United States

The market is apprehensive about the possibility of Iranian supply disruptions after deadly unrest in this major Middle Eastern producer. Brent futures traded 9 cents lower or 0.14% at $65.38 per barrel at 0207 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was down 12 Cents, or 0.2%, at $61.03 per barrel. Brent futures ended 2.5% higher Tuesday, while WTI rose 2.8%. Prices for both contracts have risen 9.2% in the last four trading sessions due to the?increasing protests against the fourth largest OPEC producer. U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday urged Iranians to continue protesting, and that help would soon be...

The Trump administration proposed on Tuesday a rule that would revise the 'Biden-era protections against pollution for waterways. This move, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), would speed up permitting of energy infrastructure and artificial intelligence. The 'proposed' rule would revise a rule from the administration of former President Joe Biden in 2023 on Section 401, which gave tribes and states authority to protect waters during their review of federally-permitted projects such as pipelines and power stations. Biden's rule replaced one from the first administration of President Donald Trump that limited the power?of tribes and states to force changes...

The Venezuelan parties in the?court ordered auction of Citgo Petroleum's parent company have asked a U.S. The board of supervisors of the refinery said that a court of appeals should vacate the ruling of a 'judge' who ordered the sale to an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management. After?two years? of bidding, Delaware Judge Leonard Stark has approved a bid for $5.9bn from Elliott's Amber Energy to purchase Citgo Holding's parent company, PDV Holding. This was after?two rounds?of bidding in a sale that was organized to pay creditors up to $19bn?for debt defaults?and expropriations?in Venezuela. The sale order triggered opposition by...

Next week, business and political leaders will be attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos to test their vision of a global economic order based on rules. The expected appearance of U.S. president Donald 'Trump' in the Swiss resort shows the difference between his agenda, and the consensus-driven approach taken by the?the?WEF. This organization has been criticized for years as a talk shop for the rich. His "America First' policy has resulted in trade tariffs as punishment, military interventions in Venezuela, a threat to take over Greenland with force, and the U.S. retreating from international cooperation on climate...

The chief executive of TotalEnergies, a French oil company, said that the company would consider returning to Venezuela. However, it is not a top priority. "People want a quick return to Venezuela, but it's going to take some time to get a clear investment framework in place. TotalEnergies left Venezuela in 2021. Pouyanne pointed to 'the high capital investment needed to produce and transport Venezuelan heavy crude oil, and to manage greenhouse gas emissions. Pouyanne stated that adding 100,000 barrels a day would require an additional $100 billion. The CEO stated, "We will look at it, we'll be sure to...

Next week, business and political leaders will be attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos to test their?vision for a global economic order based on rules. The expected appearance of U.S. president Donald Trump in the Swiss mountain resort highlights the difference between his agenda, and the consensus-driven approach taken by the WEF. It has been criticized for years that the WEF is just a rich people's talking shop. His "America First' policy has resulted in trade tariffs as punishment, military interventions in Venezuela, threats to take over Greenland and a retreat by the U.S. from international cooperation...

The oil price rose on Tuesday, as concerns about Iran and possible supply disruptions overshadowed the?prospects of an increased crude supply coming from Venezuela. Brent futures were up 22 cents or 0.3% to $64.09 per barrel at 0430 GMT. They are hovering around the two-month high reached in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude climbed 23 cents or 0.4% to $59.73. The ING commodities analysts said that the price rise coincides with the intensifying protests against the Iranian regime, which raises the possibility of a U.S. intervention. Iran, one of the largest producers of the Organization of the...

Exxon Mobil is still interested in visiting Venezuela, and it's prepared to send a team of assessors there, according to a source who knows the company strategy. This was reported on Monday, just a day after?U.S. Donald Trump has said that he may keep Exxon Mobil out of Venezuela. Darren Woods, Exxon's CEO, said that Venezuela had to change its laws and protect investment before Exxon was willing to operate in the country. Days later, Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One that "he didn't like Exxon’s response," and that he would prefer to keep the oil major out....

If the record high U.S. stocks prices accurately reflect the investors' assessment of Trump 2.0's first year, it is a glowing scorecard for the most intervening government in decades. The U.S. President, who has become the "activist in chief" of the markets, is yet another example of how the world's economy has gone topsy-turvy. He is questioning and even renouncing the global norms of the last 40 years. Under Donald Trump's leadership, the U.S. Government has taken direct equity stakes and demanded that CEOs be fired. It also tried to dictate compensation for CEOs. The government was assured of a...

If the record high U.S. stocks prices accurately reflect the investors' assessment of Trump 2.0's first year, it is a glowing scorecard of the most interventionist administration in decades. The U.S. President, who has become the market activist in chief, is yet another example of a topsy-turvy world of economics. Global norms and orthodoxies from the past 40 years are now being questioned. Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Government to take direct equity stakes in businesses, to call for CEO firings, to try to dictate compensation to CEOs, to ensure that the government receives a cut from Big Tech...

Italy announced on Monday that Venezuela had released Italian citizens Alberto Trentini?and Mario Burlo?from prison. It also pledged to "upgrade its relations with Caracas" in response. After Venezuela released two Italian citizens, Biagio Piieri, a journalist, and Luigi Gasperin a businessman, last week, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that no other citizens with only Italian nationality were still in prison. Hundreds of dual nationals, both Italian and Venezuelans, are still being held. Venezuelan leadership announced on January 8, that it would release a large number of prisoners including foreigners, as a gesture. After the U.S. captured Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro,...

A U.S. court will on Monday consider the request of Danish?energy firm Orsted to obtain an injunction to stop?the Trump Administration's decision?to halt its $5 billion Revolution Wind project near Rhode Island. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the company by several offshore wind companies, as well as states. They are seeking to reverse the Interior Department's suspension of five 'offshore wind leases' that it had imposed in December over what they called national security concerns. Under U.S. president Donald Trump's?view that wind turbines are ugly, expensive, and inefficient, offshore wind developers have seen their multi-billion dollar plans repeatedly...

Silver surpassed the $90 mark for the first time, and gold climbed to a near record high. Weaker-than-expected U.S. readings of inflation fueled bets that interest rates will soon drop amid geopolitical uncertainties. As of 0406 GMT the spot gold price rose by 0.9%, to $4,627.95 an ounce, after hitting a record $4,634.33 per ounce on Tuesday. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery? rose 0.8% to $4635.60. Spot silver rose 4.6% to $90.95 per ounce, after breaking $90 for first time. Brian Lan, GoldSilver's Central managing director, said that the data was positive. The inflation rate and unemployment rate in...

BlueScope Steel, an Australian steelmaker, announced on Wednesday that it would pay a special dividend to its shareholders of A$1 ($292.54m) funded by the surplus cash generated from recent asset sales. The excess cash comes from the sale of a stake in the joint venture with India’s Tata Steel and an agreement to sell a 33-hectare?of land in West Dapto, Australia, for A$76million. It also comes from the ongoing residual projects within its properties group which are expected to deliver A$200million in working capital in fiscal 2025 and in fiscal 2026. BlueScope manufactures steel products for construction and infrastructure. The...

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's Foreign Minister, said that he had held discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday. India and the United States set a goal to more than double bilateral trade by 2030 to $500 billion. New Delhi also pledged to purchase?more U.S. defence and energy equipment to narrow the trade gap despite the fact that trade talks failed last year to produce a deal. Investors who were waiting for progress in the two-way talks became frightened by the failure to reach a deal. "Just finished a great conversation with Secretary Rubio. Jaishankar wrote in a blog...

Canada's main stock index reached a new record on Tuesday, thanks to gains in mining and energy stocks. Investors also analyzed U.S. inflation figures for clues about the Federal Reserve's future interest rate policy. As of 10:43 a.m., the S&P/TSX composite index was 0.2% higher at 32,924.5. ET, the index briefly touched an intraday high of 32,978.58 points earlier in session. Energy sector gains 2% as crude oil prices rise, as fears of supply disruptions from unrest in Iran outweigh the prospects for increased production in Venezuela. Materials sub-index, which includes precious metals miners, rose 1.2%, reaching a new peak,...

The price of gold hit a new record on Tuesday as U.S. inflation data fueled bets that the Federal Reserve will cut rates this year. As of 11:21 am, spot gold rose 0.4% to $4.609.69 an ounce. ET (1621 GMT), after a session high of $4634.33. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery rose by 0.1% to $4 617.90. David Meger said that the CPI data was a factor in the slight 'positive' tone in the market. This is because the CPI data indicates a greater likelihood of future Fed rate cuts. The core Consumer Price Index for the U.S. The...

Gold hit a new record on Tuesday as U.S. data on inflation fueled?bets that the Federal Reserve will cut rates this year. Meanwhile, persistent geopolitical and economic uncertainty drove demand for safe-haven assets. Silver also reached a new peak. As of 09:50 am, spot gold rose 0.8% per ounce to $4631.19 ET (1450 GMT) followed a session high of $4634.33. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery rose by 0.6% to $4641.30. David Meger said that the CPI data was a factor in the slight positive market tone. This is because the CPI data indicates a greater likelihood of Fed rate...

Investor caution before key inflation data slowed the upward momentum. Gold prices were mostly stable near their all-time high on Tuesday. Supported by concerns about Russia's intensified attacks?on?Ukraine?and?the situation in Iran?, gold prices were relatively steady. As of 1134 GMT spot gold was trading 0.2% lower, at $4,586.15 an ounce, after hitting a new record high of $4629.94 the previous session. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery fell 0.4% to $4,595.10. "A modest improvement?in U.S. dollars, driven by hawkish remarks from a Fed official and investors' attention?on the U.S. CPI release later in the session act as a headwind for...

L3Harris will separate rocket motor unit to IPO in 2026 Pentagon's investment marks the first direct-to supplier partnership Conflicts of interest may cause scrutiny to be placed on transaction structure By Mike Stone Jan 13: The U.S. Government will invest $1 billion into L3Harris Technologies, a growing rocket motor business. This investment will ensure a constant supply of motors that are used in many missiles including 'Tomahawks' and Patriot interceptors. In New York, shares were up 11.4% during pre-market trading. This deal is the latest investment by the U.S. Government in Corporate America. Previous investments include a 10% stake at...

L3Harris spins off rocket motor unit to be listed on the IPO market in 2026 Pentagon's investment marks the first direct-to supplier partnership Conflicts of interest may cause scrutiny to be placed on transaction structure By Mike Stone Jan 13 - U.S. Government will invest $1 billion into L3Harris Technologies rocket motor business. This investment guarantees a constant supply of the much-needed motors that are used in missiles like Tomahawks, Patriot interceptors and other types of missiles. The deal represents the latest U.S. Government investment in Corporate America. This includes a 10% stake at chip maker Intel, and investments in...

CME Group, the U.S. exchange operator, announced Monday that it will change the way 'it sets margins on precious metals in order to ensure adequate collateral coverage due to the current market volatility. CME announced in an announcement that, as of January 13, it will determine margins for gold and silver, platinum, palladium, and other metals based on percentages of the contract value. Previously, the margins were based on dollar values. Margin is the amount of money that a futures market participant must deposit to cover any default risk. In response to increased price volatility, exchanges typically increase margin requirements....

Gold prices were largely stable on Tuesday. They traded below the record $4,600/ounce price?reached in the previous session amid increased geopolitical uncertainty and economic instability as investors booked profits. As of 0357 GMT spot gold was little changed at $4.593.81 an ounce, while U.S. futures for gold delivery in February fell 0.3% to $4.602.70. Kyle Rodda is a senior analyst at Capital.com. He said, "There are probably some people who want to make a quick profit. But as we saw yesterday, the dip during Asia hours can be purchased pretty quickly." Bullion climbed over 2% in the previous session to...

Maximo Pacheco, the chairman of Chilean state-owned miner Codelco, said on Monday that it is expected to produce about 1.344 million metric tons (about 10,000 tons more) of copper by 2026. Pacheco stated that Codelco, as the world's biggest copper producer, will achieve a copper output of 1,33 million tons by 2025. The company also produced 100,000 tons of copper in partnership with other companies. Pacheco stated that the company's strategy was to "find copper" and to develop structural projects that would expand and prolong the life of our copper mines. The company will invest $150 million into exploration by...