Western Europe

Singapore has granted 'eight new licenses for the supply of liquefied 'natural gas to be used as a marine lubricant in Singapore starting?September 1, -2026, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore announced on Thursday. The new licenses will increase Singapore's LNG bundling capacity in order to meet the growing demand and support a multi-fuel hub. Licenses were granted to a number of companies, including Aramco Trading Singapore and Equatorial Marine Fuel?Management?Services. Other recipients include PetroChina International Singapore and Shell Eastern Trading. The licenses are valid for a period of five years, from September 1, 2026 until August 31, 2031. LNG...

Avolta, a travel retailer and food service operator, reported on Thursday a 3.7% increase in its organic first-half turnover. Tight cost management helped to generate cash despite the volatile geopolitical environment. The Swiss company that operates shops, cafes and restaurants in airports, cruise ships, seaports, and other tourist destinations worldwide reported a core turnover of 6.44 billion Swiss Francs ($7.90billion) for the first half, down from 6.61?francs an year ago. The company stated that organic growth would have increased by 5.2% if the Middle East conflict had been taken into account. Avolta's medium-term outlook was maintained, with the company citing...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. Aeroports de Paris - The Paris airport operator ADP reported that the net income attributable to the first half nearly tripled, reaching?312 millions euros. It has lowered its estimate for the annual traffic growth of Paris Aeroport by 2026 from an earlier range of 1.5% to 2.5%. Now, it expects recurring EBITDA?of between?2.30 and 2.35 billion euro. AIRBUS: Airbus AIR.PA voiced increasing confidence in its critical jet delivery target and maintained other 2026 goals as it unveiled stronger-than-expected second-quarter results...

As investors become more selective, major U.S. tech companies are borrowing heavily to fund their artificial intelligence builds. The yields on these loans have been steadily increasing. According to a LSEG analysis, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta Platforms issued approximately $194 billion of bonds between 2026 and July 7. This is up 79% compared to roughly $108 billion of bonds from 2025. Goldman Sachs expects the bond issuance of five hyperscalers including Microsoft Corporation to reach approximately $250 billion this year, and $400 billion by 2027. These investment-grade companies have seen their borrowing spreads increase over the risk-free rate for all...

Authorities at Gatwick Airport said that water supplies were interrupted 'on Sunday due to a power 'outage in a local treatment -works. Passengers reported the issue on social media. They said that it had led to the failure of flushing toilets and closures?of bars and restaurants. Water supplies were affected in both terminals of the airport, Britain's second busiest airport after Heathrow. The statement said that "Bottled Water is available to passengers and staff at the airport, and contingency measures have been put in place for the passengers' welfare." Water utility SES Water reported that complications caused by an outage...

Euronext Wheat Futures dropped?more? than 6% after reports that Ukraine was looking at possible ways to keep vessels moving through its Big Odesa port. This raised hopes for Black Sea exports. The price of front-month milling wheat for September on Paris' Euronext fell?6% at 1320 GMT to EUR228.75 ($260.02), after falling as low as EUR226.25 per ton earlier. Chicago's most popular wheat contract was down 4% at the same time. ExpertGrain Media reported that under 'the proposal', shipowners would notify both Ukrainian authorities and Russian authorities prior to vessels calling at ports in either of the countries. Ships registered under...

Union Pacific announced a 'rise' in its second-quarter profits on Thursday as a result of?strong freight demand? and pricing gains? that overshadowed an increase in operating expenses? U.S. Railroads have benefited from their pricing power and operational discipline. They have also improved network reliability and performance on time to support freight volumes and attract more business. West Coast Railway's net income for the second quarter was up 6.6% to $2 billion or $3.36 a share from $1.9billion or $3.15 a share compared to a year ago. The company's revenue increased 12% from the previous year to $6.86 billion. The freight...

The price of European wheat soared on Wednesday due to renewed drone attacks and the closure of Novorossiysk, the major Russian grain export hub, overnight. Benchmark 'September' milling wheat traded on Paris-based Euronext was up 4.5% at 1530 GMT, to 245.25 Euros per metric ton. Chicago wheat increased by 4% at the same time. Three grain industry sources reported on Wednesday that Russia has temporarily banned vessel movements into and out of Novorossiysk port between midnight and 5 a.m. due to drone attacks by Ukraine. The port is operating as normal outside of the nighttime restrictions, and grain shipments are...

Maersk, a shipping group from Denmark, announced on Tuesday that it has halted service via Ukraine's Chornomorsk Fishing Port. This announcement was made after Russia intensified their attacks on Kyiv’s maritime export routes. Maersk is the second major?company this month to cease operations out of Chornomorsk after Ukraine's largest grain exporter Kernel Holding stopped operations last week at the city's principal port due to Russian attacks. Maersk, in a press release, said that despite not mentioning the Russian strikes directly, due to current?situations affecting their operations, they were unable to provide service to Ukraine through?Chornomorsk Fishing Port. Our service via...

Two industry sources reported that commodity trader Glencore will withdraw 30,000 metric tonnes of 'lead' from London Metal Exchange storage warehouses after inventories of the battery metal soared to records. One source and two others familiar with the situation said that Hartree Partners, a fellow trader, also marked metals for delivery from a warehouse by cancelling the lead stocks. The sources did not specify how much lead Hartree cancelled. These withdrawals can create the impression that there is a 'physical demand' for lead when in fact it may be simply being moved between traders or warehouses, rather than actually reaching...

Here are some of the main factors that could affect Swiss stocks on Friday: H1 net income CHF 105.2 millions. GEORG FISCHER The expected proceeds of CHF 220 MILLION from the divestment and sale of the?industrial gas-turbine business will be used to reduce debt. Company Statements Novartis ?Fabhalta Receives FDA Approval. ANALYSTS VIEWS FLUGHAFEN ZUERICH AG-Jefferies raises the target price from CHF 246 to?CHF252? ECONOMY No major Swiss economic data scheduled. (Reporting by Zurich newsroom and Gdansk newsroom) |1|For Top News in ?a multimedia Web format on Eikon visit: https://bit.ly/2NDFd6g FOR ?RELATED PRICES, NEWS AND ?OTHER ?TOPICS, DOUBLE-CLICK ON: Daily...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets or stocks in France and Benelux. PARIS AIRPORTS/AIRFRANCE KLM: France’s civil aviation authority has asked airlines to reduce flights by 20% at Paris-Orly airport on Thursday evening, due to storm risk. Delays are also expected at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. AEROPORTS de PARIS SA : The Paris airport operator reported that June group traffic dropped 1.4%, to 33.4 millions passengers. It also revised its 2026 passenger traffic growth projection for Paris from a range of 1.5-2.5% to 0.5%. AEDIFICA: Aedifica, a Belgian investor in healthcare real estate,...

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, announced 'on Friday' that it will discontinue its wide-body operations on October 25, and end its damp 'lease' agreement with Norway’s 'Norse Atlantic Airways' 'on October 31. This is a scaled-back version of a program launched last year in support of its long-haul goals. It said that a worsening operating climate, driven by geopolitical conflicts, had increased costs and affected the economics. IndiGo is responsible for the cabin crew in a "damp lease", while the lessor provides the jets and pilots. The airline stated that "Airspace constraints and increased fuel costs have impacted schedule integrity, connectivity,...

Chevron exceeded analyst expectations for second-quarter earnings?on Friday. It reported its highest quarterly profit for at least six-years as the U.S./Israeli war against Iran disrupted world energy markets and boosted?profits?for the largest oil companies. LSEG data shows that adjusted earnings of $12 billion or $6.06 a share beats the average analyst forecast of $5.56 a share. Chevron's shares rose about 2% during premarket trading. The results were similar to those of European oil giants TotalEnergies, Shell and others who also reported record profits in the second quarter. Higher oil prices were a major factor. ExxonMobil's quarterly profit missed analyst expectations...

The record low water levels of Europe's rivers have hampered the transportation of goods and reduced electricity production. This has led to fears of the impact of the searing heat and unpredictable rainfall on the economy. Europe is experiencing the fastest warming of any continent, and heatwaves that have broken records. The drought has highlighted a need to reconsider how business practices are conducted. Waterways are becoming less reliable for transporting goods like grains and oil or producing electricity, which is needed by millions of people to cool their homes. Alessandro Armenia is a power analyst with commodities data and...

Shell and Phillips 66 have been working on a possible sale of their stakes, which include the Explorer refined product pipeline. This deal could be worth around $3.5 billion. This move is a reflection of how the increased demand for energy infrastructure assets from financial buyers has driven up valuations, and encouraged owners to sell and reinvest in their core businesses or areas with higher growth. Shell and Phillips 66 hold approximately 61% of the legal entity that holds the pipeline. The pipeline transports gasoline, jet-fuel and other fuel products through the Midwest to?endpoints including the outskirts Chicago. Greenhill, an...

After he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, President Tayyip 'Erdogan' said on Tuesday that Turkey wanted to sign a comprehensive deal for energy cooperation as soon as possible. Erdogan, speaking at a press conference held after a signing event that was expected to include a deal keeping the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline open 'for another year', said the state-owned Turkish oil and gas firm TPAO - would operate the Kirkuk oilfield currently used by BP. The deal to extend a decades-old agreement that governs the exports via the?pipeline, and which officially expired on Monday, was not signed by the...

An industry source reported on Monday that Kazakhstan, one of the 10 largest oil producers in the world, had more than halved its daily oil production after drone attacks forced the closure of the main terminal for exporting crude oil into Russia's Black Sea. Kazakhstan's production decline is likely to contribute to global concerns about oil supply due to the Strait of Hormuz being effectively closed and the risks of shipping commodities via other sea routes. This also demonstrates the fact that Russia is the largest country in the world to be landlocked. According to an industry source, the oil...

Ukraine's forces have struck Russia's energy infrastructure, which Kyiv claims is an attempt to deny Russia resources for funding its military. Here is a list of recent attacks and their impact. TYUMEN On July 25, local Russian authorities reported that a?Ukrainian 'drone strike' sparked an fire at the Tyumen Refinery in western Siberia. The fire was later extinguished. The refinery's nominal capacity is around 8 million tons per annum. According to industry estimates, it processes approximately 6 million tons per year, producing 0.5 million tons gasoline and 2.5 millions tons diesel. YAROSLAVL According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukrainian forces attacked...

The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz fired Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder on Friday, amid frustration with 'the state of the rail network and crumbling infrastructure in Germany,' according to Bild, as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle. The mass-circulation newspaper reported that Schnieder will be succeeded by Fritz Guentzler. He is a CDU legislator and auditor from Goettingen. Sources in conservative circles were cited. I was unable to reach the Chancellery or Transport Ministry for comment on Friday morning. The shake-up in the cabinet was triggered by Jens Spahn's sudden resignation over a controversy surrounding surrogacy. Bild reported that Merz had...

Brent oil prices hovered above $100 per barrel Friday, heading for a fourth week of gains. This was largely due to concerns over disrupted energy flow in the Red Sea as well as fears about escalation of the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Brent futures rose 37 cents or 0.37% to $101.06 per barrel at 0330 GMT. The previous session, the price of a barrel had risen 7% over $100 for the first since May after Iran-aligned Houthis claimed they had struck two Saudi oil tanks in the Red Sea. The contract was on track for a 14.6% increase...

The oil market was set to see gains this week as Houthi attacks on tankers in Red Sea raised concerns about the closure of a second shipping snare. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan temporarily reduced its output after its main export route had been forced to close. Brent futures eased?72 Cents, or 0.72 %, to $99.97 per barrel at 0126 GMT but remain on track for a 13.5% gain this week. West Texas Intermediate futures (WTI) fell 70 cents or 0.76% to $91.49 per barrel. They are on course for a weekly gain of 10.9%. Brent and WTI both rose by 7% on...

Two industry sources reported on Thursday that oil production in Kazakhstan has decreased?since?the closure?of a Black Sea Terminal, which serves as a main outlet for the nation's crude shipments. The terminal was also recently targeted by drone strikes. Tengiz, Kazakhstan's biggest oilfield, is the field where the decline was most pronounced. Sources claim that the production there has more than halved to 406,000 barrels a day on Wednesday, from an average of 925,000 bpd in July. According to a source, the average oil and gas condensate production in Kazakhstan fell on Wednesday from 2.07 million bpd to 1.63 millions bpd....

Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, warned on Thursday that software problems could cause the biometric phase to be delayed past the original deadline of September 6, affecting car passengers who use the tunnel. The Chief Executive Yann Leriche stated that the biometric component for the new Entry/Exit System has yet to be implemented in passenger vehicles. He also warned that the software at the European level is not fully stable. Travel disruptions during holiday seasons are a concern for airline groups as well as British authorities. Leriche said to reporters: "I won't tell you that we're not experiencing...