British Business - January 7
These are the most popular stories in the British business pages. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. Rachel Reeves will lead a ministerial delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, as the UK government attempts to attract international investors and reassure UK leaders of business. Boaz Weinstein of New York's Saba Capital accused Katie Potts of producing "exceptionally low returns" in the last three years. After a disappointing Christmas season…
Oil Falls on Demand Worries, Market Awaits Fed Advice
Oil prices eased about 1% to a one-week low on Tuesday on demand worries following the release of negative economic news from Germany and China, while investors remained cautious ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve decision on interest rates.Brent futures fell 90 cents, or 1.2%, to $73.01 a barrel by 1:36 p.m. EST (1836 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 86 cents, or 1.2%, to $69.85. That puts both crude benchmarks on track for their lowest closes since Dec. 10 and cut the premium of Brent over WTI to a 12-week low of $3.56 a barrel…
Oil Falls as Chinese Demand Sags, Fed Ponders Rate Cut
Oil futures slipped from the highest levels in several weeks on Monday on weakness in consumer spending in China, which is the world's largest oil importer, and as investors paused buying ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision.Brent crude futures fell 39 cents to $74.10 a barrel by 1:10 p.m EST, after settling on Friday at their highest since Nov. 22.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude shed 35 cents to $70.94 after registering its highest close since Nov. 7 in the previous session.Last week…
Holiday schedule for US economic and other data
Veterans Day, a federal holiday, will impact the release of major economic, energy, and commodities reports that originated from Washington or were filed there during the week of November 10. The schedule is below. The times are in GMT/EST. Some Treasury announcements may be subject to change. Veterans Day holiday. Federal government offices and the bond market are closed. Stock markets, International Monetary Fund and Federal Reserve open. The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes weekly U.S. Export Inspections for Grains, Oilseeds, 1110/1600. USDA releases weekly Crop Progress 1600/2100.
Public Service Enterprise Group exceeds Q3 profit expectations on the back of higher sales
Public Service Enterprise Group surpassed Wall Street expectations for the third quarter profit on Monday as the electric utility and gas utility benefitted from higher retail sales and growth in distribution margins.U.S. Electric firms are looking to increase customer bills in order to fund upgrades to the grid. This is due to extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes and storms, and an increased demand for industrial consumers, like data centers.Public Service Enterprise…
Xcel Energy announces $45 billion investment plan and higher quarterly profits
Xcel Energy announced a higher third-quarter profit Thursday. This was due to a greater demand for electricity among industrial and commercial customers, as well as lower cost. The company has more than 3.8 million customers in eight Western and Midwestern U.S. States, and another 2.1 million who use natural gas. It also announced a $45 billion five-year investment plan to upgrade infrastructure. The company's executives stated that it aims to grow electric sales by 5% per year, with data centers accounting for about half of the growth. Xcel is still bullish on data center demand.
Walmart cuts Walmart Plus price in half for the holidays
Walmart announced on Monday that it will offer its membership service Walmart Plus at a discount of 50% ahead of the holidays, in an effort to compete with Amazon.com Prime subscription services. In order to help shoppers cope with the high inflation, retailers in the United States like Walmart launched their sales earlier this year and offered more discounts and incentives. National Retail Federation predicts that holiday retail sales in the United States will increase by up to 3.5%. This is the slowest growth rate in six years.
Holiday schedule for US economic and other data
The Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Federal Holiday on Monday, October 14, will affect the release of major economic, energy, and commodities reports during the week of Oct. 13. Treasury Department will announce the release date of the Monthly Budget in October. Due to reporting requirements for the end of fiscal year, the September report was delayed. The schedule is below. The times are in EDT/GMT. Certains Treasury announcements may change. Columbus/Indigenous Peoples holiday. Bond markets, Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund and federal government offices are closed.
TSX sluggish as gains in CPI are offset by energy shares
Canada's main index of stocks was down on Tuesday, as the losses in energy shares tempered gains from consumer price data which showed that inflation had cooled to a low of 40 months in July. This raised hopes for a rate cut next month. At 9:56 am. The S&P/TSX Composite index rose 3.48 points or 0.02% to 23,119.87 ET (13.56 GMT), hovering near its record highs. The annual rate of inflation in Canada dropped to 2.5%, but it rose 0.4% monthly, which indicates that the Bank of Canada may lower rates in September. This week, we will get the retail sales figures.
Canada's benchmark TSX index edges up on oil gains and local acquisitions
Canada's benchmark stock index edged up slightly on Monday, as calm returned to the market after a turbulent week. However, rising tensions in Middle East and the upcoming U.S. data this week kept investors on the edge. The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed at 22,406.31, up 95.01, or 0.43%. Two major acquisitions in Canada also contributed to the increase. On Monday, oil prices surged to $80.06 per barrel amid fears that tensions in the Middle East may escalate and lead to a wider conflict. This could also impede crude oil supply globally. The energy stocks index rose by roughly 3%.
Oil Slips 2 Percent
Oil prices dropped about 2 percent on Friday, weighed down by a falling U.S. stock market, while weak economic data from China pointed to lower fuel demand in the world's biggest oil importer.Brent crude futures for February delivery fell $1.16 to $60.29 a barrel, a 1.9 percent loss, by 1:15 p.m. ET (1815 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell $1.24 to $51.34 a barrel, a 2.4 percent loss.Global benchmark Brent was set for a weekly loss of about 2.2 percent…
Oil Slips on Falling U.S. Equity Market, Weak China Economic Data
Oil prices dropped more than one percent on Friday, weighed down by a falling U.S. stock market, while weak economic data from China pointed to lower fuel demand in the world's biggest oil importer.Brent crude futures fell 75 cents to $60.70 a barrel, a 1.2 percent loss, by 10:53 a.m. EST (1553 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped 93 cents to $51.65 a barrel, a 1.8 percent loss.Global benchmark Brent was set for a weekly loss of about 1.7 percent, while…
U.S. Gasoline Prices Rise Ahead of Driving Season
Filling the fuel tank for vacation driving this summer will be pricier than it has been in nearly four years for American motorists, as gasoline prices nationwide rise toward the expected average seasonal price of $3 a gallon. Lower-income consumers could be most likely to rethink their driving habits as pump prices rise, the American Automobile Association said. Prices ease as the peak summer season ends around September, AAA said, but they could remain at seasonal highs not seen since 2014.
Commodities Ride Rollercoaster on $100 Oil Talk
Oil highest in over 3 yrs on report Saudis want higher prices; nickel sees biggest jump in 6-1/2 years on sanctions worries. Talk that Saudi Arabia has its sights on $80-$100 a barrel oil again and of more U.S. sanctions on Russia ignited a rally in commodities and resource stocks on Thursday, though the potential boost to inflation hit fixed-income assets. It was set to be the strongest day for the commodity complex in eight months as Brent crude futures climbed past $74 a barrel after a near 3 percent jump overnight.
China's Appetite for Crude Could Wane
The sharp slowdown in China's refinery processing in July may be another warning sign that the robust growth in crude oil demand this year in the world's top importer is poised to moderate. Refinery throughput was 45.5 million tonnes of crude in July, or about 10.71 million barrels per day (bpd), the lowest operating rate since September last year, and a drop of 500,000 bpd from June. For the first seven months of the year, refinery runs were 11.04 million bpd, up 2.9 percent from the same period last year.
Oil Price Jump Soothes Cyber Nerves
Oil jumps on Saudi-Russia comment on output; worries over cyber attack relegated to background. Oil's strongest run of gains since December cushioned the hit to stock markets on Monday from a successful missile test by North Korea and a cyber attack that locked 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries. Asian shares hit a two-year high overnight and Wall Street was set to open higher, while Europe's major markets were mixed after hitting long-term highs in early trade. In Europe…
Oil Slides as U.S. Pumps More
Brent, WTI prices drop about 1 percent. U.S. rig count gains for 13th consecutive week. Crude oil slid lower on Monday on signs that the United States is continuing to add output, largely counteracting strong economic growth in China and OPEC efforts to cut production. Benchmark Brent crude futures were down 50 cents at $55.39 at 1126 GMT. On Thursday, before major markets closed for a holiday break, they settled up 3 cents at $55.89 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 47 cents at $52.71 a barrel, after rising 7 cents to $53.18 on Thursday.
Essar Oil Hits Record Profits
Essar Oil Limited today announced to its shareholders that it had recorded its highest ever EBITDA, PAT and GRMs in FY 2015-16 at the 26th Annual General Meeting in Vadinar, Gujarat. In FY2015-16, the company achieved its highest ever EBIDTA of Rs 7,773 crore, which was 35% higher than the previous year. The Profit after Tax was also at a new high of Rs 2,162 crore--a rise of 42% from FY2014-15. The total throughput of the refinery stood at 19.1 MMT in FY 2015-16, compared to 20.49 MMT in the previous year.
Essar Oil's fuel exports to fall in 2018/19 as focus shifts to local sales
Indian refiner Essar Oil's fuel exports will sharply drop in 2018/19 as it ramps up local sales by doubling its retail network and turns some of its naphtha into profitable gasoline, its managing director said. Rising fuel demand, driven by India's thirst for gasoline, is expected to help push the growth rate in the country's fuel consumption ahead of China's. Essar Oil, which operates the 400,000 barrels per day Vadinar refinery in western Gujarat state, directly sells gasoil and gasoline in the retail market through 2…
Lower Oil Prices Squeezing U.S. Manufacturing Sector
New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods in December recorded their biggest drop in 16 months as lower oil prices and a strong dollar pressured factories, the latest indication that economic growth braked sharply at the end of 2015. Despite the slowdown in growth, which was acknowledged by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, the labor market remains on solid ground. First-time filings for jobless benefits retreated from a six-month high last week, other data showed on Thursday.
