Via Metal MIner   The Automotive MMI (Monthly Metals Index) moved sideways month-over-month, dropping by 0.70%. This comes as auto industry executives in the U.S. are confronting a whirlwind of trade and supply chain disruptions, not to mention the effects of the recent round of Trump tariffs. In the past month alone, high-stakes U.S.–China trade talks, critical mineral export curbs and seesawing metal tariffs have shaken procurement strategies across the automotive sector. From rare earth shortages forcing factory shutdowns to volatile…

Armenia’s foreign trade turnover fell off a cliff during the first four months of 2025 after the Kremlin changed the rules that govern Yerevan’s imports and exports of Russian gems and precious metals. According to data published by the Arminfo news agency on June 9, Armenia’s overall trade volume amounted to $6.3 billion during the first four months of this year, a whopping 53 percent decline over the volume during the first-third of 2024. The decline is linked to a precipitous drop-off in the import and export of gems and precious…

Exports to the US – the country the UK trades with the most with – saw its largest monthly decrease in April since records began, official data has shown.  The onset of President Trump’s trade war with some of his closest allies and foes put governments on standby as major forecasters warned the world economy would suffer from painful tariffs on goods.  Fresh data published by the Office for National Statistics showed the UK was not immune to turmoil as exports of goods to the US fell by £2bn after four months…

President Trump’s U.S. energy dominance agenda could be derailed by one provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the tax and spending bill championed by the President and currently under review by the U.S. Senate. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act contains Section 899, officially named ‘Enforcement of remedies against unfair foreign taxes.’ This section proposes to increase the tax rates on foreign companies operating in the United States from countries that have what the Bill describes as “unfair foreign taxes.”…

President Trump’s U.S. energy dominance agenda could be derailed by one provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the tax and spending bill championed by the President and currently under review by the U.S. Senate. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act contains Section 899, officially named ‘Enforcement of remedies against unfair foreign taxes.’ This section proposes to increase the tax rates on foreign companies operating in the United States from countries that have what the Bill describes as “unfair foreign taxes.”…

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors has passed a resolution formally declaring Iran noncompliant with its nonproliferation obligations for the first time since 2005, a move Tehran immediately condemned. The resolution, which was adopted on June 12 during a quarterly meeting of the IAEA board, can facilitate the return of UN sanctions against Iran later this year. In response, Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that a new enrichment site would be established in a safe zone and first-generation (IR-1) centrifuges in…

President Trump’s U.S. energy dominance agenda could be derailed by one provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the tax and spending bill championed by the President and currently under review by the U.S. Senate. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act contains Section 899, officially named ‘Enforcement of remedies against unfair foreign taxes.’ This section proposes to increase the tax rates on foreign companies operating in the United States from countries that have what the Bill describes as “unfair foreign taxes.”…

JP Morgan is sticking to its base-case oil price forecast for 2025, projecting Brent crude will trade in the low-to-mid $60s, despite a sharp escalation in geopolitical tensions involving Iran, the U.S., and potentially Israel. In a note published Thursday, the bank said it sees oil averaging $60 in 2026, but flagged $120–$130 per barrel as a potential range in the event of worst-case outcomes—namely, military conflict and a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil flows. Markets are already partially pricing…

Egypt has finalized a sweeping series of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreements with Saudi Aramco, Shell Plc, Trafigura, and several other major traders, as the country’s struggles to shift back to long-term net exporter, rather than importer amid a deepening domestic supply crunch, according to a Bloomberg report. State-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. (EGAS) secured as many as 290 LNG cargoes over the next two and a half years, starting as early as next month. Alongside Aramco, Shell, and Trafigura, volumes will also be sourced…

Egypt has finalized a sweeping series of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreements with Saudi Aramco, Shell Plc, Trafigura, and several other major traders, as the country’s struggles to shift back to long-term net exporter, rather than importer amid a deepening domestic supply crunch, according to a Bloomberg report. State-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. (EGAS) secured as many as 290 LNG cargoes over the next two and a half years, starting as early as next month. Alongside Aramco, Shell, and Trafigura, volumes will also be sourced…

Egypt has finalized a sweeping series of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreements with Saudi Aramco, Shell Plc, Trafigura, and several other major traders, as the country’s struggles to shift back to long-term net exporter, rather than importer amid a deepening domestic supply crunch, according to a Bloomberg report. State-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. (EGAS) secured as many as 290 LNG cargoes over the next two and a half years, starting as early as next month. Alongside Aramco, Shell, and Trafigura, volumes will also be sourced…

Oklo is starting to develop a real knack for catching short sellers offsides... In what is one of what we believe will be many similar announcements, Oklo shares surged 29% on Wednesday after the company was named the intended awardee for a Department of Defense project to deliver clean energy to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The Defense Logistics Agency Energy issued a Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA), designating Oklo as the preferred provider following a competitive evaluation process. Under the proposed agreement, Oklo will design, build,…

The UK’s grid operator has seen its balancing costs jump as more wind farms in Scotland are being paid not to produce electricity to not overburden the constrained network in the region. When wind generation is high in constrained regions of the network, such as Scotland, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) must take actions to turn down wind output and turn on replacement energy in unconstrained regions to keep the system balanced. Grids must have a constant balance between electricity supply and demand to avoid blackouts. NESO’s…

The UK’s grid operator has seen its balancing costs jump as more wind farms in Scotland are being paid not to produce electricity to not overburden the constrained network in the region. When wind generation is high in constrained regions of the network, such as Scotland, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) must take actions to turn down wind output and turn on replacement energy in unconstrained regions to keep the system balanced. Grids must have a constant balance between electricity supply and demand to avoid blackouts. NESO’s…

The UK’s grid operator has seen its balancing costs jump as more wind farms in Scotland are being paid not to produce electricity to not overburden the constrained network in the region. When wind generation is high in constrained regions of the network, such as Scotland, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) must take actions to turn down wind output and turn on replacement energy in unconstrained regions to keep the system balanced. Grids must have a constant balance between electricity supply and demand to avoid blackouts. NESO’s…

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on Thursday declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, just as tensions in the Middle East escalate and Oman prepares to host the next round of indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. The 35-nation Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution slamming Iran’s non-compliance with its obligations. The resolution was proposed by the U.S., the UK, France, and Germany. At the closed-door vote, 19 of the 25 countries voted in favor of the resolution,…

Alberta is working to engage private backers for a new pipeline to ship about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude from Canada’s oil-producing province to British Columbia on the West Coast, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said. The pipeline would run from the oil sands in Alberta to the Port of Prince Rupert on British Columbia’s northwest coast, and to international markets afterwards, according to the plans of the province. Amid soured relations with its top trading partner under U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian policymakers…

Alberta is working to engage private backers for a new pipeline to ship about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude from Canada’s oil-producing province to British Columbia on the West Coast, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said. The pipeline would run from the oil sands in Alberta to the Port of Prince Rupert on British Columbia’s northwest coast, and to international markets afterwards, according to the plans of the province. Amid soured relations with its top trading partner under U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian policymakers…

The expanded Trans Mountain pipeline in Canada could raise its capacity by another 75,000 barrels per day (bpd) by early 2027, which could potentially increase Canadian crude oil exports from its Pacific Coast to non-U.S. customers. In a potential first stage of a further capacity increase, the pipeline – currently owned by the Canadian federal government – could raise the volume throughput by using chemicals to help crude flow more easily, Mark Maki, chief executive of Trans Mountain, said at a Calgary conference, as carried by Bloomberg.…

Energy Secretary Chris Wright does not expect U.S. crude oil production to decline in 2026, although the Energy Information Administration forecast such a development. “That is a projection — we don’t know what’s going to happen next year,” Wright told Bloomberg in an interview. “We have seen weak prices for a few months, and if prices are too low for an economic incentive, you’ll see some drilling reduce on the margin. I think it’s unlikely you’ll see enough reduction to actually see a decline…