Western Europe

The Kremlin stated on Monday that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from the part of Donbas it still controls, if it wants peace. If Kyiv does not strike a deal it will lose more territory. Putin and Trump spoke Sunday, ahead of Trump's Miami meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said that another call was planned for very soon. Peskov declined to comment on the idea that a "free economic zone" could be created in Donbas, or the future of Zaporizhzhia's nuclear power plant (controlled by Russia), saying the Kremlin deemed it inappropriate. Peskov, when asked...

Investors weighed Middle East tensions which could disrupt supply and a major obstacle remains in the Russia-Ukraine talks. Brent crude futures rose 57 cents, or 0.94%, to $61.21 a barrel at?0112 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however was up 54 cents, or 0.95%. The benchmark prices of both oil and gold fell by more than 2 percent on Friday, as investors considered a global glut of supply and the potential for a peace agreement in Ukraine ahead of weekend negotiations between U.S. president Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The main reason for the price increase is...

The Kremlin announced on Sunday that?Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. The Kremlin said on?Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and?U.S. Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin's foreign policy aide, said that a phone call between Putin - and Trump lasted an hour and fifteen minutes - at Trump's request ahead of Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Miami. Ushakov stated that "the main thing is that the presidents from Russia and the United States share the same view that the temporary ceasefire option proposed by the Ukrainians or the Europeans, under the pretext of preparation for a referendum (or...

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, capping off a year of rapid artificial intelligence-driven gains. Commodities such as gold and silver also extended their bullish trend to new highs, as 2025 approaches. Overnight, on Wall Street the S&P 500 closed at a record high as the long-elusive Santa Claus rally finally took hold. The U.S. economic data that showed the economy expanding at a faster rate than expected in the third quarter helped boost risk sentiment, but also weighed on bonds. Early Asian trading was dominated by gold and silver. Gold spot prices rose 0.8%, to $4,524 an ounce. This brings...

Wall Street opened higher, while the yen fell to near-all-time lows versus the euro. Higher interest rates put pressure on Japanese government bonds. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%. Nasdaq futures gained 0.1%. MSCI's broadest world share index added 0.2%. Due to the fact that the?U.S. The?U.S. Investors are primarily focused on closing the year before January's inflation and labour market releases," he said. Even though it was a holiday-shortened weekend for most of the world, momentum funds continued to flow to equities and precious metals ahead of delayed data which is expected to show that the U.S. economic growth has...

Oil prices increased on Monday, after the U.S. announced that it had intercepted a tanker of oil in international waters near the Venezuelan coast. This has caused new supply uncertainty. Brent crude futures rose by 46 cents or 0.8% to $60.93 a barrel at 0400 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 46 cents or 0.8% to $56.98. The market is now recognizing that the Trump Administration is taking a tough stance on the Venezuelan oil industry, said June Goh. She is the senior oil analyst at Sparta Commodities. Goh said that the geopolitical news, along with the simmering...

The oil prices rose in the early hours of Monday morning after the U.S. intercepted an?oil-tanker from Venezuela over the weekend. Brent crude futures rose by 44 cents (or 0.73%) to $60.91 per barrel at 0141 GMT. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), crude oil, rose by 40 cents or 0.71% to $56.92. Officials told Sunday that the U.S. Coast Guard was also pursuing a tanker near Venezuela in international waters. If successful, this would be the second operation of the weekend, and the third within less than two weeks, if it is successful. Tony Sycamore, IG analyst, said that the rebound...

Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that Russia’s terms to end the war in Ukraine are unchanged from what he outlined in June 2024. This is a sign of no compromise, as the United States continues to push for a resolution. Putin outlined the Kremlin stance at the start of his annual press conference that lasts for four hours. He said he didn't see any readiness from the Ukrainian side for a peace agreement, but that there were "certain signs" of a willingness to engage in dialogue. Putin stated: "The only thing that I would like to say is we have...

Investors digested central bank decisions that highlighted divergent monetary policies around the world. Global shares rose Thursday, after?benign U.S. data on inflation. U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected during the year ending November. This initially hurt the dollar, but lifted equities on the hope of U.S. interest rate cuts in 2019. The pound rose after the Bank of England reduced interest rates, but indicated that further easing was unlikely. As expected, the European Central Bank left euro zone rates unchanged and took a more optimistic tone about the economy. Bank of Japan expected to raise rates on Friday. However,...

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that they hoped the U.S. President Donald Trump administration didn't make a fatal mistake over Venezuela. They also said that Moscow was concerned about U.S. actions that threaten international navigation. Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade", of all oil tankers sanctioned by Washington, that enter and leave Venezuela. Washington was trying to increase pressure against Nicolas Maduro’s government. After the U.S. seize a sanctioned oil tanker off the coasts of Venezuela, last week. Loaded vessels with?millions barrels of crude oil chose to stay in Venezuelan waters than risk being seized. In a press release,...

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The markets expect that the Bank of England will be the sole mover in a series of central bank meetings on Thursday. A 25-basis point rate cut to 3.75 percent is almost as predictable as the collapse of the top order at the Ashes Test in Adelaide. Investors were reassured by the unexpected drop in UK inflation on Wednesday. However, with inflation at the highest level among G7 countries, 3.2%, it is unlikely that further rate cuts will be imminent. Sterling is down to...

Shell, the oil major, has made a final investment decision for a 'waterflooding project' at its Kaikias Field in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The project aims to increase oil recovery and prolong the life of Ursa Platform. The project will add an additional 60 million barrels of oil to the recoverable resources. Shell, the top deep-water operator in the U.S. Gulf, is making a new investment to maintain liquids production of?nearly 1.4 million barrels per day?until the year 2030. The first injection is scheduled for 2028, and will extend Ursa’s production cycle by several years. Waterflooding is a secondary...

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...

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...

Prices of copper remained close to their previous highs as the U.S. economic growth?boosted prospects for demand, while ongoing supply constraints?also?boosted prices. As of 0302 GMT the most active contract for copper on Shanghai Futures Exchange was up 1.5% to 95,100 Yuan ($13.532.0) per metric tonne, after reaching a session high of 95.550 yuan. The benchmark copper three-month contract on the London Futures Exchange increased 0.1% to $12,076.5 per ton. The metal reached a record-high of $12,159.50 on Tuesday. It is expected to rise 38% annually due to the U.S. Dollar's weakness, the growing demand for AI, the renewable energy...

London's FTSE 100 closed higher on Tuesday amid low trading volume before the Christmas holiday. Gains in banks and mining shares were a major factor. The UK's blue chip FTSE 100 closed up 0.3%, extending the upward momentum it had gained last week following the Bank of England’s?25 basis-point rate cut. This pushed the index to a new five-week-high. The domestically focused?midcap FTSE 250 Index added 0.1%. During the week-long holiday, trading volumes are typically lower. The markets will close early on the Wednesday before Christmas and remain closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Thursday. Anglo American, Antofagasta and...

The European Union will implement stricter rules on imports of plastics. This is to help European recycling facilities that are struggling with cheaper imports. Plastics Recyclers Europe, a trade group, says that Europe's plastics recycling industry will lose more capacity by 2025 than it did in any other year. Low-cost imports of plastic and high energy prices are driving closures, including in the Netherlands. It is of particular concern that recycled plastic, which is made?from used material, is mislabeled as virgin plastic, which is a cheap new material made out of fossil fuels. This puts local recyclers in a difficult...

JSW, the owner of Pniowek Coal Mine in southern Poland, announced on Monday that two workers had been killed by an explosion of'methane and rocks masses' at the mine. A large amount of methane has been released from the Pniowek Mine, which was operating with 10 underground workers and a high-performance?roadheader. JSW said that eight people were able to escape on their own while two others lost contact. The company reported that after a seven-hour search, teams located the missing miners, who were declared dead by a doctor on the spot. The Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed his condolences...

In 2025, precious metals outperformed all other "safe haven" investment options. This is remarkable, especially in an year that was marked by turmoil, conflict and artificial intelligence bubble concerns. The market landscape for this year was shaped by a number of factors: a booming economy, politicians pushing for easy money, fading recession fears, an AI frenzy, and rising geopolitical tensions. Precious Metals outperformed almost everything else. Silver and platinum have more than doubled and gold has risen over 60%. This is its biggest jump since 1979's oil crisis. This performance was far superior to the roughly 20% gain in global...

The copper price ticked upwards on Tuesday. It hovered near the record levels reached in the previous session. This was after Antofagasta, a Chilean miner, and a Chinese smelter, agreed to a zero-processing fee for 2026 copper concentrate. This underscored supply constraints. As of 0332 GMT, the most active "copper" contract on Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 0.1% to 93,810 Yuan ($13325.28) per metric tonne. The benchmark copper price for the three-month period on the London Futures Exchange remained unchanged at $11,926.0 per ton. According to a Chinese market data provider, China's leading copper smelters plan to reduce production by more...

The third year has been tough for battery metals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt. All three markets are struggling to absorb the supply wave that followed the price boom of 2022. The electric vehicle revolution continues. The demand for batteries, and the metals needed to make them work, is still rising at an accelerated pace. It is only a matter time before the current glut of supply is absorbed by demand. This was at least the hope. Chinese companies are undergoing a technological revolution at the same time, as they work to create ever-more powerful batteries for ever-lower costs. Battery...

The following are the major factors that could affect Swiss stocks on Monday. HOLCIM The parties to the case reported on Monday that a court in Switzerland had decided to admit a lawsuit against Holcim, the Swiss cement manufacturer, which alleged the company was doing too little to reduce carbon emissions. The CEO of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said on Saturday that the price of new drugs in Switzerland will be affected by the deals between 'pharmaceutical companies' and Washington, which aim to lower the prices of medicines?in the United States. Statements of Company * Novartis announced on Friday that...

Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed on Friday that Antofagasta, a Chilean miner, has agreed to pay 0 cents and 0 dollars per pound for treatment?and?refining?charges (TC/RCs). After protracted negotiations, the deal was reached. It compares with charges of $21.25 per ton?and 2.125cents per lb?for 2025, agreed in December last year. The agreement matches?a mid-year contract between Antofagasta?and some Chinese smelters?at zero levels. Miners pay smelters?TC/RCs for the copper concentrate they turn into refined metal. A severe shortage of mine supplies?in the past few months sent spot processing fees to negative territory, meaning that smelters had to pay more...

The third year has been tough for battery metals like lithium, nickel and copper as the three markets struggled to absorb the supply wave that followed the price boom of 2022. The electric vehicle revolution continues. The demand for metals and batteries that power them is growing at an accelerated rate. It is only a matter time before the current glut of supply is absorbed by demand. This was at least the hope. Chinese companies are, however, embarking on a "simultaneous" technological revolution, as they seek to develop batteries that are ever more powerful at a lower cost. Battery chemistry...