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Energy Markets

Oil & Gas

Refined Products

Sources say that Venezuelan refineries are able to process at 35% capacity.

Workers at the facilities reported that the Venezuelan refining system is running 'at around 35% of its capacity installed of 1.29 million barrels a day. This is higher than the 20% to 25% of last year but still a small volume for securing enough fuel to satisfy the rising domestic demand. Refineries in South America, run by the state-owned energy company PDVSA are often hit by power failures and malfunctions, which limit fuel supplies to homes, power plants, and vehicles. Venezuela was forced to ration cooking gas, gasoline and diesel in the past. According to sources, Amuay Cardon?El Palito Puerto...

Environment

US to West’s energy watchdog : Scrap net zero focus or else we'll quit

Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Secretary, gave an ultimatum to the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday. The agency had one year to abandon its support for goals to reduce energy emissions to zero net or else risk losing membership. At the biennial meeting of the agency, European countries downplayed the "threat" and reaffirmed their commitment to cleaner fuel. In 2015, the U.S., along with nearly 200 other nations, signed the Paris Accords. This international agreement aims to reduce global warming through the burning of less oil, coal and gas, and to reach net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050....

Oil & Gas Refining

Reliance and Adani lead India's AI drive with plans to spend $210 billion

Reliance and Adani, two of India's largest conglomerates, are increasing their investments in?AI infrastructure and data. Reliance has committed about $110 billion while Adani has pledged $100 billion. Both companies want to establish India as a hub for AI. India offers tax breaks to foreign companies operating out of domestic data centres. It also takes measures to attract more AI talent. Mukesh Amani, chairman of Reliance Industries, said that cheaper computing would spur innovation. His company wants to apply the same strategy it used in 2016 to disrupt the telecom industry by slashing prices for data and expanding access. The...

Fossil Fuels

At the AI summit, tech majors pledge billions to India

This week, senior executives from artificial intelligence companies around the world joined world leaders for an AI summit in?India. Here is a list of the major deals that were struck during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. JIO INVESTS $110 BILLION IN INDIA'S RELIANCE INDUSTRIES Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire chairman of Reliance Industries, said that Jio and Reliance Industries will invest $109.8 Billion over the next seven-year period to build artificial intelligence infrastructure and data infrastructure. INDIA'S ADANI GROUP WILL COMMIT $100 BILLION?FOR AI-DATA CENTRES THROUGHOUT 2030 Adani Group, a port-to-power company, announced on Tuesday that it would...

Oil & Gas

Top US commander surprises Venezuela with surprise security talks

U.S. officials reported that General Francis Donovan and Joseph Humire, a senior Pentagon official, made a surprise visit to Venezuela for security discussions on Wednesday. This is the first trip by a U.S. Military delegation since U.S. Forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro last month in an audacious operation and whisked to New York for drug-trafficking accusations. First reported by. The Venezuelan government reported that the U.S. delegation met with interim President Delcy Rodriquez, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. Both sides have agreed to collaborate to fight drug trafficking, terrorism, and migration. Padrino and?Cabello both face...

Oil & Gas

HF Sinclair CEO leaves voluntary amid disclosure review; shares of US refiner fall

HF Sinclair CEO Tim Go will take a 'voluntary leave' amid a 'disclosure review. The U.S. refinery announced this?on a Wednesday. Its shares plummeted despite a higher-than expected fourth-quarter profit. Dallas-based refiner Go said he has requested an internal review of the company's disclosure processes. Franklin Myers, the board chair, has been appointed interim CEO. The shares of the refiner dropped 14% during the morning trading after the company announced that the audit committee was evaluating the disclosure processes. Myers said during a conference called that the company is working to finish this review as quickly as possible. He said...

Oil & Gas

Sources say that US refiners Phillips 66 and Citgo are looking to purchase crude oil directly from Venezuela.

According to sources who are familiar with these efforts, Phillips 66, Citgo Petroleum, and other U.S. refiners want to purchase heavy crude oil directly from Venezuelan oil giant PDVSA in order to maximize their profits. They do not plan to use trading houses or the U.S. oil giant Chevron. Trafigura Trading and Vitol secured the first U.S. export licenses for Venezuelan oil in January as part of a $2 Billion deal between Caracas & Washington. Chevron holds an authorization to ship and operate in Venezuela since last year. Refiners have purchased cargos from these three companies in the U.S. as...

Natural Gas

Trump announces that Japan will invest in energy and industrial projects in Ohio Texas and Georgia

The administration of President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Japan would?finance three projects worth $36 billion, including an oil-export facility in Texas, a diamond plant in Georgia, and a natural-gas power plant in Ohio. Trump stated on Truth Social that the projects were part of Japan's $550 Billion U.S. Investment pledge, as part a trade agreement that reduced Trump's tariffs against Japanese imports by 15%. Trump gave very few details on the projects. In a statement, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that the Portsmouth, Ohio, power plant would be the world's largest natural gas-fired generation facility with a capacity?9.2...

Fossil Fuels

Apple trims Apple's Apple iPhones after Berkshire Hathaway purchases New York Times

On Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway announced a new investment into the New York Times. This marks its return to a sector that Warren Buffett abandoned in 2020 after he sold off his conglomerate’s newspaper business. In after-hours trading, shares of the Times increased by 4% to $76,99. Berkshire reported that it held about 5,07 million Times shares valued at $351.7 million by the end of 2025 in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Berkshire filed its U.S. listed stock holdings, which made up the majority of equity in the Omaha-based company. Berkshire also said that it sold 4%...

Oil & Gas

Executives at Naturals say that if the Reliance stake talks fall through, they are looking to IPO in 2028.

Naturals, an Indian salon chain, is still 'in talks' with Reliance about a possible?stake-sale, but the discussions have slowed down as both sides are yet to converge on a deal structure. In an interview, Kumaravel stated. Naturals will go public in 2028, if the negotiations with Reliance do not bear fruit. Kumaravel said this on the sidelines of an event organized by Retailers Association of India (RAI) in Mumbai. He said that the talks, which were first announced in 2022, "stalled" after Reliance demanded a 51% share, while Naturals only wanted to sell 49%. This was to maintain control for...

Pollution

Havana's trash piles up as US oil chokehold stops garbage trucks

The U.S. effort to prevent oil reaching the Caribbean's largest island has resulted in a swarm of flies and the smell of rotten foodstuffs. This is one of the visible effects of the U.S. attempt. Cubadebate, a state-run news outlet, reported that fuel shortages had caused only 44 out of Havana’s 106 garbage trucks to continue operating. This slowed down the garbage collection. Residents have been sorting through cardboard boxes, used plastic bags, rags, and other waste to find scraps that they can reuse, but motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists must avoid the huge piles. Jose Ramon Cruz said that the...

Fossil Fuels

Reliance Retail, India to test search and discovery platform for multi-channel push

A top executive at India's Reliance Retail?unit said on Monday that the company is piloting a platform for search and discovery in an effort to better integrate their store and online shopping experiences. Reliance Retail is the largest retailer in the country, with 19,340 stores across the nation. They sell everything from electronics to apparel to groceries for more than 349,000,000 customers. Reliance Retail's chief executive officer for Grocery Retail, Damodar Mall said that the company has piloted this platform in its clothing stores, such as Trends, Yousta and Smart Bazaar, and plans to implement it at Smart Bazaar by...

Crude Oil

Crude Oil

As AI fears fade, tensions between the US and Iran simmer but global stocks remain flat.

European stocks fell from a record-high on Thursday, and U.S. Futures?flatlined? as fears of AI disruption abated. However, tensions between Iran and the United States kept markets 'on edge' and supported oil and gold prices. The U.S. dollar found its footing overnight after the minutes of the Federal Reserve meeting revealed that policymakers are not in a hurry to reduce rates. The STOXX 600 Index in Europe fell 0.24% after Airbus and Rio Tinto reported their earnings. The index reached a new record on the previous day, as investors were able to shake off concerns about AI disrupting businesses with...

Oil & Gas Refining

Sources say that US refiners Phillips 66 and Citgo are looking to purchase crude oil directly from Venezuela.

According to sources familiar with these efforts, U.S. refiners 'Phillips 66' and 'Citgo Petroleum" are looking to purchase heavy crude from Venezuelan oil company PDVSA directly starting in April, to maximize profits. They do not want to buy through trading houses or U.S. oil giant Chevron. Trafigura, Vitol and other trading houses secured the first U.S. licenses for exporting Venezuelan oil in January as part of an agreement between Washington and Caracas worth $2 billion. Chevron holds an authorization to ship and operate in Venezuela since last year. Refiners have purchased cargoes of oil from these three companies in the...

Crude Oil

Global shares regain footing as AI jitters abate; investors digest Lagarde exit report

The global stock market rose on Wednesday, as investors took a break after a sell-off triggered by artificial intelligence. They also assessed a report that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde intends to step down early. STOXX 600 rose 0.8% to a new record high on the back of mining and defence stocks. The pan-European index is now set for its third consecutive day of gains. Wall?Street Futures rose 0.6% the day after the main indices made modest gains. Investors who have suffered from a series of brutal declines over the past few weeks are now able to take a...

Mining

Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources

Nippon Steel CFO: No capacity cuts required for US Steel in the coming year, says Nippon Steel

Takahiko iwai, chief financial officer at Nippon Steel, said that the company does not see a need to reduce capacity at U.S. Steel. Instead, it expects this business to contribute a profit in fiscal 2026. This is up from zero last year. Iwai said in an interview that while?urgent? steps are necessary to improve the U.S. firm's high cost structure, similar capacity reductions to those implemented by Japan in the early 2020s is not needed because U.S. demand for steel is increasing. Iwai stated that "U.S. Steel has steadily improved through capital expenditure effects," adding that about 100 Nippon Steel...

Mineral Resources

Investors react negatively to Fed minutes as TSX futures decline

Gold and oil prices rose on Thursday as investors assessed the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve. As of 5:30 a.m., March futures for the S&P/TSX 'composite index' had fallen 0.37%. ET. Toronto's benchmark stock index rose 1.5% on Tuesday as shares in technology companies rebounded following a easing of concerns about AI disruption. Miners also gained due to the strength of precious metals. In their January meeting, Federal Reserve policymakers had a split opinion on the next steps. "Several" were open to rate increases if inflation remains high and others would support more cuts if it declined as expected....

Mineral Resources

Molson Coors predicts a sharp decline in profit by 2026 as aluminum costs bite

Molson Coors, a beer maker, forecast a sharp decline in its annual profit on Wednesday. The company was hurt by increased aluminum tariffs and sluggish?spending from price-sensitive consumers. The brewer's shares fell 6% after the bell, as it also missed revenue estimates for the fourth quarter. According to LSEG data, the company that produces Miller Lite and its namesake beer expects adjusted earnings per share in 2026 to drop between 11% to 15%. This compares to estimates of a rise of 1.9% to $5.48. The forecast is a downbeat one as newly appointed CEO Rahul Ghoyal tries to turn the...

Mineral Resources

Copper prices rise on dip-buying and tech share recovery

The price of copper rose on Wednesday after a drop to a low that was more than a week old. Investors bought the dip, and industrial metals prices followed a rebound in tech stocks. As of 1700 GMT the benchmark?copper price on?the London Metal Exchange had risen 2.2% to $12,893 per metric ton, having earlier climbed to $12,941. The metal fell 1.8% Tuesday, reaching its lowest level since February 6. Due to the Lunar New Year, traders in China, a major metals consumer, were mostly absent. Tom Price, a Panmure Liberum analyst, stated that traders "rarely leave significant capital on...

Mineral Resources

Sources say that Thyssenkrupp may divest its materials trading division by 2026.

Three people with knowledge of the matter have said that Thyssenkrupp is looking at separating, listing or selling its materials trading division this year. They are also considering changing the legal structure to maintain control in the event of a major sale. Thyssenkrupp Materials Services MX, which represents more than a quarter of Thyssenkrupp sales, is another step forward in the overhaul of the group under CEO Miguel Lopez. This comes after a spinoff of its Defence division and as talks continue to be held about selling its Steel unit. MX, with 11.4 billion euros in sales and more than...

Mineral Resources

Alcoa pays $39 Million for illegally clearing Australian native forests

The Australian Environment Ministry announced on Wednesday that the U.S. aluminum company Alcoa would pay A$55,000,000 ($38.9,000,000) to remediate native forests it illegally removed in Western Australia?in order to mine bauxite. The payment is for nearly 2,100 hectares (5.190 acres) in Northern Jarrah Forest south of Perth that will be cleared without government approval between 2019 and 2025. The Ministry called this payment "unprecedented", as it was the largest ever made. It said that the money would be used to fund initiatives aimed at conservation, including programmes to protect endangered black cockatoos who nest in jarrah tree nests and improve...

Mineral Resources

Wall Street Journal, February 18,

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been?verified' and we cannot vouch for their accuracy. U.S. steelmaker Steel Dynamics and?Australian conglomerate SGH have submitted an offer that valued BlueScope Steel's equity at approximately $11 billion. They said they would not raise the price unless another bidder emerged. Warner Bros. Discovery announced?on Tuesday that it would restart deal negotiations with Paramount, setting the stage for a possible bidding war between Netflix and its preferred suitor. Paramount sweetened last week its hostile $77.9billion all-cash offer for Warner Discovery including its cable channels CNN and...

Mineral Resources

Copper prices fall as LME stocks reach an 11-month high

The price of copper fell on Tuesday due to a'stronger dollar' and a rise in inventories at London Metal Exchange-registered storage facilities, as well as low trading volumes because of the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. Benchmark three-month "copper" on the London Metal Exchange fell 1.8% to $12,619 per metric ton at 1702 GMT, after reaching its lowest level since February 6 (12,586). Metal, which is used for power and construction, has fallen 13% since a record high was reached on January 29,?on the back of a wave speculative purchases, encouraged by expectations that demand would be strong. The high...

Mineral Resources

Vulcan Materials posts downbeat quarterly results, shares fall

Vulcan Materials, a manufacturer of construction supplies, reported?fourth-quarter results below Wall Street expectations on Tuesday, as weak residential building activity reduced demand for its concrete, asphalt, and aggregates. In premarket trading, shares of?the?company were down by more than 7%. The high mortgage rates have slowed homebuying, and the pace of new projects, while inflation is still driving up material and labor prices. This combination has put pressure on construction supply companies like Vulcan. The?company anticipates that total shipments will increase 1%-3% in 2026 compared to levels of?2025. The company also predicted a full-year adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and...

Mineral Resources

Copper prices soften on thin volumes as focus is on higher inventories

Prices of copper fell on Monday, due to the?firmer dollar as well as a focus on increasing inventories and weak demand prospects during holiday trading. The London Metal Exchange's Wednesday settlement or rollover for maturing contracts and the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday this week, as well as the U.S. public holiday on Monday, will likely result in low volumes and volatile movements due to the expiring contracts and the holiday. As of 1700 GMT, the benchmark copper price on the LME was 0.2% lower. It stood at $12.845 per metric ton. It has fallen more than 11% from a...

Mineral Resources

BlueScope Steel, Australia, beats profit expectations and lifts outlook. Shares fall

BlueScope Steel, the Australian target for a takeover bid, forecasted on Monday higher second-half earnings. It also reported a first-half profit that was above expectations. Spreads, increased volumes in key markets and cost-effectiveness are the main factors that helped BlueScope Steel, a target for takeover, to forecast higher second-half earnings on Monday. The steelmaker anticipates that the second-half earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) will be between A$620 and A$700 ($437.72 and $494.20 millions). BlueScope's six-month period ended December 31 saw underlying EBIT at A$557.5m and underlying Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) at A$382m, which is more than double the...

Mineral Resources

White House: Trump's metal tariffs will not change unless the president announces it

Trump administration officials stated on Friday that there will be no changes to President Donald Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum, as well as thousands of products made with the metals. In response to a Financial Times article that said the administration planned to reduce tariffs on certain steel and aluminium goods, with possible exceptions, a White House official stated that Trump would "never compromise on reinvigorating domestic manufacturing, which is crucial to our national security and economic stability, especially steel production." Officials said the administration is implementing a "nimble and nuanced tariff program" to boost U.S. steel, aluminum, and...