Breaking News Today – Tuesday 13 January 2025

Business News Today 

Aluminium Prices Surge on Supply Scarcity

Aluminum futures in the UK have surged to above $3,180 per tonne hitting a three-year high. This comes with mounting signs of tighter supply for manufacturers. China, the world’s top aluminum producer, reiterated its priority of preventing overcapacity in metal production to curb deflationary pressures for manufacturers. The country was set to breach its 45 million ton output cap this year, forcing smelters to refrain from growing output in 2026. The developments drove firms to sell their capped supply locally instead of exporting to foreign consumers, driving exports down by 9.2% annually in November. Meanwhile, moves by Chinese smelters to build new plants in Indonesia continued to face troubles amid higher energy costs and local regulations risks. This added to high energy costs, equipment failure, difficulty in sourcing bauxite, and geopolitical risks suspended key smelters in other countries including Iceland, Mozambique, and Australia, driving prices higher.

Meta Set to Build Gigawats of Power Supply

On Monday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Meta Compute, a new initiative designed to bolster the tech giant’s AI infrastructure. Zuckerberg said the company intended to drastically expand its energy footprint in the coming years. “Meta is planning to build tens of gigawatts this decade, and hundreds of gigawatts or more over time. How we engineer, invest, and partner to build this infrastructure will become a strategic advantage,” Zuckerberg said in a post on Threads.The high energy consumption by AI business means that America’s electrical consumption could spike exponentially over the next decade. The new initiative will be led by Santosh Janardhan and Daniel Gross

South African Rand Strengthens on Precious Metal Price Peaks

The South African rand has strengthened against the US dollar amid a surge in gold prices, a critical export for the nation. On January 13, 2026, the USD/ZAR rate hovered around 16.39, reflecting ongoing gains as gold hit new records above $4,600 per ounce, driven by geopolitical tensions, Fed uncertainties, and global demand. Over the last six months (July 2025–January 2026), the rand appreciated by approximately 10-13%, with USD/ZAR dropping from highs near 18.22 to lows around 16.32. This builds on its strong 2025 performance, up over 13% annually, bolstered by commodity booms, improved fiscal policies, and reduced inflation. However, risks like US tariffs and domestic challenges could temper future momentum, though analysts forecast gold potentially reaching $5,000 in 2026, further supporting the currency.

UK – Social Media Posting Arrests Alarming

Social Media in the UK has become the new battleground for the increasingly authoritarian government. Kier Starmer, the UK’s Prime Minister has taken the idea of “thought Police” to an alarming all new level and is seeking to ban social media platforms such as X for what he terms “harassment” and for deep fakes shared on the social media platform. According to data shared on X, the UK has had over 12 000 arrests of people in the UK for posting various comments – mostly seemingly harmless and non violent comments. A recent arrest was from a civilian who simply stated that he was tired of seeing every other flag flown in the UK except the British flag. Around 30 people a day are now being arrested in the UK for “incorrect” posts.

This follows arrests of people in the UK for displaying their own country’s flag – which has now been made a hate crime – these disturbing actions are happening while Starmers approval ratings are at all-time low. this development has happened with the backdrop of increasing crime and low economic growth with UK retail sales rising only 1% year on year on a like-for-like basis in December 2025, the weakest pace in seven months as households reined in holiday spending amid persistent cost pressures.

Breaking News Shorts:  

• Honda has adopted a refreshed “H brand mark” for its automobile business — The new symbol will expand to dealerships, motorsports, and communications, signalling a branding refresh for the global automaker.
• Murray & Roberts Holdings (MRH) has completed JSE delisting process — South Africa’s historic 123-year-old construction and engineering firm ends public trading, with off-market trading ceasing today (January 13, 2026) and officially will delist from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange shortly after.
• Canon has unveiled their world-first inkjet-based wafer planarization technology — A breakthrough in semiconductor manufacturing for smoother wafer surfaces, with commercialisation targeted for 2027 in advanced logic and memory devices.
• Japan’s 10-year government bond yield rose to around 2.14% in post-holiday trade today, marking its highest level since 1999 amid speculation that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi could dissolve parliament as early as next month, adding political uncertainty. Takaichi is expected to leverage her strong public approval to advance expansionary fiscal policies.
• Hong Kong stocks soared by 501 points, or 1.9%, to a two-month high of 27,112 in early trade today, rising for a third session with strength across all sectors. Optimism over earnings and regional growth boosted sentiment, as investors looked past U.S. market concerns about central bank independence. 

Markets by Numbers 

Currency markets indicate the US dollar flat today, with the Euro trading against the US dollar at 1.16671 while the Pound is trading at 1.34763 to the US dollar. The Yen is currently trading at 158.73 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR) has strengthened further and currently trading at around R16.40 to the dollar.

Commodities:  

• Gold futures are currently up over 1.5% this morning, hitting new highs, and currently selling at around $4601.23 per ounce.  
• Copper prices are trending marginally lower today, with prices currently around $5.9634 per pound
• Silver futures have corrected by -0.5% today, after a massive surge over the last week, and currently trading around $85.204 per ounce.
• Platinum futures are down by around -2% this morning, and currently trading at $2328.30, While Palladium prices have corrected by around -3% this morning, and currently trading around $1864.50 per ounce.
• Brent crude oil prices are trending higher today, and currently at $64.05 with WTI trading at $59.71
• Cocoa futures are trending 1.8% higher today, and currently trading around $5443.00 per ton. 
• Coffee futures are currently -0.3% lower today, and trading at around $3.5635 per pound

Crypto Currencies: 

• Bitcoin prices are trending 0.6% higher this morning, and trading at around $9180 per coin currently 
• Ether prices are trending 1.2% higher today, and are currently trading around $3130.90
• $Trumpcoin are trending fairly flat today, and currently trading around $5.385

(All prices quoted at approximately 07H35 Central African Time) 

Africa News Briefs:

• The Government of Ghana, under the new leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, has resolved the crippling energy sector debt and has cleared a $1.4 billion debt backlog that posed one of the gravest risks to Ghana’s financial stability. When President Mahama assumed office in January 2025, the energy sector had been pushed to the brink by years of persistent non-payment for gas supplied to the power sector from the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) field. Engagements with Ghana’s upstream partners have already resulted in increased gas production, guided by a clear national vision to rapidly scale up domestic gas supply to meet the country’s growing energy demand and reduce reliance on expensive liquid fuels.
• Somalia has announced that it has cancelled all agreements with the United Arab Emirates due to “evidence” that the Gulf state is engaged in undermining Somalia’s sovereignty, national unity, and political independence.The rift is reportedly due to the UAE’s tacit support for Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state. Abu Dhabi has built and controls a deep-water port and military base in the Somaliland city of Berbera.