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March 18th - Daiwa Securities estimates that if crude oil prices trade around $90 per barrel, Japans net imports will increase by approximately 8.1 trillion yen. The estimates show this figure rises to 11.4 trillion yen at $100 per barrel and to 17.8 trillion yen if prices reach $120 per barrel. A widening trade deficit could further pressure the yen, leading to increased import costs and ultimately eroding corporate profits.On March 18, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council held a regular press conference. According to Reuters, a large-scale US arms sale to Taiwan, including advanced interceptor missiles, is about to be submitted to President Trump for approval, and Trump may sign it after his visit to China. What is your comment on this? Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, stated that we firmly oppose relevant countries selling weapons to Taiwan, and this position is consistent and clear. The US should adhere to the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiqués, handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan prudently, and take concrete actions to safeguard the stability of Sino-US relations and peace across the Taiwan Strait.March 18th - Recently, several domestic airlines have raised fuel surcharges on international routes, with increases generally exceeding 50%, and some routes even doubling. Against the backdrop of rapidly rising international oil prices, airline cost pressures are being rapidly passed on to ticket prices. According to market sources, China Southern Airlines has also recently notified its agents of its plans to adjust fuel surcharges on international routes. For domestic routes, the next adjustment window for fuel surcharges is April 5th. Currently, the January 5th standard remains in effect: 10 yuan for routes under 800 kilometers and 20 yuan for routes over 800 kilometers. Industry insiders generally expect that as oil prices continue to rise, more airlines may follow suit, further increasing travel costs for passengers.Futures Commentary by Everbright Futures: Overnight, international gold prices were mixed. London spot gold fluctuated narrowly, COMEX gold futures rose 0.18%, and SHFE gold fell 0.16%. The Federal Reserve will hold its March interest rate meeting early Thursday morning Beijing time. This meeting will focus on three key areas: 1. Whether monetary policy will shift. The meeting will release the latest dot plot. At the December meeting, officials were divided, with the median expectation being one rate cut (25 basis points) this year. The focus this time is whether further rate cuts are possible. 2. The Summary of Second Quarter Forecasts (SEP). Fed officials will make predictions on inflation and economic trends, especially the actual impact of the March oil price surge on inflation. 3. The Fed Chairmans post-meeting remarks. This is the first Fed meeting since the Middle East conflict. Facing rising oil prices, weak employment, and legal investigations, Chairman Powells statements at the press conference are worth watching, especially how he assesses the "two-way risk" of the oil price surge triggered by the Middle East conflict on inflation and growth. Gold may experience increased volatility after the meeting; cautious trading is advised. 4. Geopolitically, the US-Iran conflict remains unresolved. Trump stated that most NATO allies have indicated their unwillingness to be involved in US military action against Iran, and that the US "does not need anyones help." Israel stated that two senior Iranian officials have been "eliminated." 5. The US-Iran conflict remains the focus of gold trading. A buy-on-dips strategy is recommended. Regardless of future inflation or stagflation expectations, golds strategic allocation position will increase. Liquidity concerns have actually provided investors with an opportunity to buy and hold at lower prices. (This content and opinion are for reference only and do not constitute any investment advice.)According to NHK, the Japan-US summit will issue a joint statement agreeing to a second round of investment exceeding 11 trillion yen.

EnergyX Withdraws From The Bolivian Lithium Competition

Aria Thomas

Jun 09, 2022 11:21

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The Bolivian government has eliminated the American startup EnergyX and the Argentine energy company Tecpetrol from the race to mine lithium in Bolivia, as the country seeks to exploit its massive resources in conjunction with one or more foreign firms.


Bolivia has the world's greatest lithium reserves, but it has battled for decades to extract them commercially. In response to a boom in demand for batteries for electric vehicles, Bolivia increased its mining operations last year.


There are still six companies bidding for a collaboration. Among them are Russia's Uranium One, the U.S. firm Lilac Solutions - financed by BMW and Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures - and the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL. The remaining companies are Chinese: Fusion Enertech, TBEA Co., Ltd., and CITIC Guoan Group Co.


None of the companies had previously used lithium on a commercial basis.


Bolivia did not provide an explanation for why EnergyX and Tecpetrol were excluded. The administration announced on Tuesday that it anticipated announcing the full results of the evaluation on June 15.


Nonetheless, EnergyX was arguably the most significant rival, having launched production testing at a lithium extraction pilot facility on Bolivia's Uyuni salt flat in this year. It has also courted Bolivian leaders and advertised their technology on Bolivian television.


EnergyX has recently appointed Juan Carlos Barrera to handle South American operations. Barrera is a former top executive at one of the world's leading lithium producers, SQM of Chile.


EnergyX refused to comment on the methodology. Tecpetrol did not respond to a request for comment immediately.


Legal constraints that now hinder private enterprises from extracting lithium from Bolivia's reserves are among the key obstacles that remain to be overcome.


Bolivia lags behind Chile - the world's No. 2 producer - and Argentina - which has a promising pipeline of new projects - in terms of lithium reserves.