
Warren Buffett in Le Monde: From prosaic investor to finance guru
Fans of the stock market, balance sheets and American success stories are in mourning: Star investor Warren Buffett, the world's fifth-richest man, announced on May 3 that he will leave his group, Berkshire Hathaway, at the end of 2025. The company's market capitalization exceeds $1 trillion on Wall Street. This comes as a well-deserved retirement at 94 for a man celebrated for the efficiency of his investments – Coca-Cola, Bank of America, Chevron – his philanthropic actions and his reassuring profile as an old-school capitalist in a world plagued by the chaos sown by Donald Trump and his tech allies.
The first time Buffett appeared in Le Monde was following his foray in the rather prosaic field of razors. Gillette, the American giant of "the best a man can get," was in crisis, battered by repeated hostile takeovers. The company, forced to find fresh capital, sold 11% of its shares to Buffett. "In exchange, this investor, who claims to be making a long-term commitment to Gillette, joined the board of directors," wrote Serge Marti on March 2, 1990. No one would come to regret this.

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France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Iran says no nuclear deal if deprived of 'peaceful activities'
Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention between the foes in talks to seal a nuclear deal, ongoing since April, with Iran defending what it says is its pursuit of a civil nuclear programme but with the US side calling it a "red line". Speaking in Cairo, where he met the UN nuclear watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "If the goal is to deprive Iran of its peaceful activities, then certainly no agreement will be reached." Araghchi insisted that Iran has "nothing to hide" on its nuclear programme. "Iran has a peaceful nuclear programme... we are prepared to provide this assurance to any party or entity," he said. The remarks came after Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday called for more transparency from Iran following a leaked report that showed Tehran had stepped up uranium enrichment. 'Full explanation of activities' The IAEA report showed that Iran has ramped up production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent -- close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons. "There is a need for more transparency -- this is very, very clear -- in Iran, and nothing will bring us to this confidence (besides) full explanations of a number of activities," Grossi said ahead of meeting Araghchi. Grossi added that some of the report's findings "may be uncomfortable for some, and we are... used to being criticised". Iran has rejected the report, warning it would retaliate if European powers that have threatened to reimpose nuclear sanctions "exploit" it. "Some countries are trying to abuse this agency to pave the way for escalation with Iran. I hope that this agency does not fall into this trap," Araghchi said of the IAEA. Iran meanwhile pushed for the United States to drop sanctions that have crippled its economy as a condition for a nuclear agreement with President Donald Trump's administration. Araghchi said on Saturday that he had received "elements" of a US proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman. 'With or without a deal' Both Araghchi and Grossi met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who praised the US-Iran talks and called for "de-escalation in order to prevent a slide into a full-fledged regional war". On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference: "We want to guarantee that the sanctions are effectively lifted." "So far, the American side has not wanted to clarify this issue," he said. The US envoy in the nuclear talks said last month that Trump's administration would oppose any Iranian enrichment. "An enrichment programme can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That's our red line. No enrichment," Steve Witkoff told Breitbart News. Following a phone call with Witkoff the day before about the ongoing nuclear talks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged a peaceful solution and a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East, saying in Monday's press conference that "the region is already experiencing enough problems and crises". He warned that military confrontation would create "a state of chaos from which no one will be spared". Iran has vowed to keep enriching uranium "with or without a deal" on its nuclear programme. The United States has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal that the White House called "acceptable" and in Tehran's "best interest" to accept, US media reported on Saturday. The New York Times, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic exchanges, said the proposal calls on Iran to stop all enrichment and suggests creating a regional grouping to produce nuclear power. Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.


France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
OPEC+ announces sharp increase in July oil production
They will produce an additional 411,000 barrels a day -- the same target set for May and then June -- according to a statement, which is more than three times greater than the group had previously planned. In recent years the 22-nation group had agreed to daily reductions of 2.2 million barrels with the aim of boosting prices. But in early 2025, leading members of the group known as the "Voluntary Eight", or V8, decided on the gradual output increase and subsequently began to accelerate the pace. The moves have resulted in oil prices plummeting to around $60 per barrel, the lowest level in four years. Trump pressure OPEC+ "struck three times: (the output target for) May was a warning, June a confirmation and July a warning shot", Rystad Energy analyst Jorge Leon told AFP. "The scale of the production increase reflects more than just internal supply dynamics," he said. "This is a strategic adjustment with geopolitical aims: Saudi Arabia seems to be bowing to Donald Trump's requests." Shortly after taking office, the US president called on Riyadh to ramp up production in order to bring down oil prices, meaning cheaper prices at the pump for American consumers. Saturday's decision comes after a meeting of all OPEC ministers on Wednesday, where the alliance's collective production policy was reaffirmed. The decision is officially justified by "healthy market fundamentals" covering oil reserves and structural demand growth during coming months. Riyadh 'angry' But markets have met this view with scepticism amid concerns about demand and a trade war launched by the United States. Analysts see several possible motivations for the production hikes, one of them being Saudi Arabia and others penalising members for not keeping to their quotas under the cuts first agreed in 2022. The increase is all the more likely due to "the latest statements of Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov, who has apparently already informed OPEC that his country will not reduce production," said Thu Lan Nguyen, an analyst at Commerzbank. "Saudi Arabia is angry with Kazakhstan", which is seen as one of the main laggards, and which "produced 300,000 barrels per day more than its quota," said Bjarne Schieldrop, an analyst at SEB. Analysts meanwhile do not foresee a plunge in oil prices when markets open Monday as the announcement was largely anticipated, instead resulting in a "moderate" reaction. On Friday, the benchmark Brent crude futures price had settled at $62.61 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was at $60.79.


Euronews
3 days ago
- Euronews
Trump announces 50% increase in steel and aluminium tariffs
Donald Trump announced on Friday at a rally in front of Pennsylvania steel workers that he will double tariffs on steel imports to 50 per cent, a move that could exacerbate the ongoing trade war with the EU, China and the rest of the world. The US president said that doubling taxes on imported steel would "further strengthen the steel industry in the United States". In a post, published later on his Truth Social platform, the US president added that duties on aluminium will also increase from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. Trump said both increases will come into effect on Wednesday, 4 June. The announcement comes after confusing days during which the judiciary gave opposing rulings on Trump's customs policy, first blocking it with a decision by the US Court of International Trade and finally giving it the green light again, pending a new decision by a federal appeals court. Trump spoke on Friday at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works-Irvin plant on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he also discussed details of a deal being finalised for investment by Japan's Nippon Steel in the iconic American steel mill. Trump clarified to reporters after his return to Washington, however, that he has yet to approve the deal. "I have to approve the final agreement with Nippon and we haven't seen the final agreement yet, but they've made a very big commitment and it's a very big investment," he said. Although Trump initially promised to block the Japanese steelmaker's bid to buy U.S. Steel, he changed course and last week announced an agreement for a partial sale to Nippon Steel. The Japanese company never claimed to have changed its previous offer to buy and fully control U.S. Steel, for $14.9 billion, although it did increase the amount it promised to invest in American plants and guaranteed it would not lay anyone off. "We are here today to celebrate anextraordinary deal that will ensure that this historic American company will remain an American company," Trump said during a rally at one of U.S. Steel's warehouses, "you will remain an American company, you know that, right?" The United Steelworkers union said it was very concerned "about the impact this merger of U.S. Steel with a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members, and the communities where we live and work." According to the government's producer price index, steel prices have risen 16 per cent since Trump became president in mid-January. As of March 2025, steel cost $984 per metric tonne in the US, far more than the price in Europe ($690) or China ($392), according to the US Department of Commerce. Among the partners most affected by the possible increase in duties on these materials are the EU, which had just obtained a July postponement of the increase in general duties on exports to the US, and Canada. "Dismantling efficient, competitive, and reliable cross-border supply chains like we have in steel and aluminium comes at a high cost to both countries," Candace Laing, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce commented. Last year, the US produced about three times as much steel as it imported, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea as the main sources of imports. Analysts have credited the duties dating back to Trump's first term with helping to strengthen the domestic steel industry. The fate of U.S. Steel, once the world's largest steel company, could weigh in the midterm elections for the Republican Party in the always decisive state of Pennsylvania and others that depend on manufacturing.