As of July 18, today’s news is dominated by developments in the metals market, significant agreements in the energy sector, and heightened tensions around U.S.-China technology exports. Copper prices reached a more than one-week high, supported by increased buying from Chinese traders and optimism surrounding a potential U.S.-China trade deal. Notably, three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.7% to 9,735 dollars per metric ton. Chinese entities are reportedly purchasing copper on price dips, creating a bullish outlook amid rising demand from sectors like machinery and automotive. Additionally, officials from China’s commerce ministry have indicated intentions to stabilize trade relations with the U.S.. In other significant news, BP has announced the sale of its U.S. onshore wind business, bp Wind Energy, to LS Power. This divestment aligns with BP's strategy to enhance profitability by reallocating investments towards oil and gas rather than renewables, as part of CEO Murray Auchincloss' directive. Market dynamics are also shifting, as China's imports of unwrought aluminum surged 24.1% year-on-year in June, indicating robust demand from the world’s top aluminum consumer. This growth is partly due to a rise in domestic aluminum output, with imports totaling 1.98 million tons in the first half of the year. In the realm of technology and international relations, Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang met with China’s Commerce Minister, who encouraged multinational companies to deepen collaborations in artificial intelligence. Despite indications of an easing of export restrictions on Nvidia's H20 AI chips to China, opposition arose from U.S. legislators, concerned about national security implications tied to sales of such technology to China. On financial updates, NKT announced new multi-year agreements with EnBW for the delivery of low- and medium-voltage power cables, further cementing their ongoing partnership to support Germany’s energy transition. Futhermore, the case for a U.S. interest rate cut remains unresolved as Federal Reserve officials head into their policy meeting later this month, with data showing fresh signs of higher inflation and President Donald Trump intensifying his demands for lower borrowing costs.