Commodities
Electric car makers face higher costs as Congo eyes higher cobalt tax
The Democratic Republic of Congo has taken the first steps towards hiking taxes on cobalt exports by more than double, a move that could potentially increase the cost of a key material used in electric car batteries.
Reports say China may slow US Treasury purchases, trade tensions cited
Longer-term US Treasury yields jumped to near their 2017-highs following a report that Beijing might be looking to slow or stop its purchases of American government debt.
Soco International opts to impair $220m of charges from non-core African assets
Oil and gas exploration and production group Soco International, which had been in merger talks with Kuwait Energy for some time, announced on Wednesday that production from its Vietnamese operations remained in line with guidance.
US to loosen its nuclear weapons policy and develop low-yield bombs
Washington is planning on changing its nuclear weapons policy and developing more "usable" nuclear warheads for US on its Trident missiles.
Chinese consumer prices rise less than forecast in December
Chinese consumer prices fell short of forecasts in December alongside a drop in factory gate inflation in the Asian giant to a 13-month low, possibly opening the way up for looser central bank policy.