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On August 23, Rezaei, Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, warned Gulf states against joining the US-imposed economic sanctions against Iran, stating that Tehran would retaliate against these countries interests. "If Irans neighbors join the US economic war, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz will be completely depleted of oil, and we will also target other oil export routes in the Persian Gulf," he said. Rezaei also claimed that Trump launched the economic war against Iran at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. He said Trump was initially skeptical of the idea, but Netanyahu persuaded him to test it for two to three months before assessing whether to continue for another six months. "What the enemy hopes for is division and discord," he reiterated, emphasizing Irans unity.According to Al Jazeera, sources familiar with the matter said that Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces, Asim Munir, is expected to return to Tehran in the coming days.A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, early on the 23rd. No abnormalities have been detected at several nuclear facilities near the epicenter. NHK, citing power company sources, reported that no abnormalities have been detected at the Fukushima Daiichi, Tokai, and Tokai Daini nuclear power plants, all located near the epicenter, and radiation monitoring readings around the plants have not shown significant changes.On August 23, it was reported that price competition for large-scale AI models has intensified recently, with several US AI companies lowering prices for their models. OpenAI, the US-based Open AI Research Center, announced on the 21st that it would reduce the base price of its cutting-edge GPT-5.6 Sol model for developers by over 20%, effective immediately. This discounted price will be valid for three months. At the end of last month, OpenAI also lowered the prices of other models, with mid-range models reduced by 20% and low-cost models by 80%. Furthermore, Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, recently released Gemini 3.7 Flash and simultaneously lowered its price, making it approximately half the price of the previous version. Some US media analysts believe that the increasingly fierce price competition for large-scale AI models, particularly the open-source and pricing strategies of some Chinese AI companies, has put pressure on US companies.The statement indicates that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held a video conference with provincial and territorial leaders to discuss suspending trade negotiations with the United States. Carney outlined next steps to protect Canadian interests, including retaliatory tariffs that will take effect on Tuesday after Labour Day.

Phillips 66 Trademarks Mark Lashier will Succeed Greg Garland as CEO

Haiden Holmes

Apr 13, 2022 09:44

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Lashier, a chemical engineer who joined the firm three decades ago in the chemicals division, was named president and chief operating officer a year ago after leading Chevron Phillips Chemical Co, the company's joint venture with Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), since 2017.


Garland has considered refining as a mature company and has concentrated its efforts on expanding its energy infrastructure, chemicals, and establishing a presence in electric vehicle battery components. It spent around $150 million last year for a 16.5% share in Novonix Ltd, an Australian provider of lithium-ion battery materials.


Garland "built a market-leading diversified energy manufacturing and logistics organization while investing for the future and producing solid financial returns," according to Glen Tilton, lead independent director of Philips 66.


Although the Houston company's non-refining initiatives have generated great shareholder returns, its shares have lately underperformed bigger competitors that benefitted from increasing gasoline margins during pandemic lockdowns.


Lashier is expected to pursue Garland's diversification approach, which includes biofuels, hydrogen, and battery components. However, he must demonstrate that he can match competitors Marathon Petroleum Corp (NYSE:MPC) and Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO), which increased shareholder returns by selling off retail operations and diversifying into renewable diesel, analysts said.


Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) traded at $81.97 on Tuesday, up 13% year to date, compared to 34% year-to-year gains at Marathon and Valero and around 96% year-to-date gains at PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF).


"Lashier's task is to increase the company's value," Matthew Blair, an analyst at Tudor Pickering Holt & Co., said. "He will face inquiries regarding the company's non-refining businesses' value and what he can do to boost stock price performance and capitalize on the potential valuation."