Energy:
1. India has asked refiners to consider increasing purchases of US and Venezuelan crude oil.
2. Documents show that Kuwait lowered its March crude oil prices for shipments to Asia.
3. OPEC maintained its global oil demand growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027 at 1.38 million barrels per day and 1.34 million barrels per day, respectively.
4. Russia's Izvestia newspaper, citing the Russian Embassy in Cuba, reported that Russia is preparing to ship crude oil and fuel to Cuba.
5. US Energy Secretary Wright: Venezuela's oil, gas, and electricity production is expected to increase significantly this year; he plans to meet with Venezuelan oil producers.
6. US EIA crude oil inventories saw their largest increase since the week ending January 31, 2025, while domestic crude oil production saw its largest increase since the week ending January 26, 2024.
Metals and Mining:
1. Shanghai Futures Exchange: Adjusted the automatic conversion standards for hedging positions in silver.
2. Kenya joins the ranks of African countries increasing their gold reserves, planning to purchase gold to strengthen its buffer capacity.
3. The Central Bank of Serbia: As of the end of January, Serbia's gold reserves reached a record high of 53.08 tons.
4. The Democratic Republic of Congo's copper exports are projected to increase by nearly 10% in 2025, reaching 3.4 million tons (compared to 3.1 million tons the previous year).
5. Indonesia has reportedly demanded that the Vedda Bay nickel mine (the world's largest nickel mine) reduce its ore quota by 70%, to 10.12 million tons.
6. According to RIA Novosti: The Russian Ministry of Finance is expected to sell state-owned shares in the Uzhuralzoloto gold mine in March.
