Reuters

Author Image

contributor

Reuters

Latest

TSX dips as fall in metal prices hurt mining shares

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index closed lower on Monday as the precious metals rally paused and weighed heavily on mining stocks, starting the last week of the year on a somber note.The S&P/TSX index closed down 0.32% at 31,896.59 points. However, the benchmark was poised for a gain of about 2% in December, marking its eighth consecutive monthly gain — a streak not witnessed since 2014.

Dec 29, 2025 - 6:46 PM

Banks tap Fed liquidity tool amid year-end pressures

Dec 29 (Reuters) - A key Federal Reserve overnight liquidity facility saw increased use on Monday, data from the New York Fed showed.The U.S. central bank lent a total of $25.95 billion on Monday to eligible financial firms via its standing repo operations, the third-highest usage of the lending tool since the central bank opened it in 2021 to provide fast loans collateralized with Treasury or mortgage bonds.The funds are lent overnight at 3.75%, the top of the current 3.50%-3.75% target range for the Fed's policy rate.

Dec 29, 2025 - 2:51 PM

U.S. stocks ease from record highs, world indexes headed for double-digit annual gains

NEW YORK, Dec 29 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks dipped on Monday and gold pulled back from record highs at the top of a holiday-shortened week.The three major U.S. stock indexes were weighed down by weakness in tech (.SPLRCT), and materials stocks (.SPLRCM), while Treasury yields eased and the dollar hovered near its lowest in almost three months, reflecting expectations of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts next year.

Dec 29, 2025 - 2:41 PM

China pledges to control steel output during 2026-2030 period

China on Friday said it will continue to regulate crude steel output and prohibit the addition of illegal new capacity from 2026 to 2030.In 2021, the world’s largest steel producer and consumer put an end to growth in crude steel output as part of a plan to limit carbon emissions.The mandated output control also came as domestic steel consumption was hit by a protracted property market downturn, which left the industry plagued with overcapacity.

Dec 29, 2025 - 2:35 PM

Codelco, SQM kick off lithium tie-up with board meeting

The new joint venture for lithium operations between Chilean miners Codelco and SQM formally began operations on Monday with a board meeting.The NovaAndino Litio company was established after an agreement signed in May 2024 and valid until 2060 was given the green light. It allows the state to boost control over the operations that SQM held in the Atacama salt flat.

Dec 29, 2025 - 2:28 PM

China’s November net gold imports via Hong Kong more than doubled from October

China’s net gold imports via Hong Kong in November rose by 101.5% from October, Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department data showed on Monday.As the world’s leading gold consumer, China’s purchasing activities can significantly influence global gold markets.The Hong Kong data may not provide a complete picture of Chinese purchases, as gold is also imported via Shanghai and Beijing.Net imports via Hong Kong to China for November stood at 16.16 metric tons, compared with 8.02 tons in October.

Dec 29, 2025 - 2:25 PM

Nornickel believes 2026 will bring dividends, CEO says

Russia’s Nornickel, one of the world’s largest producers of nickel and the largest producer of palladium, believes conditions in 2026 will allow for the resumption of dividend payments, CEO Vladimir Potanin said on Friday in an interview with state TV.Nornickel did not pay full-year dividends for 2022, 2023 and 2024 as Western sanctions and falling prices for its key metals weighed on revenues. It last paid an interim dividend in 2023.Russia’s listed metals producers have been some of the worst performers among the country’s stocks in recent years.

Dec 29, 2025 - 2:19 PM

Precious metals drop amid profit taking; silver, platinum retreat from record highs

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Precious metals retreated sharply on Monday, with silver and platinum falling from record highs hit earlier in the session, as investors booked profits after recent rallies.

Dec 29, 2025 - 10:33 AM

Wall Street falls as tech rally falters in final week of 2025

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes kicked off the final week of the year on a lower note on Monday, as heavyweight technology stocks gave up some ground from last week's gains which had pushed the S&P 500 to new highs.

Dec 29, 2025 - 10:31 AM

US pending home sales surge to highest in nearly 3 years in November, NAR says

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly shot to the highest in nearly three years in November, as improving affordability conditions drew in buyers, the National Association of Realtors said on Monday.Pending home sales rose 3.3% last month after an upwardly revised 2.4% gain in October, the NAR said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast contracts, which become sales after a month or two, rising 1.0%.Pending home sales rose 2.6% from a year earlier.The index tracking sales rose to its highest level since February 2023.

Dec 29, 2025 - 10:24 AM

US economy to ride tax cut tailwind but faces risks

Dec 29 (Reuters) - A see-saw year for the U.S. economy in 2025 looks set to give way to a stronger 2026 thanks to tailwinds from President Donald Trump's tax cuts, less uncertainty around tariffs, the ongoing artificial intelligence boom and a late-year run of interest-rate reductions from the Federal Reserve.Among the biggest drivers of a pickup in growth, economists say, are fatter tax refunds and smaller tax withholdings on paychecks that are expected to provide a lift to consumer spending, the backbone of the American economy.

Dec 29, 2025 - 10:22 AM

Stocks head for year-end record on Fed rate cut bets

LONDON/SINGAPORE, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Global stocks were on track on Monday to end 2025 at record highs, while the dollar hovered near its lowest in almost three months, reflecting expectations of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts next year.MSCI's world equity gauge was flat in early European trading as markets assessed comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were getting "a lot closer" to a deal that could end the Ukraine war.

Dec 29, 2025 - 10:13 AM

Silver retreats from $80 peak while gold softens on profit-taking

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Silver retreated after touching a record peak above $80 an ounce on Monday while gold slipped from levels close to historic highs as investors booked profits and a market perception of reduced geopolitical risks curbed safe-haven buying.Spot gold was down 1.7% at $4,455.35 an ounce by 1321 GMT after hitting a record $4,549.71 on Friday. U.S. gold futures for February delivery lost 1.7% to $4,474.80.Spot silver shed 5.1% to $75.15 an ounce, retreating from a record high of $83.62 hit earlier in the session.

Dec 29, 2025 - 10:07 AM

Wall St ends close to all-time highs in light, post-holiday session

NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Wall Street ended a light-volume post-Christmas session nearly unchanged on Friday, with few catalysts to fuel much conviction one way or the other.All three major U.S. stock indexes closed nominally lower, snapping a five-session rally, but logged weekly gains.

Dec 26, 2025 - 4:26 PM

Silver crosses $76 mark while gold, platinum stretch record highs

Dec 26 (Reuters) - Silver breached the $76 mark for the first time on Friday, while gold and platinum hit record highs, buoyed by expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts and geopolitical tensions that fueled safe-haven demand.Spot silver jumped 6% to $76.24 per ounce, as of 12:03 p.m. ET (17:03 GMT), after hitting an all-time high of $76.46, marking a 164% year-to-date surge driven by supply deficits, its designation as a U.S. critical mineral, and strong investment inflows.

Dec 26, 2025 - 2:26 PM

Wall St hovers near record highs in post-Christmas session

Dec 26 (Reuters) - U.S. stock indexes hovered near all-time highs in thin post-Christmas trading on Friday, supported by signs of a resilient economy and renewed investor interest in AI-related companies.The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX), hit an intraday record high before pulling back slightly, while the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), was about 0.5% from its December 12 peak.U.S. stocks rebounded after last week's selloff, when AI and technology stocks faced pressure from concerns over lofty valuations and high capital expenditures denting profits.

Dec 26, 2025 - 1:53 PM

Congo halts artisanal copper and cobalt processing amid corruption crackdown

Democratic Republic of Congo has suspended artisanal copper and cobalt mineral processing, according to a decree seen by Reuters, in an effort to improve transparency and prevent illegal exports, a pervasive problem in the mineral-rich nation.Congo, the world’s top cobalt supplier contributing around 70% of global output, has wrestled for decades with illegal, artisanal mining that diverts revenue away from the nation’s coffers.

Dec 26, 2025 - 11:42 AM

Capstone Copper’s Chilean workers ready to strike if mediation fails

Workers at Capstone Copper’s Mantoverde copper and gold mine in Chile are ready to strike if mediation for a new labor contract fails, with a walkout potentially starting December 29, the union said on Wednesday.The 645-member union rejected a contract offer in mid-December, opening the door to a strike.An initial five-day government mediation period is under way and can be extended by a further five days if both parties agree.The company “has not made new proposals that allow the talks to advance,” the union said in a statement.

Dec 26, 2025 - 11:40 AM

China to rein in copper, alumina capacity expansion under next five-year plan

China will tighten oversight of new copper and alumina projects to curb irrational investment and disorderly expansion from 2026 to 2030, the country’s top economic planner said on Friday.In an article on its website, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said local governments must strengthen feasibility studies for major projects and align their approvals with national industrial policy.

Dec 26, 2025 - 11:38 AM

Silver crosses $75 mark while gold, platinum stretch record highs

Dec 26 (Reuters) - Silver breached the $75 mark for the first time on Friday, while gold and platinum hit record highs, buoyed by expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts and geopolitical tensions that fueled safe-haven demand.Spot silver jumped 4.5% to $75.20 per ounce, as of 10:06 a.m. ET (1506 GMT), after hitting an all-time high of $75.62, marking a 161% year-to-date surge driven by supply deficits, its designation as a U.S. critical mineral, and strong investment inflows.

Dec 26, 2025 - 10:59 AM

Reporters

Contributors