Western Europe

Lanxess predicts that oil prices will remain high for the next few months, and warns that the soaring energy costs are likely to continue to impact the chemical sector after the Middle East conflict disrupted the fuel and feedstock market. CEO Matthias Zachert stated that the company expects oil prices to stay in the $100 to $110 range per barrel for the next few months. He added that Lanxess would pass on the higher costs by increasing the price. He also said that the pressure of Chinese competition in Europe is starting to?ease as higher energy prices?hit Asia more than?Europe....

Lanxess reported on Thursday a'muted' quarterly core profit, which was? broadly?in line with the market expectations. However, it said that March saw a slight improvement as customers began to turn to European chemical manufacturers to avoid any supply risks. The German specialty chemicals company stated that "a persistently weak economy, geopolitical uncertainty and last year's divestments" characterized the first quarter of 2026. It said that cheaper raw materials and pressure from?Asia on prices in certain segments also drove down selling prices. Since March, we've seen a slight improvement in the momentum. Due to the Middle East conflict, many Asian competitors'...

Pirelli announced on Wednesday that it would begin producing Cyber Tyres for the United States after Italy curbed its influence with Sinochem, the Chinese investor of the premium tyre manufacturer, in an effort to aid the company's expansion across the Atlantic. Italy's government resolved a dispute last month over Sinochem’s stake in Pirelli by using "golden powers". Sinochem, Pirelli's largest shareholder with a stake of 34.1%, was the cause of the dispute. Sinochem fears that Pirelli may fall foul of U.S. regulations restricting use of Chinese technology within?the automotive sector. Pirelli announced that it would manufacture its connected Cyber Tyre...

Guinea and Emirates Global Aluminium have reached an agreement to settle a long-running disagreement over the seizure its local operations, allowing the resumption bauxite shipment. The two companies released separate statements on the matter. The deal is subject to certain conditions. Guinea will pay an upfront sum to Abu?Dhabi based miner, in exchange for the transfer of Guinea Alumina Corporation assets to state-owned Nimba Mining Company. Financial details were not revealed. Guinea, the top producer of aluminium feedstock in the world, took over GAC's Bauxite Operations last year after a disagreement about plans to build an Alumina Refinery. The assets...

The company reported on Wednesday a higher-than-expected increase in profits for the first quarter, boosted by a record production and the fact that oil and gas prices rose in March because of the Middle East war. Equinor's poll of 23 analysts predicted $9.0 billion for the Norwegian energy group. This quarter, we?deliver exceptional performance in the field and record-high output... "We present strong financial results, combined with higher prices," said?CEO Anders Opedal in a press release. Equinor has maintained its decision to reduce share buybacks this year by 70%, despite the possibility of windfall profits resulting from Middle East supply...

Josu Imaz, the chief executive of Repsol, said that the company is not in a hurry to list the oil and gas production unit it has in the United States. This will temper expectations for a 'initial public offering' or reverse merger. Imaz said in late 2018 that its upstream unit is preparing for a liquidity event by 2026. This could be an IPO, or a reverse merge with a listed company?in the U.S. He said that while the unit is technically "ready to go to the American market", it would be better if the fundamentals of the upstream sector...

Repsol, the Spanish oil refiner, posted a 57% increase of its first-quarter adjusted profit on Thursday as oil refining margins soared. It also announced that it would increase kerosene output by 15 to 20% in response to global jet fuel shortages due to the Iran War. The main Spanish refiner and oil company booked an adjusted net profit of 873 millions euros ($1.02billion), which is still below the average forecast provided by the company of 897million euros. The company's refining margin in Spain has more than doubled since a year earlier, reaching $10.9 per barrel. The company said that the...

* The Refining & Chemicals segment quadruples earnings * All businesses experienced growth despite Middle East?output outages * British counterpart BP also reported significant increases in trading (Add?details of paragraph 3-13. By America Hernandez PARIS, 29 April - TotalEnergies exceeded market expectations on Wednesday with a 29% increase in its 'first-quarter earnings,' boosted by strong trading, high oil prices tied to the Iran War, and regional disruptions that shut down 15% of their upstream production. The French oil giant's net profit for the first quarter of this year was $5.4 billion. This compares to $4.2 billion last year. LSEG data...

Neste, the Finnish oil refiner and biofuel producer, reported a higher-than-expected core income?for its first quarter of 2026, citing the soaring fuel costs due to the Middle East conflict. However, the company kept its forecast for the full year unchanged. Neste reported that its adjusted operating income before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), more than tripled in the first quarter to?861 millions euros ($1.0 billion). This was higher than the 755.8 million euros expected by average analysts in a poll conducted by Neste. Neste CEO Heikki?Malinen said in a press release that "we have benefitted from?the?fact that we source...

German semiconductor materials provider Siltronic reported lower-than expected quarterly sales on Tuesday, as the company continued to be affected by an?uncertain market environment. According to a LSEG poll, the average analyst's forecast was 317 million euro. The German company's EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) was?65.1 million euros compared to 78.3 millions euros last year. This is below analysts' expectations of 67.4million euros. It is encouraging that the growth of AI-driven end market has continued to strengthen. But capacity constraints at our customers, particularly in the memory-chip sector, and persistently high inventories for 200 mm products are dampening...

Eni, Italy's energy producer, signed a deal with Venezuela's oil ministry and the state-run PDVSA on Tuesday to "relaunch" a heavy crude project within the Orinoco belt. PDVSA has been working with its key partners to sign preliminary agreements that confirm their interest in oil and gas projects or allow them to expand. This is as the government continues a broader?review on all contracts within the oil industry in order for the reform. In recent weeks, U.S. Chevron, British Shell, and Spain's Repsol have also signed similar agreements in order to confirm or expand their partnerships. The agreement with Eni...

Contemporary?Amperex Tech Co (CATL), the world's biggest EV battery manufacturer, launched a $5 billion share sale on Monday in Hong Kong. The company is looking to capitalize on its shares which are nearing record highs. According to a termsheet seen by, CATL will be?offering HK$628.20 - HK$651.80 for new H shares, a discount ranging from 3.5% - 7.0% on Monday's closing price HK$675.50. The fundraising is part of CATL's efforts to lock in capital as its share price continues to rise. It also faces an EV market in China that is fiercely competitive and where it has been difficult for...

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...

The Russian property agency Rosimushchestvo announced 'on Thursday that it will 'launch an auction for the sale of a 67.2% stake in gold producer Uzhuralzoloto, which the state confiscated last. The agency stated that the stake was worth 140.44 billion Russian roubles, or $1.88 billion. The agency will accept applications up until May 15 with results due by May 18. It was announced that the total value of assets and the starting bid price would be 162.02 billion rubles, with a 2% bidding increment and a 20% deposit required by auction participants. A Russian court ruled in July 2025 that...

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...

The Group of Seven Trade Ministers met in Paris on Wednesday to find common ground for securing vital?mineral? supplies that are dominated primarily by China. However, the United States' recent tariff threats against European Union made cars could strain unity. As ministers prepare to hold a summit of leaders in mid-June, Nicolas Forissier, the French Foreign Trade Minister said that France wanted critical minerals supplies among its most tangible deliverables. He said: "I think we'll make concrete progress in rare earths, critical minerals and supply chain security. We won't be held hostage to certain countries." There was a broad consensus...

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...

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...

After a report by Axios that the U.S. is close to completing a one-page "memo" with 'Iran, the U.S. dollar dropped and stocks and bonds rose. The broad STOXX 600 index in Europe jumped dramatically and ended the day up 2.2%. Energy- and economy-exposed stocks such as?banks, miners, and oil and gas companies fell. According to a report from the U.S., the U.S. is expecting Iranian responses to several key issues?within 48 hours. The report cautioned however that no agreement has yet been reached but stated this was the closest the parties have ever come to an accord since the...

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...

The new CEO Berta De Pablos Barbier is struggling to deal with the weak consumer sentiment that has been affecting the U.S., Europe and the Middle East due to the "Iran War". Pandora is under pressure due to high U.S. tariffs on imports and an increase in the price of silver. The Danish company sells silver charms bracelets starting at $70, made in its factories in Thailand. The company's poll of analysts predicted a first-quarter revenue of 7.089 billion crowns, which sent the shares of Pandora up by 9% at?early trade. Sales in Europe, Middle East, and Africa declined by...

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...

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...

Three sources claim that Gautam Adani’s firm, Bharti Airtel (the telecom operator), Genpact, a U.S. based company, and ZF Friedrichshafen, the auto parts giant, are all setting up treasury in India’s tax-neutral finance zones. Public filings indicate that they are set to join ArcelorMittal - the second largest steelmaker in the world - which has obtained regulatory licenses for two treasury centers. Modi's government is promoting the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) as a rival to Singapore and Dubai as a centre of finance. The government increased the tax holidays for companies operating in the city to 20 years,...