US inflation rises to 2.7pc in November

: Metals, Natural gas
24/12/11

Headline US inflation ticked higher in November, largely on food and shelter costs, suggesting the Federal Reserve still has work to do to reach its inflation target.

The consumer price index rose by an annual 2.7pc in November after rising by 2.6pc through October, the Labor Department said. The gain matched expectations in a survey of economists by Trading Economics.

So-called core inflation, which strips out more volatile food and energy, rose by 3.3pc, matching the prior month's gains. Services less energy services rose by 4.6pc following a 4.8pc increase the prior period.

Today's report is the last consumer price index (CPI) reading before Federal Reserve policymakers meet next week to assess progress in bringing down inflation to their 2pc long term goal and release economic projections.

The CME FedWatch tool today gave a 96pc probability the Federal Reserve will cut its target rate by a quarter point at its last meeting of the year, up from nearly 89pc Tuesday. The Fed began cutting its target rate in September after holding it at a 23-year high for more than a year.

The energy index contracted by 3.2pc for the 12 months ending in November after falling by 4.9pc through October. Gasoline fell by 8.1pc and the fuel oil index declined by 19.5pc.

The food index rose by 2.4pc over the past year, following a 2.1pc gain through the prior month. Transportation services rose by 7.1pc. Shelter slowed to 4.7pc from 4.9pc

The CPI rose by 0.3 in November from the prior month, after rising by 0.2pc in each of the prior four months. The shelter index rose by 0.3pc for the month, accounting for nearly 40pc of the total monthly gain in the headline index, Labor said.

By Bob Willis

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

24/12/10

Brazil's inflation accelerates to near 5pc in November

Sao Paulo, 10 December (Argus) — Brazil's headline inflation accelerated to a 14-month high in November, led by gains in food and transportation, according to government statistics agency IBGE. The consumer price index (CPI) rose to an annual 4.87pc in November from 4.76pc in the previous month, IBGE said. Food and beverage costs rose by an annual 7.63pc in November, accounting for much of the monthly increase, following a 6.65pc annual gain in October. Beef costs increased by an annual 15.43pc in November following an 8.33pc annual gain for the prior month. Higher beef costs in the domestic market are related to the Brazilian real's depreciation to the US dollar, with the exchange rate falling to a record-low R6.11/$1 at the end of November. The stronger dollar leads producers to prefer exports over domestic sales. Beef prices rose by 8pc for the month alone. Soybean oil prices rose by 27.75pc over the year. Transportation costs, another major contributor to the monthly acceleration, rose by an annual 3.11pc in November after a 2.48pc gain in October. On a monthly basis, transportation costs rose by 0.89pc in November, reversing a contraction of 0.38pc in October. Housing costs rose by 4pc over the 12-month period. Brazil's central bank last month hiked its target rate to 11.25pc, its second increase off a low of 10.5pc between May and September, to try to head off a resurgence in inflation. It was at a cyclical peak of 13.75pc from August 2022 through July 2023 as it sought to tamp down the post-Covid-19 surge in inflation. Fuel prices rose by an annual 8.78pc in November after a 7.22pc gain in October. Motor fuel costs fell by 0.15pc in November compared with a 0.17pc drop in October — thanks to lower ethanol and gasoline prices. Diesel prices contracted by 2.25pc in the 12-month period. Power costs slowed to an annual 3.46pc in November following a 11.58pc gain in October. Electricity prices contracted by a monthly 6.27pc after a decrease in power tariffs on 1 November. Monthly inflation slowed to 0.39pc in November from 0.56pc in October. The central bank's inflation goal for 2024 is 3pc, with a margin of 1.5pc above or below. By Maria Frazatto and Lucas Parolin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Assad regime end to alter Mena steel trade flow

24/12/10

Assad regime end to alter Mena steel trade flow

London, 10 December (Argus) — The ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is likely to open up export opportunities for Turkish steelmakers, but this hinges on the political stabilisation of the country. The fall of the al-Assad regime came after opposition forces led by militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) launched a sudden military offensive in late November, seizing some of the country's biggest cities over the past week. A former al-Qaeda affiliate, HTS is thought to maintain close ties with Turkey, along with the Syrian National Army (SNA), while the outgoing Assad regime was a close ally of Iran and Russia. Iran not only sold rebar and wire-rod products on occasion to Syria, but also used the country as a transit route for its business into Lebanon and Turkey. With the toppling of the al-Assad regime, steel trade from Iran to Syria has been halted as sellers wait for further developments. Turkish steel mills are expected to benefit from the regime overthrow, and to fill the potential gap left by Iran, market participants said. In a response to this, various construction and iron and steel companies listed on the Istanbul stock exchange appreciated significantly when the markets opened on Monday morning. Rebuilding efforts are likely to present sales opportunities for Turkish longs producers, located in the southern Iskenderun region of the country, market participants said. Turkey exported 17,900t of rebar to Syria in October, an annual increase of 80pc. Industry sources noted the considerable potential for Turkish suppliers to ramp up sales, depending on the developments in Syria. In addition to the political instability, airstrikes were carried by Israel on military assets in Syria in the past couple of days. Market sources expressed a consensus that the rise in stock prices since 9 December in Turkey is speculative. Domestic rebar prices in the Iskenderun region in southern Turkey picked up today and could pick up across the country tomorrow. The Syrian regime change was cited as a smaller factor, alongside the signs of a recovery in global steel prices owing to favourable policies signalled by the Chinese government. Turkish domestic rebar buyers have delayed restocking this winter until signs of a price recovery emerged. "People need to see finance first for construction, the country has no cash so if some other country covers the finance, then demand might increase," one market participant said. HTS is currently designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and various European countries. At the time of writing the UK is reviewing its prescription of HTS as a terrorist group. By Carlo Da Cas and Brendan Kjellberg-Motton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Moselle river crash to have limited impact on AM

24/12/10

Moselle river crash to have limited impact on AM

London, 10 December (Argus) — A collision at a lock gate in the river Moselle near the German-Luxembourg border will have a limited impact on nearby steelmaker ArcelorMittal, the company said, despite ship transportation likely to be disrupted for months. On Sunday 8 December, a vessel carrying 1,500t of scrap metal en route to Mertert, Luxembourg, collided with and broke the lock gate at Muden, southwest Germany. The accident has resulted in the halting of continuous shipping traffic on the Moselle, the German Waterways and shipping Authority (WSA) said. ArcelorMittal said the accident should have a limited impact on its Luxembourg business, and is currently working on alternative short-and-medium term transport solutions to offset disruptions caused to incoming and outgoing flows. "To date, only 10pc of scrap supplies to ArcelorMittal's electric furnaces in Luxembourg and 10pc of shipments pass through the port of Mertert," the steelmaker said. Work is already under way by the authorities to mend the broken lock, but it is estimated repairs will not be completed until March 2025. Under WSA estimates around 70 vessels are stuck in that area of the Moselle up to the French border, no longer able to leave the Moselle valley towards the Rhine. Authorities also said they are looking at ways to release the trapped ships so they can leave the river in the direction of the Rhine. A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday to discuss whether this could be done, the WSA added. Gummed vessels and halted shipping transportation along the Moselle will probably have some impact on scrap metal transport logistics in the region, market participants told Argus . The Moselle is a main waterway to Luxembourg with metal transported via barges. Large scrap metal recycler Theo Steil operates one of its larger yards in Trier, a town in southwestern Germany, which the Moselle runs through. By Corey Aunger Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Norway to end new international fossil fuel financing

24/12/10

Norway to end new international fossil fuel financing

London, 10 December (Argus) — Norway will from January no longer provide public finance for new unabated international fossil fuel projects, in line with a commitment it made in December last year. Norway's export credit agency, Eksfin, provides most of the country's financing for overseas fossil fuel projects. Eksfin provided between 8.78bn Norwegian kroner and 10.98bn NKr ($786mn- 983mn) over July 2021-June 2023 for fossil fuel projects, civil society organisation Oil Change International found. Norway signed the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) at the UN Cop 28 climate summit in 2023. The CETP aims to shift international public finance "from the unabated fossil fuel energy sector to the clean energy transition". The CETP, which now has 41 signatories, was launched at Cop 26 in 2021, with an initial 39 signatories including most G7 nations and several development banks. Signatories commit to ending new direct public support for overseas unabated fossil fuel projects within a year of joining. Abatement, under the CETP, refers to "a high level of emissions reductions" through operational carbon capture technology or "other effective technologies". It does not count offsets or credits. Australia, which also signed the CETP at Cop 28, said last week that it would no longer finance overseas fossil fuel projects. "Norway is also working to introduce common regulations for financing fossil energy within the international main agreement for state export financing in the OECD", the Norwegian government said today. Norway's policy "helps increase momentum" for an OECD deal that could end $41bn/yr in oil and gas export financing, Oil Change said. Countries are involved in "final negotiations" on the deal today, Oil Change added. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

ExxonMobil to accelerate PNG’s P'nyang gas development

24/12/10

ExxonMobil to accelerate PNG’s P'nyang gas development

Sydney, 10 December (Argus) — ExxonMobil plans to expedite the next stage of its 4.4 trillion ft³ (125bn m³) P'nyang gas field in Papua New Guinea (PNG), which is considered critical to the future of the nation's two major LNG projects. Exxon, the operator of the 6.9mn t/yr PNG LNG joint venture, will bring pre-engineering works forward to April-June 2025 by accelerating the concept select phase that is presently underway. This would bring it forward "years sooner than previously envisaged," said ExxonMobil PNG's senior vice-president of commercial development, Johanna Boothey, at the PNG Resources and Energy Investment Conference in Sydney, Australia on 10 December "We expect to undertake initial ground surveys and to establish a project office in Western Province in the coming weeks," she added. PNG's government in March signed a fiscal stability agreement for the P'nyang project with PNG LNG partners. A final investment decision (FID) for the P'nyang field is targeted for 2029, following the start-up of the planned 5.6mn t/yr Papua LNG export terminal, with synchronisation between the two projects seen as guiding the investment timeline. But further delays to the Papua LNG project could cause feedstock shortages at PNG LNG, as the former project is expected to provide 2mn t/yr worth of gas to the latter. Continuing concerns about Papua LNG's FID slipping further may prompt Exxon to further advance P'nyang's development timeline. ExxonMobil holds 49pc of P'nyang, Australian independent Santos controls 38.5pc while Japanese upstream firm JX Nippon has a 12.5pc stake. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more