Norfolk Southern replaces CEO with CFO

Spanish Market: Agriculture, Biofuels, Chemicals, Coal, Coking coal, Crude oil, Fertilizers, Freight, LPG, Metals, Oil products, Petrochemicals, Petroleum coke
12/09/24

Eastern Class I railroad Norfolk Southern (NS) has appointed a new chief executive, replacing former executive Alan Shaw after determining he violated company policies by having a consensual relationship with the company's chief legal officer.

NS' board announced late Wednesday that it had promoted chief financial officer Mark George to replace Shaw. The board said Monday it was investigating Shaw for potential misconduct in actions not consistent with NS' code of ethics and policies, but did not provide details.

The railroad yesterday clarified that Shaw's departure was not related to the railroad's "performance, financial reporting and results of operations".

Instead, the board voted unanimously to terminate Shaw with cause, effective immediately, for violating policies by engaging in a consensual relationship chief legal officer Nabanita Nag. She was also dismissed by NS.

Shaw worked at NS for 30 years and was appointed chief executive in May 2021, following six years as chief marketing officer.

Earlier this year he led NS through a proxy fight with a group of activist investors that sought his replacement. The overall effort failed but the challengers secured three seats on the board. The investors had been displeased with the railroad's financial performance and "tone deaf response" to the February 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

New chief executive George had served as NS' chief financial officer since 2019. Prior to that, he held roles at several companies including United Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries.

"The board has full confidence in Mark and his ability to continue delivering on our commitments to shareholders and other stakeholders," NS chairman and former Canadian National chief executive Claude Mongeau said.

By Abby Caplan

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12/05/25

Saudi Aramco cuts dividend after fall in 1Q profit

Dubai, 12 May (Argus) — State-controlled Saudi Aramco has announced a sharp cut to its quarterly dividend after reporting a 5pc year-on-year decline in profit for the first three months of 2025. The company's profit fell to $26.01bn in January-March from $27.3bn in the same period last year after lower oil prices squeezed revenues. Aramco said its bottom line was also hit by higher operating costs. The company said it sold its crude for an average $76.30/bl in January-March, down from $83/bl the first quarter of 2024. "Global trade dynamics affected energy markets in the first quarter of 2025, with economic uncertainty impacting oil prices," Aramco's chief executive Amin Nasser said. The company said its overall dividend for the quarter will be $20.61bn, down from $31bn in the corresponding period in 2024. The steep drop is due to the performance-linked element of the dividend being slashed to just $219mn for the quarter, from $10.7bn a year earlier. Aramco already announced in March that it expected its dividends for the full year to fall to $85.4bn from $124.3bn in 2024. Despite the current economic uncertainty, Aramco's capital expenditure (capex) rose to $12.5bn for January-March from $10.83bn in the same period last year, although this puts investment broadly in line with the lower end of the full-year 2025 capex guidance of $52bn-58bn that the company announced in March. The aggressive capex programme will help drive growth plans for the downstream and new energies sides of Aramco's business, as well as fund the firm's strategy to maintain its maximum sustainable crude capacity at 12mn b/d and expand its gas output by 60pc by 2030 compared with 2021 levels. By Nader Itayim Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

India, Pakistan reach US-mediated, fragile ceasefire

11/05/25

India, Pakistan reach US-mediated, fragile ceasefire

Dubai, 11 May (Argus) — A US-mediated ceasefire reached on Saturday between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan is still holding, following four days of intense fighting. "After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," US president Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday. India and Pakistan will now start negotiations on a broad set of issues at a neutral site, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on social media platform X. India's military on 7 May launched attacks against targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in retaliation for an April terrorist attack that killed dozens. But by Saturday, the two countries seemed to be edging toward all-out war, as their militaries targeted each other's bases. India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar confirmed the ceasefire, saying on X that "India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so." Pakistan "responded positively to the ceasefire proposal for regional and global peace, and its people and I hope that dialogue will now be chosen for resolution of water and Kashmir disputes," Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a televised address. Trump also praised leaders of both countries for agreeing to halt the aggression and said he would "substantially" increase trade with them, although this was "not even discussed". Kashmir is a contested area between India and Pakistan, and the two have twice gone to a war over the region. Fear of the conflict spreading roiled global financial markets. India is the region's second-biggest oil buyer after China — importing around 4.5mn b/d last year — and a major customer for other commodities, including LNG and coal. Pakistan also imports fertilizers, coal, oil products and LNG. The escalation between the two severely limited direct trade between them. Airlines in the region as well as some Mideast Gulf carriers rerouted or cancelled flights to avoid Pakistani airspace. But the Pakistan Airports Authority said on Saturday that "Pakistan's airspace has been fully reopened for all types of flights." By Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Ford pauses production at Chicago plant

09/05/25

Ford pauses production at Chicago plant

Houston, 9 May (Argus) — Automaker Ford temporarily shut down production at its Chicago, Illinois, assembly plant following a supply chain disruption. The company said it moved a planned downtime week ahead of schedule and expects to resume production by 19 May. Congressman Frank Mrvan (D-Indiana) in a US House appropriations hearing on 7 May said the shutdown was due to a shortage of critical minerals needed to produce the company's braking systems. The company did not respond to the specific elements driving the shutdown. The plant manufactures the Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator. By Jenna Baer Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brazil's CSN expects flat steel, upside ahead

09/05/25

Brazil's CSN expects flat steel, upside ahead

Sao Paulo, 9 May (Argus) — Brazil's mining and steel firm CSN expects strong domestic demand to keep steel prices flat in 2025, with the potential for an uptrend in the coming months. Sales to the agricultural machinery and automotive industries should continue to trend upward , the company said. Civil construction sales have been solid and could tick up as the rainy season ends in Brazil. "Demand is good," executive director Luis Fernando Martinez said, adding that the firm will hold back price gains "to maintain profitability." The price of CSN's overall steel products increased by 5pc in the first quarter from a year earlier thanks to a 7pc increase in demand. Average steel prices hit a two-year high at R5,252 ($928)/metric tonne from R5,008/t a year earlier. Steel consumption has been climbing in Brazil and sales could have been stronger if not for growing competition from imports, the company said. Brazil's import penetration hit 27pc of the domestic market in the quarter, outstripping CSN's domestic market share. "I've never seen this in the [23 years] I've been in the company," Martinez said, calling the situation "unsustainable." Despite what he described as an inefficient tariff policy against imports, prices are expected to remain at current levels. Brazil implemented a 25pc tariff on 11 steel products from China in June 2024. The policy is set to expire by the end of May. Results Shipments reached 1.14mn t in the period, up 5pc from 1.08mn t a year earlier, driven by 8pc growth in domestic market sales. Slab production fell by 16pc to 812,000t because of a stoppage at the Rio de Janeiro-based Blast Furnace 2 in January. The company expects the asset to remain under maintenance for at least three more months. CSN produced 775,000t of flat-rolled steel in the quarter, 11pc less than a year prior. Long steel output increased by 12pc to 58,000t from a year earlier. The company registered a R732mn loss in the first quarter, 53pc higher than the R480mn loss a year before. By Isabel Filgueiras Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Iraq edging towards compliance under Opec+ pressure

09/05/25

Iraq edging towards compliance under Opec+ pressure

Dubai, 9 May (Argus) — Iraq managed to produce just below its formal Opec+ crude production target in April for the second month in a row, following intense pressure from other members of the group to improve on its historically poor compliance record. But the country still has much to do to compensate for past overproduction. Over the last 16 months, Iraq has been among the Opec+ group's most prolific quota-busters, alongside Kazakhstan and, to a lesser degree, Russia. Argus estimates the country's output averaged over 130,000 b/d above its 4mn b/d target last year. This non-compliance has strained unity within Opec+ and was the driving force behind the group's recent decision to unwind production cuts at a much faster pace than originally planned. Iraq has made some progress on improving compliance this year, reducing production by around 190,000 b/d in the first four months of 2025 compared with the same period last year, according to Argus assessments. Output stood at 3.94mn b/d in April, which was more than 70,000 b/d below Baghdad's formal 4.01mn b/d quota for the month. And in March, Iraq was 20,000 b/d below its then 4mn b/d quota. But this is far from mission accomplished. Along with other overproducers, Iraq has agreed a plan to compensate for exceeding formal quotas since the start of 2024, yet it has fallen short of its commitments in that regard. April's output was almost 50,000 b/d above its 3.89mn b/d effective quota for the month, taking into account the compensation plan. Iraq attributes its compliance issues to ongoing disagreements with the semi-autonomous Kurdish region over crude production levels. The oil ministry claims it lost oversight of the Kurdish region's production since the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP) was closed in March 2023. Despite the pipeline closure shutting Kurdish producers out of international export markets, Argus assesses current output in the Kurdistan region ranges between 250,000 b/d and 300,000 b/d, of which considerable volumes are smuggled into Iran and Turkey at hefty discounts to market prices. An understanding between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), when implemented, would see Kurdish production average 300,000 b/d, with 185,000 b/d shipped through the ITP and the rest directed to local refineries. Peer pressure Despite the challenges, it is hard to argue that Iraq is not heading in the right direction. Pressure from the Opec Secretariat and the Opec+ alliance's de-facto leader, Saudi Arabia, has pushed Baghdad to take some tough decisions to rein in production, which include cutting crude exports and limiting crude intake at domestic refineries. Kpler data show Iraqi crude exports, excluding the Kurdish region, fell to 3.34mn b/d in January-April from 3.42mn b/d a year earlier, while cuts to domestic refinery runs have prompted Baghdad to increase gasoil imports to ensure it has enough fuel for power generation. Fearing revenue constraints, Iraq is trying to persuade Opec+ to increase its output quota, motivated by a previous upward revision to the UAE's target. Baghdad's budget for 2022-25 includes plans to spend $153bn/yr. But this is based on a crude price assumption of $70/bl and projected oil exports of 3.5mn b/d, both of which now look out of date. By Bachar Halabi and James Keates Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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