19 گھنٹے پہلے
Anthropic’s pre-IPO valuation tops $2 trillion in secondary trading as investors await S-1
Anthropic’s pre-IPO secondary-market valuation has climbed above $2 trillion, more than doubling from the $965 billion valuation set in its latest $65 billion Series H round that closed at the end of May. The company’s annualised revenue run rate had surpassed $65 billion by the end of July. Investors are now waiting for Anthropic’s S-1 registration statement to be made public.
19 گھنٹے پہلے
8-20
Europe scrambles to refill gas storage as LNG cargoes shift to Asia, putting 90% target out of reach
Europe’s gas stocks are unusually low, with storage only 5% full at the end of July, 12 percentage points below last year and 16 percentage points under the five-year average. The EU has loosened its refill requirements to as low as 75%, but a tightening supply outlook tied to the war against Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is complicating efforts. At the same time, more U.S. LNG cargoes are flowing to Asia, leaving the bloc’s 90% storage target effectively unattainable, according to Montel.
8-20
8-19
Wars and heatwaves seen lifting bread and pasta costs as food prices forecast to rise 11.8% in 2026
Oxford Economics forecasts global food prices will rise 11.8% in 2026, with grains, fruit and vegetables, and dairy expected to be hit hardest. After Europe’s heatwave, cereals trade group Coceral cut its combined EU27 and UK grain harvest forecast to 286.6 million tonnes. Germany’s Farmers’ Association has warned the country’s grain output is expected to fall 7% to 41.9 million tonnes after drought and heatwaves.
8-19
7-31
BP launches sale process for its UK North Sea oil and gas business
BP said it has begun marketing its entire oil and gas business in the UK North Sea, a portfolio of five production hubs employing about 1,100 people. In 2025, the assets produced around 117,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, or about 5% of BP’s global oil and gas output. The company said it is seeking to focus capital on higher-value opportunities and believes the business would be better positioned under another owner. Any deal would be subject to regulatory approval and is expected to complete by the end of 2026.
7-31
7-28
Wind, solar and heat pumps could cut EU gas demand about 25% by 2030, IEEFA says
Faster deployment of wind, solar and heat pumps allowed the EU to replace 8.8 billion cubic meters of LNG in 2024, around two-thirds of its Qatari LNG imports that year, a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said. If the bloc meets its existing rollout plans over the next five years—adding 4 million heat pumps, 75GW of solar and 22GW of wind each year—gas demand could fall by around 25% by 2030. The report said the shift would sharply reduce reliance on LNG imports. It added that the trend creates structural downside pressure on gas- and LNG-linked commodity assets.
7-28
6-24
KNDS maps out Paris-Frankfurt IPO that could value the tank maker at up to €15bn
KNDS, Europe’s largest land-warfare equipment manufacturer, has launched a dual listing in Paris and Frankfurt that would value the group at €12bn–€15bn. Germany is set to take a 40% stake, while France is expected to cut its holding to 40%, leaving 20% to be floated. The move strengthens KNDS’s position as a core rival to Rheinmetall. Germany’s decision to cancel the Rheinmetall-led F126 frigate programme in favour of TKMS, alongside criticism from the Monopolies Commission over concentrated defence procurement, has fuelled market concerns about the durability of its orders and margins.
6-24
6-19
Planet A Foods bets on sunflower-seed chocolate alternative ChoViva amid 2024–2025 cocoa crisis
German startup Planet A Foods has launched ChoViva, a chocolate alternative made from sunflower seeds, which has been adopted by multiple mid-sized and large European chocolate manufacturers. The company says ChoViva carries a 73.6% lower carbon footprint than conventional chocolate and does not rely on cocoa beans. The article links the industry’s push toward alternative ingredients to the cocoa crisis spanning 2024–2025 and projections that around 2050, 50% of global cocoa supply could be lost. Planet A Foods produces 10,000 tonnes of ChoViva a year, with partners including manufacturers in Switzerland, Belgium and France’s Abtey.
6-19