Category: Flash News

On January 24th, TD Securities stated in a report that US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, including crude oil, which will prompt Gulf Coast refiners to seek alternative solutions. Refiners may seek to purchase heavy sulfur-containing crude oil from other sources, possibly from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The report states that it is important to remember that OPEC has approximately 5 million barrels per day of idle production capacity, mainly consisting of medium sulfur crude oil, which may help replenish any reduced Canadian crude oil.

On January 24th, the California State Legislature passed a fire rescue plan worth over $2.5 billion to address recent fires in the Los Angeles area. The funds for this plan will be used for emergency evacuation, resettlement of survivors, and cleaning up hazardous waste. In addition, the state government has approved $4 million to support local governments in simplifying the housing reconstruction approval process, and $1 million to fund the reconstruction of affected schools. The plan has received support from both parties and has now been submitted to California Governor Gavin Newson for signature.

On January 24th, the US Senate voted on January 23rd to confirm John Ratcliffe as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Ratcliffe worked as a lawyer in Texas before entering politics, holding positions such as mayor and federal prosecutor. He served as a member of Congress from January 2015 to May 2020.

On January 24th, US President Donald Trump criticized EU regulators for targeting Apple, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and Meta, stating that the EU’s accusations against US companies are “a form of taxation”. Whether you like it or not, these are American companies, “Trump said in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. They shouldn’t have done this. In my opinion, this is a form of taxation. We have great dissatisfaction with the EU, “Trump specifically mentioned that Apple lost a lawsuit involving a 13 billion euro Irish tax bill in the EU court last year. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg supported a landmark ruling in 2016, which ruled that Ireland had given Apple an unfair advantage and violated state aid laws. This statement marks the beginning of the expected conflict between Trump and the European Union over technology regulation. The European Union is conducting dozens of independent investigations, and Apple, Google, Meta, and Trump’s close friend Elon Musk’s X platform may all face billions of dollars in fines or even forced divestment orders.

On the evening of January 24th, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that in the past 24 hours, they have taken action in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement to combat threats against Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military stated that in multiple areas of the Gaza Strip, they detected some suspicious individuals moving towards them and subsequently fired dispersal rounds to make them retreat. In the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) forces spotted several armed individuals approaching the IDF forces suspiciously and immediately opened fire on them. In addition, the Israeli military also discovered a gunman inside the building and “fired to eliminate the threat”.

On January 24, the US Treasury Department issued US $20 billion 10-year inflation protected treasury bond bonds (TIPS). The bid winning yield was 2.243%, the highest since January 2009, and 1 basis point higher than the pre issuance transaction level at the bid deadline, indicating that the demand was slightly lower than expected. Primary traders were allocated 10.2%, lower than the previous allocation. The allocation ratio for direct bidders increased to 23.3%, while the allocation ratio for indirect bidders decreased to 66.5%. The bid multiple is reported as 2.48 times, with an average of 2.39 times in the first three rounds.

On January 24th, US federal judge John Kovnor ruled that President Trump’s executive order aimed at ending “birthright citizenship” is “clearly unconstitutional” and he has issued a temporary injunction to prevent the implementation of the policy. This ban is valid for 14 days for further review in the upcoming legal debate.

On January 24th, US President Donald Trump’s plan to rapidly sell more liquefied natural gas (LNG) globally may face difficulties due to limited supply capacity this year and Europe’s unwillingness to commit to signing long-term agreements. The problem is that natural gas cannot be found overnight, “said Philippe Ducom, President of ExxonMobil Europe, at the Handelsblatt Energy Conference in Berlin.” A large amount of new LNG production capacity will not be put into operation until 2026-2027. “ExxonMobil has four LNG projects under development and is expected to start debugging production facilities in the United States and Qatar before the end of this year. Other US export projects will also begin to increase production, but most of the new supply will not be put into operation until 2027. After losing most of Russia’s pipeline natural gas supply, Europe turned to LNG to fill the supply gap, leading to an increase in demand for LNG.

On January 24th, Hezbollah in Lebanon issued a statement stating that as the 60 day ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel is about to expire, Israel must completely withdraw its troops from Lebanon. The statement mentioned that some sources claimed that Israel would postpone its withdrawal and stay in Lebanon for a longer period of time. Hezbollah called on all parties to take effective action to ensure Israel’s full withdrawal and deployment of the Lebanese army to Lebanese territory in the last few days of the agreement’s expiration. The ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel came into effect on November 27, 2024. According to the agreement, Hezbollah and all Lebanese armed groups have pledged not to launch any attacks on Israel, and Israel will cease military strikes within Lebanese territory. The Israeli military will gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and the Lebanese army and domestic security forces will be authorized entities to carry weapons or deploy troops in southern Lebanon.

On January 24th, the White House issued a statement on January 23rd local time, stating that US President Trump had his first phone call with a foreign leader since taking office with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman on January 22nd. The two sides discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East, strengthen regional security, and combat terrorism. In addition, they also discussed Saudi Arabia’s international economic aspirations for the next four years, as well as trade and other opportunities. According to the Saudi news agency, Crown Prince Mohammed told Trump during a phone call that Saudi Arabia intends to expand its investment and trade with the United States over the next four years, investing $600 billion or more. The report did not specify in what form or in what areas Saudi Arabia intends to invest. The Associated Press analyzed that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has invested heavily in the US business and sports industries, and Saudi Arabia is also a major buyer of US military equipment.