Europe

Shipping company MSC announced on Saturday that it would implement a fuel surcharge for all cargo from the Mediterranean (including West Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea, East Mediterranean and Greece) and Black Sea, to the Indian Subcontinent, the Red Sea and East Africa. This will be effective March 16, 2019. The surcharge was set at $30 per twenty-foot equivalent unit for dry containers and $50 per TEU refrigerated containers from the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Red Sea. The world's largest ocean container carrier said that dry containers traveling from the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and East Africa would be charged at $60...

According to three manufacturers, shipments of clothing for Zara and Inditex, the owners of Inditex, and other major retailers, are stuck at airports in Bangladesh and India as the Middle East conflict forces airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways, to cancel flights. South Asia is the clothing manufacturing capital of the world. Fast fashion brands from around to world depend on Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan factories for their constant supply of T-shirts and dresses. "Some of my clothing consignments are stuck at Dhaka Airport," Shovon Islam, the managing director of Sparrow Group's manufacturer, said. Inditex, M&S Next, and Primark, among...

The shipping company MSC announced on Thursday that it would implement a fuel surcharge for 'all cargo' from Northern Europe (including UK, Scandinavian and Baltic) to the Red Sea and East Africa. This will be effective March 16, 2019. MSC will charge $40 per twenty-foot equivalent (TEU), from Northern Europe, including the UK to the Red Sea for dry containers and $60 for refrigerated ones. The world's largest ocean container carrier said that dry containers from Northern Europe (including the UK) to East Africa would be charged at $65 per TEU while refrigerated ones would be charged at $100 per...

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that a tanker anchored off Kuwait saw a large explosion on its port side and was taking in water. UKMTO reported that the master saw a'small craft' leaving the area after the explosion, which took place 30 nautical miles (56 km) southeast of Kuwait Mubarak al Kabeer Port in the Gulf. In an advisory note, it stated that "there is oil in the water from a cargo tank, which could have some impact on the environment, the vessel has taken in water, no fires were reported, and the crew was'safe. Kuwait's interior ministry...

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that a?tanker anchored off?Kuwait saw?a 'large explosion?" on its port side, and was taking in water. UKMTO reported that the master saw a small boat leave the area after the explosion. The explosion occurred in the Gulf 30 nautical miles (56 kilometers) south of Kuwait's Mubarak al Kabeer port. In an advisory note, it stated that "there is oil in the water from a cargo tank, which could have an environmental impact. The vessel has taken water on board, but there are no reported fires and the crew members are safe." Kuwait's interior...

Sources told us on Tuesday that Russia's grain sales to Iran had stalled following the?U.S. and Israeli airstrikes of Saturday, despite the fact that Iran, Russia's third largest grain buyer, has already purchased 95% or more of its expected Russian wheat purchases for this season. Sources at Russian exporting firms, who declined to be named, confirmed that grain shipments bound for Iran had been halted from the Black Sea or Caspian Sea, but exporters were still working to fulfill existing contracts. One of the sources stated that "there is a demand for supplies but they are currently suspended." "I believe...

Kumba Iron Ore, South Africa, said Thursday that it expected its full-year profits to increase by up to 23% due to higher mineral prices and sales volumes. Kumba, an Anglo American unit, expects to earn between $1,39 billion and $15,33 billion ($862,55 million-$951,29 million) in the year ending December 2025. This compares with the 12.5 billion rand earned the year before. Africa's largest iron ore producer said that the increase in earnings was due to the higher average free-onboard export iron ore prices of $95 per metric tonne in 2025. This is up from $92 a metric tonne the previous...

On Tuesday, maritime sources and a?security consulting firm reported that a group of Iranian gunboats approached a U.S. flagged tanker in the Strait?of Hormuz to the north of Oman. Vanguard, a maritime risk management company, said that the Iranian ships ordered the tanker Stena Imperative to stop its engine before continuing its journey and to prepare for being boarded. The maritime risk management group reported that the vessel did not enter Iranian territorial waters, and was escorted a U.S. warship. A U.S. official confirmed that it was "U.S." flagged. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations had earlier stated that a group...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or individual stocks. Airbus Helicopters: Airbus Helicopters announced 536 net orders for 2025. This is a?upwards trend from 450 orders in 2024. The increase was driven by increased defence?spending?in Europe. Deliveries also increased by 8.5%, to 392 units. EU/INDIA - India and the European Union signed a landmark deal on Tuesday that will affect a quarter the world's GDP. FRANCE/SOCIAL MEDIA - The French National Assembly voted on Monday to ban children younger than 15 from using social media, in response to growing concerns...

Due to U.S. Sanctions, the Lithuanian state-owned railway group LTG announced on Friday that it would stop shipments of oil cargoes from Russia's Lukoil into the Russian exclave Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad, located on the Baltic Sea Coast, receives most of its supplies via rail transit via NATO member Lithuania. It can also receive direct shipments via ocean from its own nation. Last month, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Lukoil over the conflict in Ukraine. The OFAC also warned that foreign companies who do business with this Russian group would face consequences if they continued to...

The Federal Centre for Agriculture Products Safety Evaluation reported on Monday that Russia's grain exports to African countries have increased 30% in the past year. Russia, which is the world's largest wheat exporter and has expanded its Baltic Sea ports, intends to diversify agricultural exports, reduce its dependence on Black Sea routes where Ukraine has attacked shipping infrastructure. The data shows that grain exports this year from Baltic Sea ports totaled 1.3 million tons as of November 12. Of these, 42% went to Africa. The data showed that 93% of all grain exported from these ports was wheat. In Africa,...

French group CMA CGM warned on Friday that the container shipping industry faces a difficult year, as new vessels increase capacity, while demand is slowing. Early orders for 2025 are being driven by trade tensions. CMA CGM reported core EBITDA of $2.96bn for the third quarter, which is the same as the previous quarter but down 40.5% from a year ago. This was down by 40.5% compared to a year ago, but an increase from the prior quarter as volumes recovered after a stoppage in April of China-U.S. Trade due to a tariff dispute. Ramon Fernandez said that the group,...

A customs official stated in a Friday court filing that the U.S. Customs Agency is preparing a system to refund tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which were ruled illegal. Brandon Lord, a Customs and Border Protection officer, made the declaration as government lawyers and a federal trade court met to try and hammer out an agreement for the return of $166 billion worth of tariff payments to 330,000 importers. Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump's tariffs were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court, however, did not specify how tariffs collected should be refunded. This left'small importers' worried...

DHL's chief executive said he would continue to accept delivery orders for the Middle East, but warned that there could be delays. Tobias Meyer, CEO of German logistics group DHL, said that the escalation in the U.S. - Iran war has an impact on the entire region. This includes deliveries to Israel, which are currently being sent via Cyprus. Meyer said that DHL is still committed to its Middle East?investment plan. He said that "these?are long term investments?and are of the opinion the region is still appealing." As the conflict enters its sixth day, logistics and shipping companies face increasing...

The European share market rose on Thursday as the rebound from the previous session gained?steam. Meanwhile, the Middle East conflict remained a cloud over the markets and investors sifted through earnings. By 0949 GMT, the pan-European STOXX 600 was 0.3% higher. The STOXX 600 recovered from some early losses, and built upon Wednesday's gains, the biggest in over three months. It was trying to recover from sharp losses earlier in the week. The banks, which were the epicenter of the recent selloffs, gained about 0.5%. Airlines, on the other hand, had mixed results, with only Air France gaining nearly 1%....

DHL's 2026 outlook is more cautious than analysts' expectations. A 'weak macroeconomic' backdrop weighs heavily on DHL's prospects. The shares of the German logistic group were down 3% at 0919 GMT, and ranked last on the blue-chip index of the country. DHL anticipates that its earnings will exceed 6.2 billion euro ($7.2 billion) this year. This is after it reported an operating profit for '2025 of 6.1 billion euro. According to a consensus provided by the company, EBIT was expected to be slightly lower than analysts' average expectations. Tobias Meyer, CEO of Tobias Meyer Group, said that there is "significant...

European?shares dipped?on Thursday due to a?growing?Middle East Conflict, and a series of patchy corporate results. As of 8:10 AM GMT, the pan-European STOXX 600 index was down by 0.3% to 610.72. On Wednesday, the benchmark index had its best day for'more than three months. It recovered some of the earlier losses. The mining sector was the worst affected, with a decline of 1.5%. The U.S. and Israel war with Iran is now in its sixth day, but there's no quick resolution in sight. Iran launched another barrage of missile attacks on Israel earlier that day. And the U.S. Senate voted...

DHL, the German logistics company, forecast on Thursday a "higher operating income for 2026" that was in line with market expectations despite deteriorating geopolitical conditions. The company expects earnings before interest and taxes to exceed 6.2 billion euros ($7.2 billion) after reporting 6.1 million euros last year. The free cash flow, excluding acquisitions, should be in the range of 3 billion euros. The company provided a consensus that showed both targets were in line with analysts' average predictions. Tobias Meyer, CEO of Tobias Meyer & Co. said that there is "significant geopolitical uncertainty and volatility out there" as was evident...

Friends began texting him to congratulate him the day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the tariffs which had cost Day?Owl, a backpack company owned by Ian Rosenberger, tens and thousands of dollars. He did not share their joy. Rosenberger said, "I can't imagine any way that I could get the?money back." His Pittsburgh-based firm, which had only a few million dollars of sales, probably couldn't afford to pay for attorneys' fees. Around 2,000 companies have filed lawsuits for refunds at the U.S. Court of International Trade. This includes?FedEx?,?Costco?, and L'Oreal?, with many more likely to follow. The Supreme...

Italy's tax authorities announced on Tuesday that they had seized 27,4 million euros ($31.8 million) from two French units of CEVA Logistics. This is a new chapter in investigations into alleged tax fraud, and illegal labor practices. This move, which targets the French multinational known for its partnership in Ferrari's F1 Team, is similar to other actions taken against Italian logistics and delivery companies, such as FedEx, DHL, Amazon, etc. Milan prosecutors accuse CEVA of issuing fake invoices in order to?mask cheap labour, bypassing labour laws and tax laws and avoiding?taxes and social security payments. CEVA Logistics?did not immediately respond?...

Importers are rushing to a U.S. trade court that is little known to get their share of the more than $130 billion of tariff refunds. The court must now decide how to handle what will be an explosion in cases. According to court records, multinationals like FedEx,?L'Oreal, and hundreds of smaller firms have filed around 2,050?lawsuits with the U.S. Court of International Trade, Manhattan, seeking refunds on?tariffs? imposed by President Donald Trump last year. These cases may be just the tip of the iceberg. The tariffs, which were declared illegal by the Supreme Court in February 2018, were levied against...

FedEx was sued in federal court on behalf of customers who were seeking refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court decided this month that President Donald Trump had illegally imposed emergency tariffs worth billions of dollar on imported goods. The proposed class-action in federal court in Miami Florida seeks compensation for potentially millions of shippers that paid import duties and other fees on products they claim?should've entered the United States without duty. FedEx issued a statement Friday saying: "If FedEx receives refunds, we will refund the shippers or consumers who initially incurred these charges." The lawsuit filed on Friday alleged that...

Court filings show that the French beauty group L'Oreal, British vacuum'manufacturer Dyson, and contact 'lens manufacturer Bausch + Lomb are the 'latest' corporations to sue the U.S. government for refunds on tariffs paid as part of President Donald Trump's trade emergency measures. This comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled these duties illegal. These cases were filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade on Monday, joining a long list of prominent companies that have sued since Friday's landmark decision. Sol de Janeiro, a U.S. skincare company and fragrance company and global transportation company FedEx also filed complaints in...

?French beauty company L'Oreal, British vacuum maker Dyson, and contact lens manufacturer?Bausch + Lomb are the 'latest' corporations to file a lawsuit for'refunds' of tariffs paid as part of President Donald Trump's trade emergency measures. This comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the duties were illegal. These cases were filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade on Monday, joining a long list of notable companies that have sued following Friday's landmark decision. This week, the global transportation company FedEx as well as U.S. skincare company Sol 'de Janeiro filed complaints. Court documents reveal that more than...