United States President Donald Trump announced the trade deal with the United Kingdom on Thursday, calling it “full and comprehensive,” and the first in a series of major new agreements. “This should be a very big and exciting day for the United States of America and the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, confirming a press conference at the Oval Office at 10 a.m. local time. The leader praised the agreement as one that will “cement the relationship” between Washington and London, adding it was “a great honor” to have the United Kingdom as the first country featured in this new trade initiative. “Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow,” he exclaimed.
Oil Rebounds on Signs of US Output Decline
Oil climbed from the lowest closing price in four years on signs that production from the US may contract in the months ahead.
West Texas Intermediate advanced 3.4% to settle above $59 a barrel after tumbling more than 9% during the past six sessions. Diamondback Energy Inc., the largest independent producer in the Permian Basin, trimmed its full-year production forecast and said it expects US shale production will drop in the coming months.
Declining US crude output would help ease the global oversupply that’s expected to form this year as OPEC and its allies bring back production at a faster-than-expected pace. Diamondback projects onshore oil rigs across the US industry will drop by almost 10% by the end of this quarter, and Chief Executive Officer Travis Stice wrote that American output is “at a tipping point.”
Meanwhile, the US cut its forecast for domestic oil production this year in a report developed prior to a weekend supply decision from OPEC and its allies, signaling that the pullback in expectations for American output is set to continue.
Oil has plunged this year as OPEC+ boosts supplies and US President Donald Trump’s trade war weighs on the outlook for demand. The cartel agreed over the weekend to a further supply boost starting in June, with Saudi Arabia warning of additional increases if overproducing members don’t fall in line.
“Given that Saudi Arabia’s preferred oil price range is near $90, its tolerance for prices around the $50 mark appears to be reaching its limit,” said Razan Hilal, a market analyst at Forex.com. “However, regaining market share through supply cut unwinds — particularly against non-OPEC producers — could help offset those losses.”
Trump said he was willing to lower tariffs on China at some point because the levies are so high that the two countries have essentially stopped doing business with each other. He added that there were no imminent plans to speak with President Xi Jinping, who is in Russia this week to showcase ties with counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Elsewhere, Oman’s foreign minister said in a social media post that the US and Iran-backed Houthis have agreed to a ceasefire in the Red Sea following tit-for-tat airport attacks in Israel and Yemen. Neither side has since confirmed. The renewed tensions come ahead of a fourth round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran.
Global benchmark Brent recently dipped into oversold territory on the nine-day relative strength index and pierced its lower Bollinger Bands, pointing to a market that has fallen too quickly. Chinese markets also reopened after a holiday
Trump says will make ‘earth-shattering’ announcement
United States President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he would be making an “earth-shattering” announcement in a couple of days, insisting that it won’t have anything to do with trade. “It’s not about trade, it’s about something else, but it’s going to be a truly earth-shattering and positive development for the people of this country,” he said. Trump first teased the “as big as it gets” announcement during his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. This time, however, he made sure to dismiss any assumptions that the news would be trade-related. “That will take place sometime in the next few days,” Trump added without elaborating further.
NN{ always the showman. so stay tuned to Trumps daily presidential reality show update
China to cut bank reserve requirement ratio by 50 bps
The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced on Wednesday it would cut the amount of cash that commercial banks have to have on hand, known as the reserve requirement ratio (RRR), by 50 basis points from May 15. PBoC Governor Pan Gongsheng said the cut would result in long-term liquidity of about 1 trillion yuan ($138.56 billion) flowing into the financial market. The PBoC also announced it would trim the seven-day reverse repurchase rate to 1.4% from 1.5%, effective May 8. This will lead to a 10 basis point cut to the loan prime rate (LPR), Pan said. Additionally, a gradual lowering of the reserve ratio for auto finance firms will bring it down from 5% to 0%. He was speaking alongside officials from the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the China Securities Regulatory Commission. These officials announced that 300 billion yuan in new re-lending funds will be allocated to boost technological innovation and industrial upgrades. Furthermore a 500-billion-yuan relending tool form consumption and elderly care will be established.
NN: china made the wrong bet.
China cannot survive without the US market. their economy is already crumbling. layoffs are spreading like wild fire. the natives are restless and Chairman Li will soon be purged as they cave in to US demands. And he will be replaced by Chinese billionaire entrepreneur Swedish car brand Volvo. The company has also bought stakes in U.K. luxury sportscar maker Aston Martin and electric vehicle manufacturer Lotus Technology. And he is really really pissed at present China leadership over screwing up trade with the US. In China if you bet wrong you die.
EIA Weekly Petroleum Report
Weekly Petroleum Data for the week ending April 25, 2025
U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) decreased by 2.7 million barrels from the previous week. At 440.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil
inventories are about 6% below the five year average for this time of year. U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.1 million barrels per day during the week ending April 25, 2025, which was 189 thousand barrels per day more than the previous week’s average. Refineries operated at 88.6% of their operable capacity last week. Gasoline production decreased
last week, averaging 9.5 million barrels per day. Distillate fuel production was flat last week, averaging 4.6 million barrels per day. U.S. crude oil imports averaged 5.5 million barrels per day last week, decreased by 90 thousand barrels per day from the previous week. Over the past four weeks, crude oil imports averaged about 5.8 million barrels per day, 11% less than the same four-week period last year. Total motor gasoline imports (including both finished gasoline and gasoline blending components) last week averaged 581 thousand barrels per day, and distillate fuel imports averaged 99 thousand barrels
per day. Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 4 million barrels from last week and are about 4% below the five year average for this time of year. Finished gasoline and blending components inventories decreased last week. Distillate fuel inventories increased by 0.9 million barrels last week and are about 13% below the five year average for this time of year. Propane/propylene inventories increased
by 0.6 million barrels from last week and are 8% below the five year average for this time of year. Total commercial petroleum inventories increased by 4.2 million barrels last week.
Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged 19.7 million barrels a day, up by 0.3% from the same period last year. Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.9 million barrels a day, up by 3.2% from the same period last year. Distillate fuel
product supplied averaged 3.8 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, up by 10.3% from the same period last year. Jet fuel product supplied was up 11.9% compared with the same four
Supreme Court Lets Trump Oust Transgender Servicemembers
A divided US Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to start discharging thousands of transgender servicemembers, including people who have served openly for years. Over dissents from the three liberal justices, the court dealt a major blow to LGBTQ rights, pausing a lower court order that had put President Donald Trump’s new ban on hold during a legal fight. The court gave no explanation in its one-page order, which applies while the litigation continues. During Trump’s first term, the Supreme Court let an earlier transgender military ban take effect, but the president’s new policy goes further by calling for the expulsion of people who have already transitioned.
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The administration says courts should defer to Trump’s assessment that the presence of transgender people in the armed services undermines military effectiveness. Opponents say the administration has no evidence for that claim and say trans people have served with honor and distinction for years.
Trump issued his ban through a Jan. 27 executive order, which said expressing a “false” gender identity “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle” and “is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.” The challengers in the high court case included seven active-duty servicemembers and a man who says he wants to join the Marines. The group is led by Navy Commander Emily Shilling, who has flown more than 60 combat missions as a pilot. Shilling, who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq and is a Navy test pilot, says the military has spent more than $20 million training her. Shilling transitioned within the Navy starting in 2021, when President Joe Biden’s policy let transgender people serve openly in the armed forces. “An unprecedented degree of animus towards transgender people animates and permeates the ban,” the group told the Supreme Court. “It is based on the shocking proposition that transgender people do not exist.” US District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, said the administration hasn’t shown that the ban “is substantially related to achieving unit cohesion, good order, or discipline.” Settle said current and aspiring servicemembers probably would suffer multiple constitutional violations, including infringement of their rights to equal protection and free speech. The administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, US Solicitor General D. John Sauer, argued that Settle’s order forced the government to “maintain a policy that the department has found to be inconsistent with the best interests of the military services and with the interests of national security.” A San Francisco-based federal appeals court refused to issue a stay of Settle’s order, prompting the administration to turn to the nation’s highest court. The Supreme Court is separately deliberating over a major transgender-rights case involving state laws that ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery for those under 18.
nn: its high time to get the fagots out. let them be hair dressers drag queens and fashion designers…. not marines
Oman announces US-Houthi ceasefire deal……. Houthis deny they ‘capitulated,’ vow response
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi revealed Tuesday that negotiations succeeded in establishing a truce agreement between American forces and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
bullshit!!
“Following recent discussions and contacts conducted by the Sultanate of Oman with the United States and the relevant authorities in Sana’a, in the Republic of Yemen, with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides … The Sultanate of Oman expresses its gratitude to both parties for their constructive approach that led to this welcome outcome, and hopes that it will lead to further progress on many regional issues towards achieving justice, peace, and prosperity for all,” Albusaidi wrote on X.Earlier, President Donald Trump announced the US would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, saying that the Iran-aligned group had agreed to stop interrupting shipping lanes in the Middle East. The militia later debunked the allegations.
Houthis deny they ‘capitulated,’ vow response
Senior Houthi leader Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi dismissed on Tuesday US President Donald Trump’s “inaccurate” claims regarding the group’s surrender. “The support for Gaza continues, and the response is coming. Netanyahu must prepare his resignation, for his crimes are failed terrorism. The Yemeni people will not be intimidated by American and ‘israeli’ terrorism,” Al-Houthi added. Trump told reporters that Yemen’s militant group had “capitulated” to the US and pledged to halt vessel attacks. Previously, Israeli forces conducted coordinated strikes with the US on Yemeni targets, following Houthi missile launches at Israel’s main airport.
its time for the nut cutting
Oil jumps 2.5% amid geopolitical tensions
Crude oil prices rose by more than 2.5% on Tuesday, continuing to rebound from yesterday’s sharp decline caused by the OPEC+ decision to increase the output for a second consecutive month. The increase in oil futures also comes after Hamas announced it is no longer interested in truce talks with Israel due to the “hunger war” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for June’s settlements jumped by 2.92% at 5:37 am ET to go for $58.80 per barrel. Meanwhile, Brent for July’s deliveries climbed by 2.82% and sold for $61.93 per barrel at 5:39 am ET.
The prices of oil futures grew after Israel launched a counter-attack on various targets across Yemen in response to the Houthi movement striking the Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for June’s deliveries rose by 1.54% at 12:02 am ET to sell for $58.08 per barrel. A minute later, Brent for July’s settlements gained 1.56% to go for $61.19 per barrel.
Netanyahu confirms expansion of Gaza op….. Hamas is to stupid to realize Israel is about o slaughter the pigs… Hamas rejects new truce talks amid expanded Israeli offensive
JERUSALEM, May 5 (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday an expanded offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas would be “intensive” after his security cabinet approved plans that may include seizing the Gaza Strip and controlling aid.
However an Israeli defence official said the operation would not be launched before U.S. President Donald Trump concludes his visit next week to the Middle East. The decision, after weeks of faltering efforts to agree a ceasefire with Hamas, underlines the threat that a war heaping international pressure on Israel amid dwindling public support at home could continue with no end in sight.
A report by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, citing officials with knowledge of the details, said the new plan was gradual and would take months, with forces focusing first on one area of the battered enclave.
Netanyahu said in a video message the operation would be “intensive” and would see more Palestinians in Gaza moved “for their own safety”. He said Israeli troops would not follow previous tactics based on short raids by forces based outside Gaza. “The intention is the opposite,” he said, echoing comments from other Israeli officials who have said Israel would hold on to the ground it has seized. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Israel is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions, according to Axios, which also reported that he hopes for progress on a hostage and ceasefire deal before or during Trump’s visit. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli troops have already taken over an area amounting to around a third of Gaza, displacing the population and building watchtowers and surveillance posts on cleared ground the military has described as security zones, but the new plan would go further.
One Israeli official said the newly approved offensive would seize the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, move its civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’ hands.
The defence official said aid distribution, which has been handled by international aid groups and U.N. organizations, would be transferred to private companies and handed out in the southern area of Rafah once the offensive begins.
The Israeli military, which throughout the war has shown little appetite for occupying Gaza, declined to comment on the remarks by government officials and politicians.
Israel resumed its offensive in March after the collapse of a U.S.-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months. It has since imposed an aid blockade, drawing warnings from the UN that the 2.3 million population faces imminent famine. The defence official said Israel would hold on to security zones seized along the Gaza perimeter because they were vital for protecting Israeli communities around the enclave. But he said there was a “window of opportunity” for a ceasefire and hostage release deal during Trump’s visit.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation “Gideon Chariots” will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” he said.
Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi rejected what he called “pressure and blackmail”. “No deal except a comprehensive one, which includes a complete ceasefire, full withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and the release of all prisoners from both sides,” he said. Israel has yet to present a clear vision for post-war Gaza after a campaign that has displaced most of Gaza’s population and left it depending on aid supplies that have been dwindling rapidly since the blockade.
Ministers have said that aid distribution cannot be left to international organizations which it accuses of allowing Hamas to seize supplies intended for civilians.
Instead, officials have looked at plans for private contractors to handle distribution, through what the United Nations has described as Israeli hubs. The decision to expand the operation was immediately hailed by Israeli government hardliners who have long pressed for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip by Israel and a permanent displacement of the population, along the lines of the “Riviera” plans outlined by Trump in February.
“We are finally going to conquer Gaza. We are no longer afraid of the word ‘occupation’,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a pro-settler conference in an online discussion.
With Israel facing threats from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who on Sunday fired a missile that hit close to Ben Gurion Airport, an unstable Syria next door and a volatile situation in the occupied West Bank, the capacity for prolonged military operations also faces growing constraints.
Israel’s Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the military has already begun issuing tens of thousands of call-up orders for reservists.
Next Generation Solar Panels Are Revolutionizing Clean Energy…… CUT THE GRID CABLE
- Researchers and startups worldwide are developing advanced solar technologies, such as perovskite-silicon tandem cells and orb-shaped panels, to significantly enhance efficiency and energy production.
- Increased investment and attention are being directed towards next-generation solar models that promise to outperform traditional silicon panels and contribute to global climate goals.
- Innovations like transparent and flexible solar panels are being explored to integrate solar energy into urban environments and unconventional spaces, potentially transforming buildings into power sources.
I have created my own energy most all of my lifetime running on solar panels and generators. I do it because I like to be independent my First Solar institution installation of any size was in my house in Arkansas in the 1980s I build a wedge-shaped house with the solar panels facing to the south. I had both photovoltaic panels which is electric solar panels and heat solar panels. I use the indoor pool as a sink to store the heat energy from the solar panels.
nn: pod cast
CUT THE GRID CABLE
