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This week's spill of 14,000 barrels in Kansas is sure to raise alarms over future pipeline development, as U.S. regulators had already increased scrutiny of pipeline construction due to previous Keystone spills in 2017 and 2019. The pipeline suffered few incidents in its early years, but since 2017, the number of spills increased after TC Energy received a special permit from the U.S. "I think a lot of scrutiny is going to be placed on the special permit," said Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Alliance, an advocacy group that fought Keystone XL. John Stoody, vice-president of government relations at the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association said special permits come with numerous different operating conditions. "If anything there are complaints from industry about how lengthy the special permit process is.

☆ China's Nov exports and imports shrink further, worse than forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Dec 7 (Reuters) - China's exports in November contracted 8.7% from a year earlier, while imports tumbled 10.6%, both missing expectations by large margins, customs data showed on Wednesday. Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected exports to shrink 3.5% after a 0.3% loss in October due to cooling global demand. Imports were forecast to have contracted by an even larger 6.0% from a 0.7% fall in October, hurt by sluggish consumption at home amid widespread COVID-19 restrictions and a protracted property slump. China posted a trade surplus of $69.84 billion in November, compared with a forecast $78.1 billion surplus in the poll and a $85.15 billion surplus in October. Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Ryan Woo Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. trade deficit widens as goods exports hit seven-month low
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The trade deficit increased 5.4% to $78.2 billion. Surveys from the Institute for Supply Management this month showed measures of manufacturing and services exports stuck in contraction territory in November. But consumer goods imports dropped, pulled down by cell phones and other household goods as well as toys, games and sporting goods. The overall decline in consumer goods imports is in line with slowing demand for goods because of higher borrowing costs. Adjusted for inflation, the goods deficit increased $8.3 billion to $112.6 billion in October.

☆ U.S. trade deficit widens in October on weak exports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A ship stacked with shipping containers is unloaded on a pier at Port Newark, New Jersey, U.S., November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit widened sharply in October as slowing global demand and a strong dollar weighed on exports. The trade deficit increased 5.4% to $78.2 billion, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. A smaller trade deficit was one of the main factors behind the rebound in U.S. economic growth in the third quarter. October's sharp widening in the deficit suggested trade could be a drag on gross domestic product this quarter.

☆ Weak U.S. goods exports weigh on trade deficit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The trade deficit increased 5.4% to $78.2 billion, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. The second straight monthly widening in the trade gap was partly driven by a shift in pharmaceutical products trade, with exports of these goods falling sharply and imports surging. But consumer goods imports dropped, pulled down by cell phones and other household goods as well as toys, games and sporting goods. Adjusted for inflation, the goods deficit increased $8.3 billion to $112.6 billion in October. A smaller trade deficit was one of the main factors behind the rebound in U.S. economic growth in the third quarter.

☆ Manufacturing orders from China down 40% in unrelenting demand collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

U.S. manufacturing orders in China are down 40 percent, according to the latest CNBC Supply Chain Heat Map data. HLS expects most carriers to extend their West Coast rates until December 14, holding at $1,300-$1,400 per forty-foot equivalent containers (FEU). The 2M Alliance of Maersk and MSC has suspended almost half of its U.S. West Coast services for December. is also impacting Vietnam, which has been booming as a manufacturing hub as more trade moved away from China. Canceled ocean sailings bound for Vietnam are up 50% for December.

☆ German exports fall as demand cools in Europe, U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Exports down 0.6% m/m, twice as much as forecastImports post strongest m/m fall since JanuaryBERLIN, Dec 2 (Reuters) - German exports fell more than forecast in October, official data showed on Friday, as high inflation and supply chain snags hit demand in key trading partners, further raising the spectre of recession for Europe's largest economy. Exports declined by 0.6% on the month, twice as much as analysts predicted in a Reuters poll, the data from the Federal Statistics Office showed. Germany's top export partner, the United States, saw the sharpest fall in German exports at 3.9%, while exports to other European Union member states were down 2.4%. The German chambers of commerce and industry (DIHK) said last month Germany's exports were likely to fall 2% next year due to a sluggish global economy, with nearly half of German companies that sell abroad expecting an economic downturn. Also last month, German industrial group Thyssenkrupp (TKAG.DE) warned its sales and profit would "nosedive" next year as high inflation and energy costs are compounded by expected recession in Europe.

☆ German exports fall more than expected as demand cools in Europe, U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The German export engine is noticeably juddering," said German chambers of commerce and industry (DIHK) trade chief Volker Trier. "High inflation rates and a tight monetary policy in important sales markets are dampening international demand." DIHK said last month Germany's exports were likely to fall 2% next year due to a sluggish global economy, with nearly half of German companies that sell abroad expecting an economic downturn. Also last month, German industrial group Thyssenkrupp (TKAG.DE) warned its sales and profit would "nosedive" next year as high inflation and energy costs are compounded by an expected recession in Europe. A survey published on Thursday showed Germany's manufacturing sector reported continued weaker demand in November but the downturn slowed as signs of fewer material shortages fuelled hopes that cost pressures could also ease.

New England has been grappling with fuel-supply challenges for more than a decade. Imports of LNG can make up more than a third of the region’s natural-gas supply during periods of peak demand, according to the Energy Information Administration. George Frey/Bloomberg News

☆ Port of Los Angeles October imports tumble, pressured by labor worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Stacked containers and cranes are shown at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 22, 2021. Seaports like New York/New Jersey, Savannah and Houston have benefited from the uncertainty surrounding ongoing West Coast port labor talks and continue to report robust results. The biggest drag was from incoming "cargo that has shifted to the East and Gulf Coasts due to protracted labor negotiations" between West Coast port workers and their employers, Seroka said. Year-to-date volume is down almost 6% versus 2021, when Los Angeles port volume hit an all-time annual high. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexico not buying U.S. yellow corn as GM ban looms, Lopez Obrador says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Marianna Parraga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The United States wanted to sell Mexico more yellow corn and Mexico declined, Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference. "There is a market for it, but the government cannot make a purchase because we do not want GM," Lopez Obrador said, citing a lack of scientific investigation into its effects. Lopez Obrador did not specify who made the request to sell more corn, the amount of the requested sale or the time frame. Mexico is ready to halve its U.S. imports of yellow corn when the decree goes into effect and is considering direct agreements with farmers to secure non-GM yellow corn imports, the country's deputy agriculture minister said in October. Chicago Board of Trade corn futures fell on Wednesday after the news, with the benchmark December contract down 6 cents a bushel at a two-month low of $6.61-1/2 a bushel.

☆ The World Is Falling Short of Its Climate Goals. Four Big Emitters Show Why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Max Bearak | Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Together, the four countries account for more than half of historical emissions of planet-warming gases, which include carbon dioxide and methane. ChinaThis is China’s current emissions track. Change in emissions by 2030 compared with last year On current track Range Paris pledge 1.5°C compatible –100% –75% –50% –25% +25% 0 This is China’s current emissions track. Because China’s emissions are so high, however, no other country will be more crucial in lowering global emissions. IndiaThis is India’s current emissions track.

How Putin and Friends Stalled Climate Progress A handful of powerful world leaders rallied around Russia and undercut global cooperation. Mr. Putin has gained from this as the increasingly autocratic Mr. Xi finds common cause with the Kremlin. “Much depends on whether authoritarian leaders perceive climate action to be in their self-interest.”Though their actions help Mr. Putin, their track records on climate are mixed. Mr. Xi called Mr. Putin his “best friend.”He was returning the favor from a year earlier, when Mr. Putin hosted Mr. Xi at the Grand Kremlin Palace and awarded him one of Russia’s highest medals for foreign dignitaries. At a news conference with Mr. Putin, Mr. Bolsonaro thanked his “dear friend,” saying that Mr. Putin had offered him support when other world leaders were criticizing his Amazon policy.

☆ South Korea's Oct exports post worst fall in 26 months
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 1 (Reuters) - South Korea's exports in October suffered their fastest decline in more than two years and missed expectations as shipments to neighbouring China tumbled, government data showed on Tuesday. Exports by Asia's fourth-largest economy fell 5.7% from a year earlier to $52.48 billion in October, posting their biggest percentage fall since August 2020 and missing a median 3.0% loss tipped in a Reuters survey. South Korea also marked its first annual decline in exports since October 2020. Imports, though, jumped 9.9% to $59.18 billion, against a 6.9% gain expected in the Reuters poll. Reporting by Choonsik Yoo and Jihoon Lee; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU Looks to Follow Tough U.S. Action on Forced Labor
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Beijing has called allegations about the use of forced labor “vicious lies” and said its policies in Xinjiang are intended to counter violent separatism and terrorism. African mining operations, for example, have been implicated in the use of forced labor. Under the proposal, EU member states will designate authorities to enforce the regulation, and their customs authorities will enforce it at the EU’s borders. Goods made without forced labor are going to the U.S., while goods made with forced labor are shipped to the EU, the researchers said. Uniqlo has said it performs due diligence throughout its supply chain and prohibits the use of forced labor.

"There are many alternatives to importing non-GMO yellow corn from the United States," Suarez said in an interview on Wednesday. It was the strongest indication yet from Mexico's Agriculture Ministry that the ban will hit yellow corn destined for livestock feed. The 2020 decree by Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador aims to phase out GM corn and the herbicide glyphosate by 2024. Yellow corn imports had become more expensive than domestic production, another incentive for farmers to make the switch, Suarez said. The government was working to make agreements with local corn growers to specifically increase yellow corn production to 6 million tonnes, he added.

The status of Russian metal has been a key talking-point at the many seminars and parties this week in London. Should the LME suspend deliveries of Russian aluminium, copper and nickel or should it maintain its policy of not preempting official sanctions? German copper producer Aurubis (NAFG.DE) has joined U.S. aluminium producer Alcoa (AA.N) in publicly calling for an LME ban on Russian metal. There is a lot of metal supply at stake here. An LME ban on deliveries of Russian metal would clearly have significant ramifications for both LME and physical market pricing.

On a quarterly basis, GDP rose 3.9% versus a revised drop of 2.7% in April-June and an expected 3.5% rise. 1/9 Workers work at a construction site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China, October 14, 2022. A Reuters poll forecast China's growth to slow to 3.2% in 2022, far below the official target of around 5.5%, marking one of the worst performances in almost half a century. Retail sales grew 2.5%, missing forecasts for a 3.3% increase and easing from August's 5.4% pace, underlining still fragile domestic demand. "On the policy front, the overall policy will remain supportive," said Hao Zhou, chief economist at Guotai Junan International.

Workers work at a construction site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China, October 14, 2022. On a quarterly basis, GDP rose 3.9% in the third quarter, versus a revised drop of 2.7% in April-June and an expected 3.5% rise. The data was originally scheduled for release on Oct. 18 but was delayed amid the key Communist Party Congress last week. New bank lending in China nearly doubled in September from the previous month and far exceeded expectations, helped by central bank efforts to revive the economy. "On the policy front, the overall policy will remain supportive," said Hao Zhou, chief economist at Guotai Junan International.

☆ Asia's energy supply looks secure — even as Europe scrambles
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

On Tuesday, the EU steered away from a proposed price cap on Russian gas as it laid out new measures to tackle high energy prices. Overall LNG imports fell 7% year-on-year. Overall LNG imports fell 7% year-on-year. The decrease in LNG imports for Japan, Pakistan and India were 17%, 73% and 22% respectively, the IEA said. However, there is a clear increase month on month of coal power generation," IEEFA energy finance analyst Ghee Peh said.

☆ U.S. container imports tumble as supply stress gives way to slack
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LOS ANGELES, Oct 20 (Reuters) - After more than two years of surging demand, the volume of container imports coming through U.S. ports has tumbled sharply, raising questions about where a sector once tracked as a supply-chain stress point will hit bottom. Container import volumes across all U.S. ports hit an all-time high in May and pulled back slightly before plunging in August and September. Volume surged as much as 40% from 2019 levels during the pandemic as retailers raced to meet soaring demand for goods. As recently as March, the Biden administration supply chain task force had tracked container imports as part of a "dashboard" to monitor the distress in the distribution of goods and a contributor to higher prices. Kemmsies said the August and September pullbacks in the volume of container imports is the result of retailers like Walmart (WMT.N) and Amazon.com (AMZN.O) cancelling billions of dollars of orders earlier this year.

☆ Biden says abandoned U.K. tax cut plan was a 'mistake' amid 'worldwide inflation'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Volvo Group Powertrain Operations plant in Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S., October 7, 2022. President Joe Biden on Saturday called embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss' abandoned tax cut plan a "mistake," and said he is worried that other nations' fiscal policies may hurt the U.S. amid "worldwide inflation." It marked an unusual criticism by a U.S. president of the domestic policy decisions of one of its closest allies. Biden's comments came after weeks of White House officials declining to criticize Truss' plans, though they emphasized they were monitoring the economic fallout closely. Said Biden: "It's worldwide inflation, that's consequential."

☆ Japan Sept consumer inflation seen at 8-year high, above BOJ's target for 6th month: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The forecast strongly suggested that core CPI would stay above the central bank's 2% inflation target for a sixth consecutive month. Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has repeatedly vowed to keep the BOJ's stimulus effort intact, because any cost-push rise in inflation would be temporary. It would be the 14th straight month of deficits and follow a record 2.817 trillion yen shortfall in August. Imports by value likely surged 45.0% in September from a year earlier, outpacing a 27.1% rise in exports, the poll showed. The government will release the consumer price data on Oct. 21 at 8:30 a.m. (Oct. 20, 2330 GMT) and the trade balance data on Oct. 20 at 8:50 a.m. (Oct. 19, 2350 GMT).

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWHY ARE REFINERY AND FUEL DEPOT WORKERS STRIKING? Middle distillates such as diesel and gas oil are primarily used in freight transport, manufacturing, farming, mining, and oil and gas extraction. The French refinery outages are tightening European supplies and reverberating through global markets. Meanwhile, northwest European diesel barge profit margins hovered near record highs hit on Monday. read moreUncertainty over how long the French strikes will last has lifted European diesel spreads relative to crude just as Western sanctions against Russia are driving prices still higher.

Indonesian nickel production by mine and productPOWERING UPIndonesia's nickel boom reflects both the country's rich mineral resources and the government's drive to push miners down the value-add processing chain. China's imports of nickel by product 2020-2022PRICING DOWNThis Indonesian supply surge was widely expected, but its exact timing was fuzzy given the number of new processing routes being used to convert ore to battery nickel. The combination of European demand shock, Indonesian production burst and the closing of the processing gap between stainless and battery nickel means there "is close to 30% downside for the nickel price into year-end". This mismatch of market-place and market is one of the reasons the LME nickel contract melted down in March. Macquarie Bank now provides three different nickel price forecasts for LME refined metal, Chinese nickel pig iron and Chinese nickel sulphate.

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