Hainan Mining said Hainan Xingzhihai New Materials Co. produced 1,869 tonnes of lithium salts in July, setting a monthly production record.

Yemen's Houthi forces say their blockade of Saudi Arabia will continue and that their forces will intercept Saudi vessels wherever possible when conditions permit.

Since June, measures to attract overseas capital have brought in more than $40bn, bolstering the Reserve Bank of India’s foreign-exchange buffer, the RBI said. As of July 31, FCNR(B) deposits totalled $36.72bn; together with other overseas borrowings the sum is about $41bn. The RBI conducted roughly $7bn of FX sales on July 24 to defend the rupee, its largest direct intervention in months. Middle East tensions had pushed oil above $100/bbl and pressured the rupee; oil has since eased to around $90/bbl. The RBI governor said this week that recent rupee weakness reflects geopolitical tensions, dollar strength and EM volatility, not a deterioration in India’s economic fundamentals.