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By Jonathan Saul

LONDON (Reuters) – A cargo ship abandoned four days ago in the Gulf of Aden after it was hit by missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis is still floating despite taking in water, and could be towed to nearby Djibouti, industry sources said on Wednesday.

Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks.

The crew of the Belize-flagged Rubymar abandoned the vessel after it was hit on Sunday, and were rescued by another commercial ship.

The vessel was taking in water and its operators were exploring options, the vessel’s maritime security company LSS-SAPU told Reuters on Monday. The vessel’s UK registered company and Lebanese based ship manager could not be located for further comment on Wednesday.

A maritime advisory warned ships in the area to avoid the abandoned vessel.

A U.S. defense official said on Tuesday that the vessel had not sunk.

Two shipping and insurance sources said towing the vessel to Djibouti appeared to be the best course of action.

“Djibouti is the only immediate option where some repairs or recovery would be feasible,” one of the sources said. “It is too risky for a ship in that condition to be towed too far or in more open waters.”

The vessel last reported its position over two days ago, and was headed to the Bulgarian port of Varna, according to data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic.

Insurance sources said they could not determine who had insured the vessel, which appeared not to be covered through the London marine insurance market.

A Djibouti port spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Djibouti Ports & Free Zones Authority said on Feb 19 in a statement on X that its Port Authority completed the safe repatriation of the Rubymar’s 24 crew members – 11 Syrians, six Egyptians, three Indian nationals, and four Filipinos – who were brought to the Djibouti area by the rescue vessel.

“The vessel has on board 21,999 MT (metric tonnes) of fertilizer IMDG class 5.1, very dangerous,” the Authority said, adding the ship’s AIS transponder was switched off and it did not know the coordinates of the vessel.

Despite retaliatory Western attacks on them in Yemen, the Houthis have vowed to continue striking ships they say are linked to Israel, in solidarity with Palestinians until Israeli forces stop their war in the Gaza Strip.

So far, no ships attacked have been sunk or any crew killed but there are growing safety fears.

The UKMTO British navy agency said on Tuesday it had received reports of an explosion and a flash sighted in the southern Red Sea 40 nautical miles west of the Yemen’s northern Hodeidah port, which is located in an area controlled by the Houthis.

“Vessels and crew in the vicinity are reported safe,” UKMTO said. “Vessels are advised to transit with caution.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Additional reporting by Aaron Ross in Nairobi; Editing by Peter Graff)

By Manas Mishra and Amruta Khandekar

(Reuters) -Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance fell 3% on Wednesday after the U.S. pharmacy chain operator lost its spot on the Dow Jones Industrial Average to Amazon, marking an end to a short stint for the blue-chip index’s worst performer of 2023.

The replacement comes less than two months after Walgreens nearly halved its dividend payout to conserve cash as it sought to win back market share from rivals and expand beyond its pharmacies.

The move “is not the first time by a long shot that the index has moved away from a company that has lost its luster, to a company with perceived greater prospects by investors”, said Rick Meckler, partner at Cherry Lane Investments, in New Jersey.

Adding Amazon gives the Dow a higher expected return and adds volatility as the stock is likely to have greater price movement than Walgreens, he said.

The switch was prompted by Walmart’s decision to split its shares, which would reduce the retailer’s weightage on the index.

The Dow is weighted based on the share prices of its components, not on each company’s overall market value.

Walgreens joined the Dow in 2018, replacing industrial conglomerate General Electric. Since then, the stock has lost about 65% of its value.

Walgreens has appointed new top executives, shuttered unprofitable stores and unveiled the dividend cut in January as it deals with low consumer spending, a drop in COVID-19 product sales and a slow ramp-up of its nascent healthcare unit.

Shares of Walgreens trade at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 6.54, compared with 9 for larger rival CVS Health. They fell 2.9% to $21.71 in premarket trading.

S&P Dow Jones indices said on Tuesday that adding Amazon would increase consumer retail exposure, reflecting “the evolving nature of the American economy”. The change is effective next week.

Amazon’s shares rose marginally to $168.14 before the bell.

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)

By Noel Randewich and Caroline Valetkevitch

(Reuters) -Amazon is set to join the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Walgreens Boots Alliance effective next week, S&P Dow Jones Indices said on Tuesday.

Shares of Amazon rose 1.3% in extended trade after the announcement, while Walgreens dipped 3%.

Adding Amazon will increase consumer retail exposure as well as other areas in the Dow, and the move was prompted by Walmart’s decision to split its stock, S&P Dow Jones Indices said in a news release.

The Dow, which debuted in 1896, is widely followed by retail investors, making it an important reflection of the U.S. stock market. Institutional investors more frequently benchmark their performance against the S&P 500.

As well as dominating online retail, the Seattle company is a major player in cloud computing, entertainment and other industries.

“Amazon is almost a hybrid name. It’s one of the names that falls into different categories. It in many ways exemplifies what the Dow stands for in terms of representing commerce across the United States,” said Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist at LPL Financial in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The change takes effect at the open of trading on Monday.

Walmart will remain part of the Dow, although its upcoming three-for-one stock split, effective after market close on Friday, will reduce that retailer’s weight in the index.

The Dow is weighted based on the share prices of its components, not on each company’s overall market value.

Additionally, Uber Technologies will join the Dow Jones Transportation Average, replacing JetBlue Airways Corp, giving that index exposure to the ride-hailing industry, S&P Dow Jones Indices said.

Amazon’s addition to the Dow is the first since 2020, when Salesforce, Amgen and Honeywell International replaced Exxon Mobil, Pfizer and Raytheon Technologies.

Walgreens joined the Dow in 2018, replacing General Electric.

(Reporting by Noel Randewih in Oakland, Calif, Caroline Valetkevitch in New York and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai and Christopher Cushing)

(Reuters) -Chesapeake Energy beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday as the U.S. natural gas producer tackled weak commodity prices with lower operating expenses.

Chesapeake shares fell about 2% in aftermarket trading as the company forecast a 20% drop in spending on baseline production this year. Its fourth-quarter shareholder returns also fell sharply versus earlier quarters.

Share buybacks and dividends totaled about $117 million in the final quarter, down from an average of $242.6 million per quarter in the first nine months.

The Oklahoma-based company reported fourth-quarter output fell to 3.43 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe) per day, from 4.05 bcfe per day the previous year. Its capital spending plan will fund about 2.7 bcfe per day in volumes this year, the company said.

Average natural gas prices dipped over 50% in the fourth quarter compared with last year, and have fallen to a three-and-one-half year low this month.

“We continue to show the resilience of this organization and assets in the midst of lower commodity prices,” said CEO Nick Dell’Osso said in the earnings release.

Adjusted profit was $1.31 per share for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with analysts’ average estimate of 73 cents per share, according to LSEG data.

The business generated $470 million in operating cash flow in the quarter, down from $1.05 billion in the year ago period.

Chesapeake said in January it had agreed to buy rival Southwestern Energy in an all-stock deal valued at $7.4 billion, making it the largest independent U.S. natural gas producer.

(Reporting by Saikeerthi in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Gary McWilliams in Houston; Editing by Pooja Desai and Stephen Coates)

(Reuters) -Chesapeake Energy beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday as the U.S. natural gas producer tackled weak commodity prices with lower operating expenses.

Chesapeake shares fell about 2% in aftermarket trading as the company forecast a 20% drop in spending on baseline production this year. Its fourth-quarter shareholder returns also fell sharply versus earlier quarters.

Share buybacks and dividends totaled about $117 million in the final quarter, down from an average of $242.6 million per quarter in the first nine months.

The Oklahoma-based company reported fourth-quarter output fell to 3.43 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe) per day, from 4.05 bcfe per day the previous year. Its capital spending plan will fund about 2.7 bcfe per day in volumes this year, the company said.

Average natural gas prices dipped over 50% in the fourth quarter compared with last year, and have fallen to a three-and-one-half year low this month.

“We continue to show the resilience of this organization and assets in the midst of lower commodity prices,” said CEO Nick Dell’Osso said in the earnings release.

Adjusted profit was $1.31 per share for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with analysts’ average estimate of 73 cents per share, according to LSEG data.

The business generated $470 million in operating cash flow in the quarter, down from $1.05 billion in the year ago period.

Chesapeake said in January it had agreed to buy rival Southwestern Energy in an all-stock deal valued at $7.4 billion, making it the largest independent U.S. natural gas producer.

(Reporting by Saikeerthi in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Gary McWilliams in Houston; Editing by Pooja Desai and Stephen Coates)

(Reuters) -Chesapeake Energy beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday as the natural gas producer saw a steep decline in its operating expenses.

However, shares were down about 3% in aftermarket trading as the firm reported a fall in its fourth-quarter production.

The company, which is based out of Oklahoma, said fourth-quarter production fell to 3.43 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe) per day, from 4.05 bcfe per day the previous year.

Average natural gas prices dipped over 50% in the fourth quarter compared with last year, after demand was pressured by milder-than-expected weather.

Prices also eased from sky-high levels in 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine boosted demand for U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Adjusted profit was $1.31 per share for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with analysts’ average estimate of 73 cents per share, according to LSEG data.

Chesapeake said in January it had agreed to buy smaller rival Southwestern Energy in an all-stock deal valued at $7.4 billion, making it the largest independent U.S. natural gas producer.

(Reporting by Saikeerthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)

By Herbert Lash and Alun John

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -The dollar eased and a gauge of global stock performance fell on Tuesday as fading optimism that central banks will soon cut interest rates dampened sentiment, leaving key pan-European and Japanese stock indices just below their all-time highs.

Europe’s broad STOXX 600 benchmark and Japan’s Nikkei remain about 1% off their peaks, while a weeks-long rally on Wall Street stalled, despite stellar results from Walmart that lifted its shares to a record high.

Hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data last week pushed back expectations for an imminent start to the Federal Reserve’s easing cycle. A rate cut is now expected in June, according to a slim majority of economists polled by Reuters, who also flagged risk of a further delay in the first cut.

The call for further deflation has depended on below-trend economic growth, but the structural foundation for that outlook is wrong as there is little slack in the U.S. economy, said Phillip Colmar, global strategist at MRB Partners in New York.

“The whole Goldilocks soft-landing scenario was also wrong,” he said. “We like Goldilocks. But our experience is she doesn’t visit for very long and the risk to the Goldilocks scenario was that we weren’t going to have a soft landing with enough slack in the economy building up to bring down inflation.”

The dollar index, a measure of the U.S. currency against six others, fell 0.24%, while MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe shed 0.35%.

The STOXX 600 index closed down 0.10% as markets ignored European Central Bank data that showed the annual growth in negotiated wages across the euro area slowing to 4.5% in the fourth quarter last year, down from 4.7% in the prior period.

The ECB has pointed to wages as the biggest risk to its 1-1/2 year crusade against inflation. An ECB analysis of salary agreements indicates wage growth will remain high this year, while the number of companies that expect price increases is rising again, Commerzbank’s senior economist Marco Wagner said in a note.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq led losses on Wall Street as chipmaker Nvidia, which reports results after markets close on Wednesday, fell 4.4%. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.17%, the S&P 500 lost 0.60% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.92%. The response to the interest rate outlook from asset classes other than bonds has been muted so far, but U.S. economic growth compared to elsewhere will likely change the lock-step move for central bank expectations, said Marvin Loh, senior global macro strategist at State Street in Boston.

Since mid-January the market has reduced rate cut expectations by 60 basis points for the Fed, the same for the Bank of Canada, 37 basis points for the ECB and 57 basis points for the Bank of England, he said.

“This change in the U.S. rates market is an economy that is performing in a way that we’re not seeing in a lot of the other developed markets. Eventually you’re going have to start seeing more separation,” Loh said.

The two-year Treasury yield, which reflects interest rate expectations, fell 4.8 basis points to 4.608%, while the yield on the benchmark 10-year note was down 2.4 basis points at 4.271%.

Germany’s 10-year Bund yield, which moves inversely to its price, was down 0.7 basis points at 2.378%, while the euro was 0.29% higher at $1.0811.

Germany’s rate-sensitive two-year yield has risen about 40 bps year to date.

CHINESE RATE CUT

China’s five-year loan prime rate was lowered by 25 basis points to 3.95%, bigger than the five to 15 bp cuts forecast by economists. The one-year rate was left at 3.45%, helping blue chips to finish the day up 0.2%, after an earlier fall, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index to rise 0.6%. [.SS]

The yuan touched its lowest in three months in early trade before steadying at 7.1925. [CNY/]

The dollar weakened after China cut rates in a bid to prop up its struggling property market, raising hopes of additional stimulus that would boost global growth.

The yen gained but stayed below the 150.88 per dollar level reached last Monday, its weakest in 11 weeks, as investors focus on whether renewed weakness in the Japanese currency is likely to prompt intervention.

Oil prices fell more than 1%, with worries about global demand offsetting price support from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Brent futures settled down $1.22 to $82.34a barrel. The six-month spread for Brent onTuesday was at its highest since October, a sign of a tightermarket.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for March delivery, which expires Tuesday, settled down $1.01 at $78.18 a barrel. The more actively traded April WTI contract settled down $1.30 at $77.04 a barrel.

Gold prices climbed to their highest level in more than a week as the dollar retreated.

U.S. gold futures settled 0.8% higher at$2,039.80 an ounce.

(Reporting by Herbert Lash; additional reporting by Alun John in London, Tom Westbrook in Singaoor; editing by Ros Russell, Chizu Nomiyama, Chris Reese and Deepa Babington)

By Laura Sanicola

(Reuters) -Oil prices settled lower on Tuesday, with worries about global demand offsetting price support from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Brent futures settled down $1.22, or 1.5%, to $82.34 a barrel. The six-month spread for Brent on Tuesday was at its highest since October, a sign of a tighter market.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for March delivery <CLc1>, which expires Tuesday, settled down $1.01, or 1.3%, to $78.18 a barrel. The more actively traded April WTI contract settled down $1.30, or 1.4%, to $77.04 a barrel.

There was no settlement for WTI on Monday due to a U.S. public holiday.

The premium for prompt U.S. crude futures to the second-month contract more than doubled, hitting a high of $1.71 a barrel – its widest in roughly four months. This encourages energy companies to sell now rather than paying to store product for future months.

Crude markets were “marginally lower” in “quiet trading over the Presidents’ Day holiday in the U.S. and as demand concerns offset ongoing Middle Eastern geopolitical tensions,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.

The U.S again vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, blocking a demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as it instead pushes the 15-member body to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas. The U.N. has warned an assault “could lead to a slaughter.”

Shipping has suffered as Iran-aligned Houthis, in support of Palestinians, have increased attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. Drone and missile strikes have hit at least four vessels since Friday.

Despite the conflict in the Middle East, one of the world’s major oil-producing regions, investors appear more worried about flagging global demand.

China announced its biggest ever reduction in the benchmark mortgage rate, the largest since the reference rate was introduced in 2019 and far more than analysts had expected.

“The fact that the crude market hasn’t responded more positively shows you the depths of the oil demand problems in China,” said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

An International Energy Agency (IEA) report last week revised the 2024 oil demand growth forecast downward, to almost a million barrels a day less than producer group OPEC’s outlook.

The IEA estimated global oil demand will grow by 1.22 million barrels per day (bpd) this year. OPEC’s growth forecast is 2.25 million bpd.

The two disagree about the shift to renewable and cleaner energy. The IEA, which represents industrialized countries, predicts oil demand will peak by 2030 while OPEC expects oil use to keep rising for the next two decades.

U.S. oil refiners are running at weak levels due to seasonal maintenance and unplanned outages, but warmer winter weather may prompt refiners to ramp up rates, analysts said.

U.S. crude inventories were seen up last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed, while the rate of refinery utilization USOIRU=ECI was expected to increase 1.1 percentage point from 80.6% of total capacity in the previous week.

“A much larger increase should not be ruled out given this year’s weather uncertainties,” said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Illinois.

(Additional reporting by Paul Carsten in London and Colleen Howe in Beijing and Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Will Dunham, David Evans, Susan Fenton and David Gregorio)

BERLIN (Reuters) – Tesla’s ambitions to expand its German plant hit a roadblock when citizens voted against a motion to raze down trees and make way for the larger site, the mayor of Gruenheide said to Reuters on Tuesday.

While not binding, the vote is a further obstacle for the U.S. EV maker’s plans to double the site’s capacity to 100 gigawatt hours of battery production and 1 million cars per year, setting it up to dominate Europe’s EV market.

The plant’s current capacity is around 500,000 cars a year, but its production ramp-up has slowed. The carmaker produced 6,000 cars in a week for the first time in January, after hitting the milestone of 5,000 cars per week in March.

Citizens in Gruenheide voted against the motion on Tuesday to clear enough forest for the company to build extra logistical spaces like a train station and warehouses, leaving it to local authorities to decide how to proceed.

Tesla was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

By Savyata Mishra and Abigail Summerville

(Reuters) -Macy’s is facing a board challenge from Arkhouse Management after the investment firm nominated nine director candidates just weeks after the retailer rejected a go-private bid from Arkhouse and its partner Brigade Capital.

Arkhouse on Tuesday announced its nominees, including executives with retail, real estate and capital markets experience, to the department store’s 14-member board.

“The Board’s history of poor performance and continued refusal to engage constructively with our credible and motivated buyer group have led us to the decision to nominate a slate of highly qualified, independent directors to reconstitute Macy’s Board,” Arkhouse said in a statement.

Arkhouse said that it and its affiliates have an economic exposure of 4.4% to Macy’s.

The move comes after Macy’s announced on Jan. 22 it had rejected the $5.8 billion offer from Arkhouse and Brigade, on concerns over valuation, and that it was in talks with them for more information on deal financing.

Arkhouse said on Tuesday that it had provided additional financing details, including names of highly regarded equity partners – which have more than $75 billion in combined assets under management – for the 50% equity component of the transaction.

Macy’s, which owns Bloomingdale’s, is struggling with weak demand as customer cut back spending due to elevated inflation and high borrowing costs.

But the company beat market expectations for quarterly results in November on efforts to trim inventory and strong demand for its beauty products. Macy’s new CEO Tony Spring also just took the helm on Feb. 4 after leading Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury.

Macy’s signaled that it is prepared for a proxy fight. Since proxy contests can be expensive and time consuming many companies try to find ways to settle the fight before investors are asked to vote on who should sit on their board.

At the same time, some analysts think new blood could be helpful for the company.

“Macy’s parts could be worth more than the whole under fresh activist management and new direction with much value to be unlocked from the real estate it sits on,” said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors.

The company, famous for its annual Thanksgiving Day parade, said it would evaluate Arkhouse’s director candidates and that it was committed to “long-term value creation.”

Shares of the New York-based company, which is yet to decide on a date for its 2024 annual meeting, were down 1.4% on Tuesday. Shares are down around 7% in the last year.

(Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru and Abigail Summerville in New York; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Andrea Ricci)