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Fossil Fuels

Oil & Gas

Prices of oil rise amid supply concerns as fragile US-Iran negotiations continue

Prices of oil rose by nearly 1% on Tuesday as the talks to end U.S. - Israel's?war on Iran? appeared fragile. Tehran's response?to a Washington proposal highlighted stark differences which have kept supply concerns alive. Brent crude futures rose 86 cents or 0.8% to $105.07 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up 99 cents or 1% at $99.06 as of 0411 GMT. Both benchmarks rose by nearly 2.8% Monday. U.S. president Donald Trump said on Monday that the ceasefire agreement with Iran is "on life support." He cited disagreements on several demands such as the cessation?of?hostilities across all fronts,...

Fossil Fuels

Prices of oil rise amid supply concerns as fragile US-Iran negotiations continue

The oil prices increased in the early Asian trading on Tuesday as negotiations to end the "war" between the United States of America and Iran appeared 'fragile.' Tehran’s response to the U.S. proposal highlighted stark differences which kept supply concerns alive. Brent crude futures rose 30 cents or 0.29% to $104.51 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up 31 cents or 0.32% to $98.38 at 00:02 GMT. Both benchmarks rose by nearly 2.8% Monday. U.S. president Donald Trump stated on Monday that the Iranian ceasefire was "on life support." He cited disagreements on several demands such as the cessation...

Electric Utilities

Britain delays on debt relief for energy, with consumer debts expected to reach $9.5 billion in the next year

The government has not yet launched a scheme to pay off 500 million pounds of energy debt owed by some of Britain's most vulnerable households. However, the industry says that total arrears may reach 9 billion dollars ($7 billion) before year-end. Ministers are under pressure to increase the cost of living as energy bills are expected to rise in July. The energy watchdog Ofgem announced its Debt Relief Scheme in October last year and hoped that it would be launched as early as 2026. Before it can go into effect, the parliament must pass a law allowing energy suppliers and...

Fossil Fuels

Vodacom increases its long-term target for customers as financial services grows

Vodacom Group, a South African mobile telecoms company, announced on Monday that it had upgraded its long-term customer growth target following the addition of millions of?customers in the last year. The group focused on Africa, owned by Britain's Vodafone in majority, has cited its rapidly growing financial services business as well as its mobile core business. Vodacom has announced that it will increase its total number of customers to 275 millions by 2030, up from the previous goal of more than 260 million. Its customer base had reached 237.3million in the financial year ending March 31. Vodacom is 'enforcing its...

Oil & Gas Refining

Ambani’s Reliance Jio : Businesses and investors of IPO-bound company

Reliance Jio Platforms, owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is preparing to apply for regulatory approvals to list in Mumbai. This is expected to be the largest-ever stock offering in India. Jio Platforms is the second largest telecom company in the world by number of users, after China Mobile. TELECOM BUSINESS Reliance Jio Platforms is part of Ambani’s oil-to retail conglomerate,?Reliance Industries. Reliance Jio Infocomm is its most well-known business. It has more than 500,000,000 subscribers and is the largest telecom company in the country. In 2016, when Jio was launched, it offered free voice and data to rivals like...

Oil & Gas

Compass is poised Compass to end Brazil's almost five-year IPO rut

Compass Gas e Energia SA is set to launch its initial 'public offering' on a Thursday, ending a nearly 5-year IPO stalemate on Brazil’s B3 Stock Exchange due to high interest rates. According to two sources familiar with the transaction, the offering of 89.3 millions shares by the existing shareholders of the gas distributor could generate around 3 billion Brazilian reais (about 600 million dollars). One person said that by early afternoon on Thursday, the orders had nearly tripled the size of the initial?offering. The second source said that despite the high demand, pricing may be at the lower end,...

Natural Gas Utilities

Compass is poised Compass to end Brazil's almost five-year IPO rut

Compass Gas e Energia SA is expected to price its initial public offer on Thursday. This will end a 'nearly 5-year drought' of IPOs in Brazil, caused by high interest rates. According to two people familiarized with the transaction, the sale of 89.3 millions shares by the existing shareholders of the natural-gas distributor could generate around 3 billion Reis ($600 Million). One of the people said that by early afternoon on Thursday, the orders were almost three times larger than the offer. The second source, however, added that despite the high demand, pricing could be at the lower end, at...

Oil & Gas

European stocks pull back after Mideast peace prospects are assessed

European shares fell on 'Thursday, after a steep rise?in the prior session. Investors analyzed?progress toward a U.S. Iran peace deal which pushed crude oil prices sharply down. STOXX 600, the pan-European index of stocks, ended up 1.1% lower than it was on Wednesday after gaining more than 2%. The majority of regional bourses in France, Germany, and Britain also declined. European energy stocks fell 2.5% when crude oil dropped below $100 per barrel. Shell fell 2.9%, despite exceeding first-quarter profits estimates and increasing its dividend by 5%. Sources and officials reported that oil prices were under pressure when?the U.S. &...

Fossil Fuels

Farage's Reform focuses on Scotland and Wales as part of the battle for Britain

James Buchan has swallowed up his animosity towards Nigel Farage, a former Peterhead fisherman. The 38-year old's distrust for populist Reform UK leader, a Brexit campaigner, has been overshadowed by his concerns about the local economy. He said that the British government had destroyed the local economy through decades of disastrous policy. He plans to vote Reform this week for the first-time, believing that the party's promises to maximize oil and gas production in North Sea, as well as to restrict access to European fishing boats, are the best way to revive the fortunes of the town. Buchan said, "Some...

Fossil Fuels

TotalEnergies, Nextnorth to build $300 million Philippine Solar Farm

By America Hernandez PARIS, 30 April - French oil major TotalEnergies, and Philippine renewables developer Nextnorth, have announced that they have started construction on a 440 Megawatt-peak Solar Park in the Asian nation. The $300 million project is scheduled to be 'online' by the end of 2027 and will produce 1.2 Terawatt-hours over a period of?20 Years. The remaining half will go to the national grid in the fourth renewable tender round. Total, unlike other oil companies that have walked back on their renewable commitments has expanded its green portfolio. Most recently, it formed a joint venture, with Emirati company...

Fossil Fuels

Sources say that Raizen Creditors have hired Journey Capital and Felsberg to serve as advisors.

Three people with knowledge of the matter say that a group of 'holders of fixed-income bonds issued by Brazilian sugar and ethanol company?Raizen have hired financial?advisory firm Journey Capital and a?law firm Felsberg to represent them in the restructuring process of the company. Raizen owes the group about 14 billion reais (2,81 billion dollars) of debt. Journey released a press release confirming the hire. Felsberg, Raizen and others declined to comment. Raizen started talks earlier this month to convert its debt into shares. This move is a key part of a deal announced last month by the world's largest producer...

Fossil Fuels

Economic strains in emerging markets increase two months after the Iran War

The charts below, two months after the Iran War began, show the impact of the war on the economy in emerging and developing countries. They are facing increasing inflation, fiscal strains, and trade disruptions. 1/DIRECT HITS Middle East countries and their neighbors are the most directly affected. Qatar recorded its first-ever?trade deficit of $1.2 billion after the Strait?of?Hormuz closure slashed imports by half and exports more than 90%. JPMorgan's economists predict that Qatar's economy will shrink by 9% in this year due to damage caused to an LNG facility, which is more than Iran's forecast of minus 6.1%. The Fund...

Crude Oil

Crude Oil

Morning bid Europe-Peace advances stalls and AI rally fails

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The markets still 'want to believe' that neither Iran nor the U.S. aims to escalate their conflict. The path to resolution is still as unclear as ever, despite a new round of hope that 'little' experienced over the weekend. The distance between the two parties is evident in the rejection of the Iranian peace proposal by U.S. president Donald Trump as "totally unacceptable". The dollar rose and oil prices increased by more than 4% during the Asia session. Iran released on Sunday a proposal...

Crude Oil

No stopping AI frenzy across Asia

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets Japan's Nikkei returned after a holiday to join the AI rally and reach record highs. South Korea, Taiwan and other equities also reached new heights. Oil prices hovered around $100 per barrel, as the markets waited for an agreement to end the Middle East conflict. The Nikkei Index 225 (the benchmark) soared by nearly 6%. This lifted broader Asian gauges up to new highs, after strong earnings from tech companies fueled the AI momentum. The Nikkei has now risen 25% this year, but is...

Crude Oil

The end of MORNING BID AMERICA is in sight.

Mike Dolan, Editor at Large, Finance and Markets, explains what matters today in U.S. markets. After reports that the U.S., Iran and other countries were "close to a memorandum of one page" ending the Gulf War, oil prices plummeted and global stocks surged. This news was released just days after U.S. president Donald Trump announced that he would pause the operation to reopen Gulf shipping. The broader stock indexes did not need an excuse to rise, as newly upgraded AI expenditure estimates lifted Wall Street and global markets on Tuesday. Below, I will go into more detail. Check out my...

Refined Products

Mineral Resources

Mining

McEwen Copper hires financial firm to manage $2.4 billion loan for Argentina copper projects

Michael Meding is the vice president and general manager of McEwen Copper. Michael Meding is McEwen Copper’s vice president and manager general. He said that the loan was part of the $4 billion total financing package for the McEwen Copper project. He refused to identify the lender, but said that an announcement will be made shortly. In a recent interview, the executive stated that he had already signed a?agreement? with a company that handled the entire debt package with international export agencies. The project is located in the Andean Province of San Juan. Los Azules is located 3,500 meters above...

Mineral Resources

Copper reaches 3-month high on supply concerns and technical break

On 'Monday', copper prices rose to their highest level in over three months as fears of supply shortages outweighed worries about lower demand because of the stalemate during the 'Iran War. In open-outcry official trading, benchmark three-month copper at the?London Metal Exchange rose 1.1% to $13,715 per metric ton. This is its highest since January 29. The stock was on course to post its sixth consecutive session of gains. This is the longest bullish streak since December. It has gained 10% this year but is still well below its peak of $14,527.50 in January. Ole Hansen is the head of...

Mineral Resources

Source: Palliser, an activist investor, has a minor stake in UK Autotrader.

Palliser Capital, an activist?investor, has acquired a 2% share in Britain's Autotrader Group. A?source with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. This comes at a time where artificial intelligence is putting pressure on the automotive market. Autotrader shares rose 4.2% to 521.2 pence each at 0921 GMT. This outperformed the benchmark FTSE-100, which fell 0.7%. Source: The fund manager's stake will likely be between 1% to 2%. According to a calculation based on Autotrader's closing stock price, the stake could be worth as much as 81.2 million pounds (110.6 million dollars). Palliser had previously called for change at several...

Mineral Resources

Copper prices rise on optimism about a possible US-Iran Peace Deal

On 'Wednesday', copper prices reached their highest level in almost two weeks on hopes that Iran and the U.S. are nearing a deal to end the Middle East?war. The benchmark three-month 'copper' on the London Metal Exchange increased 2.1% to $13,410 per metric ton during official open-outcry trade for a third consecutive session. It had earlier reached its highest level since April 23, at $13,462. Sources said that the United States and Iran were close to an agreement over a memorandum of understanding (MOU) of one page in order to end the Gulf War. Robert Montefusco, broker at?Sucden financial, said...

Mineral Resources

BHP denied permission to appeal UK judgement over 2015 Brazil dam failure

The London Court of Appeal has ruled that BHP can't appeal against the UK ruling that found it liable for the 2015 collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil. In November, London's High Court ruled BHP was legally responsible for the collapse of the Fundao dam in Mariana, southeastern Brazil, ?which was owned and operated by Samarco, a joint venture ?between Australia-headquartered BHP and Brazilian company Vale. Brazil's worst ecological disaster unleashed a toxic sludge wave that left 19 dead, thousands homeless, inundated?forests, and polluted?the length of the Doce River. The High Court refused BHP permission to appeal the ruling...

Pollution

Environmental concerns have led Jesuits to consider divesting from Rio Tinto in Britain

The Jesuits of Britain, an order of Catholic priests, may sell their stake in Rio Tinto after a failed engagement with the mining giant over environmental concerns in Madagascar and Guinea, said its head for ethical investments on Wednesday. Stephen Power SJ, the order's head of ethical investments, said at Rio Tinto’s annual general meeting: "We have been engaged with Rio for three or four years now, coming to AGMs." Power said that Rio Tinto's management of water contamination at its Madagascar operations was particularly troubling. Key water reports were either late or lacking in detail. Since?years, environmental groups have...

Mineral Resources

Nickel touches $20,000 as Trump signals a possible Iran peace agreement.

Nickel prices reached $20,000 for the first time since about two years as U.S. president?Donald Trump hinted at a possible peace agreement that would end the war with Iran. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange increased 1.1% to $13,284.50 a metric ton at 0804 GMT. This is its highest level since March 27. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract was up 1.6% to 102,660 Yuan ($15.029.98) a ton. The Chinese markets resumed trading Wednesday after the May Day holiday. LME nickel rose 1.4% to $19 915 per ton, after reaching $20,000, the last time...

Mining

Australian stocks rise as miners and banks benefit from improved risk sentiment

Australian shares ended a two session slide on Wednesday. Banks and miners boosted risk appetite as signs of progress towards a U.S. Iran deal increased. The S&P/ASX 200 Index closed 1.3% higher, at 8,793.60. This is the highest close since early April. The benchmark index ended Tuesday 0.2% lower. U.S. president Donald Trump announced "great progress" towards a final agreement with Tehran, and signaled a brief pause on operations to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has been blocking this strait since late February. The financial stocks rose by 2.4% a day following the Reserve Bank of Australia's...

Mineral Resources

Copper prices recover from 3-week lows on the back of bargain-hunting; COMEX is outperforming

Prices of copper rebounded on Wednesday after they hit a?three-week low, as investors benefited from lower prices. Meanwhile, U.S. prices rose on speculations about possible tariffs on the metal. Benchmark 'three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange increased 0.4% to $13,053 a metric ton, in open-outcry official trading after reaching its lowest level since March 13 at $12 780. Shanghai Futures Exchange was closed on Labour Day, which has a pronounced impact on trading. Since the Iran War, copper prices have been on the decline. The slowing of economic growth may affect demand for metals used in construction and electric...

Mining

Washington Hilton attack highlights hotel industry's costly and nagging security issue

The suspect accused of storming a checkpoint on Saturday and firing a gun near the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner mocked the security measures at Washington Hilton that allowed him to be so close to Donald Trump. In a manifesto written before the attack, the hotel guest Cole Allen, identified by law as a 31-year-old man, wrote: "I expected surveillance cameras everywhere, bugged rooms, armed officers every 10 feet and metal detectors to the roof." "What I got," Allen added, "is absolutely nothing." Allen's attack has 'heightened a problem that the hotel industry has been facing for decades: how to...

Mineral Resources

Aluminum prices rebound amid supply concerns in the US-Iran standoff

Aluminum?prices rose on Friday as a result of fears that supply would be limited due to the ongoing standoff between Iran and the U.S., which has impacted shipments from the Gulf, where there are large smelters. Iran warned on Thursday that it would respond to any new attacks by the United States with "long, painful strikes". In official open-outcry trade, benchmark three-month aluminum on the London Metal Exchange increased 1.4% to $3.522 per metric ton, ending five sessions of losses. Metal used for construction, transportation and packaging reached $3,672 per?ton, its highest level in four years on April 16. This...

Mineral Resources

Nickel has its best month since 2 years, as copper climbs in China

The copper price rose on Thursday, and was poised to 'crack a five-day decline after positive factory data from China. Nickel prices were 'heading towards their biggest monthly jump in two years due to tighter supply coming out of Indonesia. In official open outcry, the benchmark three-month copper price on London Metal Exchange rose 0.6% to $13,085 per metric tonne. Metal used in construction, manufacturing and power was expected to rise by 6% in April. This would be the best month in?2026, based on the hope that the Middle East conflict will be contained. A private survey revealed that China's...