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Texas nuclear project talks with "hyperscalers"
In documents released on Tuesday, Fermi, an Texas-based company that wants to build four nuclear reactors next to the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex, stated it was in talks with large data managers about leasing agreements for this project. Fermi is a company co-founded Rick Perry, a U.S. former energy secretary. It wants to build 4 AP1000 reactors in a facility that it calls a "hypergrid." The 11 gigawatt facility, powered by nuclear energy, natural gas and renewables, will be built in Amarillo, near the Department of Energy Pantex nuclear weapons factory and in partnership with Texas Tech University. Fermi stated in its application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the regulator made publicly available on Tuesday that it was in discussions with many Big Tech firms, also known as "hyperscalers", on letters of intention and term sheets or preliminary documents which are normally non-binding. According to the application, hyperscalers will be tenants and not owners of any part of the plant. Fermi didn't immediately respond to questions about the financial arrangements that are being discussed with Big Tech companies, or who or how many Hyperscalers they is in discussions with. The two last reactors in the U.S. built were AP1000 in Vogtle in Georgia. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, they cost a combined total of $30 billion. These plants were years behind schedule and cost billions more than projected. Nuclear supporters say that lessons learned will reduce the construction time and costs for future AP1000 reactors. Fermi stated in his application that the Donald J. Trump Generating Plant nuclear complex, also known as the Donald J. Trump Generating Plant will be eligible for funding from the Department of Energy Loan Programs Office. In his first term, the only time that the president used the LPO was to finance the Vogtle plant. Other plans for financing construction and operations include equity contributions from institutional investors in infrastructure and real estate, structured bond offerings and clean energy tax credit.
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US expedites permit for proposed Tennessee coal mining
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it had approved a coal mine proposal in Claiborne County Tennessee under a process expedited to speed up federal environmental reviews for energy projects. The Department of the Interior announced in a press release that it had granted Hurricane Creek Mining LLC approval to mine coal at Bryson mountain, located in Claiborne County Tennessee. The agency stated that the mine would produce up to 1 million tons of coal in the next decade. The site has been mined in various periods between 1950 and 2010. The rush permit aligns with the goal of President Donald Trump to increase coal mines as part his energy dominance agenda. Although the project is located on private property, it must still be approved by Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Hurricane Creek Mining was not available for immediate comment. Interior announced in April that it would implement a process of emergency permits for energy and mining project approvals, which typically takes months or even years. This week, the department has taken another step to support coal. Interior's Bureau of Land Management announced on Monday that it will be taking public comments on the opening of coal leasing in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming. The public can comment on the opening of lands that were off-limits for leasing by former president Joe Biden until August 7. Reporting by Nichola groom, Editing by Chizu nomiyama and Daniel Wallis
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Where does the US obtain its copper?
On Tuesday, U.S. president Donald Trump said that he would be announcing a new initiative. Imports of copper are subject to a 50% tariff Later in the day, a global industry, whose output is crucial for electric vehicles, military equipment, semiconductors, and a variety of consumer goods, was surprised. Trump had a February election. Ordered a Probe As part of efforts by the United States to rebuild its production of copper, there is a deadline of November for possible tariffs. The investigation, which was meant to evaluate the imports of copper concentrates, copper scrap, and copper alloys, was still ongoing. The U.S. Commerce Department's Howard Lutnick announced on Tuesday that the duties will likely be implemented by the end or August 1 of this year. What you should know about U.S. Copper Imports US IMPORTS Just over half of the refined copper that is consumed in the United States each year is produced domestically. Over two-thirds are mined in Arizona where the construction of a new massive mine has been held up for over a decade. The remainder of refined copper is imported, which amounts to just under 1 million metric tonnes per year. The White House has framed these new tariffs to counter China's dominance on the global market. However, in reality the United States imports the majority of its refined copper products from the Americas. According to the United States Geological Survey, more than 90% (90%) of copper refined imports were made by Chile, Canada, and Peru last year. GLOBAL PRODUCTION China is the world's largest copper refiner, but it gets most of its ore from Latin America. According to the USGS, Chile and Peru mined a combined third of global cobalt last year. China, however, is increasing its influence over the world copper mining industry through its major investment in mines located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Due to massive Chinese investments in the African nation's mining industry, the DRC has now overtaken Peru as the second largest copper producer in the world. The Chinese copper sector dwarfs the rest. Last year, the country operated dozens of copper-smelters. According to the USGS, there are only two primary copper-smelters in the United States.
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Stocks almost flat, yen continues to fall; Trump expands trade war
The major stock indexes showed little change on Tuesday, as investors digested Donald Trump's latest tariff announcement. Meanwhile, the yen continued to fall against the dollar due to planned 25% duties for goods coming from Japan. Trump expanded his global trade battle on Tuesday by announcing a tariff of 50% on imported copper and announcing that long-threatened duties on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and other goods would be coming soon. Freeport-McMoRan shares were up by 4%. Trump wrote to 14 countries on Monday, including Japan and South Korea. He warned that the United States would impose a sharply increased tariff rate for imports starting August 1. The market has not reacted as strongly as it did in the wake of Trump's announcement on tariffs in April. Market watchers predict that countries will seek to reach trade agreements with the United States prior to the new deadline. Sources said that European stocks held steady, and the European Union would not receive a letter outlining higher tariffs. The EU could also reach a deal with the United States by Wednesday. It's a slow day. Yesterday (Monday), people digested tariff news, and we noticed weakness. "People are on hold until second-quarter earnings start," said Peter Tuz of Chase Investment Counsel, Charlottesville, Virginia. S&P 500 companies are soon to report results for the quarter ending June 30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 156.46, or 0.35% to 44,249.90. The S&P 500 fell by 2.88, or 0.05% to 6,226.88. And the Nasdaq Composite grew by 13.72, or 0.07% to 20,426.23. The MSCI index of global stocks rose by 0.03 points, to 919.96. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended the day up by 0.41%. The hope of trade agreements boosted risk appetite on Tuesday, as MSCI’s broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan rose by 0.5%. Japan’s Nikkei recovered from its early losses and ended the day 0.26% higher. Southeast Asia's largest economies are facing some of the highest U.S. Tariffs. South Korean shares posted their biggest daily gain in the past two weeks, and the won strengthened by 0.4%. Since Trump in April capped what he termed reciprocal tariffs for trading partners to 10% for three-months, allowing for negotiation, the lack of progress has been a looming shadow over the markets. Two agreements have been made, with Britain, and Vietnam. In June, Washington and China reached an agreement on tariff rates. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting will be published on Wednesday. The central bank is taking a wait and see approach to monetary policies. The export-dependent Japanese currency, the yen, has fallen to a two-week-low of 146.65 against the dollar. It also fell against other currencies. The dollar gained 0.46% against the Japanese yen to reach 146.69. The Australian dollar rose as the central bank of Australia defied expectations by keeping its cash rate at 3.85%. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10 year notes increased by 2.2 basis points to 4.417% from 4.395% on Monday. U.S. crude oil rose by 40 cents, settling at $68.33 per barrel. Brent settled at $70.15 a barrel, an increase of 57 cents.
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Rescue teams find three additional bodies following central Texas flooding
According to Kerr County officials, the death toll has risen to 87 as three more bodies were recovered by search and rescue teams in the hills of central Texas that had been ravaged by floods. Teams from the federal government, states adjacent to Kerr County, and Mexico have joined efforts in search of survivors. The local effort has been hampered by downpours and thunderstorms. The teams are working through the missing persons lists and have yet to find a survivor since Friday. At least 109 people, including dozens children, have died in the floods. At a press conference, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker from the Texas Game Wardens stated that the work was extremely dangerous and time-consuming. It's dirty. "The water is still there." The Guadalupe River was flooded by torrential rains that began before dawn Friday. It burst through its banks, killing dozens of people and leaving behind piles of trees, debris and cars. The local and federal emergency officials were questioned for days about whether or not they could have warned the flood-prone Texas Hill Country residents sooner. Sheriff Larry Leitha announced at a Kerr County press conference that 56 adults and 30 kids have died in the county. More than two dozen other victims are still unidentified. Authorities are still unsure if the 87th person is an adult or a child. Some flood victims slept at Camp Mystic near Hunt, a riverside Christian summer camp for girls. Five children and one counselor were still missing on Tuesday. The sheriff refused to answer questions regarding emergency management and preparedness in the county. He also declined to reveal who was responsible for monitoring weather alerts, issuing flood warnings or evacuation orders and distributing a flood order. He said that his office began receiving 911 calls at 4 am and 5 am on Friday morning, several hours after a local National Weather Service station had issued a flood alert. Leitha explained that they were in the process "of trying to put together" a timeline. According to local media and sheriffs, the floods have killed another 22 people. Seven of them were in Travis County; seven in Kendall County; five in Burnett County; two in Williamson County; and one in Tom Green County. A spokesperson for Republican President Donald Trump confirmed that he plans to visit the region devastated by flooding this week. Democrats in Washington are calling for an investigation to determine if the Trump administration's cuts at the National Weather Service impacted the agency's response. (Reporting from Jonathan Allen in New York, Rich McKay and Deepababington in Atlanta. Editing by Rod Nickel & Deepababington).
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EIA: US natgas production and demand will reach record highs by 2025 before declining in 2026
The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook, released on Tuesday, predicted that the U.S. Natural Gas output and demand would both reach record highs by 2025. However, they will then decline in 2026. EIA projects that dry gas production will increase from 103.2 billion cubic feet per day in 2024, to 105.9 in 2025, before slipping to 105.4 in 2026. This compares to a record of 103.6 bcfd for 2023. The agency also predicted that domestic gas consumption will rise from 90.5 bcfd, a record in 2024, to 91.4bcfd by 2025 and then ease back to 91.1bcfd by 2026. The EIA's June forecast of 105.9 billion cubic feet per day for supply in 2025 has not changed, but its July forecast is higher than the 91.3 billion cubic feet per day forecast. The agency predicted that average U.S. LNG exports will reach 14.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2025, and 16.0 billion cubic feet per day in 2026. This is up from 11.9 bcfd at a record in 2024. The EIA predicted that U.S. coal output would increase from 512.1 million short tonnes in 2024 - the lowest level since 1964 - to 519.9 millions tons in 2020, before dropping to 475.1million tons in 2030, the lowest level since 1962. EIA predicted that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from fossil fuels will rise from a low of 4,777 billion metric tonnes in 2024, to 4.836 in 2025, as oil, gas and coal use increases. Then, the emissions would ease to 4.775 in 2026, as oil, gas and coal use decreases. (Reporting and Editing by Franklin Paul, David Gregorio and Scott DiSavino)
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Second quarter copper production at Ivanhoe Congo Mine jumps
Ivanhoe Mines said that its production at the Kamoa-Kakula Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo increased by 11% on an annual basis to 112,009 tons of copper during the second quarter. The output increased despite the seismic problems that disrupted operation earlier this year. The Canadian miner resumed its operations in June, and reduced its production guidance for 2025 by almost 30%. It now expects to produce between 370,000 and 420,000 tonnes. Open Mineral's Senior Africa Commercial Officer, Zack Hartwanger said: "Ivanhoe’s rapid ramp-up, and its steady outlook, underscore Kamoa Kakula's status as one of the world's lowest-cost, high-margin producers of copper." Robert Friedland, Ivanhoe's Executive Co-Chairman, said that "operational recovery plans" are in full swing at Kamoa/Kakula. Ivanhoe started mining low-grade areas in the western part of Kakula. It is currently producing ore that contains 3-4% copper. A two-stage dewatering program has been implemented to gain access to the eastern sections. According to the statement, mining operations on the west side resumed in early June and ramped up to 300,000.00 tons per month by the middle of June. The company announced that it would invest $70 million into high-capacity infrastructure for de-watering, and five submersible pump will arrive from China in the next month. Ivanhoe stated that mining in areas with a higher grade of copper (approximately 5%) on the western side would resume by the end of this year. The operational turnaround comes as Kamoa-Kakula prepares for the September ramp up of its 500,000-ton-per-annum copper concentrate facility. The first anode is expected to be produced in October. The facility will change the operation from an exporter of concentrates to a producer 99.7% pure Copper Anodes, according to the company. The Kamoa Kakula Complex is one of the largest copper mines in the world, and crucial to global supply due to the rising demand for energy transition metal. The copper price has risen by more than 8% this year in comparison to the same time last year. Yassin Kombi reported. Maxwell Akalaare Adombila contributed to the reporting and writing. Editing by Pratima Deai and Mark Potter.
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WGC reports that gold ETFs attracted the largest inflow for five years in the first half of 2025.
The World Gold Council reported that from January to June, physical gold exchange traded funds experienced their biggest semi-annual inflows since the first half 2020. Investors sought refuge from political and economic instability in gold ETFs after a trade war was sparked by President Donald Trump's tariff policies. These ETFs account for the majority of demand for precious metals. After three years of high interest rate outflows, the active first half of 2024 follows a modest inflow of net funds into gold ETFs. The WGC, a global industry group whose members are gold miners, reported that gold ETFs had an inflow in the first half 2025 of $38 billion. Their collective holdings increased by 397.1 tons of gold. The total amount of grain held by the end June was the highest since August 2022. The previous record was 3,915 tonnes in October 2020. According to the WGC, U.S. listed funds led inflows with 206.8 tonnes in the first six months, while Asia listed funds attracted 104.3 tons. The WGC reported that "despite slowing momentum in June and May, Asian investors purchased a record amount gold ETFs for the first half of this year, contributing a staggering 28% of net global flows, with only 9% the total assets managed around the globe." The spot gold price is up 26% in this year after hitting a record of $3,500 an ounce per troy. (Reporting and editing by Rod Nickel; Polina Devlin)
Top 20 worldwide family-owned retail businesses
Japan's Seven & & i Holdings got a buyout proposition from a member of its founding Ito family last week, a possible $58 billion whiteknight bid which would see the company go personal and allow it to continue running under existing management.
Many worldwide retailers have actually decided to stay privately owned or have founding families which have actually maintained considerable stakes.
An index assembled by EY and University of St. Gallen at the start of 2023 listed the 500 largest household services internationally ranked by revenue. Below is a list of the biggest 20 family-owned retailers, both publicly listed and private, which all appeared within the top 100.
WALMART:
The biggest of all family businesses, American omnichannel merchant Walmart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, and is currently headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.
The Walton household presently holds 45.5% of its shares impressive, according to LSEG data.
SCHWARZ GROUP:
The moms and dad business of German supermarket chains Lidl and Kaufland is owned by Dieter Schwarz, boy of its creator Josef Schwarz.
The group, which was established in 1930, has about 13,900 stores and 575,000 workers in 32 nations.
LVMH: The Paris-based luxury items group was founded in 1987 through a. merger of Moët Hennessy and Louis Vuitton, and has since 1989. been headed by Bernard Arnault, with his five children recently. moving up the ranks of business management.
The Arnault family currently holds 48.8% of shares. outstanding, according to LSEG information.
NIKE:
The U.S.-based sportswear giant was co-founded by Phil. Knight and Bill Bowerman in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports.
Knight is currently Chair Emeritus of the board of directors. and attends conferences of the board as a non-voting observer,. after working as Nike's president for an overall of 25 years. According to Nike's 2024 notification of yearly meeting, Phil Knight. and his boy Travis Knight own more than 97% of exceptional Class. A shares in addition to the holding business and trusts they. control, such as Swoosh LLC.
LOBLAW COMPANIES:
Loblaw is a Canadian food and drug store retailer. headquartered in Brampton, Canada.
The biggest financier is George Weston Ltd, founded by George. Weston in 1882, which owns 53.8%. George Weston is managed by. the Weston family, consisting of Galen G. Weston Galen, 51, chair. and director of Loblaw Companies Ltd.
. L'ORÉAL:
The French cosmetics maker was established in 1909 by Eugène. Schueller and is headquartered in Clichy.
Its greatest shareholder is the Bettencourt-Meyers family,. which holds 34.8% of the shares according to LSEG data.
ELO:
France's Elo is the owner of grocery store chain Auchan, which. was established in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and has its head office. in Croix, France. The Mulliez family has a 98% stake in the. unlisted group Elo, and controls stores such as home enhancement. and gardening outlet Leroy Merlin or sporting items chain. Decathlon.
HEB GROCERY:
The Butt household owns all the voting shares in the American. grocery giant H-E-B. The personal company has its headquarters in. San Antonio, Texas. It was founded by Florence Butt in 1905, and. her grandson Charles Butt currently is the chairperson of the. company.
RAJESH EXPORTS:
The Indian jeweller was established in 1989 by its present. Executive Chair Rajesh Mehta. The Mehta household manages 54.55% of the business, according to a. statement on the business's site.
INDITEX:
The world's largest noted style merchant was founded in. 1985 in Spain by Amancio Ortega as a holding business for the. Zara brand name and its factory. Amancio Ortega controls about 59% of Inditex capital through. Pontegadea Inversiones and Partler Participaciones, with a 5%. stake held by daughter Sandra Ortega. ALDI GROUP:
Aldi's family-owned business was established in 1913 in Germany. In 1961, brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht divided the business. into 2 lawfully and economically independent business,. grocery store chains ALDI Nord and ALDI Sued.
The 2 sis companies served at first north and south. Germany and after that broadened to much of Europe as well as the. United States and Australia.
MERCADONA:
Mercadona, the Spanish supermarket and online shopping. company, was developed in 1977 by Francisco Roig Ballester and his. wife Trinidad Alfonso Mocholí as part of the Cárnicas Roig. Group.
Juan Roig, child of the creators, is the president of the. business, with the household comprising the majority of the board.
The Roig household holds 100% of the shares in Mercadona. according to the EY St Gallen Household Business Index.
C&S WHOLESALE GROCERS LLC:
The U.S.-based supply chain options supplier and wholesale. grocery provider was founded in 1918. In addition to its core. business, it operates and supports corporate supermarket.
Its owner and Executive Chair Rick Cohen is the third. generation of the Cohen household to lead the business.
JERONIMO MARTINS:. Founded at the end of the 18th century, the Portuguese retailer,. owner of Pingo Doce supermarkets, was acquired by Francisco. Manuel dos Santos in 1921 and has been led by the dos Santos. household ever since. Pedro Soares dos Santos is the current CEO of. the company and the household owns over 56% of the Jeronimo Martins. share capital through the Sociedade Francisco Manuel dos Santos.
EMPIRE COMPANY:
The Canada-based business operates in food retail through the. grocery store chain Sobeys, which was established in 1907 by John W. Sobey as a meat shipment company.
Members of the Sobey family are still involved in the. management of the group, which was incorporated in 1963.
H&M:
The Swedish style seller has its head office in. Stockholm. It was established by Erling Persson in 1947.
His child, Stefan Persson and his family are H&M's biggest. shareholders through Ramsbury Invest AB, which holds all the class A. shares, which provide 10 votes per share, along with a part of. class B shares, amounting to 61% of all shares. The family of. Lottie Tham, Stefan's sister, holds 5.5%.
Stefan Persson's kid, Karl-Johan Persson, is the board's. chairperson, having actually served formerly as H&M's CEO from 2009 to. 2020.
COMPAGNIEFINANCIERE RICHEMONT:
Cartier-owner Richemont was formed in 1988, when the. Rembrandt Group spun off its non-South African operations into. the brand-new entity.
The Swiss high-end group, which also owns Swiss watchmakers. IWC, Piaget and Jaeger-LeCoulture, is managed by Chair Johan. Rupert through a mix of 2 categories of shares that offers. him 51% of the voting rights.
KERING:
The France-based Gucci owner is led by the founder's child,. François-Henri Pinault, who has actually been CEO of the group given that. 2005.
The Pinault household owns 42% of the shares and nearly 60% of. voting rights in the company, which was established in 1962 by. François Pinault as a lumber trading business and noted on the. Paris Stock Exchange in 1988, before shifting its focus to the. high-end sector in the late 1990s.
LOVES TRAVEL STOPS & & NATION STORES:
The U.S. based privately-owned chain operates truck travel. stops along with sustaining stations with attached convenience. shops and has about 650 places in 42 states.
It was founded in 1964 by Tom and Judy Love and is owned by. their 4 kids.
Their kids Greg and Frank have been co-CEOs given that 2014.
QUICKLY RETAILING:
The Japanese operator of the Uniqlo clothing chain was. established in 1949 and presently headed by Tadashi Yanai, Japan's. richest guy and Uniqlo brand name founder. Yanai, 75, who has long aimed to make Quick Selling the world's. greatest fashion merchant, presently holds a 17.19% stake in the. company, according to LSEG information. The stake held by his household in. total amounts to 41.28%.
(source: Reuters)