Bloomberg Crude prices in America’s oil capital are getting dangerously close to zero. Buyers bidding for crude in Texas, the birthplace of the shale revolution, are offering as little as $2 a barrel for some oil streams, a precipitous markdown from a month ago. The slumping value of physical barrels is raising the possibility that Texas producers may soon have ...
Read More »Montana judge blocks Keystone XL permit for river crossings
Bloomberg TC Energy Corp’s Keystone XL oil-sands pipeline was a dealt a setback with a judge’s ruling that the US Army Corps of Engineers improperly approved a streamlined permit process without fully evaluating the impact on endangered species. In a legal challenge brought by environmental groups, a federal judge in Montana ordered the agency to conduct further review and barred ...
Read More »Chinese oil refiners snapping up bargains
Bloomberg Chinese refiners are snapping up low-price oil from all over the world as Asia’s largest economy emerges from a virus-driven slump. Varieties such as Alaska North Slope, Canada’s Cold Lake and Brazil’s Lula have been offered at steep discounts to global benchmark prices as sellers scrambled to secure buyers. Processors in China — where throughput is back to pre-virus ...
Read More »Austria commits to renewable energy
Bloomberg Austria became the second European country to eliminate coal power from its electricity grid and said it’s looking towards renewable energy to fuel future economic growth. Verbund AG closed its Mellach coal-fired district heating plant about 200 kilometres (124 miles) south of Vienna, the state-controlled utility said. Austria’s Environment and Infrastructure Ministry said eliminating coal will strengthen the country’s ...
Read More »EU sees its trade with world falling by $570bn this year
Bloomberg The European Union (EU) predicted its trade with the rest of the world would slump by 525 billion euros ($570 billion), or almost 10%, this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. EU exports of goods and services will drop by 285 billion euros, or 9.2%, while imports of both will decline by 240 billion euros, or 8.8%, ...
Read More »Trump announces $19bn bailout for ailing farmers
Bloomberg President Donald Trump announced a $19 billion bailout package for farmers hurt financially by the coronavirus crisis. The aid plan includes $16 billion in direct payments to farmers to boost their incomes, along with $3 billion in government purchases of meat, dairy products and other foods, the president said at a White House briefing. The Agriculture Department will receive ...
Read More »Mercedes to reopen Alabama SUV plant
Bloomberg Daimler AG plans to resume US production of Mercedes-Benz luxury SUVs at its factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on April 27 as the German carmaker prepares to gradually ramp up output halted by the coronavirus pandemic. “The company will continue operations in coordination with the respective authorities,†Daimler said in an emailed statement. Appropriate precautions to prevent infections, including cleaning ...
Read More »UK boosts funding for virus vaccine
Bloomberg Boris Johnson’s government is seeking to expedite production of a vaccine and drugs to treat Covid-19, both of which are seen as crucial to end nationwide restrictions on citizens’ movement that have brought the UK economy to a near-halt. AstraZeneca Plc and the Wellcome Trust will form part of a new task force to coordinate efforts across academia and ...
Read More »Ford raises $8bn of junk bonds as virus spurs loss
Bloomberg Ford Motor Co. took its first drive through the high-yield market in years, looking to shore up liquidity after reporting one of its largest ever quarterly losses. The automaker raised $8 billion of unsecured bonds in three parts. The longest maturity, a 10-year security, will yield 9.625%, after initially being marketed around 11%, according to a person with knowledge ...
Read More »Quebec plans to grow berries in winter on supply fears
Bloomberg Quebec’s efforts to grow fruits and vegetables during freezing winter months have gained new urgency after the coronavirus pandemic exposed risks to supply chains around the world. The Canadian province touted a C$1.3 million ($930,000) investment in an engineering company that outfits farmers to produce strawberries in winter. Premier Francois Legault also called on people who have lost their ...
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