen question would be one of the main themes of the new long-term strategy the company will unveil on March 31. Kruger stated, "We need to make it bold, ambitious, compelling and clear to maintain your interest and support." Suncor, based in Calgary, has spent years researching options to ensure the supply of oil sands to its Base Plant...

The futures trading Canada's main index of stocks were stable on Tuesday. Traders were reluctant to place?big bets, as they waited for important U.S. economic data due later this week. As of 5:46 am, March futures for the?S&P/TSX Composite Index were up by 0.09%. ET. Toronto's resource-heavy benchmark index rose 1.7% on Monday as mining shares continued to gain on the strength of precious metals and tech stocks recovered after the AI-sparked sale the previous week. Spot gold fell 0.21% on Tuesday and spot silver dropped 1.2%, following the positive sentiment in global equity markets. The Federal Reserve will be...

Hedging portfolios has been based on the same rules since decades. However, as technology, geopolitics, and trading have changed rapidly, it is time to update the rules. Old playbooks assumed stable relationships. Risk-off meant that bonds rallied. "Safe havens" cushioned withdrawals. Diversification could be left to autopilot. This assumption has proven to be unreliable. Portfolios that are resilient will be required as a result of rising leverage, shifting global alliances and technological disruption. To capture long-term capital preservation and growth, a more deliberate approach is needed. High-grade bonds are one of the most popular hedges. U.S. government debt and investment...

Canada's main index of stocks rose on Monday. The gains were boosted by mining shares as precious metals prices continued to rise and helped?the commodities heavy benchmark climb for the second consecutive session. As of 10:28 a.m., the S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.6% to 32,667. ET. On Friday, the index posted its largest daily gain in four months as miners advanced after a "recovery" in precious metals prices supported by a weaker U.S. Dollar. The spot price of?gold and silver rose by 1.8%, respectively, and copper prices also increased. TSX gold index grew by 2.3% while materials index, including...

The country's mining chamber announced on Monday that three of the 10 miners kidnapped from a mine in Mexico's northern Sinaloa state last month by Vizsla's Silver Corp. were found dead. Local authorities confirmed the death of Ignacio Aurelio Salazar and Jose Manuel Castaneda, according to a statement by Mexico's mining chamber Camimex. Camimex demanded an investigation in order to determine who was responsible. Camimex said that it was important to find our missing coworkers alive and return them home where they belong. The group was taken at the end January from a mine of silver in an area that...

TechMet, a U.S. investment vehicle backed by the United States, is seeking to raise an additional $200 million to finance vital minerals projects. CEO Brian Menell said on Monday. TechMet, a privately-held company that owns stakes of ten companies, including Brazilian Nickel, South Africa's Rainbow Rare Earths and Qatar Investment Authority, raised $300 million last year, including $180 from the Qatar Investment Authority. TechMet has reopened its fundraising. The company, valued at over $1 billion, focuses on developing businesses along the entire critical minerals value chain. Menell said on the sidelines an African mining conference in Cape Town: "We kept...

Argentine Foreign minister?Pablo Quirno said that a deal between Argentina and 'the U.S. on critical minerals signed this week doesn't rule out Chinese investments?into the mining sector of the country. As of today, this does not mean that China will or cannot invest in Argentina. Quirno stated at a press briefing that China has made investments in Argentina in the form of minerals. The agreement was announced following a meeting in Washington of over 50 countries where U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested a trading block for critical minerals. On Thursday, the two countries finalized their reciprocal trade agreement and...

Itochu, Japan's largest retailer, posted a record-breaking 4% increase in its nine-month net profits through December 31st, to 705.3 billion dollars. This was a result of strong consumer businesses, such as food, textiles and the convenience store chain. The trading house's food unit saw a 38% increase in profit to 82.5 billion Japanese yen, up from 60 billion last year. This was due to higher banana sales and production, as well as growth of the packaged foods division at Dole agriculture. Tsuyoshi Hachimura, Chief Financial Officer of the company, said at a press conference that "core profits in non-resources sectors...

Muyuan Foods shares closed slightly higher on Friday in Hong Kong, following the world's largest pig breeder. raised HK$10.7 Billion ($1.4 Billion) in a share sale This is the largest city-wide event so far in this year. The shares of the firm opened at HK$39 per share, matching their initial offer, and ended 3.9% higher, at HK$40.52, after trading between HK$38.98 and HK$41.72, with 40.59 millions shares worth HK$1.63billion changing hands. The benchmark Hang Seng Index ended 1.2% lower. This is the biggest share sale in Hong Kong in recent memory, surpassing Zijin Gold International $3.5 billion in September. Dickie...

Canada's Capstone Copper announced on Friday that its largest union at the Mantoverde copper and gold mine in?Chile approved a three-year contract. This ended a strike which began on January 2, and allowed production to resume normal. The Australian-listed shares of the miner fell by?3.9%, to A$15.430. This is their lowest level since January 23. The agreement brings an end to the labour strike which had reduced production in the?mine by about 55%. Capstone announced that it had?now negotiated new contracts for all four unions on the site. This allows the company to resume its full operations. Union No. Union...

Barrick Mining announced on Thursday that it will move forward with the?preparations of an initial public offering (IPO) of its North American assets, and appointed interim?head Mark Hill as its CEO and President. The company's shares listed in the United States rose by 2% during premarket trading. The company's Toronto shares dropped 6.7% during morning trading. Analysts said that the market punished the company because of high cost guidance, and the disclosure of the December payout to Mali. Martin Pradier is an analyst at Veritas Research. He said, "My concern about the cost increase is huge." Mali, when you factor...

Canada announced on Wednesday that it would be scrapping its national mandate for electric vehicles, marking yet another retreat from climate measures by the Liberal government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Ottawa mandated in 2023 that by 2026, 20% of vehicles sold would be emission-free. Vehicle manufacturers were not happy with the push, claiming it imposed unsustainable cost and made them vulnerable to a new U.S. -administration that cut support for EVs. Canada is introducing stronger emission standards for the 2027-2032 model years, which will help it achieve its goal of 75%?EV sales in 2035 and 90%?EV sales in...

Pandora has switched to platinum-plated items to reduce its exposure to the wild swings of the silver market. This comes after a speculative frenzy drove the metal's prices to record highs over the last year. Silver's sharp movements have become a major factor in the share price of the Danish company. Last week's drop in the metal sparked a surge in the stock. In an interview, CEO Berta De Pablos Barbier said: "We must decouple the performance of the company from the value of its shares." "We are not a trader of silver, we are a jewellery company." Pandora's most...