2025-07-31 11:18
MUMBAI, July 31 (Reuters) - India is likely to get average monsoon rainfall, critical to the economy, in August after receiving 5% above-normal rains in July, a senior weather department official said on Thursday. The country is likely to receive above-average rainfall equating to more than 106% of the 50-year average in September, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told a virtual news conference. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/india-receive-average-monsoon-rainfall-august-says-weather-bureau-2025-07-31/
2025-07-31 11:16
LONDRA, 31 luglio (Reuters) - ** Il dollaro si avvia a realizzare il primo guadagno su base mensile di quest'anno, grazie alla fiducia degli investitori nella tenuta dell'economia a stelle e strisce e ai segnali di attenuazione delle tensioni commerciali, mentre l'andamento dello yen è incerto dopo i segnali giunti dalla Banca del Giappone. ** Al termine della due giorni di politica monetaria, la BoJ ha mantenuto i tassi di interesse a breve termine fermi allo 0,5% con un voto unanime, ma ha aggiornato le previsioni di inflazione per il triennio al 2027 e ha affermato che i rischi per le prospettive dei prezzi sono " grosso modo bilanciati". Sign up here. ** Lo yen è stato inizialmente protagonista di un rally, con i trader che prezzavano una maggiore possibilità di un rialzo dei tassi quest'anno, ma poi ha invertito la tendenza: intorno alle 12,00 il dollaro sale dello 0,29% nel cross con la divisa giapponese a 149,94 . ** L'indice del dollaro , che misura l'andamento del biglietto verde rispetto a un paniere di sei valute, è a 99,84, in rialzo dello 0,03%. ** L'euro è una delle principali vittime dell'ascesa del dollaro questo mese. Al momento scambia a 1,1435 in calo dello 0,25% circa . https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/dollaro-verso-primo-rialzo-mensile-del-2025-yen-incerto-dopo-boj-2025-07-31/
2025-07-31 11:15
July 31 (Reuters) - Futures tied to Canada's main stock index edged higher on Thursday, helped by upbeat earnings from tech giants Meta and Microsoft, while investors were cautious about a potential trade deal ahead of President Donald Trump's August 1 tariff deadline. Futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.07% at 1,628.80 points by 06:38 a.m. ET (1038 GMT). The benchmark index posted its biggest decline in ten weeks on Wednesday. Sign up here. Shares of AI heavyweights Meta Platforms (META.O) , opens new tab and Microsoft (MSFT.O) , opens new tab surged in U.S. premarket hours after the companies reported blowout quarterly results on Wednesday, boosting investor confidence in tech and AI investments. Meanwhile, Trump intensified his trade war with Canada a day ahead of his tariff deadline, saying it would be "very hard" to make a deal with Canada after it gave its support to Palestinian statehood. If no agreement is reached by the deadline, Trump is set to impose a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. In commodities, oil prices edged lower and U.S. copper prices plunged to their biggest one-day decline on record on Thursday, while gold prices rose more than 1%. In corporate news, Canadian oil and gas producer Cenovus Energy (CVE.TO) , opens new tab posted a fall in second-quarter profit. FOR CANADIAN MARKETS NEWS, CLICK ON CODES: TSX market report Canadian dollar and bonds report CA/ Reuters global stocks poll for Canada , Canadian markets directory https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/tsx-futures-rise-meta-microsoft-results-lift-sentiment-trade-deadline-looms-2025-07-31/
2025-07-31 11:09
July 31 (Reuters) - U.S. utility Xcel Energy (XEL.O) , opens new tab on Thursday reported a 47% rise in second-quarter profit, helped by higher revenue through rate hikes, even as rising interest, depreciation and operations costs partially offset the gains. Xcel was able to bring in more revenue through regulator-approved rate hikes in the quarter, helping it cover the costs of upgrading the grid, building new power sources and funding other major projects. Sign up here. Utilities have been adding billions of dollars to their capital expenditure budgets as they field massive requests for new power capacity from new data centers needed for artificial intelligence technologies. CEO Bob Frenzel said Xcel made "considerable progress" during the quarter on investments to strengthen system reliability and serve "unprecedented growth in electric demand." "In Texas and New Mexico, we filed our recommended portfolio for nearly 5,200 MW of new generation, of which 4,500 MW will be company owned," Frenzel said. For the reported quarter, Xcel's total operating expenses rose around 5% from a year ago to $2.71 billion, while total interest charges and financing costs jumped 6.3% from a year ago to $322 million. Xcel reported a quarterly profit of $444 million, or 75 cents per share, for the three months ending June 30, higher than $302 million, or 54 cents per share, it reported last year. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/xcel-energys-quarterly-profit-boosted-by-rate-hikes-rising-power-demand-2025-07-31/
2025-07-31 11:04
July 31 (Reuters) - Refiner HF Sinclair (DINO.N) , opens new tab beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit on Thursday as higher refining margins helped offset lower throughput volumes, sending its shares about 1% higher to $43.80 in premarket trading. Top U.S. refiners were expected to post higher second-quarter profits, rebounding from first-quarter losses as stronger-than-expected diesel margins lifted earnings. The improved margins helped peers such as Valero Energy (VLO.N) , opens new tab and Phillips 66 (PSX.N) , opens new tab surpass Wall Street estimates. Sign up here. Fuel makers have seen an unexpected boost in profits from key products in recent months, offering relief after earnings retreated from 2022 highs driven by a post-pandemic demand rebound and supply disruptions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The company's adjusted refinery gross margin per barrel was $16.50 in the quarter, up about 46% from a year earlier. Its adjusted margin in the mid-continent region jumped about 85%, to $15.52 per barrel. The higher quarterly margins helped offset throughput volumes, which were down 2.4% at 660,640 barrels per day from a year earlier, while refinery utilization was down at 90.8% from 93.6% in the same period. The lower volumes were due to turnaround activities at its Tulsa and Parco refineries in the reported quarter, the company said in a statement. HF Sinclair reported adjusted profit of $1.70 per share for the three months ended June 30, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.02 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/hf-sinclair-beats-second-quarter-profit-estimates-higher-refining-margins-2025-07-31/
2025-07-31 11:04
LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - The pound headed towards its largest monthly loss against the dollar since September 2022 on Thursday, reflecting growing confidence among investors in the outlook for the U.S. economy and increasing pessimism over the British one. Sterling was down 0.15% on the day at $1.322 and weakened against the euro, which rose 0.4% to 86.46 pence. Sign up here. In July, the pound has fallen by 3.7%, the most since losing 3.9% and hitting a record low in September 2022, during then-Prime Minister Liz Truss's budget-induced market crisis. The pound is still up nearly 6% against the dollar this year, but that's softened dramatically from a year-to-date gain of almost 10% at the start of the month. Following Wednesday's two-day policy meeting, the Federal Reserve left U.S. interest rates unchanged, as expected, and Chair Jerome Powell gave no indication of when they might fall again. In the meantime, U.S. data has painted a far rosier picture of the world's largest economy than UK data has of the British economy. U.S. data releases this week including second-quarter economic activity and some measures of employment have added to that. The Citi U.S. economic surprise index has overtaken its UK counterpart this week for the first time since April. With the Bank of England expected to almost certainly deliver two more rate cuts this year, according to money markets, and a far lower chance of two more cuts from the Fed, investors are ditching the pound. Weekly data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission shows speculators are neutral on the pound, having whittled back the bullish positioning that had prevailed continuously since February. "Although not in receipt of any tier-one data releases this week, sterling has still had a bumpy ride," analysts at Monex said in a note. "Slowing U.S. growth and UK fiscal concerns both point to sterling underperformance moving forward. As such, we see little room for sterling to rally sustainably from current levels sub-$1.33," they said. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pound-heads-worst-month-since-2022-budget-crisis-2025-07-31/
