United States

Donald Trump announced that 'American oil companies are prepared to enter Venezuela to invest in restoring production, just hours after Nicolas Maduro had been captured by U.S. troops. Trump stated on Saturday that he would have the largest oil companies in the United States spend billions to fix infrastructure and oil infrastructure. They will also start earning money for the country. Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, and others have long histories in Venezuela. API spokeswoman: "We are closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, including their?potential impact on global energy markets." Chevron exports around 150,000 bpd crude oil from Venezuela to the U.S. Gulf...

On Saturday morning at 4:21, Donald Trump posted a message to his Truth Social platform. The United States had conducted a daring operation to capture Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro as well as his wife. Sources familiar with the situation say that the planning of one of the most complicated U.S. operations to date had been underway for months, and detailed rehearsals were conducted. The Army's Delta Force and other elite U.S. soldiers created an exact replica Maduro’s safe house to?practice how they would enter this heavily fortified residence. According to a source familiar with this matter, the CIA sent a...

On Saturday morning at 4:21, U.S. president Donald Trump posted a message to his Truth Social platform. The United States had successfully carried out an daring mission in order to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as well as his wife. Sources familiar with the situation say that the planning of one of the most complicated U.S. operations to date had been underway for some time, and detailed rehearsals were conducted. The Army's Delta Force and other elite U.S. soldiers created an exact replica Maduro’s safe house. They then practiced entering the heavily fortified residence. According to a source familiar with...

Here are some facts about Venezuela's oil industry, which was captured on Saturday by U.S. troops, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. RESERVES Official data indicates that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, but its crude production remains at a fraction of its capacity due to mismanagement and lack of investment, as well as?sanctions. According to the London-based Energy Institute, Venezuela has about 17% or 303 billion barrels of global reserves, which is ahead of OPEC leader Saudi Arabia. According to the U.S. Department of energy, Venezuela's heavy oil reserves, located in Orinoco, are expensive to produce...

The price of oil rose a little on Friday, after the U.S. increased economic pressure on 'Venezuelan crude oil exports and conducted airstrikes on Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria on the request of 'Abuja. Brent crude futures increased by 6 cents or 0.1% to $62.30 a barrel at 0456 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), also at $58.41, was up 6 cents. Venezuela and Nigeria both produce a lot of oil. Nigeria's oilfields, which are located mainly in the south of the nation, were also affected by the airstrikes. The White House has ordered its military to concentrate...

As Washington intensifies its pressure against?the Venezuelan President, the United States imposed sanctions Friday on family members and associates. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that the U.S. Treasury Department had imposed sanctions against seven individuals it believed were linked to Maduro, his wife and other officials. Bessent issued a statement saying, "We won't allow Venezuela to flood our nation with deadly drugs." "Maduro, and his criminal accomplices, threaten the peace and stability of our hemisphere." The Trump Administration will keep targeting the "networks" that support his illegitimate regime." The Venezuelan Information Ministry did not respond immediately to...

According to an interview published by NBC News on Friday, U.S. president Donald Trump stated that he would 'leave the possibility of a war with Venezuela out on the table. In a telephone interview with NBC News, he said: "I don't exclude it." According to the interview, Trump said that there would also be more?seizures' of oil tankers in Venezuelan waters. Last week, the U.S. seized an oil tanker that was sanctioned off Venezuela's coast. He told NBC News that if they were foolish enough to "sail along", they would be returning into one of his harbors. Trump ordered on...

Three people with knowledge of the matter claim that Saudi Arabia's?Midad Energy?is one of the top contenders for the international assets of Russian?oil giant?Lukoil, taking advantage deep political ties between Moscow and Washington. Sources have confirmed that the assets, which are valued at around $22 billion, include oilfields, refineries, and thousands of fuel station worldwide. About a dozen investors have made bids for these assets, including U.S. major oil companies Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and private equity firm Carlyle. Lukoil wants to sell off its foreign operations, which were crippled by the U.S. sanctions that were imposed on October to pressure...

Holders of Pirelli's 500 million euro (582 million dollar)?bond? will decide on Monday if they want to convert the bond into shares. This could dilute the stakes that the existing investors hold in the group, who are fighting over the Italian tiremaker's governance. Sinochem, the Chinese state-owned company, and Marco Tronchetti Provera, an Italian businessman, both owning Camfin, have been at odds with each other in recent years. Camfin has complained that Sinochem's share is preventing the group from expanding into America. The tiremaker issued a five-year, no-coupon convertible bond at the end 2020. The bond is due to expire...

Prices of oil rose on Monday, as disruptions in supply linked to escalating tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela outweighed concerns about oversupply and the potential impact of a Russia-Ukraine "peace" deal. Brent crude futures rose 33 cents or 0.54% to $61.45 per barrel as of 0429 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was up 31 cents or 0.54% at $57.75 per barrel. The expectation of a surplus for 2026 weighed on both contracts, which fell more than 4% the previous week. Tsuyoshi Ueno is a senior economist with the NLI Research Institute. He said that tensions between Venezuela and...

Venezuela's regional partners voiced their support for the Venezuelan government at a summit held?on Sunday. They condemned the Trump administration's seizure last week of an oil tanker. The US captured the Skipper tanker last Wednesday off Venezuela's coastline, marking the first time that Venezuelan oil has been taken by American forces since sanctions were imposed on Venezuela in 2019. Support for President Nicolas Maduro at a virtual televised meeting of the leftist ALBA group of Caribbean and Latin American nations, occurred during an escalation in a U.S. buildup of military forces in the southern Caribbean. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated...

Ammu Kanampilly NAIROBI (Dec. 11) - On Thursday, the United States threatened to reduce their foreign aid to South Sudan unless Juba lifted what they said were illegal?fees? on humanitarian shipments. In a remarkably pointed statement entitled "Time to Stop Taking ADVANTAGE of the United States," U.S. Bureau of African Affairs alleged that South Sudan's Government "imposed exorbitant charges on humanitarian shipments", and "obstructed U.N. Peacekeeping Operations". South Sudan's Minister of Humanitarian Affairs did not respond immediately to a comment request. The U.S. is the biggest humanitarian donor in South Sudan. This year, it has made rapid and 'deep' cuts...

Critical Metals' top boss said that the company expects to complete the remaining 25% of "offtake agreements" for its Tanbreez project in Greenland by early 2026. It will also be open to investment from Washington. Tony Sage, CEO of Rare Earths, said that the Middle East's interest, which includes potential partners in Saudi Arabia and other energy-rich countries such as Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, is a reflection of the efforts made by states with high energy costs to develop a processing capacity for rare earths, supported by lower electricity costs and quicker permits than the U.S. And Europe....

According to an order from the Finance Ministry published on Tuesday, India has imposed a tariff between 11% and 12% for three years on certain steel products. The government wants to stop cheap shipments coming from China. Locally known as the safeguard duty, the levy will be imposed in three years at a rate of 12% in the first, 11.5% in the second and 11% in third. The measure was published in the official government gazette and excludes imports of certain developing countries. However, China, Vietnam, Nepal, and other Asian countries will be subject to the levy. The levy will...

Axis International Ltd, based in the United Arab Emirates, is seeking $28.9billion from Guinea through a World Bank Tribunal after Guinea revoked its permit to operate a mine of bauxite there earlier this summer. Guinea, which has the world's largest reserves bauxite and is seeking to increase revenues and local processing, has tightened state control of the mining sector over the last year, revoking some permits and reallocating others. These moves by the government led by coup leader 'Mamady Doombouya' have led to several arbitration challenges. One was filed by Nomad Bauxite Corporation in November and another by Nimba Investment...

Silver rose above $80 per ounce on Monday for the first-time, fueled by a strong industrial and investment market, persistent shortages of supply, its recent designation as "a U.S. Critical Mineral" and a wave momentum-driven purchases. Prices fell 4.2% at 0830 GMT, after a record high of $83.62 was reached earlier in the day. Investors booked profits and a easing of geopolitical tensions reduced demand for safe havens. Spot silver is up more than 160% in the last year, outpacing gold’s rise of over 70%. How does silver trade work? Over the Counter London is the largest marketplace for physical...

As investors took profits and geopolitical tensions eased, precious metals fell on Monday. Silver traded lower after breaking $80 an ounce earlier that day, and gold was a little less than record highs. As of 0242 GMT spot gold was down by 0.4% to $4,512.74 an ounce after reaching a record-high of $4,549.71 last Friday. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery lost 0.4% per ounce to $4,536.40 Silver spot fell?1.3%, to $78.12 an ounce. It had earlier reached a session high of $83.62. Tim Waterer, KCM Trade's Chief Market Analyst, said that a combination of?profit-taking and apparently productive talks between...

China's iron ore state buyer uses increasingly aggressive tactics against mining giants like BHP in order to tighten their grip on the $132 Billion seaborne market, and to extract better terms from steel?mills. This is happening just as an enormous new supply source is about to strengthen China's hand. China Mineral Resources Group, (CMRG), in November asked their steel mills and traders to refrain from buying spot cargoes for a second BHP-product. This was months after the group blacklisted a product that had raised concerns with Australia's top supplier. Analysts and traders said that the standoff over a supply deal...

Wall Street closed a low-volume session after Christmas on Friday with little to no change. The three major U.S. indexes ended essentially flat but posted weekly gains. Ryan Detrick is the chief market strategist for Carson Group, based in Omaha. He said, "We're simply catching up today after a five-day rally." This is just day two of Santa Claus rally, so there's still time. We think that the market will be more optimistic going forward. Market participants were looking for signs of a seasonal phenomenon known as the "Santa Claus Rally," where the S&P 500 makes gains in the last...

Two sources who were involved in the quarterly price talks stated that top aluminium producers raised their premium offer to Japanese buyers from $190 to $203 to $210 to 225 per metric tonne. Japan is one of Asia's largest?importers?of light metals, and its quarterly premiums over the London Metal Exchange cash price (LME) set the benchmark in the region. Early December, the latest quarterly price negotiations between Japanese buyers and miner's including Rio Tinto and South32 began. Sources said that usually, negotiations end before the start of the new quarter, but this time, they are expected to continue into next...

Tadashi Imai, Chairman of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation, said that China's proposed export-licence requirements would not be effective in curbing export volumes or supporting a recovery in prices. China, the world's biggest steel producer, will implement a licensing system in 2026 for export regulation. This is because robust shipments of metal have fueled a protectionist backlash around the globe. Imai said at a press conference that the permits are aimed at controlling quality. China's steel exports have become a global concern. Japan is among the countries that criticize Chinese firms for receiving government subsidies which?encourage exports at low...

Gold prices fell on Wednesday after a record-breaking surge that saw them surpass the $4,500 an ounce barrier earlier in the session. Silver and platinum also saw some of their gains trimmed. At 01:57 pm, spot gold was down by 0.2% to $4,479.38 an ounce. ET (18:57 GMT), following a session high of $4,525.18. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery settled 0.1% lower at $4,502.8. Jim Wyckoff, Kitco Metals' senior analyst, said that the gold market was experiencing some chart consolidation as well as a mild profit-taking following record highs. Gold is a good investment in low interest rate environments....

Gold prices fell on Wednesday after breaking through the $4,500 per ounce barrier earlier in the session. Silver and platinum also saw some losses following their record-breaking rally. At 11:52 am, spot gold was down by 0.3% to $4,473.49 an ounce. After hitting a high of $4,525.18, the ET session ended at 16:52 GMT. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery fell by 0.1% to $4,500.30. Jim Wyckoff, Kitco Metals' senior analyst, says that the gold market has seen some chart consolidation as well as a mild profit-taking following record highs. Gold is a good investment in low interest rate environments....

Gold prices fell on Wednesday as they took a breather after soaring past the $4,500 an ounce mark in the earlier part of?the day, while silver and platinum pared some gains from their record-breaking rally. At 10:04 am, spot gold was down by 0.4% to $4,468.96 an ounce. The session began with a high of $4,525.18. This was followed by a low of $4,425.18 at 1504 GMT. U.S. Gold Futures for February Delivery fell by 0.2% to $4,497.90. Jim Wyckoff, Kitco Metals' senior analyst, said that the gold market was experiencing some chart consolidation as well as a mild profit-taking...