United Kingdom

Oil prices rose again on Friday, causing a loss for long-term British government bonds. This wiped out the gains made earlier in this week by the gilt market following a ceasefire agreement between Iran and 'the United States. The performance of gilts was below that of similar U.S. debt, German debt and French bonds. This reflects Britain's vulnerability due to the fallout caused by rising energy costs. Britain is heavily reliant on natural gas, and its public finances are stretched, making it difficult to provide state support. Long-dated gilts have been increasingly affected by fiscal worries. The yield on 20-year...

The Italian Treasury confirmed an earlier report that Lorenzo Mariani would be the new Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo Defence Group, replacing Roberto Cingolani. Rome, as expected, also proposed the reappointment of Claudio Descalzi at Eni's helm and Flavio Cataneo, Enel's, to their respective energy groups. Cingolani did not win a second term, despite a rise in sales and orders at the state-controlled group since he became its leader in 2023. He also secured a number partnerships with European competitors. Leonardo's shares, which had more than quadrupled in value under Cingolani, dropped this week amid reports of his possible removal,...

Investors are putting together a "Trump trade' playbook to?navigate market uncertainty. This includes determining whether a U.S. - Iran ceasefire will last and whether oil prices will remain high for longer. As geopolitics continue to dominate the economy, it is difficult to move money based on long-term perspectives. During the Iran War, many?investors have placed shorter-term bets instead on assets which may have been?mispriced?. Here is a list of some new Trump trades. 1/OIL PRICE WILL STAY HIGHER FOR A LONGER TIME Oil prices fell almost 15% to $100 per barrel in the wake of the ceasefire on Wednesday, but...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France or Benelux. ECB/VILLEROY : According to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, France's central bank chief Francoisvilleroy de Galhau, the?European Central Bank aims to stop any inflation caused by energy. However, it is still too early to talk about dates for interest rate increases. France/Israel: According to a German Foreign Office statement, the foreign ministers from Germany, France, Italy, and Britain have urged Israeli lawmakers to drop a bill that would allow the death penalty to be imposed in Israel. HAL TRUST HAL Trust, a Dutch investment...

Oil prices dropped on Friday, and were on track to have the steepest weekly drop?in the past six months. This was after U.S. president Donald Trump announced that talks with Iran on a 'peaceful end' had been going well and he would pause his attacks on Iran’s energy plants for ten days. Brent futures dropped 84 cents or 0.8% to $107.17 a barrel at 0353 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Futures lost $1.02 or 1.1% to $93.46 a barrel. On a weekly basis, both benchmarks traded 4.6% lower despite Brent increasing 5.7% and WTI gaining 4.6% Thursday due to fears...

The markets overshoot and the recent dramatic increase in bets placed on higher interest rates due to the Middle East energy crisis is the latest example: although the move was logical, its magnitude remains questionable. The Iran War shows no signs of stopping and the?markets are still in flux. Rates traders may need to take a break and re-evaluate. The abrupt change in global 'rate outlook' reflects concerns about the short-term impact on inflation of the soaring prices for oil and gas. Federal Reserve now has a higher probability of raising U.S. interest rates in this year rather than cutting...

The British government announced on Monday that the Iranian ambassador in the UK was summoned. Last week, an Iranian national and a British-Iranian dual citizen were arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran's spy services. Two men were accused in a London Court last week of 'being involved in gathering information from Iranian spy services and conducting reconnaissance of Jewish targets within?Britain over a five-week period in the summer of last year. The British Foreign Office said that "national security is our number one priority and we take the threats posed by Iran and those who follow its orders 'extremely serious."...

The British government announced that Prime Minister Keir starmer will chair an urgent meeting on the economic impact of the war in Iran, on Monday. Finance minister Rachel Reeves, and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey are expected to attend. Investors should prepare for another turbulent?week on the financial markets, after Iran warned that it would 'hit the energy and water system?of its Gulf neighbours' if U.S. president Donald Trump followed through on his threat to strike Iran’s electricity grid. The British are watching this situation with particular concern. The high level of inflation, the country's dependence on natural gas...

Analysts were cautious, however, as they feared that the weekend could bring about unexpected changes to the war status two weeks after its start. Brent futures were up $1.59 or 1.58% to $102.05 a barrel at 11:35 AM CDT (1635 GMT), pointing towards a weekly gain. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), for April, gained $1.15 or 1.2% to $96.88 per barrel. This was also a week-to-week increase. Phil Flynn is a senior analyst at Price Futures Group. We're about to enter another weekend, where this could be over by Monday. We could also see that the war continues and...

Oil prices rose on Thursday as Iran intensified its attacks?on?oil?and?transport facilities in the Middle East. This sparked fears of a long-term conflict and disruptions to oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent futures were up $8.54 or 9.28% to $100.52 a bar at 0354 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $7.22 or 8.28% to $94.47. Brent crude oil hit $119.50 per barrel on Monday. It was its highest price since mid-2022. Then, it dropped when U.S. president Donald Trump announced that the Iran War could end soon. In remarks directed at the U.S., an Iranian military spokesperson said...

Brazilian sugar and ethanol ?producer Raizen said on Wednesday it had reached an ?out-of-court agreement with ?creditors and bondholders ?to restructureapproximately ?65.1 billion reais ($12.61 billion) in debt obligations. The company is a joint-venture between Shell, an oil giant listed in London, and Brazilian conglomerate Cosan. It has been in talks for months to find ways to improve its capital structure and reduce its debt. Raizen stated in a?security filing that creditors who hold 47% of the company's unsecured debt had already endorsed this plan. The company has 90 days to get enough?support to receive final approval. After that, the...

The price of British government bonds?fell dramatically in early trade on Tuesday, as the markets questioned if the plans for a record releasing?of oil reserve could offset any potential supply shocks resulting from the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. As of 0906 GMT the short-dated gilt yields were up around 12 basis points, completely erasing Tuesday's large drops. Investors have also reduced their bets for a Bank of England rate cut in this year. The probability is now?roughly 20 percent, down from 50 percent a day ago. The British public is more vulnerable to a shock in energy prices...

Bloomberg News, citing sources, reported that Rio Tinto’s U.S. assets, which?produce boron, the critical mineral, have attracted interest from more than 12 potential bidders. The assets could be valued as high as $2 billion. According to the report, WE Soda and Magris Resources are interested in purchasing Rio Tinto's boron assets in California. They are expected to make Rio Tinto binding offers by June. The report could not be verified immediately. Rio and the involved companies did not immediately respond to our request for comment. Mineral boron is used as an additive to oil and gas drilling, nuclear energy, windmills,...

On Friday, copper prices reached their highest level in over three weeks as investors weighed up signs of increased demand from China's top metals consumer against the uncertainty surrounding a fragile ceasefire during?the Iran War. In official open-outcry trade, benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.6% to $13,755 per metric ton and reached its highest level since March 17, at $12,845. The week was expected to close with a gain of about 4%. LME copper rose 1.2% after the official rings, when a Federal Reserve official stated that a rate reduction was possible if oil prices fell....

Copper prices soared to a record high of three weeks on Wednesday, after the?U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to a?ceasefire? with Iran for two weeks, which will ease fears of an economic slowdown in the world as a result of the Middle East conflict. In open-outcry trading, the benchmark three-month copper price on?the London Metal Exchange rose 2.7% to $12650 per metric ton. It had previously risen as high as 3.6%, to $12,755.50. This was its highest level since March 18. In March, copper prices fell 7.6% due to economic concerns sparked by war in Iran. Trump stated that...

The price of aluminium rose on Tuesday, and the key spread for the metal on the London Metal Exchange also increased. This is due to the prolonged repairs that a smelter located in the United Arab Emirates has been facing since an Iranian attack late last month. In official open-outcry trade, the three-month contract for aluminium on London Metal Exchange (LME), gained 1.1% and reached $3,507 per metric ton. Emirates Global Aluminium announced on Friday that it could take up to one year to fully restore production at its Al Taweelah Smelter. The smelter produced 1.6 millions tons of cast...

Copper prices fell on Thursday for the first time in five sessions, as investors grew more concerned about economic growth following Donald Trump's promise to continue a flurry of strikes on Iran. Open outcry official activity on the London Metal Exchange showed that benchmark three-month copper was down 1.6% to $12,235.50 a metric tonne. The metal is considered to be a bellwether of the global economy and was expected to finish the Easter holiday-shortened weekend up 0.4%, after a run of four consecutive daily gains. "Copper is trading like a risk asset that's sensitive to macroeconomics, moving in line with...

Here are some company news and stories that could have an impact on markets in France and Benelux or individual stocks. RENAULT Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the French automaker Renault Group, will not seek to continue his term in spring 2027. This was confirmed by a source familiar with the matter on Wednesday. AIRBUS SE Airbus, the aerospace manufacturer, has announced a new subsidiary that combines Skywise digital and Navblue into a single entity. KERING SA Kering, the owner of Gucci, announced on Wednesday that it had struck a deal with Qatar's Al-Mirqab Group in which they would?sell? an 80%...

The Iranian war has tightened global supply, boosting margins and some forecasts of flat shipments have been revised higher. Before the war, the Gulf supplied roughly 9% of all global supplies. However, the Strait of Hormuz has closed most of this supply. Iran's recent attack on two of the largest aluminium smelters in the region has increased the risk of a shortage even if waterway is reopened. It's going to be difficult for damaged aluminium production lines to recover quickly, which will lead to some orders flowing to China. Kiki Xi is an analyst with Aize China and said that...

The copper price rose on Wednesday, reaching its highest level in the past two weeks amid hopes that the Iran war may be nearing an end. Open-outcry official trading on the London Metal Exchange saw benchmark three-month copper rise 0.2% to a metric ton of $12,365 after hitting $12,492.50 - its highest level since March 18. This was copper's fourth consecutive session of gains. However, it is still far below the record high of $14,527.50 that was reached on January 29, 2017. Ole Hansen is the head of commodity strategy for Saxo Bank, Copenhagen. "The market wants us to believe...

Emirates Global Aluminium’s Al Taweelah plant in the United Arab Emirates has halted its operations following a?Iranian missile and drone attack that damaged a power?plant on Saturday, Wood 'Mackenzie' said in a Wednesday research note. Wood Mackenzie said that the smelter of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), which was also attacked on Saturday, had "suffered significant damage and will operate with an estimated utilization?of 30 percent". EGA and Alba said that they would be assessing damage to their sites at the weekend, but did not specify what was affected. The Wood Mackenzie report on the current conflict in the Middle East and...

Topps Tiles, a British tile retailer, announced on Wednesday it would close 23 underperforming stores as part of cost-savings measures. The goal is to boost medium-term profits amid a weakening demand. Topps Tiles, for example, has seen their sales volume and revenue grow as a result of a slowdown in home improvement and DIY. The UK's largest tiling retailer reported a 0.1% drop in revenue for the first half of this year, to?142.7million pounds ($189.31million). The company's?initiatives will?have an impact on revenue but it is focusing on measures that support profitability. Alex Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of the company, said...

Aluminum prices rose on Tuesday. They were near their four-year highs and poised to make the biggest monthly gain since?almost 2 years. This was due to fears that a supply shortage would continue after Iranian strikes over the weekend damaged some of the Gulf's key smelters. The benchmark 'three-month' aluminum on the London Metal Exchange increased 2.1% by 1600GMT to $3,471.50 per metric ton, after earlier reaching $3,536, which was its highest level since March 12. Metal prices are up 10.6% in March. The attacks on Iran damaged two aluminum plants in the Gulf region operated by Aluminium Bahrain, and...

Savannah Resources, a London-listed company, is speeding up work on its 'lithium project' in Portugal. The CEO,?Emanuel Proenca, said that the company was confident of being able to?become globally competitive, and reduce Europe’s dependence on Chinese supplies for the metal used to make?batteries. Resources at the Barroso deposit in northern Portugal, a lithium bearing mineral, were increased in September from 28 to 39 million tons. This was already Europe's biggest deposit. Proenca stated that 'potential extensions between 35 and 62 millions metric tonnes could push resources above 100 million metric tonnage, more than doubling the mine lifespan projected to more...