US consumer confidence deteriorates further in March
The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index plunged 7.2 points to 92.9 this month. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index sliding to 94.0. The Present Situation Index, based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, fell 3.6 points to 134.5.
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The Expectations Index, based on consumers' short-term
outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, dropped 9.6 points to 65.2 - the lowest level in 12 years and well below the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead.
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Coffee and cocoa could be exempt from tariffs in trade deals, commerce secretary says
NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - Natural resources that are not grown in the United States, including coffee and cocoa, could be exempt from import tariffs when trade deals with producing countries are reached, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday. Lutnick said in an interview for CNBC's talk program 'Squawk Box' that President Donald Trump has agreed to set zero tariffs for those natural resources that are not grown in the U.S. in the trade deals he has closed, including the ones with Indonesia and the European Union. "If you grow something and we don't grow it, that can come in for zero, so if we do a deal with a country that grows mangos, pineapple, then they can come in without a tariff, because coffee and cocoa will be other examples of natural resources," Lutnick said. "So Europe came in with cork, for example. That can come in to the U.S. without a tariff," he said. A part of the text of the 'Agreement on Reciprocal Trade between the United States and Indonesia' that was published last week by the White House cites natural resources. It says that the U.S. "may also identify certain commodities that are not naturally available or domestically produced in the United States for a further reduction in the reciprocal tariff rate". Indonesia agreed with a tariff of 19% to sell its products in the U.S., but could eventually have zero tariff for its coffee, cocoa, or other tropical products. Lutnick however did not comment on the situation of tropical products coming from countries that still do not have a deal with the U.S., such as Brazil. Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian products from August 1 in a move that also involves politics, as the U.S. President complained about the treatment Brazilian courts are giving to former Brazilian president and his ally Jair Bolsonaro. Brazil supplies a third of the coffee used in the U.S., the world's largest drinker of the beverage, and that trade could be heavily impacted if tariffs are indeed imposed.
Reuters
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Gold ticks up with all eyes on US-China talks, Fed meeting
July 29 (Reuters) - Gold prices edged higher on Tuesday as investors awaited the outcome of U.S.-China trade talks and the Federal Reserve's policy meeting. Spot gold rose 0.4% to $3,327.69 per ounce, by 01:46 p.m. ET (1746 GMT). Prices hit their lowest point since July 9 on Monday after a framework trade deal between the United States and the European Union dampened safe-haven demand for the yellow metal. U.S. gold futures settled 0.4% higher at $3,324. China and the United States will push for the continued pause of U.S. reciprocal tariffs on Chinese goods as well as China's countermeasures, top trade negotiator Li Chenggang said after the two sides concluded negotiations in Stockholm. Analysts note that recent U.S. deals with the EU and Japan offered some relief, but talks with China remain far more complex and prolonged. "Given the risk of a breakdown in talks, some investors still feel that it may be appropriate to have some exposure to haven assets in case things turn sour again," Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and said. On the U.S. interest rate front, the U.S. central bank's two-day policy meeting will conclude on Wednesday, with rates widely expected to remain unchanged. Investors will closely scrutinize the Fed's commentary for any signals on the timing and pace of potential rate cuts ahead. Markets are currently pricing in just under 50 basis points of rate cuts by year-end, with October seen as the most likely starting point, said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals. However, dissent from two Fed members could shift expectations toward a September cut, which could potentially boost gold, he added. Gold tends to benefit in a low-interest-rate environment as the reduced yield on competing assets makes the non-yielding metal more attractive to investors. Spot silver edged up 0.1% to $38.19 per ounce, palladium gained 0.9% to $1,257.41, while platinum climbed 0.7% to $1,399.70.
Reuters
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Mining giant Grupo Mexico reports profit bump as copper costs shrink
MEXICO CITY, July 29 (Reuters) - Mining and transportation conglomerate Grupo Mexico reported net profit rose 10% in the second quarter, helped by lower mining costs and a good performance from its copper byproducts business even as copper production edged down. Net profit for the group, a leading copper producer, came in at $1.23 billion from revenues that fell 4% to $4.24 billion, according to a filing dated late Monday, the latter above a $4.22 billion estimate of analysts polled by LSEG. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization for the three months through end June rose 1.4% to $2.36 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG had expected EBITDA to land at $2.22 billion. Grupo Mexico, controlled by billionaire German Larrea, ranks among the world's largest copper producers by volume. At midday in Mexico City, its shares were trading up 1.3%. It maintained forecasts for an expected annual output of 1.08 million metric tons of copper, as output of the red metal over the quarter reached 267,325 tons, 1.3% less than the same period a year earlier, due to lower output at its Buenavista mine in Mexico's northern Sonora state. Although copper sales fell 2.9% from a year earlier, sales of molybdenum - a metal used to strengthen steel and speed petroleum refining - along with zinc and silver, rose. The mining division's cash cost for its primary metal, meanwhile, fell 10% from a year earlier, hitting $0.93 per pound of copper versus an average price of $4.55 per pound. Analysts at JPMorgan pointed to "a strategic decision to prioritize zinc and silver production at Buenavista Zinc, impacting copper production," and noted that Grupo Mexico had touted "the lowest cash costs in the copper industry, benefiting from higher byproduct credits." Byproduct credits refer to revenue generated from secondary metals extracted alongside a miner's main product. Santander analysts highlighted the lower metal extraction costs net of byproducts. "Grupo Mexico's balance sheet remains strong," they said. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on copper shipments starting August 1 in a bid to promote domestic development. The U.S., however, depends on imports for nearly half of its refined copper needs, and homegrown projects often take years to get off the ground. Chile, Canada and Mexico are currently its main suppliers. "There is an opportunity to invest up to $6.2 billion in the reopening and expansion of projects that align with the new mining and industrial policies of President Trump's administration," Grupo Mexico said in a report. It said it could expand production at its Ray and Silver Bell copper mines as well as reopen its Hayden smelter, all run by U.S. subsidiary Asarco, in Arizona. These proposals follow years of negotiations with local unionized workers. Construction of Grupo Mexico's Tia Maria project in southern Peru is progressing as planned, it added, and should launch in 2027. Sales at Grupo Mexico's transport division slid due largely to foreign exchange effects, the firm said, while its infrastructure arm was hit by the suspension of four platform projects on the part of state oil producer Pemex (
