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Ghana's Parliament approves stricter limits on central banks financing
By Emmanuel Bruce ACCRA, Dec. 18 - Ghana’s parliament approved amendments to Bank of Ghana Act on Thursday, imposing stricter limitations on central bank funding of the government in order to safeguard its independence. The Bank?of Ghana Amendment?Bill 2025 bars the central banks from purchasing government securities on the secondary market. It also redefines the emergency provisions which previously allowed officials bypass a 5% loan cap tied to?revenues of the previous year. Emergency situations are limited to those that involve force majeure, such as natural disasters, crises declared by the president or public health emergencies. The reforms come after criticism of the 'heavy central banks support during and after the COVID pandemic, when Ghana lost its access to international capital markets and inflation soared, and the Bank?of Ghana?posted negative equity?after extending overdrafts?and other assistance?to manage fiscal imbalances?. The revised law prohibits direct and indirect loans to government except in exceptional circumstances, such as temporary revenue shortages. These advances will be subject to a?repayment schedule, capped limits, and parliamentary approval. The law also introduces stricter requirements for board membership and enhanced audit oversight in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's programme, which was agreed in 2023, to reduce central bank funding, stabilize inflation, and restore investor trust. Cassiel To Forson, Finance Minister, told the parliament that reforms will "strengthen" the central bank while maintaining its independence. The bill also sets out the framework for joint medium-term inflation target with the government. The amendments, which are subject to presidential approval, include provisions that the state recapitalise its central bank in order to comply with legal requirements. Reporting by Emmanuel Bruce. Colleen Goko is the writer. Mark Potter (editing)
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Britain increases sanctions against Russia's energy sector
As part of its efforts to increase pressure on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine, Britain imposed sanctions Thursday on additional Russian oil companies and Canadian-Pakistani Murtaza Lakhaani. The government has targeted 24 individuals, entities and companies, including what they describe as Russia's biggest remaining un-sanctioned oil firms: Tatneft, Russneft, NNK-Oil, and Rusneftegaz. The latest measures aim to make it more difficult for Russia to sell its oil globally. In October, Britain sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, two of Russia's largest oil companies. On Thursday, the EU sanctioned?41 ships of Russia's?shadow fleet? that tries to circumvent Western trading restrictions. Russia dismissed Western sanctions in the past as political motivated. The package included Lakhani and his companies. According to the British government, they are among the biggest traders of Russian oil in the world since 2022. Lakhani is a 63-year-old trader who began his career at the global trading company Glencore. He now runs a midsized trading firm called Mercantile & Maritime which faces UK sanctions. The company is based in London and Singapore. Britain said that it would also use'sanctions' to crack down on Central Asian cotton pulp supply chains, a component used in ammunition, explosives, and missile fuel, which it claimed Russia could not produce at scale. (Reporting Muvija M. Additional Reporting by Anna Hirtenstein. William James, Mark Potter and Mark Potter edited the story.
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TSX rises as tame U.S. data on inflation supports rate-cut bets
Canada's main index of stocks gained on Thursday after a U.S. inflation report that was lower than expected boosted expectations about Federal Reserve rate cuts. By 10:06 a.m., the?S&P/TSX composite index had risen 1% to '31,567.25?points. ET, after four consecutive days of modest losses. Cannabis companies Curaleaf Canopy Growth and Tilray have jumped between 2% and 21.5%. This is a continuation of their recent rally fueled by the expectation that U.S. president Donald Trump will sign an executive directive easing federal marijuana regulations. After Micron Technology's optimistic forecast, the technology index led gains in all Canadian sectors. The data showed that U.S. consumer price increases were less than economists expected for the year ending November, but they expect a faster increase in December. According to LSEG, investors are 'betting' that the Fed will reduce borrowing costs by 64 basis points at the end of the year. Oil prices are choppy due to geopolitical worries and the sell-off this week on Wall Street has weighed on the sentiment. Toronto's main index of stocks is on track for a weekly loss. The commodity-heavy Index is still on track to have its best year since 2009 with a gain of nearly 27%, driven by an increase in precious metal prices, and signs that the Canadian economy has remained resilient despite the tariff war between the U.S. Orla Mining climbed by 4% to a new record high, after the company confirmed that high-grade gold deposits extended beyond its underground operations at Musselwhite mine. (Reporting and editing by Avinash P in Bengaluru)
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Trump claims that he has cut energy costs. Has he?
In his White House address on Wednesday, Donald Trump credited the reduction of gasoline prices, increased power generation and boost to the coal industry. Here is a fact-check: GASOLINE -PRICES Trump stated: "Gasoline has dropped below $2.50 per gallon across the majority of the United States." By the way, in some states, it's just $1.99 per gallon. According to AAA's daily survey, the national average price for a gallon is $2.896. This is down from $3.034 one year ago. According to AAA, the lowest gasoline prices are found in Oklahoma where the average price is $2.343. The price of gasoline closely relates to its feedstock crude, which was pressured by OPEC's production increase and slowing economic growth in recent months. Power Generation Trump said, "Within 12 months, we will have opened 1600 electrical generating stations." It's a record which, I'd say, will not be broken by anyone, or at least not anytime soon. "Prices on electricity will drop dramatically, and everything else too." Facts: The rise in power prices is due to the proliferation of data centers that are electricity-hungry. This is a major reason why Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden wish to increase America's energy generation. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical arm of the Department?of?Energy's, predicts that U.S. electricity generation will grow by 2.4% in 2020, and 1.7% more in 2026. This growth reverses the shrinking U.S. electricity generation between 2010 and 2020. During this period, demand for electricity was flat. However, the EIA data indicates that solar and wind power projects are responsible for the largest growth in new generation. These projects were in the pipeline since?years, and benefited from federal subsides that Trump has now cut. Trump's administration wants a reduction in renewable energy and a boost to oil, gas and coal technologies. COAL REVIVAL In his speech, Trump said that his administration is "bringing back beautiful coal and raising take-home pay for?miners". After years of falling incomes at record levels, our policies have boosted take-home pay at an historic rate. For miners, this is $3,300. The facts: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the coal industry in November was 41,200, down from 42,300 a year ago. According to data, the average hourly wage of coal miners in October was $35.72, up from $35.65 one year ago. According to the EIA, coal consumption in the United States is expected to rise by 9% by 2025, driven by an increase of 11% in the demand for electric power. However, coal consumption is expected decline in 2026 due to the increase of electric power generated from renewable sources. (Reporting and editing by Nick Zieminski, Richard Valdmanis)
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Eni and BlackRock’s GIP jointly control a carbon capture unit
Eni announced on Thursday that it had sold a 49.99% share of its carbon storage and capture unit to BlackRock’s infrastructure fund Global Infrastructure Partners. This gives the two groups joint control over the business. This deal is part Eni's plan to spin-off specific businesses, and to bring in partners who can help fund investment for these units. The deal is a larger share than previous deals with its low-carbon units Plenitude and Enilive, where it restricted the'share of partners' to 30%. Eni's CCUS Holding is responsible for the Liverpool Bay?and Bacton project in Britain in addition to the L10 -CCS in the Netherlands. The CCUS Unit?also has a right to purchase the 50% owned by Eni in the 'carbon capture project' it launched in Italy with gas grid operator Snam. The Italian group did not disclose the value of any additional projects that could be added to the portfolio in the medium-term. This strategic partnership will enhance the industrial potential and value of portfolio projects. It will also reinforce Eni's ambitions to be the leading global player in the carbon capture and storage industry. Carbon capture and Storage technology is a way to remove CO2 from the air or store it underground. It does this by capturing it at the point of emissions. International Energy Agency claims that the technology can be a key component in meeting global climate goals. Critics have questioned the commercial viability of this technology and claim that it could prolong fossil fuel use. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Francesca Landini)
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Gold prices rise as inflation data drives rate-cut bets
Gold prices held firm on 'Thursday', reversing earlier losses, as U.S. inflation figures were softer than expected, confirming expectations for Federal Reserve rate reductions in 2026. As of 1424 GMT, spot gold was down by 0.1% to $4,333.57 per ounce. U.S. Gold Futures were also down 0.2% at $4,366.80. Data showed that U.S. consumer price index rose 2.7% on an annual basis in November. This was below the 3.1% rise forecast by economists?surveyed. After the data, futures on the federal fund rate increased the probability that the Federal Reserve would lower interest rates during its meeting in January. David Meger said, "The CPI report was dollar negative and gold positive... The Fed will remain in the spotlight going into 2026, as the market attempts to determine how many rate reductions are planned for the 'next year. Gold and other non-yielding investments benefit from a low-interest rate environment. LSEG data shows that traders expect the Federal Reserve to cut rates by 63 basis points next year. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that he expects to announce early next year who will be the next Federal Reserve Chair. He stated that a person?who supports dramatically lower interest rates" would be chosen. Silver spot fell 0.4%, to $66.04 per ounce. This is a retreat from the record high of $66.88 set in the previous session. Meger stated that "both gold and silver saw magnanimous moves over the past few weeks. It's therefore not surprising to see a little profit-taking or consolidation on the market." Silver has outperformed the gold market this year. Its price is up?129% on an annual basis due to investment demand and fears over a shortage of supply. Platinum rose by 0.7% to $1.924.05, which is a record high for more than 17 years. Palladium gained 2.9%, reaching a new high of $1.695.68, which is a three-year-old high. Commerzbank stated in a report that "the wave of price increases has now spread from Silver to Platinum... The platinum price is buoyed up by strong demand coming from China."
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Saudi Arabian crude exports reach a two-and-a half year high in October
Saudi Arabian crude oil exports reached their highest level since?two-and-ahalf years in October. Data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative, or JODI, was released on Thursday. Crude oil exports increased from 6.460 million barrels a day in September to 7.100 millions barrels a day (bpd), their highest level since the beginning of April 2023. Saudi Arabian crude production, on the other hand, reached its highest level since April 2023 in October. Output ?in September stood at 9.966 million bpd. Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC countries submit monthly?export data to JODI which publishes it on its platform. JODI data show that the refinery crude throughput fell to 2.712 mbpd in September, down 7.8% from 2.940 mbpd. Direct crude burning also decreased 92,000 bpd and is now 393,000 bpd. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said that the OPEC+ members of the Group of Eight lowered their production further in October, and with local demand seasonal declining, there was more crude available for export. Eight OPEC+ member countries have agreed to halt production increases for the first quarter of 2026. Other producers such as Brazil and the U.S. are also increasing their supply, which is adding to fears of a glut. OPEC predicted earlier this month that the demand for OPEC+ oil will average 43 millions bpd 'in 2026. This is unchanged from last?month and similar to what OPEC+ was producing in November. If OPEC+ continues to pump at?November’s rate in 2026, and all other factors remain the same, production?would 60,000 bpd more than demand. This calculation is based on an OPEC report. Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports to China will reach a three-month peak in January, according to sources early last week. The kingdom has lowered its official selling price to Asia. Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varighese in Bengaluru, Noel John in New York and Anmol Chaubey at Bengaluru. Editing by Kirby Donovan.
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Industry says EU carbon tax changes are not sufficient for metals
Industry representatives say that the proposed changes to the European Union’s carbon border adjustment mechanisms are a step in the correct direction but not an ideal solution for the steel and aluminum sectors of Europe. The European Commission announced Wednesday proposals to extend the scope of CBAM, which will impose carbon taxes on Europe's steel imports and aluminium as well as a few other commodities starting January 1, to include some downstream products that contain a large amount of these?metals. It took into account the warnings of metal industry players from Europe about "carbon leakage", or the risk of industries worried about losing their competitiveness moving operations outside of the region in order to avoid the cost of climate policies. Eurofer, the European steel association, said that the proposals were flawed and failed to provide "a comprehensive?and durable?response to carbon?and jobs?leakage." They described the number of downstream products as being "very limited." Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium manufacturer, was the leader in lobbying to expand CBAM so that it would cover downstream and scrap. Norsk Hydro claimed that 35% EU aluminium recycling capacities could be closed if remelted aluminum scrap entered the EU without a carbon tax. It stated on Wednesday that the inclusion of preconsumer waste was a "big leap forward". "However,?post-consumer scrap ?must also be ?added to the scope," a company spokesman said. "If we don't, then half the scrap loophole remains open." Post-consumer?metal is the end-of-life metal such as aluminum beverage cans. The industry association European Aluminium agreed on Thursday that CBAM needs more work. Paul Voss said that the direction was right but more adjustments were needed to close the remaining loopholes. "We are committed to working with co-legislators in a constructive manner to produce a CBAM which supports the climate ambitions while maintaining Europe's competitiveness." (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Tom Daly, Kate Abnett)
Minister: New Czech government considering several CEZ purchase options
The Czech government has a number of options to buy out CEZ. This includes leaving some assets on the market. However, it has not set a date for what could be one of the biggest energy changes in the country, according to its industry minister.
Andrej Babis is a billionaire, and his populist ANO party leads a coalition government which took office last week, after winning the October elections. He has called for CEZ to be fully controlled in order to increase energy security.
Karel Havlicek is the ANO vice chairman and first deputy premier. He told?on?Wednesday that a possible option was to take 100% of CEZ’s generation assets, and leave?distribution assets and trading assets at the stock exchange.
State could buy all of CEZ, one of?central Europe's biggest companies with a $33 billion market capitalisation. Then relist a part of its distribution and trading assets. Havlicek refused to provide any further information on "price sensitive" matters.
Once approved, the process could take two years.
In an interview, he stated that "this would de facto signify that the desired steps towards energy security have been taken." "We'd have the whole generation under control like they do in France, for example."
'MASSIVE TRANSACTION'
The cost of buying out minority shareholders who own 30% of CEZ would be reduced if CEZ listed some of its distribution or trading activities. The government holds 70% of the company.
At the current share price, buyout costs would be more than 200 billion crowns (about $9.6 billion).
Havlicek stated that any transaction must provide fair conditions for minority shareholders.
He said that he did not want to speculate on when we would reach this goal, but added that the government is also working to reduce energy prices for customers and build new capacity mechanisms.
He said a CEZ buyout would be a "massive transaction", but that it would give more flexibility to the state.
Critics claim the plan would be costly and burden CEZ with debt.
Havlicek stated that CEZ generates an annual profit before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of 130 to 140 billion crowns. Therefore, it can handle a buyout without compromising investments.
(source: Reuters)