Western Europe

Oil prices fell on Monday, as investors hoped for a recovery of shipments from Saudi Arabia. This was despite the ongoing attacks by the?Yemeni Houthis which have escalated the tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures fell 81 cents or 0.78% to $103.06 per barrel at 0031 GMT, after falling 0.91% Friday. US West Texas Intermediate crude traded at $99.41 per barrel, down by 89 cents or 0.89% after a 1.58% drop in the previous session. Yemen's Iran supported Houthis claimed they attacked "sensitive sites" in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, on Saturday using?missiles or drones. They also said that...

Two people familiar with the plan say that Russian President Vladimir Putin's top economic representative and Germany's AfD far-right leadership are preparing to meet in order to discuss restarting gas supply to Europe's largest economy. The talks for a March meeting highlight the close ties between Moscow and AfD. Although blocked from power by its rivals' coalition, AfD is Germany's most popular party among voters. One of the sources said that Kirill Dmitriev would attend, who is close to Putin and heads Russia's sovereign fund. He will also be joined by Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, co-leaders of...

Mihail Kogalniceanu Airport in Romania was designed to make Americans feel comfortable. The streets of the base are named Alabama (the state), Ohio (the state), Alaska (the territory) and George Washington. Since 1999, the base has been home to U.S. soldiers who have supported America's wars against Iraq and Afghanistan. About half of the roughly 2,000 American soldiers in Romania last year, the majority of whom lived at the base, left as the Trump administration began to realign the U.S. Military presence in Europe. The departures in Romania, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization bordering Ukraine country, caused alarm. MK, as...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. EIFFAGE: Eiffage, a French construction group, was selected to carry out civil engineering work at the Neomat CAM plant in Dunkirk. The project represents an investment of nearly EUR 500 million. Construction and development work will continue through 2028, employing up to 400 workers. EXAIL TECHNOLOGIES Exail Technologies, a French high-tech firm, announced that its preliminary first-half operating profit rose by 61% on an annual basis to EUR46.07 million ($53.07m). The company has postponed the full announcement of first-half earnings...

On Monday,?European stocks were?subdued? as?technology shares fell? after executives from leading AI companies called on a slowdown in development? while another rise in oil prices? dampened the broader risk appetite? As of 0810 GMT the pan-European STOXX 600 was little changed, at 638.95, in choppy trading, with most major regional exchanges trading lower. Anthropic CEO Dario Amedei called for 'AI companies to slow down the rate at which model capabilities are advanced due to concerns of misuse. Shares in technology firms fell 1.4% in line with weakness among Asian peers. Infineon, a German company, lost 5.8% of its value, while...

The price of oil topped $100 per barrel for the first time in six weeks on Wednesday as an increase in fighting between U.S. forces and Iranian forces heightened concerns about supply coming from 'the -region. This also raised fears over inflationary pressures, and increased energy costs for businesses and consumers. Brent, the global benchmark for oil, has increased by 25 percent since early last week as hope fades of a permanent solution to the six-month old U.S./Iran conflict. This week, the rally intensified after Iran-backed Houthi attacked Saudi energy installations and set them ablaze. The increased risk of disruptions...

Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, hit $100 per barrel Wednesday. This was the first time this has happened since late July. However the price increase is relatively slow despite the escalating conflict in the Middle East that fuels fears of more disruptions to oil shipments. Russell Hardy, CEO Vitol - the world's largest independent oil trader - told the APPEC Conference in Singapore on Tuesday that the Middle East has exported approximately 9 million barrels of crude per day and another 1 million bpd in refined products in recent days. This compares to roughly 20,000,000 barrels of...

Alberta landowners have filed a lawsuit to argue that the energy regulator of the province has knowingly and chronically underfunded a program designed to protect the public against the costs of cleaning abandoned oil and natural gas wells. The legal action is a culmination of years' simmering tensions between farmers, ranchers, and oil and natural gas producers in Canada’s largest energy-producing province. This province has struggled with thousands of "orphan" or "wild" wells which dot the rural landscape of Alberta. The Alberta Energy Regulator is being questioned about its willingness to enforce environmental rules at a moment when the Canadian...

TotalEnergies announced on Monday that it had cleared a number of?commercial and contractual hurdles in its Papua LNG Project, bringing the project closer to a decision. The French energy giant said that it had completed the tendering process for the engineering, procurement, and construction work of liquefied gas facilities. Contracts are now awaiting approval from its joint-venture partners. TotalEnergies reported that by rebidding?contracts and optimising project design, they have been able to save close to $4 billion in costs since 2024. This has brought down the capital spending?to?around $14 billion. ExxonMobil already operates the nearby PNG LNG plant. The company...

The deputy prime minister of Italy suggested that banks and energy companies be prepared to accelerate tax payments in order to boost the public finances, without an official tax increase. Antonio Tajani, a?also?Italy’s Foreign Minister, said that the additional support could help fund next year’s budget, as well as any other measures to shield consumers from high energy costs. Tajani told reporters at the annual TEHA business forum that any policy should be modeled after the agreement Italy reached with banks and insurance companies last year to advance taxes to the state. He said, "It's only fair to tax the...

The music publishing divisions of Sony Music 'and 'Warner Music sued Anthropic at the federal court in California for allegedly using their copyrighted compositions as a basis to train Claude AI models. Sony and Warner stated in their complaint filed on Friday that Anthropic had pirated hundreds song lyrics and sheet songs from The Beatles to Taylor Swift to Michael Jackson to train Claude to respond to human prompts. This lawsuit is part of a series of similar cases filed by copyright holders, including publishers, authors, music labels, and news outlets, against tech companies for using their work in AI...

Brazil's oil export tax is in a state of uncertainty after a local court ruled to suspend the levy and the Foreign Trade Chamber approved extending it for another 60-days. These contradictory moves have left the future of 12% tax unclear, and the oil companies are challenging it. This could lead to a legal battle between the Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva administration and the oil producers. Sources familiar with the issue said that the Foreign Trade Chamber?Camex had approved the extension of tax due to expire September 9. A 'federal court' had granted an injunction to suspend the tax...

Gold prices reached a new weekly high on Friday. They were also on course to achieve their first gain in four weeks, as lower oil prices eased fears of inflationary pressures. However, a stronger dollar tempered gains. Gold spot was up 0.3% to $4,352.39 an ounce at 11:17 am EDT (1517 GMT) after reaching its highest level since the 11th of September earlier in session. Bullion is up 0.2% this week. US gold futures slipped 0.2% lower to $4,390.30. Oil has been the primary driver of inflation, and a reduction in oil prices will reduce inflation pressures. Investors in precious...

Gold prices rose to a new weekly high on Friday. They were also on track for their first 'gain' in four weeks, thanks to lower oil prices, which eased fears of inflationary pressures. However, a stronger dollar tempered gains. Gold spot was up 0.7% to $4,372.27 an ounce at 09:16 am EDT (1316 GMT) after reaching its highest level since the 11th of September earlier in session. Bullion is up 0.6% this week. US gold futures increased 0.3% to $4,411,20. Oil has been the primary driver of inflation, so a decrease in oil prices will reduce inflation pressures.?Precious Metal investors...

The copper price rose for the fourth straight session on Friday. It is now back to'record highs' as China, the top consumer, continues to support?the market. The price of three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange rose?0.2%? to $14,513 per metric ton, in open-outcry official trading. It had previously reached $14,572.5 - its highest level since 10 September, when it peaked at $14,875. The metal rose 2% in the past week. Data from high-frequency sources indicate that Chinese demand was 1% to 2% higher than the previous year in the first half September. Goldman Sachs stated in a research note...

India's Tata Group - which owns Jaguar Land Rover, Air India and other companies - is experiencing its worst crisis for years. The board of its holding company is at odds with its charity arm, and questions are being raised about the future prospects of the 158 year-old conglomerate. Here's an explanation of the complex dispute that has engulfed the Salt-to-aviation Group, with annual revenues exceeding $180 billion. What is the tussle about? Tata Sons has been at odds with its controlling charity, Tata Trusts. Issues include a possible listing of Tata Sons as well as a mounting loss for...

The copper price rose on Thursday, as Chinese buyers returned to market after a recent selloff. Demand prospects also improved and the market shrugged off the?US rate hike. Benchmark 'copper' on the London Metal Exchange traded 1.2% higher at $14,408 per metric ton. Prices for the metal used in construction and power industries have fallen 4% since September 10, when they reached a record high price of $14,875 per ton. The dollar increased after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates and reaffirmed their commitment to curbing inflation. The demand for industrial metals has been impacted by the rising dollar,...

The private equity firms announced on Thursday that Haniel had agreed to sell a majority stake in the Dutch security technology provider BauWatch. According to two sources who are familiar with the deal, the value of the company is around EUR1 billion ($1.15billion). Carlyle, CVC and Haniel each will acquire 45% of the company, while Haniel retains a 10% stake. BauWatch, founded in Apeldoorn, central Netherlands 17 years ago, provides video surveillance systems and alarms for construction sites, critical infrastructure, and industrial facilities. BauWatch has seen its revenue increase from EUR59m to EUR153m since Haniel purchased the company in 2021....

Emirates Global Aluminium's chief financial officer said that it was "very disappointed" at the EU's decision to abandon a proposed export tax on aluminum scrap. The move will affect the decision-making process for a planned expansion of recycling in Germany. Sources familiar with the talks said that the EU retracted its proposal earlier this month for a 15% duty on exports of aluminium scrap, which was intended to prevent so much material from leaving the EU. They were concerned it would complicate the signing of a final free trade agreement with India. The industry lobby European Aluminium has expressed "profound...

Prices of copper rose on Wednesday as a result of signs of demand from 'China, the world's largest consumer, although traders were wary of possible volatility in advance of the Federal Reserve of America's decision to raise interest rates. In open-outcry official trading, the price of a metric tonne of three-month 'copper' on the London Metal Exchange rose by 1.1% to $14,231 per metric ton. Metal used for power and construction is down by 4% after hitting a record-high of $14,875 in the past week. The premium of COMEX futures prices against the?London price fell dramatically. The Yangshan copper premium...

The copper price fell to its lowest level in over three weeks on Tuesday as the London Metal Exchange increased their inventories, and oil prices rose. The benchmark copper price on the London Metal Exchange was 0.5% higher, at $14.075 per metric ton of official rings. This is the lowest level since August 20, and it's been trading there for a year. Copper recovered thanks to bargain hunters, traders said. Due to higher premiums on nearby contracts against longer-dated forwards, copper stocks in LME warehouses rose nearly 20% to 242,900 tonnes since the middle of August. The traders expect that...

The British government announced on Monday that it was drafting a plan to buy Speciality Steel UK, a manufacturer who formerly supplied the automotive, aero, and defence industries and entered liquidation at the end of August 2025. Speciality Steel was a part of Liberty Steel before it went into liquidation. Liberty Steel is owned by the commodities tycoon Sanjeev Gupta. The government announced that it was moving toward public ownership, after it decided it couldn't support a private sector bid. This company?has locations in Northern and Central England and supports more than 1,300 jobs. "We don't interfere in private companies...

The price of copper fell to a new low on Monday. It reached a three-week low as a rise in London Metal Exchange inventory?easened tightness, and the stronger dollar added further pressure to industrial?metals after last week's drop due to uncertainty over U.S. Tariffs. Benchmark 'three-month' LME copper fell by 1.2% to $14,065 per metric ton during official open outcry. It hit a low of $14 018.50 in the session, its lowest level since August 20, and it is already down 5.9% compared with the record high that was reached last Thursday. In a note published by Britannia Global Markets'...

India's?Solar Industries announced on Monday that its unit would acquire South Africa's?Omnia Holdings for?about $1.36billion in a?all cash?deal. The explosives and ammunition manufacturer is looking to expand their global mining business. Solar SA Investments is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Industries. It will acquire all the outstanding shares of Johannesburg listed Omnia. This acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and Omnia shareholders' approvals. African countries are stepping up their efforts to increase output and attract?investment in critical minerals. Zambia, a country rich in copper, is aiming to triple its production at a time when metal prices are rising....