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☆ Factbox: Where are strategic materials germanium and gallium produced?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Germanium ores are rare and most germanium is produced as a by-product of zinc production and from coal fly ash. China produces around 60% of the world's germanium, according to the European association Critical Raw Materials Alliance (CRMA), with the rest coming from Canada, Finland, Russia and the United States. Gallium is found in trace amounts in zinc ores and in bauxite, and gallium metal is produced when processing bauxite to make aluminium. Around 80% is produced in China, according to the CRMA. Gallium is used to make gallium arsenide for use in electronics.

Persons: Eikon, Dominique Patton, Mai, Tom Hogue Organizations: Alliance, Shanghai Metal Exchange, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Canada, Finland, Russia, United States, Europe, Japan, U.S, Mai Nguyen, Beijing

Goldman Sachs said this week that rising interest rates would remain a "persistent drag" on oil. "There's been little sign of weakness in China's oil demand even if the general reopening boost has disappointed some investors. Global oil demand is forecast to grow between 1 to 2 million barrels per day (bpd), as per the poll. "Once these deficits become visible in on-land oil inventories, we expect prices to trend higher," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. Respondents also largely agreed that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would take measures to keep the floor for oil prices at $80.

Persons: Brent, Ole Hansen, Saxo, Goldman Sachs, There's, Ian Moore, Bernstein, Giovanni Staunovo, Seher, Arpan Varghese, Noah Browning, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: bbl, International Energy Agency, Saudi, of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: China, Saudi, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco, India, Moscow, Turkey, Bengaluru

☆ Euro zone inflation slides more than expected in June, but core rate ticks higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Euro zone inflation hit 5.5% in June, according to preliminary data, coming in lower than analyst expectations — but core inflation, which excludes energy and food, remains stubbornly high and rose to 5.4%. Core inflation had eased to 5.3% in May, from 5.6% in April. Some media reports attributed the sticky core rate to an increase in German rail ticket costs, after the country this time last year offered a discounted pass. The European Central Bank also revised its headline and core inflation expectations for the next couple of years during its interest rate meeting. "Wage-price spiral, which are price increases caused by higher inflation, remains a clear burden for core-inflation.

Persons: Bert Colijn, Christine Lagarde, it's, Clémence Dachicourt, Lagarde Organizations: Central, ING, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Morningstar Investment Management Locations: European, Sintra, Portugal

WHY HAVE UK MORTGAGE RATES SOARED? There are two main types of mortgage rate - variable and fixed. Fixed rate mortgages lock in a particular interest rate upfront, usually for a period of two to five years. Banks say they have to reflect these market moves to avoid pricing mortgages at a loss. Critics say banks could do much more, particularly as they have passed rate rises through to savers much more slowly than mortgage rates have risen.

Persons: BoE, Banks, Nicholas Mendes, John Charcol, Mendes, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Roger Gewolb, Sinead Cruise, Iain Withers, Catherine Evans Organizations: Soaring, Bank of, WHO, Finance, ASK, Labour, Fair Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, Bank of England, States

During the streak, Tesla shares rose by more than 40%, boosting its market value to roughly $814 billion. The rally was kicked off by news of the adoption of Tesla's charging system by legacy U.S. automakers Ford (F.N) and General Motors (GM.N). Wedbush compared Tesla's share gains to Amazon, which for years defied many investor expectations that its stock would eventually fall. Tesla shares slumped in 2022, losing 65% of their value, and helping the shorts make a mint. The 13-day rally cost short sellers more than $7 billion in mark-to-market losses, taking year-to-date losses to nearly $12.7 billion, according to S3 Partners.

Persons: Tesla, Chavi Mehta, Aditya Soni, David Gaffen, Maju Samuel Organizations: Toyota, U.S, Ford, General Motors, America, Wall Street, Wedbush Securities, Amazon.com, GM, S3 Partners, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

ABUJA, June 14 (Reuters) - Nigeria's central bank allowed the naira currency to drop as much as 36% on the official market on Wednesday, days after the central bank governor who oversaw much-criticised multiple exchange rates was suspended. The naira hit a record low of 750 to the dollar on the official market, Refinitiv Eikon data showed, down from a previous low of 477 naira to the dollar struck on Tuesday. Traders said the central bank had removed trading restrictions on the official market. Central bank governor Godwin Emefiele was suspended late last week, after new President Bola Tinubu criticised Emefiele's handling of the currency and monetary policy at his inauguration. Tinubu has called on the central bank to work towards a unified exchange rate, rather than the multiple exchange rates Emefiele oversaw to keep the naira artificially strong.

Persons: Godwin Emefiele, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Emefiele, Charlie Robertson, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Alexander Winning, Chizu Organizations: Traders, FIM Partners, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Central, Lagos, Johannesburg, London

☆ Ports in China's oil hub Shandong scrutinizing old tankers -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qingdao and Lanshan are two of the top five biggest Chinese oil importing ports, according to data from Kpler. Shandong is home to numerous independent refineries known as teapots that account for up to one-fifth of China's processing capacity. Port authorities could detain ships for days to rectify any issues, prompting shippers to divert cargoes to other Chinese ports, the sources said. Almost all tankers hauling crude to Qingdao for independent refiners are more than 10 years old, said Vortexa analyst Emma Li. In April, tankers calling at Shandong ports experienced delays after customs authorities stepped up checks on diluted bitumen cargoes.

Persons: Seapalm, Emma Li, Eikon, Muyu Xu, Florence Tan Organizations: Kpler, Shandong Maritime Safety Administration, Reuters, Seapalm Shipping, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China's Shandong, Qingdao, Rizhao, Lanshan, Shandong, Tokyo, Cameroon, Seychelles, Jiangsu, Hebei, Liaoning, Beijing

☆ Egypt tows away stranded oil tanker in Suez Canal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A tugboat works to refloat the SEAVIGOUR oil tanker to the waiting area in the Suez Canal, next to Ismailia, Egypt June 4, 2023. The Suez Canal Authority/Handout via REUTERSCAIRO, June 4 (Reuters) - An oil tanker that suffered engine failure in Egypt's Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the vital waterway, has been towed away, the canal's authority said on Sunday. The crude tanker, SEAVIGOUR, is a Malta-flagged vessel that was built in 2016, according to Refinitiv Eikon shipping data. It was heading from Russia to China, the canal authority added. Frequent traffic disruptions occur in the Suez Canal due to technical malfunctions, but stoppages are usually brief.

Persons: Osama Rabie, Hatem Maher, Emelia Sithole, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Authority, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Suez, Ismailia, Egypt, REUTERS CAIRO, Malta, Russia, China

☆ Elon Musk is the world's richest person again
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world again. Elon Musk is the richest person in the world again, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index's updated figures Thursday. Musk owns about 13% of Tesla, according to FactSet data. Musk was knocked out of first place by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault in December, after shares of Tesla fell after his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. During the visit, Qin sought to assure Musk that China is open to foreign businesses and would continue to offer a friendly business environment to them.

Persons: Elon Musk, Index's, Musk, Bernard Arnault, Tesla, Qin Gang, Qin Organizations: Bloomberg, Twitter, SpaceX Locations: Shanghai, China

☆ Europe stocks set to open higher after hitting two-month low; U.S. debt ceiling bill clears House
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European stock markets were set to open higher Thursday as the drama over the U.S. debt ceiling bill looked to be in its final stages. The bill to raise the U.S. debt limit and cap government spending passed by 314-117 in the House of Representatives late Wednesday. On Thursday, investors will be assessing flash euro zone inflation figures out at 10:00 a.m. London time. Italian inflation came in higher than forecast but still declined. Economists polled by Reuters expect a fall in headline euro zone inflation to 6.3% in May from 7% in April.

Organizations: Democratic, Nvidia, Nasdaq, ASM International, Reuters Locations: London, Germany, France, Spain

☆ Rare shipment of U.S. oil heads to South Africa for Glencore refinery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Africa gets most of its oil from West and Central Africa as well as Saudi Arabia, according to Kpler data. The last shipment of U.S. oil went to South Africa in May 2021, U.S. customs data showed. Glencore's majority-owned Astron Energy restarted production at its 100,000 barrel per day Cape Town refinery nearly three years after a deadly explosion shuttered operations and killed two workers. Astron, which has the second-largest retail fuel network in southern Africa, receives its oil from tankers discharging in Saldanha Bay and transports the oil to the Cape Town refinery via pipeline, according to the refiner's website. Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston, additional reporting by Wendell Roelf in Cape Town; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L) will likely face one of its most acrimonious annual meetings next week as it struggles to balance investor pressure to capture profits from oil and gas and a vocal minority saying it must move faster to tackle climate change. Big Oil firms posted record profits last year amid soaring energy prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That resolution echoes a ruling by a Dutch court telling Shell to adjust its climate targets, which Shell has appealed. It also said it was pleased that proxy advisers ISS and Glass Lewis had recommended votes against the Follow This resolution. The measures, however, did not prevent climate activist participants from heckling and disrupting proceedings before being escorted out, some carried by security staff.

The tally of U.S. companies that have gone bankrupt so far in 2023 is higher than the first four months of any year since 2010, data from S&P Global Market Intelligence showed. There were 54 corporate bankruptcy petitions in April, down from 70 in March, S&P Global said. Still, the year-to-date count more than doubled to 236 from a year ago. Consumer discretionary companies logged a higher number of bankruptcies than any other sector in 2023, according to S&P Global, with the once high-flying retailer Bed Bath & Beyond among the latest victims. Largest bankruptcies of 2023 (with more than $1 billion in liabilities):Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence, Refinitiv EikonReporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spain gives Vivendi approval to raise stake in media group Prisa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Spanish government has given authorisation for Vivendi to exchange the Prisa convertible bonds it acquired in February into equity, Prisa said in a statement. Heavily-indebted Prisa had sold 130 million euros ($143 million) worth of convertible bonds in a move to reduce its debt. Prisa said if Vivendi were the only bondholder to convert its bonds into equity, its stake would rise to 15%. Vivendi had built its stake in Prisa by first acquiring a 7.89% stake from HSBC for 52 million euros ($57.25 million). Prisa's largest single shareholder is activist fund Amber Capital, led by French investor Joseph Oughourlian, with a 29.57% stake, Refinitiv Eikon information shows.

☆ Analysis: Icahn's mark-up of meat packager extraordinary but possible, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Koh Gui Qing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hindenburg said Icahn Enterprises LP (IEP) (IEP.O) valued a meat packing company in which it owns a 90% stake three times over its market value. IEP cited "the lack of material trading volume" in Viskase's stock as grounds for the valuation mark-up in the filing. Viskase's shares are traded in the over-the-counter market rather than a major exchange such as Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange. On Thursday, IEP said after the stock market closed that it would preserve its dividend at $2 per unit for the first quarter. IEP's stock rose 10% in afterhours trading on the announcement.

Companies Chevron Corp FollowHOUSTON, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. oil producer Chevron Corp (CVX.N) could raise its production in Venezuela this year by up to 50%, to 150,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), without significant new investments, Chief Executive Michael Wirth said on Friday. The second-largest U.S. producer in November became the first U.S. producer to get a license from the U.S. Treasury Department to revive oil output and resume exports from Venezuela after a three-year pause triggered by U.S. sanctions. The company is producing about 100,000 bpd in Venezuela, and the growth, Wirth said, is limited by terms of its U.S. license, which includes limits to activities it can do. Chevron is offering input to the U.S. government on the matter, Wirth said, but he refrained from saying whether the company has requested a license extension. Chevron has been able overcome operational issues to ramp up output and exports, including finding tanker owners willing to work in Venezuela, easing infrastructure bottlenecks and repairing oil upgrading facilities.

HOUSTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp (CVX.N) has stepped up sales of Venezuelan crude oil to rival U.S. refiners, adding PBF Energy Inc (PBF.N) and Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC.N) to its list of customers for the crude, vessel tracking and loading schedules showed. Chevron, the last big U.S. oil producer still operating in U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela, has increased exports of the crude since January. So far in April, it has loaded about 148,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil at Venezuelan ports, with cargoes going to at least three other U.S. refiners, besides Chevron's own refinery. In mid-April, Chevron sold about 550,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude to PBF for its 185,000-bpd Chalmette refinery, near New Orleans, U.S. Customs data on Refinitiv Eikon showed. Chevron has sent Venezuelan crude to its 369,000-bpd Pascagoula, Mississippi, refinery and this month shipped a cargo to a Bahamas oil-storage terminal, PDVSA's schedules showed.

2 producer Chile to nationalise its lithium sector may curb long-term supply growth, but it is not expected to have an immediate impact, analysts said. Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in China rose 10.6% from a week earlier to 182,500 yuan ($26,380) a tonne, the first weekly increase since November 2022, data by Fastmarkets on Refinitiv Eikon showed. But prices tumbled 72% after China curbed EV subsidies in January, demand faltered and inventories rose. Global EV sales jumped 55% last year to 10 million and are expected to climb another 35% this year. Chinese state-backed research house Antaike expects lithium carbonate prices to average 220,000 yuan a tonne this year, down 54% from 2022, it said at a conference last week.

☆ STMicroelectronics posts better-than-expected Q1 results
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - European chipmaker STMicroelectronics (STM.DE) reported better-than-expected first-quarter results on Thursday. The company's revenue jumped 20% year-over-year to $4.25 billion in the quarter, outperforming analysts' average estimate of $4.19 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv Eikon. Citing a favorable business environment, CEO Jean-Marc Chery said the company was aiming for full-year revenue of $17 billion to $17.8 billion, keeping it on course for its target of $20 billion by 2027. STMicroelectronics's first-quarter earnings of $1.10 per share, also beat analysts' average forecast of $0.99 per share, IBES data showed. Net income rose about 40% year-over-year to $1.04 billion in the quarter.

☆ Puma expects Q2 sales growth below full-year target
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - German sportswear maker Puma (PUMG.DE) on Wednesday said it expected second-quarter sales to grow at a low- to mid-single-digit percentage rate, below its full-year target, due to high inventory levels and ongoing challenges in the market. The company said it expected its profit and margins to be under more pressure in the first half of 2023 than in the second half. Puma's revenue rose to 2.19 billion euros ($2.41 billion) in the first quarter from 1.91 billion euros in 2022, ahead of the 2.15 billion expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The company said strong growth globally, including Greater China, helped it offset a weaker performance in the over-inventoried U.S. market. Puma confirmed its full-year outlook for currency adjusted revenue growth in high single digits, and an operating profit of between 590 million and 670 million euros.

[1/5] A Cuban tanker ship enters Havana's bay with a sign that reads in Spanish: "No more blockade", referring to the trade embargo on Cuba imposed by the U.S., Havana, Cuba, April 25, 2023. Venezuela's oil exports to Cuba so far this year have dropped to 55,000 barrels per day (bpd) from almost 80,000 in 2020. Cuba has also imported since November at least five cargoes from Russia, a long-time supplier, as well as fuel from Caribbean terminals and Europe, the data shows. Officials also blame U.S. sanctions, which complicate the financing and transport of fuel to Cuba, for the crisis. Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and oil ministry, Pemex, and Mexico's foreign ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

☆ India's ICICI Bank posts 30% jump in Q4 net profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, April 22 (Reuters) - India's ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) on Saturday reported a 30% increase in fourth-quarter net profit helped by improved net interest income and growth in loans. Standalone net profit rose to a record 91.22 billion Indian rupees ($1.11 billion) from 70.19 billion a year earlier. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and paid, rose 40.2% to 176.67 billion rupees while the private lender's net interest margin widened to 4.90% from 4%. "At this point in time, we are very comfortable with our deposit growth," Executive Director Sandeep Batra told reporters on a conference call. "I do not think deposit growth will be a constraint to our ability to grow our assets in a risk-calibrated manner."

☆ India and China snap up Russian oil in April above 'price cap'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, April 17 (Reuters) - India and China have snapped up the vast majority of Russian oil so far in April at prices above the Western price cap of $60 per barrel, according to traders and Reuters calculations. A G7 source told Reuters on Monday the Western price cap would remain unchanged for now, despite pressure from some European Union countries, such as Poland, to lower the cap to increase pressure on Moscow. The latest data from Refinitiv Eikon suggest Russian Urals oil cargoes that loaded in the first half of April are mostly heading to India's and China's ports. India and China have not agreed to abide by the price cap, but the West had hoped the threat of sanctions might deter traders from helping those countries buy oil above the cap. A G7 price cap coalition official said the sytem was working.

☆ Angry Birds maker Rovio confirms talks with Sega over tender offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 15 (Reuters) - Rovio Entertainment (ROVIO.HE), the company behind the mobile game Angry Birds, confirmed on Saturday that it is in talks with Japan's Sega Sammy Holdings Inc (6460.T) over a possible tender offer. Rovio announced the start of a strategic review and preliminary non-binding discussions regarding a potential tender offer for its shares in February, a statement from the group said. "As part of its strategic review, Rovio Entertainment Corporation confirms that it is in discussions with Sega Sammy Holdings Inc," it said. The company added in the statement that there "is no certainty as to when the possible tender offer would take place, or whether it would take place at all". Rovio received a 683 million euro takeover bid in January from Israeli peer Playtika Holding Corp (8II.F), but the talks were called off last month.

☆ Truck maker Volvo posts record Q1 as sales, margins beat forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Its adjusted operating profit rose 45% to 18.4 billion Swedish crowns ($1.76 billion) for the January-March quarter, well above the 12.9 billion expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv Eikon. Volvo's preliminary net sales for the quarter rose to 131.4 billion crowns from 105.3 billion and topped the 118.6 billion expected by analysts. Net sales in the truck segment rose to 89.6 billion crowns from 69.6 billion, beating a forecast of 79.7 billion. The division's operating profit jumped to 12.7 billion from 8.7 billion while analysts expected a decline to 8.4 billion. ($1 = 10.4303 Swedish crowns)Reporting by Terje Solsvik; editing by Sonali Paul and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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