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Oil slips 1% after OPEC+ accelerates output hikes

Oil slips 1% after OPEC+ accelerates output hikes

Reuters8 hours ago
SINGAPORE, July 7 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped 1% at the start of trading on Monday after OPEC+ accelerated output hikes and raised concerns about oversupply.
Brent crude futures fell 67 cents, or 1%, to $67.63 a barrel by 2308 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $65.80, down $1.20, or 1.8%.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed on Saturday to raise production by 548,000 barrels per day in August, further accelerating output increases at its first meeting since oil prices jumped - and then retreated - following Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran.
The August increase represents a jump from monthly increases of 411,000 bpd OPEC+ had approved for May, June and July, and 138,000 bpd in April.
OPEC+ cited a steady global economic outlook and healthy market fundamentals, including low oil inventories, as reasons for releasing more oil.
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Thailand gets new tax measures; Malaysia sets up sandbox
Thailand gets new tax measures; Malaysia sets up sandbox

Coin Geek

time26 minutes ago

  • Coin Geek

Thailand gets new tax measures; Malaysia sets up sandbox

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... While most governments struggle with digital asset taxation, Thailand has approved a five-year tax exemption plan that the government says will boost innovation. In neighboring Malaysia, the government has launched a new regulatory sandbox for digital asset firms as the race to dominate the sector in Southeast Asia heats up. Thailand's tax exemption It's 'full speed ahead,' Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat stated on X as he announced the tax exemption plan. He revealed that the Cabinet had approved new tax measures to support Thailand's ambition to become a 'Digital Assets Hub.' 'The key point is the exemption of personal income tax on capital gains from the sale of digital assets, provided the transactions are conducted through operators regulated by the SEC, covering the period from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2029,' he stated. With the new exemption, the Thai government intends to promote transparent digital asset trading on regulated exchanges and support innovation, the deputy minister says. And while it will erase capital gains, the government expects the increased trading will increase mid-term tax revenue by at least THB1 billion ($30.6 million). 'The main goal of this legislation is to invigorate Thailand's crypto market, attract foreign investment, boost domestic spending, and potentially pave the way for other forms of taxation, such as Value Added Tax (VAT), in the future,' Amornvivat added. The $30 million in 'crypto' tax revenue would put Thailand at par with countries like Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, and Portugal, according to data from digital asset tax service provider Blockpit. These countries also have attractive taxation policies for the sector; Portugal, for instance, exempts taxation for private individuals who hold their digital assets for more than one year. Blockpit estimates that the United States collected $1.9 billion in 2023, six times higher than second-placed India at $303 million. Japan, France, and the United Kingdom make up the top five. Besides the exemption, the Thai tax agency has also pledged to comply with the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework designed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The global standard was launched in 2022 and requires exchanges, wallets, and brokers to report all transactions to prevent tax evasion. Over 50 nations signed the agreement in March this year. 'I firmly believe this is another significant step forward in enhancing our country's economic potential and an opportunity for Thai entrepreneurs to grow on the global stage,' the Deputy Minister concluded. Meanwhile, the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently launched a public consultation on the listing criteria for digital assets on local exchanges. The proposed criteria would expand the list of issuers and promote innovation, all while increasing safeguards for investors. Malaysia launches Digital Asset Innovation Hub In neighboring Malaysia, the government has launched a Digital Asset Innovation Hub to spur innovation in the blockchain sector. The hub was launched by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who described it as an initiative that will spark 'deeper collaboration between regulators and industry players,' reports The Business Times. The new hub provides a regulatory sandbox for both local and international virtual asset service providers (VASPs) to test their products and services before rolling them out to consumers. Top financial regulators, including Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission, will be part of the project to ensure the products adhere to regulations. 'Our ambition is clear—to align infrastructure, policy and talent, across both the public and private sectors, in pursuit of a digitally capable, future-ready Malaysia,' Ibrahim added. The premier identified stablecoins backed by the local ringgit, programmable payments, and supply chain financing as the priority areas for VASPs in the hub. Programmable payments, in particular, have been of interest to Malaysia for some time; the country's central bank digital currency (CBDC), which the central bank has been exploring for years, will support these payments. With the ringgit-backed stablecoin, Malaysia would join dozens of countries pushing for stablecoins backed by their local currencies as USD-backed options dominate the market with a 98% market share. The central bank has expressed its support for the hub, which Governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour says will enable Malaysia 'to build a strong foundation for an adaptive and resilient economy.' Watch | From BRICS to Blockchain: How Global Trade and Digital Currencies Are Evolving title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">

Asian shares are mostly down as Trump's tariff deadline looms and pressure steps up
Asian shares are mostly down as Trump's tariff deadline looms and pressure steps up

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

Asian shares are mostly down as Trump's tariff deadline looms and pressure steps up

Asian shares mostly fell Monday as the Trump administration stepped up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday tariff deadline, with plans for the United States to start sending letters warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1. Japan's Nikkei 225 shed 0.5% to 39,628.41 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 0.4% to 23,824.18. South Korea's KOSPI index edged down 0.1% to 3,053.55 while the Shanghai Composite Index slid 0.2% to 3,464.78. Australia's S&P ASX 200 fell 0.3% to 8,576. Oil prices also fell after OPEC+ agreed on Saturday to raise production in August by 548,000 barrels per day, accelerating output increases since oil prices jumped, then retreated, in the aftermath of Israel and U.S. attacks on Iran. U.S. benchmark crude was down 92 cents to $66.08 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, shed 96 cents to $67.65 per barrel. The futures for S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial average were both 0.4% down. 'We expect markets to be volatile into the 9-July deadline when the 90-day pause on President Trump's reciprocal tariffs expires for non-China trading partners,' the Nomura Group wrote in a commentary. It said the near-term outlook will likely hinge on several key factors like the extent to which trading partners are included in Trump letters, the rate of tariffs, and the effective date of such tariffs. A more distant implementation date might leave scope for some last-minute trade negotiations and maintain market optimism for potential resolutions or extensions, it added. 'With the July 9 tariff deadline fast approaching, all eyes are trained on Washington, scanning for signs of escalation or retreat. The path forward isn't clear, but the terrain is littered with risk," Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. On Thursday, a report showed the U.S. job market performed stronger than Wall Street expected. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and set an all-time high for the fourth time in five days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 344 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. In other dealings Monday, the U.S. dollar rose to 144.77 Japanese yen from 144.44 yen. The euro edged lower to $1.1772 from $1.1779.

Big tech rules, agriculture among issues in US trade talks with South Korea
Big tech rules, agriculture among issues in US trade talks with South Korea

Reuters

time2 hours ago

  • Reuters

Big tech rules, agriculture among issues in US trade talks with South Korea

SEOUL, July 7 (Reuters) - South Korea was one of the first countries to start U.S. trade talks when both sides agreed in April to craft a package aimed at removing tariffs, but it is now seeking an extension to the 90-day pause on 25% tariffs set to expire on July 9. Trade talks between South Korea and its second-biggest trading partner have so far focused mainly on non-tariff barriers, as the Asian country already imposes near-zero tariffs on U.S. imports under a free trade agreement, according to South Korean officials. Here is a list of some of the issues that have arisen around negotiations: South Korea's trade minister, Yeo Han-koo, has said the digital sector is one of the most important areas during the ongoing tariff negotiations. The government has a number of legislative proposals to regulate giant tech companies at home and abroad, which President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to enact to tackle abuses of market dominance and protect smaller companies. In a letter dated July 1, U.S. Congressman Adrian Smith and 42 colleagues wrote to U.S. trade negotiators that the legislation, which they said mirrors the European Union's "discriminatory Digital Markets Act," would disproportionately target American companies while exempting major Chinese digital giants such as ByteDance, Alibaba ( opens new tab and Temu. South Korea's ruling party is seeking to "slow down" antitrust legislation on tech giants, including U.S.-based Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab, Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Facebook (META.O), opens new tab and Korea's Naver ( opens new tab and Kakao ( opens new tab, in light of trade issues and its sensitivity, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-geun told Reuters on Monday. South Korea's requirements on content providers, such as Netflix (NFLX.O), opens new tab, to pay network usage fees and restrictions on the export of location-based data by Google and other suppliers were also mentioned in the U.S. foreign trade barriers report released in March. In 2016, South Korea rejected Google's request for permission to use detailed mapping data in servers outside the country, citing security issues with North Korea. Seoul is set to rule on Google's fresh request on location-based data on August 11. Apple has also reportedly made a similar request on maps. Washington is demanding better access to the agriculture, auto and digital sectors during ongoing negotiations, South Korea's trade minister said. South Korea, the world's biggest buyer of U.S. beef, restricts imports derived from animals older than 30 months, citing concerns over mad cow disease. The U.S. also has long made market access requests for other agricultural items, such as potatoes and apples. There is, however, domestic concern about opening up the market further, after earlier negotiations where Seoul agreed to lower beef tariffs to 0% by 2026 in a bilateral free trade pact in 2007. The trade ministry will emphasise the sensitivity of the agricultural sector at the negotiations, director Chang Sung-gil said at a public hearing on June 30, where farmers' groups attended to protest. South Korea's tariff of more than 500% on rice imports, which was highlighted by U.S. President Donald Trump in a speech, has not been raised during working-level discussions, according to a senior South Korean official. The issues of foreign exchange policy and cost sharing for some 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea are being discussed via separate finance and defence channels, officials have said. Trade officials have emphasised that industrial cooperation, particularly in the shipbuilding industry, will contribute to the revitalisation of the U.S. manufacturing sector and decrease U.S. trade deficits. Trade Minister Yeo said South Korea plays a leading role in artificial intelligence, chips, batteries, cars and semiconductors. While South Korea is considering more energy purchases, officials have expressed caution when it comes to participation in an Alaska gas project. Although South Korea has shown interest in the $44 billion LNG project in Alaska, the trade minister said the feasibility of the project was still not clear and the U.S. would only provide technical information later in the year.

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