IIR's September 2 Market Scorecard Brings You Breaking Geopolitical News

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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
Israel's Push for a Permanent Gaza Deal May Mean a Longer War, Experts Say		Even as Hamas recently said that it would agree to a phased deal, the Israeli government has switched gears, saying it wanted only a comprehensive deal that would free all the hostages and end the war. It is as unclear as ever how, or when, that might happen. At the same time, Israel said it would carry out a new, expansive campaign into Gaza City to root out Hamas militants. The military is poised this week to call up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers for its advance.	The New York Times	ExxonMobil, Venture Global, Record U.S. Oil Production: Your Daily Energy News
Putin says he reached 'understandings' with Trump over end of Ukraine war		Putin's latest comments come days after Russia launched its second biggest aerial attack on Ukraine in the war. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Putin faced a Monday deadline set by Trump to agree to peace talks with Zelenskyy. ..last Friday, Russia criticized Western proposals as "one-sided and clearly designed to contain Russia," adding that it turned Kyiv into a "strategic provocateur." Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has rejected proposals for a buffer zone with Russia as part of a peace deal.	BBC	Europe's LNG Imports from Russia Grow in First Six Months
Oil prices climb on Russia-Ukraine tensions and await OPEC meeting		Oil prices rose over 2% on Tuesday as expectations mounted that an escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would disrupt supply and the market speculated OPEC+ will not raise output at a meeting on Sunday. "Brent futures are trending towards the upside ahead of the OPEC+ decision and geopolitical concerns over direction of Russia's stake in the crude supply pool," independent analyst Gaurav Sharma said. Investors will monitor a meeting of eight members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies on September 7.	Reuters	EPA Exempts Small Refineries from Renewable Fuel Standards
European markets climb as UK-Norway warship deal lifts defense shares Asia markets close mixed as investors assess SCO summit, weigh tariff uncertainty		European stock markets kicked off the new month higher, as the defense and health-care sectors received a boost from corporate news. It's a quiet day on the data front in Europe, although Turkish growth data and EU unemployment figures will be released. Regional stock markets closed lower last Friday as traders monitored European and U.S. inflation data and assessed the likelihood of the U.S. Federal Reserve cutting interest rates at its next meeting in September. Asia-Pacific markets closed mixed as investors assessed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting of leaders in Tianjin, with tariff uncertainty weighing on sentiment. This comes after a U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ruled that most of President Donald Trump's global tariffs were illegal. Trump said Monday that India had offered to reduce its tariffs on U.S. imports to zero	CNBC	Europe, U.S. Confirm 15% Tariff for Pharma, Cars & Chips Data Centers' Need for T&D Fuels Blackstone's TXNM Acquisition
Natural Gas News: Weather-Driven Reversal Top Sends Futures Into Critical Retracement Zone		After surging to a three-week high of $3.065 on Monday, U.S. natural gas futures reversed sharply on Tuesday, falling back into a key technical support zone between $2.880 and $2.836. All eyes are now on this zone. A bounce from this area could attract aggressive buyers attempting to carve out a bullish secondary bottom. Weather remains a mixed factor. Atmospheric G2 forecasts early-autumn coolness over the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. through September 6, limiting demand for cooling. Meanwhile, the West Coast is expected to see above-normal temperatures.	FX Empire	Natural Gas-Fired Power Accounts for $5.5 Billion in Q4 Capital U.S. Project Kickoffs
China advances development bank to help 10 Eurasian countries curb U.S. dollar risks		President Xi Jinping raises urgency of a bank for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's members, as Washington wields "extraterritorial power with the dollar." A strong push on Monday to create a development bank serving 10 Eurasian countries, including China, would help insulate the group from increasingly risky U.S. dollar-dominated trade while accelerating key infrastructure work, according to analysts.	South China Morning Post	USGS Outlines List of Critical Minerals Prone to Supply Issues
Gulf Countries Respond to U.S. Trade Pressure With Trillion-Dollar Plans		Over the past decade, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, has advanced bold strategies to reshape its economies by reducing reliance on oil while developing new sectors like renewable energy, tourism, financial services and digital innovation. Charting a course toward long-term economic resilience, these nations have launched sweeping infrastructure projects and enacted reforms designed to attract foreign investment. And it has worked swimmingly, so far. These diversification efforts, coupled with the recent rollback of OPEC+ oil production cuts, are paying off, with the economies of the oil-rich monarchies thriving again. The World Bank has projected that the GCC economy will expand by 3.2% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026, a significant rebound after growing at an anemic 1.7% clip in 2024.	OilPrice	FERC Grants NextEra Waiver Clearing Way for Iowa Nuclear Plant Restart
Week 08/25/25 - 09/02/25		As Stateside one steps away from Labor Day, eyes and ears turn to the latest news by the Fed. Will they/won't they cut rates here in September. Latest signs point to "yes." Though this week, manufacturing and jobs releases - among other reports - could shift the tides back toward a "not likely." Meanwhile, Mr. Oil Market is rising with increasing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, while keeping an eye to the upcoming OPEC+ announcement. And, the economic markets are watching both the U.S. courts' recent tariff ruling(s), not to mention what is forthcoming from the SCO Tianjin Summit as Russia, China and India seem to "stand in solidarity" to U.S. trade pressure and other foreign affair stratagems.
*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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