2025-12-08 12:45

EU plans to cut bureaucracy for companies and industry Draft plan targets environmental reporting rules Draft proposal is to be published on Wednesday BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The European Commission has drafted proposals to cut back more EU environment laws, targeting requirements for industries to report on their pollution and waste, a draft EU document seen by Reuters showed. The draft proposal, due to be published on Wednesday, is the latest part of the European Union's "omnibus" effort to reduce bureaucracy for businesses and cut regulations that industries say hurt their profitability. Sign up here. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Europe's environmental regulations are among the world's strictest, covering such things as CO2 emissions, water quality and bans on harmful chemicals. The Commission, the EU executive body, will propose ending an EU requirement for individual industrial facilities and livestock farms to have an "environmental management system" (EMS) detailing their actions to reduce pollution and waste, the draft document said. Instead, a company will be allowed to do one slimmed-down EMS covering all its sites and this will scrap some existing EMS requirements - for example, to disclose the use of hazardous chemicals at facilities. The proposal would also scrap a requirement for industrial facilities to have a "transformation plan" to align them with climate goals, and livestock and fish farms would no longer have to report their water and energy use. Other parts of the proposal would simplify environmental assessments for industrial and energy projects. "This simplification package... aims to ensure that the environmental goals of the European Union are achieved in a more efficient, less costly and smarter way," the draft said. A Commission spokesperson declined comment on the draft, which could change before publication. Proposals to change EU laws would require approval from EU countries and governments. CUTTING ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS Taken together, the plans could cut administrative costs by around 1 billion euros per year, the draft said. Brussels has set a goal of cutting companies' reporting burdens by 25% by 2029, and has faced calls from some businesses and governments to weaken green measures to help them compete with rivals in China and the United States. The EU has already this year delayed its anti-deforestation law, exempted thousands of companies from sustainability reporting and due diligence rules, and weakened the green conditions attached to farming subsidies. Environmental campaigners and some businesses and investors have accused Brussels of gutting laws which help manage risks from climate change and drive capital to the green transition. The EU has maintained its core climate change targets, but faces pressure from governments to weaken some policies to reduce CO2 emissions - including the bloc's 2035 ban on new CO2-emitting cars. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/eu-weaken-more-environment-reporting-rules-draft-document-shows-2025-12-08/

2025-12-08 12:23

Cargo shipped from Baltic Sea to Beihai LNG terminal in China Novatek also uses Beihai outlet for Arctic LNG 2 cargoes MOSCOW, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Russian energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) , opens new tab has delivered a liquefied natural gas cargo from Portovaya LNG plant to China, in the first such shipment since the United States introduced sanctions against the project in January, LSEG data showed on Monday. Gas carrier Valera, formerly known as Velikiy Novgorod, brought the cargo from the Baltic Sea's plant to the Beihai LNG terminal, LSEG ship-tracking data showed. Sign up here. Russia's largest LNG producer Novatek (NVTK.MM) , opens new tab uses the same loading outlet in China for cargoes from Arctic LNG 2 plant. The tanker was loaded at Portovaya on October 28 and has arrived at the southern Chinese port of Tieshan, the data showed. Martin Senior, head of pricing at Argus agency, said exports from Portovaya to China during winter could be limited to around one cargo a month due to the terminal’s limited size and lack of carriers linked to the terminal. "This is lower than expected exports from Arctic LNG 2, which could export around three cargoes a month despite higher ice buildup compared to Portovaya, because of a greater number of carriers as well as a higher terminal capacity," he said. The small-scale Portovaya LNG plant, which has a production capacity of 1.5 million tons of LNG per year, started operations in September 2022. Exports were suspended in February this year following the introduction of the U.S. sanctions , opens new tab over Ukraine to directly disrupt Russia's ability to produce and export LNG and reduce Russia's revenue from LNG exports. In the early stages of its operations, most cargoes from Portovaya had been delivered to Turkey and Greece. Supply markets subsequently widened to China, Spain and Italy. Before the sanctions, the plant used to ship two cargoes a month on average during winter. Since March 2025 it has sent only one cargo per month to the Russian western exclave of Kaliningrad. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/gazprom-delivers-first-post-sanctions-lng-cargo-portovaya-china-data-shows-2025-12-08/

2025-12-08 12:22

Cobalt prices have surged since February Congo has threatened severe penalties for non-compliance Shipments stall as exporters struggle with procedure KINSHASA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Congo’s mining lobby has called for urgent talks with the government to clarify new cobalt export rules, and said that legal ambiguities and compliance hurdles could delay shipments and disrupt global battery supply chains. The Democratic Republic of Congo, which supplies over 70% of global cobalt, launched the quota regime on October 16 after a months-long ban, allocating 18,125 metric tons for the fourth quarter and capping annual exports at 96,600 tons from 2026. Sign up here. China's CMOC (603993.SS) , opens new tab and Glencore (GLEN.L) , opens new tab, the world's two biggest cobalt-producing companies, received the largest shares, while regulator ARECOMS retained a 10% strategic reserve. The government threatened severe penalties for non-compliance but shipments have yet to move as exporters struggle with unclear procedures and payment requirements. Reuters reported last week that Congo added conditions under a government circular, requiring miners to prepay a 10% royalty within 48 hours and obtain a compliance certificate before shipments can move. EXPORTERS FACE 'SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES' In the letter to the mines minister dated December 5 and seen by Reuters, the Chamber of Mines said exporters face “serious difficulties” in applying quotas and have repeatedly sought, without success, a meeting with ARECOMS to clarify concerns over its role, the legality of mandatory prepayments, and new documentation requirements that have stalled shipments. The mines chamber confirmed the letter, declining further comment. “Any measure perceived as deviating from the mining code, notably prepayment of royalties, could undermine operator confidence and damage Congo’s international credibility,” the letter said, urging a high-level meeting with ARECOMS, state agencies and major producers. “It is urgent to guarantee legal security and preserve the sector’s attractiveness.” The mines ministry and ARECOMS did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The quota regime, aimed at lifting prices from multi-year lows, has already tightened supply to Chinese refiners and electric vehicle battery makers, pushing cobalt hydroxide prices up more than 80% since February when Congo imposed an initial ban on exports. Benchmark cobalt last traded around $24 a lb ($52,910 a ton), up from $16 in August and a nine-year low of $10 in February when the ban began. China, which controls about 70–75% of global cobalt refining capacity and supplies major companies, including automakers Tesla (TSLA.O) , opens new tab and BYD (002594.SZ) , opens new tab and battery maker CATL (300750.SZ) , opens new tab, depends on Congo for feedstock, making any export delay a threat to EV and battery supply chains. China is unlikely to see cobalt shipments from Congo’s new export quota before April, a veteran Chinese analyst said, citing slow local government procedures and poor road infrastructure hampering transport. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-miners-urge-urgent-talks-clear-cobalt-export-backlog-2025-12-08/

2025-12-08 12:09

Central bank body BIS flags gold market concerns Explosive co-movement with stocks not seen for at least 50 years Points to 'growing fragility' of risk-on environment LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The combination of gold and share prices soaring in unison is a phenomenon not seen in at least half a century and raises questions of a potential bubble in both, global central bank umbrella body, the Bank for International Settlements, says. While equity markets continue to be driven by AI and tech gains, gold's 60% surge this year is set to be its biggest since 1979, fuelling debate about whether its traditional role as a safe-haven asset has changed. Sign up here. "Gold has behaved very differently this year compared to its usual pattern," Hyun Song Shin, Economic Adviser and Head of the Monetary and Economic Department at the BIS said as it released its final report , opens new tab of the year on Monday. "The interesting phenomenon this time has been that gold has become much more like a speculative asset." Dubbed the central bank to the world's central banks, the BIS has given regular warnings about potential stock market bubbles in recent years, but its concern around the co-movement with gold is two-fold. Where would investors shelter if stocks and gold both crash. And what could it mean for central banks and other reserve managers given some have been heavy buyers of gold. The BIS' analysis concluded that this year has been the first time gold and the S&P 500 have jointly exhibited "explosive behaviour" in the last 50 years. Not only is gold up 60% this year, it is up more than 150% since 2022 when the post-COVID pandemic surge in inflation began to impact markets, alongside Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions on Moscow. Another possible bubble warning sign is that retail investors have also been piling in. Gold exchange-traded fund (ETF) prices have been consistently trading at a premium relative to their net asset value (NAV) this year, signalling "strong buying pressure coupled with impediments to arbitrage," the BIS said. Central banks' purchases have "clearly set a very firm tone in the price of gold," Shin added. "Whenever you have prices actually doing quite well, you will see other investors jumping in, and certainly retail investors have also taken part (in the rally), and not just in gold". GROWING FRAGILITY The BIS gave a broader warning too about the "growing fragility" of the risk-on environment amid the concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) valuations and the recent 20% dives in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. The European Central Bank and Bank of England have both raised their own AI bubble concerns in recent weeks and the risk of an abrupt burst if investors' rosy expectations are not met. Shin said the profits being made by the AI firms - now spending enormous amounts on data centers - was an important difference between now and the "dotcom bubble" of the early 2000s when firms weren't making money. The "fundamental question", however, is whether those expenditures will be seen as being justified in the long run, Shin said, adding that the other key determinant for markets will be how the global economy holds up next year. "So far, activity has been surprisingly resilient," Shin said. The BIS is also watching where the dollar goes from here. This year it is headed for its biggest annual drop since the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2007. "After the April episode (when U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping trade tariff plans), the dollar has been relatively stable," Shin said. "I think the hedging behaviour of non-U.S. investors is going to be a very, very important input into how markets will co-move from here." https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/global-markets-bis-pix-2025-12-08/

2025-12-08 12:05

LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The pound dipped on Monday, although volatility remained contained, as investors prepared for an action-packed week that, among other things, could bring a U.S. rate cut. Sterling climbed to six-week highs last week, helped by relief that finance minister Rachel Reeves’ budget was better received than feared and by expectations that the dollar will stay under pressure if the Federal Reserve signals further rate cuts beyond December’s widely anticipated move. Sign up here. The pound was last down 0.1% on the day against both the dollar and the euro, which traded at $1.3325 and 87.45 pence, respectively. UK economic growth figures for October are due on Friday. A Reuters poll of economists offers a forecast for a rise of 1.4% from the same month last year and a rise of 0.1% over the September reading, which was skewed by a cyberattack at Jaguar Land Rover that shut down production at the automaker, thereby hitting national growth. "Overall, some good news for the UK economy could be on the cards this week, although we continue to think that the underlying trend is for the economy to stall in the coming months," XTB research director Kathleen Brooks said. Money markets show traders are placing a roughly 87% chance of the Bank of England cutting rates by a quarter point to 3.75% when it meets on December 18. What happens after that is less clear. There is one more cut priced in the first half of 2026 and then the BoE is expected to be in hold mode, like most other major central banks. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/sterling-ticks-lower-traders-brace-busy-week-2025-12-08/

2025-12-08 11:56

Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. heavy rare earths magnet startup REalloys said on Monday it would partner with the Saskatchewan Research Council, the Canadian province's technology innovation unit, on an expansion of a heavy rare earths processing plant due to start operating in early 2027. REalloys will invest about $21 million in the facility to expand production of heavy rare earths, in return for a long-term offtake agreement of 80% of annual production, it said. Sign up here. The announcement comes as the U.S. government seeks to develop an alternative supply pipeline for the specialised materials, used in magnets for industries like wind power and defence, to diversify risk away from top producer China. Ohio-based REalloys, which was formed in 2023, plans to process rare earths in Saskatchewan into metal from either mined ore or recycled electronics. It signed an agreement earlier this year to source ore from a Greenland project that Critical Metals Corp (CRML.O) , opens new tab aims to develop. The Saskatchewan facility will initially produce up to 30 metric tons of dysprosium oxide, 15 tons of terbium oxide and 400 tons of neodymium and praseodymium metal (NdPr) annually, which will increase to 600 tons per year after the expansion is complete. REalloys, which is developing a mine in Saskatchewan to support the magnet rare earths supply chain, in September received a letter of interest from the U.S. Export-Import Bank for a loan worth up to $200 million to fund processing and magnet facilities. https://www.reuters.com/business/realloys-reaches-rare-earths-tie-up-with-canada-backed-council-2025-12-08/