Zelensky says no peace deal without Ukraine’s involvement
A day after President Trump said he would soon meet with Russian leader...
A day after President Trump said he would soon meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that the country will not accept any deal that’s negotiated without its participation. Trump suggested yesterday that Ukraine’s borders could be redrawn and its entry into NATO barred as part of the peace talks. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, seeking to stop Ukraine’s admission to NATO, challenging Ukraine’s legitimacy as a state, and making claims of territorial rights to Ukraine that were denounced by the West.
Apple teased a big product announcement. In a cryptic post on X, CEO Tim Cook revealed that the iPhone-maker will launch the “newest member of the family” on Feb. 19. Observers widely expect the mystery product to be a new version of its lower-end iPhone SE, with updates like a bigger screen and Face ID. It’s also likely to be the first Apple device with an in-house cellular modem chip, which replaced parts the company used to get from Qualcomm. Apple has made several other announcements this week, including the new Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds and the launch of Apple TV+ on Android.
The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Danielle Sassoon, resigned yesterday after refusing to carry out the Justice Department’s order to drop corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
Honda and Nissan’s $60 billion merger talks have fallen apart, the BBC reported, after the Japanese car manufacturers couldn’t agree on a way to combine their businesses.
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’s space company, is cutting 10% of its workforce, Bloomberg reported.
Nathan’s Famous, the hot dog brand best known for getting rammed down Joey Chestnut’s throat 80 at a time, is exploring a sale, according to the Financial Times.
Oil prices post back-to-back losses on prospect of Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Oil futures tallied back-to-back session losses on Thursday, a day after...
Oil futures tallied back-to-back session losses on Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump said that he and President Vladimir Putin of Russia had agreed to begin talks on ending the war in Ukraine, which helped to ease some concerns over supply risks.
West Texas Intermediate crude for March delivery edged down by 8 cents, or 0.1%, to settle at $71.29 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after losing 2.7% Wednesday.
April Brent crude the global benchmark, declined by 16 cents, or 0.2%, at $75.02 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe.
March gasoline added 1% to $2.11 a gallon, while March heating oil lost 0.1% to $2.45 a gallon.
Natural gas for March delivery settled at $3.63 per million British thermal units, up 1.8%.
S&P 500 ends shy of record as U.S. stocks climb after Trump's tariff update
U.S. stocks booked big gains on Thursday after President...
U.S. stocks booked big gains on Thursday after President Trump's awaited trade-war update included no deadline or concrete specifics on how "reciprocal tariffs" might be applied.
The Dow Jones closed about 342 points higher, or 0.8%, ending near 44,711, according to preliminary data. That was its best daily percentage gain since Jan. 23, according to FactSet.
The S&P 500 gained about 63 points, or 1%, ending around 6,115. That was slightly below its closing high at 6,118.71, set on Jan. 23, 2025.
The Nasdaq Composite rose about 295 points, or 1.5%, finishing around 19,945.
Aramco’s Motiva Expands Texas Refinery to Become Largest in US
Motiva Enterprises' Port Arthur, Texas, refinery has become America's...
Motiva Enterprises' Port Arthur, Texas, refinery has become America's largest fuel-making facility, now capable of processing 654,000 barrels of crude daily, surpassing plants owned by ExxonMobil and Marathon Petroleum. The Saudi Aramco-owned company achieved this expansion through process optimization rather than major construction, reflecting an industry trend where refiners favor incremental upgrades over large expansions amid declining fuel demand, while smaller refineries face increasing pressure to compete with these mega-facilities.
Motiva’s expansion comes alongside the closure of two other refineries: LyondellBasell Industries NV’s Houston plant and Phillips 66’s Los Angeles facility, both set to shutter this year.
Motiva ran more than 600,000 barrels of oil a day on average last year and 651,000 barrels a day in December, according to data from the Railroad Commission of Texas. By contrast, Marathon’s Galveston Bay and Exxon’s Beaumont plants, both in Texas, averaged 551,000 and 583,000 barrels per day in 2024.
