Category: Flash News

On February 4th, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), corn used for fuel ethanol in December was 473.2 million bushels, a decrease from 484.2 million bushels in the same period last year. In December, the soybean crushing volume in the United States reached 6.53 million tons (217.7 million bushels).

On February 4th, the United States lowered its estimated borrowing scale for January to March from $823 billion to $815 billion. Maintain the expected cash balance at $850 billion by the end of March unchanged. Financing and cash estimation assume that the debt ceiling issue will be resolved.

On February 4th, Kit Juckes, Chief Foreign Exchange Strategist at Societe Generale, stated that if countries reach an agreement with the United States on tariff issues, the US dollar may experience a “slight correction,” but due to the US economy still outperforming the rest of the world, the US dollar will remain strong. He stated that the Bloomberg USD spot index is expected to further rise and may approach its peak reached in September 2022.

On February 4th, the settlement price of international crude oil futures rose slightly. WTI crude oil futures for March closed up $0.63, or 0.87%, at $73.16 per barrel. Brent crude oil futures for April closed up $0.29, or 0.38%, at $75.96 per barrel. NYMEX’s March natural gas futures closed up 10.12% at $3.3520 per million British thermal units.

On February 4th, two senior officials from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced on February 3rd that Hamas is ready to begin negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. A Hamas official stated that “Hamas informed the Egyptian mediators during their ongoing communication and meeting in Cairo last week that they are ready to begin the second phase of negotiations.” The second official said that the organization is “waiting for the mediators to initiate the next round of negotiations. According to the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, the first phase of the ceasefire will take effect on January 19th, and the two sides will then begin indirect negotiations on February 3rd to finalize the details of the second phase.

On February 4th, Ukrainian President Zelensky issued a statement on February 3rd local time, stating that he had listened to a report from Ukrainian Army Commander in Chief Sersky on the situation on the front line, especially regarding the direction of Pokrovsk and the combat situation in the Kursk region. Zelensky stated that in order to succeed in this year’s negotiations, Ukrainian soldiers must hold their frontline positions. Zelensky stated that Sersky also reported on the reform of the Ukrainian military’s organizational structure and other aspects. Zelensky stated that he has approved the plan for the transition of the Ukrainian armed forces to a new organizational structure and the formation of military level units.

On February 4th, according to the announcement released by the Trump administration on February 3rd local time, the “temporary protected status” of Venezuelan immigrants has been terminated. According to US media reports, there are over 300000 Venezuelan immigrants holding temporary protection status, whose status will expire in April and they may be deported in the coming months; In addition, the temporary protected status of approximately 250000 Venezuelan immigrants will expire in September. Previously, US President Trump stated that Venezuela has agreed to accept all illegal immigrants arrested in the United States.

On February 4th, Ontario Governor Doug Ford announced on social media that the province will ban American companies from bidding for government contracts in Ontario. He stated that Ontario will cease cooperation with Starlink, a US space exploration technology company. Previously, Ontario signed a contract worth CAD 100 million with Starlink.

On February 4th, Federal Reserve official Bostic stated that the expected nominal neutral interest rate is between 3% and 3.5%, and the time required to reach the neutral rate depends on economic development. Prepare to wait for a period of time before implementing a rate cut. The current uncertainty is intensifying, and we hope to remain cautious and avoid having to adjust policies after tilting in one direction.

On February 4th, the European Commission expects the available corn production in the EU for 2024/25 to be 5950 tons, up from 595 billion tons last month. It is expected that the EU’s corn imports for 2024/25 will be 19.5 million tons, compared to 19.5 million tons last month.