IIR's February 24 Market Scorecard Brings You Breaking Geopolitical News

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Stay current with the latest geopolitical events, and more importantly, instantly connect to how these events may impact you and your business strategies.

Event	MarCon*	IIR Comment	Outlet	IIR News
Gaza ceasefire once again in doubt as first phase nears end		(Several) incidents have shown how fragile the ceasefire process remains. They may also have contributed to the fact talks on the second phase - due to start earlier this month - have not yet got under way. Time is running out, with the first phase due to end in a week's time. Hamas has offered to release the remaining hostages due to be freed in the second phase in one go, but only if Israel pulls all its forces out of Gaza and there is a permanent end to the war. Israel has demanded the complete disarmament of Hamas, which it has so far rejected.	BBC	ConocoPhillips, U.S. Rig Count, Guyana Output: Your Daily Energy News
Three Years Into War in Ukraine, Trump Ushers in New World for Putin		After three years of grinding warfare and isolation by the West, a world of new possibilities has opened up for Mr. Putin with a change of power in Washington. Gone is Washington's united front against Russia with its European allies, many of whom have begun to wonder if the new American administration will protect them against a revanchist Moscow, or even keep troops in Europe at all.	The New York Times	European Grid Copes with Data Center Construction and 'Dark Doldrums'
Oil prices steady as traders await progress on push for Ukraine peace deal		Oil prices steadied on Monday as investors awaited clarity on talks to end the war in Ukraine and weighed up the prospect of a resumption in crude exports from northern Iraq. Both Brent and WTI dropped by more than $2 on Friday, registering weekly declines of 0.4% and 0.5% respectively. All eyes remain on efforts to end Russia's war on Ukraine, which enters its fourth year on Monday. Officials said on Sunday that European Union leaders will meet for an extraordinary summit on March 6 to discuss additional support for Ukraine and European security guarantees. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that he was willing to step down if it meant peace for his country.	Reuters	EIA: West Coast Renewable Diesel Production, Consumption on the Rise
German stocks higher after election as Europe stocks trade mixed Asia-Pacific markets mostly fall as U.S. data stokes fears of sticky inflation and slower growth Yen rises, dollar steady as traders assess tariff risk, policy outlook		Preliminary results showed the conservative Christian Democratic Union and the allied Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) secured the largest share of votes in the election on Sunday, with the alliance's candidate Friedrich Merz set to take over from Olaf Scholz as chancellor of Europe's largest economy. European markets were mixed on Monday as traders reacted to the results of the German federal election. Asia-Pacific markets mostly fell Monday after Wall Street logged its worst session of the year last Friday as U.S. economic data pointed to a slowing economy and sticky inflation. The yen firmed and the U.S. dollar held steady on Thursday as investors pondered what U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff agenda would mean for the global economy and how it could affect the interest rate outlook for major central banks.	CNBC	Constellation Advances Proposed Three Mile Island Restart
Natural Gas News: Futures Gap Lower-Is a Bearish Weather Forecast on the Way?		Bearish sentiment rises as traders react to potential changes in early March weather forecasts-support levels under pressure. Natural gas futures gap lower as speculative weather shift suggests milder conditions could impact March demand. Tight storage conditions remain supportive, but milder weather might reduce heating demand and limit upside potential. Market risks deepen as futures test $4.020 support-failure could trigger a move toward $3.733 and $3.341. Short-term forecast turns cautiously bearish as speculative weather data challenges last week's bullish momentum.	FX Empire	Winter Deals Latest Blow to U.S. Energy Sector
'It's possible, it's possible': Trump hints at new trade deal with China		Amid ongoing trade war with China, US President Donald Trump has said a fresh trade deal with China is 'possible', suggesting he may be open to easing tensions between Washington and Beijing, according to a report by Bloomberg. When asked if he would negotiate a new agreement with China, he told reporters on Wednesday, "It's possible, it's possible." However, he did not give details about what such a deal would include. According to the media report, Trump's comments, made during Asian trading hours, caused a slight rise in the Chinese yuan. The offshore yuan gained 0.2 per cent, while the onshore yuan rose 0.1 per cent. Chinese stocks also recovered some losses.	Business Standard	Argentina Rides the Lithium Wave
Where Will China's Clean Energy Boom Peak?		Last year, China's clean-energy technologies made up more than 10% of the country's economy for the first time ever, with sales and investments hitting 13.6tn yuan ($1.9tn), exceeding the real estate sector. China's renewable energy sales and investments dwarfed the global fossil fuel funding total of $1.12 trillion. China's installed capacity for renewable energy, including wind and solar, reached 1,410 gigawatts last year, surpassing coal. Last year, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that China's national underwriting for energy and other companies is creating oversupply and distorting global markets However, experts are now predicting that China will begin to lose its clean energy hegemony. According to S&P Global, China's dominance in renewable energy is set to wane amid a weak domestic economy, slow global demand, export barriers and overcapacity.	OilPrice	IEA: Global Electric Use to Rise Sharply Over Next Three Years
Week 02/17/25 - 02/24/25		The Eyes of the World are upon you this week, Russia and Israel, as many parties weigh whether peace will indeed be brokered in both Eastern Europe as well as the Middle East. Though the EuroZone has concerns with the nature of the peace talks and what its obligations will be going forward, this as power changes hands in its largest economy - Deutschland. In the Middle East, Israel and Hamas are supposed to come back to the table for the second phase of their recently brokered ceasefire - though significant doubts remain whether this will indeed happen. Mr. Commodity and Mrs. Economic Market has taken a wait and "see" approach to these proceedings.
*MarCon (Market Condition 1-5, with 5 being the highest impact) indicates directional bias or price effect for the relevant commodity (Oil, Natural Gas, Chemicals, etc.) and is graded by our team of experts here at IIR.

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