South America

The Financial Times reported that Venezuela was preparing to reveal a $240 billion debt pile, which is larger than expected, as it prepared for what could be one of the largest sovereign debt restructurings in history, according to sources familiar with its plans. Centerview Partners, a U.S.-based advisory firm, was hired by the country to assess its debts. The country has been in default since 2017 and President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by U.S. troops in January, is in default. Analysts estimated the total to be between $150 and $200 billion. Centerview Partners declined comment. The FT reported that...

Greylock Capital is withdrawing from its "steering" committee role on the Venezuela Creditor Committee, but will still remain a part of the larger group, according to two sources. This move may be seen as an early indication of tension within the group as they wait for Venezuela's financial adviser, Centerview Partners to provide a report on debt sustainability later this month, ahead of what could be one of the largest and most complex debt restructurings undertaken. Analysts estimate that the?government and Petroleos de Venezuela's (PDVSA), which is Venezuela's state oil company, have about $60 billion in?bonds currently in default. Once...

Officials from Venezuela's PDVSA state oil company and Spanish energy group Repsol have signed a "crude and gas agreement" to boost production in the northwestern part of Venezuela. Hector Obregon, PDVSA president, said that at an event held at the Government Palace, the deal offers "exploration" opportunities on the eastern shores of Lake 'Maracaibo where the two companies already operate the Petroquiriquire Joint?Venture, which could add 20,000 barrels of light crude per day to the current average production of around 40,000?bpd. In comments broadcast by state television, he said that the additional crude would supply the Paraguana Refining Center, which...

According to LSEG and market sources, Russia's seaborne exports of oil products fell 15% a month on a monthly basis to about 3.3 mt in the first 15 days of June. This was due to?unplanned maintenance?following repeated ukranian drone attacks. Shipping data shows that the number of diesel loadings at the Baltic port Primorsk - Russia's main outlet for ultra-low sulphur fuel (ULSD) – dropped by 18% to 520,000 tonnes in the first half of June compared with the same period last year. Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure, with the number of oil refining facilities targeted...

Venezuela's government announced on Friday that an?oil?spill from Trinidad & Tobago puts?fishing? and the environment in danger. The government released a statement in which it stated that the spill was "much larger than the one in May" and confirmed the drift of pollutants towards Venezuelan waters. It did not provide any further details on the extent of this spill, but said satellite imagery had confirmed its existence. Venezuelan Foreign minister Yvan Gil requested compensation from Trinidad and Tobago for an oil spill in the country's far east in?May. Trinidad and Tobago said that it was using its Air Guard, Coast...

According to documents and a source close to the issue, Brazilian refineries have sold more than 100 million liters (or gallons) of naphtha allegedly to a company under investigation for an alleged fraud scheme that involves a criminal group designated as a terrorist organisation by the U.S. Documents from the oil regulator ANP reveal that Riograndense was a major supplier. It is a refinery located in southern Brazil, owned by Petrobras (the state-run oil company), Braskem, and Ultrapar. According to a source close to the investigation, the solvent producer Petrodansk received the naphtha. They were accused by the state of...

As of Friday, the U.S. designated Brazil's largest criminal groups as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (FTOs). This is likely to increase risks and costs of doing business in Brazil where gangs are well-established. Comando Vermelho (CV), and Primeiro Comando da Capital, both of the 'biggest Brazilian crime gangs, began in prisons during the 1970s. Since then, they have grown to dominate drug trafficking in South America and their money laundering operations have spread into the far corners of Brazil’s mainstream economy. Investigators have recently discovered that both groups are deeply embedded in sectors like fuel distribution, real-estate and finance. They also...

India and Venezuela tried to strengthen their ties on Thursday in the 'energy sector. New Delhi said that Caracas views it as a 'preferred partner in this sector, at a moment when global oil supplies are disrupted due to the Middle East Crisis. Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez, along with a large delegation of ministers, is in India and met with Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi Thursday. Rudrendra Tandon (East), Secretary in the Indian Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing that the discussions between the two parties focused on cooperation in both upstream- and?downstream-energy projects. Tandon stated, "We work...

El Nino could cause cocoa prices to rise by several thousand pounds per metric tonne, according to the chief executive of Barry Callebaut, one of 'the world's leading cocoa processors. El Nino, an 'climatic pattern that can increase temperatures and increase risk of extreme weather conditions, could reduce the yields of crops, including cocoa. This would limit supply and push up prices. Hein Schumacher, CEO of Hein Schumacher, said in a press conference that the prices shouldn't jump as much as they did over the past couple of years. London cocoa futures are trading at PS2,944 per ton ($3,964), down...

In a Sunday statement, Brazil's state oil company,?Petrobras?, announced that it would lower the diesel price to distributors starting June 1 by 0.3515 Reais per liter. This follows an announcement from the Brazilian government regarding a cashback program for producers and importers. Petrobras said that the average price it charges distributors for a liter of gasoline will drop to $3.30 ($0.6552) from $3.65 previously. The Brazilian 'government' announced on Saturday a new cashback scheme for diesel producers and importers of 0.35 Reais per liter. This system is also scheduled to begin in June?1. It will compensate for the ending of...

Colombians will vote on Sunday, in what could be 'the first round' of a presidential elections. This is amid a deep polarization among those who want to continue with the current leftist government versus those who are pushing for change to restore economic growth and security. Ivan Cepeda is the leading candidate in the polls for the leftist Historic Pact Coalition. He has pledged to support President Gustavo Petro’s social programs, and to pursue peace with illegal armed group to end a six decade internal conflict. Cepeda is a 63 year old philosopher who has been a congressman since 2010....

The ME 1 The U According This Due The Sales Na Below Figure Stock Per Product Below The Country...

Executives have revealed that Orion Critical 'Mineral Consortium is in advanced talks to establish three new public-private partnership in Asia as it looks to fund a?global? pipeline of $20 billion opportunities. The consortium will form a third leg of investment in Asia to complement the $1.8 billion raised last year by the group to improve access to critical minerals such as copper, lithium and rare earths. The project is being led by Orion Resource Partners a mining-focused private equity firm, and backed up by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund ADQ. Orion Resource Partners...

Jozef Sikela, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, said on Saturday that the European Union sees Brazil as a partner to help diversify Brazil's mineral supply. The deal, he says, will benefit Brazil's development goals. The Commissioner visited the Rare Earth Research & Processing Center of Australian Mining Company Viridis in Pocos de Caldas in the southeastern state Minas Gerais. This is one of the four priority projects chosen to accelerate the collaboration between EU and Brazil. Sikela stated that the European approach places emphasis on sustainable business practices and local rare earth processing. This is in line with Brazil's efforts...

Metals such as lithium, copper and rare earth elements, which are associated with the energy transition, have been the most consistently bullish commodities in recent years. Iron ore miners want to add their product?to the list. Steel demand in South and Southeast Asia is expected to remain robust and will more than offset the decline in production in China and Western Europe. This was the consensus opinion at this week's industry meeting in Singapore. The optimism of iron ore miners was not shared by those who advocated decarbonising the steel industry. They realised that green steel would be extremely expensive...

Four sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that C hina's leading copper producers are looking to expand the membership of their smelter team in order to improve their negotiating position with the miners regarding?raw materials supply. A group of 16 large producers who traditionally set the 'floor price' for copper concentrate processing contracts, called The China Smelters Purchase Team invited several potential 'new members to its quarterly meeting in Yantai, Shandong Province on Wednesday. Chinese smelters have begun negotiating with Antofagasta, a Chilean miner, about?concentrate supply deals. Smelters charge treatment and refining fees (TC/RCs), which are paid by miners...

Three people with knowledge of the situation say that independent investment 'bank Moelis & Company, and financial consultancy 'firm Journey Capital are advisers of creditors of ethanol and sugar producer Raizen. They received a 'non-binding offer?from the private equity firm IG4 on Monday evening to purchase credits and control. Two of them warned?that any agreement remains far from sure, and one said that creditors are unlikely?to reach a decision any time soon. One of the creditors said that they accepted Raizen’s offer to convert their debt into equity because it was the 'best alternative available', but would not like to...

A sustainability report released on Monday revealed that Brazilian miner Vale will invest up to 13 billion reais (2,56 billion dollars) in decarbonization projects to achieve its voluntary emission reduction targets and mitigate climate-related risks. The company has not specified the timeline for the investment. The investment includes up to four billion reais in decarbonizing operations. The 8 billion reais are allocated to the construction of industrial complexes focusing on low-carbon technology, including steelmaking technologies and iron ore briquettes. The firm stated that the remaining 1 billion reais would be used for research and development. Vale has invested 9 billion...

Climate specialists say that while El Nino conditions can 'hurt harvests around the world, it is more likely to boost agricultural production in Argentina during the second half of the year. The Climate Prediction Center of the United States said on Thursday that El Nino conditions would intensify in the second half 2026. El Nino is a phenomenon that causes ocean water to warm in the equatorial Pacific, causing lower rainfall across Asia and Australia. It also raises concerns about global food shortages and increased prices because of droughts. Climate specialists say that in Argentinia, an exporter of corn, soybeans...

The U.S. and Israel war against?Iran has not affected the price of iron ore, but this relative calm hides a shift in the dynamics of the steel raw material. China purchases about three quarters of the global seaborne iron ore and uses it to feed mills that produce just over half of the world's total steel. Iron ore for the United States is largely sourced by Australia and Brazil. Other producers such as South Africa and Guinea contribute a small amount. This trade bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway that connects Iran to Oman has been closed off...

The U.S. and Israel war against Iran has not affected the price of iron ore, but this relative calm hides a shift in the?dynamics? for the steel raw material. China purchases about three quarters of the world's seaborne iron ore. It uses it to feed mills that make just over half the steel produced worldwide. Iron ore is mostly sourced from Australia and Brazil. Other producers such as South Africa and Guinea also contribute a small amount. This trade bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway that connects Iran to Oman has been closed off since February 28, when...

Venezuelan troops have been deployed to target illegal groups that control 'key gold deposits', local residents and human rights activists claim. The government is trying to bring foreign investment into the mining sector, which has long lagged. Residents and activists monitoring the area report that troops have been deployed in Las Claritas, a town located in southern Bolivar State. The town is located in the Orinoco Mining Arc - a mineral-rich area near Venezuelan borders with Guyana, Brazil and Brazil. The Venezuelan Communications Ministry has not responded to a comment request immediately, nor has the government publicly addressed this operation....

Due to the strong price of red metal, Chile's Codelco - one of the world's largest producers of copper - posted an $825 million pretax profit for the first quarter of 2026. This is nearly four times the $213 reported during the same period in 2017. Codelco reported that its copper production in the period January-March was 272,000 metric tonnes, an 8% drop from the same quarter last year. Ruben Alvarado, CEO of the company, said that it benefited from the higher prices on global markets for products like copper and molybdenum. Copper is used in a wide range of...

SQM, a lithium producer in Chile, reported on Tuesday an?improvement of its first-quarter revenue and profit. This was due to higher prices and increased sales volumes due to the robust demand for electric car?batteries as well as energy storage. The 'world's 2nd largest lithium producer, LSEG, said?net profit more than doubled from $365 million to $365 in the January-March quarter but fell short of an estimated $426 million by analysts polled. The adjusted EBITDA grew by more than two-fold to $837 millions, exceeding the LSEG estimate. SQM's revenue from its biggest unit, the lithium and derivatives division, has risen to...