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On August 4th, according to South Korean media reports, the South Korean government will use national fiscal funds to cover up to all costs associated with the construction of infrastructure such as electricity and water resources in regions designated as semiconductor industry clusters. The detailed rules clarify matters related to the authorization of the Semiconductor Special Act, specifically including: the composition and operation of the Special Committee for Strengthening Semiconductor Industry Competitiveness; the designation procedures and related support measures for semiconductor industry clusters; support for semiconductor industry talent development; and the management and operation of the Special Account for Strengthening Semiconductor Industry Competitiveness. According to the regulations, the costs related to the construction and operation of industrial infrastructure required for semiconductor industry clusters can be borne by the central and local governments, with a minimum coverage of 50% and a maximum of 100% of the total project cost. Furthermore, the government can prioritize support for talent recruitment and matching for semiconductor companies outside the Seoul metropolitan area, as well as projects for local professional talent development and retraining.On August 4th, the Ukrainian Presidential Office announced on the 3rd that President Zelenskyy had dismissed Olga Stefanishina, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States. Stefanishina was appointed ambassador in August 2025. She stated on social media that the dismissal was her own initiative and that she had "completed the main tasks planned when she took office."August 4th - HSBC Holdings (00005.HK) announced that for the six months ended June 30, 2026, the company achieved revenue of US$37.742 billion, an increase of 10.61% year-on-year; operating profit of US$17.963 billion, an increase of 18.50% year-on-year; net profit of US$15.321 billion, an increase of 23.15% year-on-year; and basic earnings per share of US$0.85.August 4th - According to Japanese media reports, the Japanese government plans to conduct commercial testing of autonomous trucks. The test routes will include not only highways but also ordinary roads to enable autonomous transportation between specific logistics bases. The government will determine the test routes and participating companies by the end of fiscal year 2026. Because driving on ordinary roads requires a higher level of technical capability than driving on highways, the Japanese government believes that conducting tests on ordinary roads is crucial for building a logistics network that utilizes autonomous trucks for long-distance transportation.India will seek parliamentary approval for a series of tax adjustments to boost foreign investment and domestic manufacturing, sources familiar with the matter said. Citing internal discussions and a publicly available list of bills, the sources said lawmakers will seek to pass legislation formalizing tax breaks for overseas investors purchasing Indian sovereign debt and exempting offshore funds from tax obligations if their investments are managed by Indian fund managers. The sources added that parliament will also vote on whether to extend tax breaks for overseas suppliers providing equipment to domestic electronics manufacturers and to offer incentives for data centers and diamond mining. Modi has been taking a series of measures to curb capital outflows and support the rupee. These measures are particularly urgent in the wake of the Iraq War, aimed at cushioning economic shocks and strengthening the economys resilience to external shocks.

WTI struggles to prolong its two-day uptrend below $78, as negative sentiment undermines expectations for China-led oil demand

Daniel Rogers

Mar 02, 2023 15:46

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Following a two-day uptrend that reached the greatest levels in a fortnight, the price of WTI crude oil fluctuates between $77.80 and $90 early Thursday.

 

The recent struggles of the black gold may be related to the contradictory signals encircling China and the Oil equities. However, negative sentiment and the resurgence of the US Dollar appear to be the quote's greatest obstacles to the upside.

 

In addition, higher-than-anticipated US inventories weigh on the energy benchmark. The weekly data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates a 1.165M increase in Oil inventories, compared to the expected 0.45M increase and the previous level of 7.648M.

 

The willingness of US President Joseph Biden to continue pumping the markets with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and the absence of offers for Russian Oil also exert downward pressure on the price of WTI crude oil.

 

The latest New York Times (NYT) headlines suggest a potential rift between the United States and China at the important event. According to the news, "China is urging the start of peace talks, and some Group of 20 nations may support that notion when they meet in India, but U.S. officials contend Russia would not negotiate in good faith."

 

It should be noted, however, that the recent uptick in China activity data and optimistic remarks from the dragon nation's policymakers keep black gold purchasers optimistic. China's Minister of Human Resources recently stated, "China's employment will continue to increase this year and remains stable overall." On Wednesday, China's Finance Minister Liu He expressed a willingness to increase the country's fiscal expenditure while noting that the foundation of China's economic recovery remains fragile.

 

However, hawkish remarks from policymakers of the US Federal Reserve (Fed), the Bank of England (BoE), and the European Central Bank (ECB) highlighted the need for additional rate hikes to combat inflation issues, which exerted downward pressure on the price of oil.

 

In response to these events, 10-year US Treasury bond yields surpassed 4% for the first time since early November 2022, while 2-year yields ascended to their highest levels since June 2007 by flashing 4.91%. The increase in US Treasury bond yields reflects the market's concerns, which in turn have impacted on bulls on Wall Street, S&P 500 Futures, and WTI bulls recently. Consequently, S&P 500 Futures were down 0.5 percent as of press time despite the varied closing of Wall Street benchmarks.

 

Moving on, G20 updates could be combined with comments from central bankers and secondary US data to amuse Oil traders.