Business
‘Hostile act’: Trump says considering terminating business with China; threatens to end cooking oil trade – The Times of India
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that China is “purposefully” not buying the soybeans from their farmers, and this is the reason they are considering terminating the business with Beijing.Calling China’s deliberate work an “economically hostile act,” Trump said that they can make the cooking oil themselves and don’t need China for that. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “I believe that China purposefully not buying our Soybeans, and causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers, is an Economically Hostile Act. We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution. As an example, we can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves, we don’t need to purchase it from China.”The United States soya bean harvest is under way, and China, once the biggest buyer of American soybeans, hasn’t booked a single purchase, sending prices tumbling and farmers into panic. The abrupt halt mirrors Beijing’s previous use of rare earth exports as leverage in trade wars. Now, it’s soybeans.
Why it matters?
The United States, which exports approximately 61% of the world’s soybeans, has recorded zero purchases from China for the current harvest, a sharp decline from Rs 1.05 lakh crore in purchases last year. This shift is part of an escalating trade dispute, with Beijing leveraging economic measures in response to President Trump’s renewed tariffs. Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura Holdings, stated, “US soybeans now are not that important to China. That’s why Beijing can afford to use the import ban as a bargaining tool.” Additionally, the Trump tariffs have increased costs for fertilizer and equipment, thereby reducing farmers’ profit margins. Farmers across the Midwest have begun storing crops, postponing sales, and observing declining futures markets. Morey Hill, a soybean grower from Iowa, told the Wall Street Journal, “There’s no incentive to sell right now.” Hill warned that without a timely agreement with China, the soybean market “might be a bloodbath.” US farmers are currently grappling with higher expenses and a reduction in buyers.
Is it soya war or something else
This isn’t just about soy. This situation mirrors China’s earlier strategy with rare earth minerals, used as leverage in negotiations with the Trump administration over export controls. Now, as the soybean harvest commences, Beijing is repeating this tactic. Lu Ting noted, “Beijing’s new bargaining chip is an import ban on US soybean,” as reported by Bloomberg.While soybeans may not possess the unique qualities of rare earths, they are essential for China’s substantial hog and poultry industries. Escalating trade tensions have led China to increase soybean imports from South America, purchasing 2 million tons from Argentina in September alone. Dean Buchholz, a farmer concluding his final crop this year, expressed his discontent to the Wall Street Journal, saying, “I always thought I would farm till they threw dirt on top of me.” He added, “I can’t make it work to where it would be practical to keep going without me spending a boatload of money and keep putting myself into more debt.” Caleb Ragland, 39, a Kentucky farmer and president of the American Soybean Association, commented, “The frustration is overwhelming.” The timing compounds the issue, as over half of US soybean exports typically occur between October and December, immediately following harvest. China is delaying purchases until February when Brazil’s crop becomes available. Sarah Taber, a crop scientist and blogger from North Carolina, remarked, “We knew what Trump would do. And a lot of farmers just voted for him anyway.” Taber warned that if no agreement is reached by December, US soy exports could miss the entire global buying window.
New Delhi: The combined market valuation of three of India’s top companies surged by Rs 75,855.43 crore last week, even as the overall stock market showed a sluggish trend during the holiday-shortened week.
State Bank of India (SBI) and Infosys were the biggest gainers among the top firms. While the Sensex slipped 5.89 points, the Nifty inched up by 11.05 points over the week.
Commenting on Nifty technical outlook, an expert said that “immediate resistance is placed at 25,875, followed by 26,000 and 26,100 levels. On the downside, support is seen at 25,600 and 25,450.”
“A breakdown below 25,300 could intensify downside pressure and accelerate corrective moves. Given the prevailing volatility, a cautious approach with strict stop-loss discipline is advised,” an analyst stated.
Among the top companies, ICICI Bank, SBI, and Infosys recorded gains, while HDFC Bank, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever, and Larsen & Toubro faced a combined erosion of Rs 75,549.89 crore in their market value.
Interestingly, the total loss of these seven companies was still slightly less than the total m-cap addition of the three gainers.
SBI emerged as the biggest gainer, with its market valuation jumping by Rs 39,045.51 crore to reach Rs 9,62,107.27 crore.
Infosys also saw a strong increase, with its m-cap rising by Rs 31,014.59 crore to Rs 7,01,889.59 crore.
ICICI Bank added Rs 5,795.33 crore, taking its market value to Rs 10,09,470.28 crore.
On the other hand, Larsen & Toubro’s market valuation fell by Rs 23,501.8 crore to Rs 5,30,410.23 crore, while HDFC Bank’s valuation dropped by Rs 11,615.35 crore to Rs 14,32,534.91 crore.
Bharti Airtel’s m-cap declined by Rs 6,443.38 crore to Rs 11,49,544.43 crore, Bajaj Finance saw a dip of Rs 6,253.59 crore to Rs 5,91,447.16 crore, Hindustan Unilever lost Rs 3,312.93 crore to stand at Rs 5,54,421.30 crore, and TCS’s valuation slipped by Rs 470.36 crore to Rs 11,60,212.12 crore.
After these movements, HDFC Bank remained the second most valued domestic company, followed by TCS, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, SBI, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever, and Larsen & Toubro.
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Gold and silver hit new records in 2025, with silver crossing 90 dollars per ounce. Experts highlight silver’s industrial demand and gold’s role as a hedge.
Gold and Silver outlook this week
Gold and Silver Prices Outlook: Gold and silver prices saw a marginal dip after a record-breaking rally. Continuing the upward momentum of 2025, gold and silver made new records with silver crossing $90 per ounce-mark for the first time in history. Meanwhile, gold hovered in the range of $4,596-$5,600 per ounce.
COMEX Silver has seen a relatively sharper correction to the $89–$90 region after peaking above $93.7, reflecting short-term profit-booking following an extended rally.
In India, gold futures with expiry on February 05, 2026, stood at Rs 1,42,474 per 10 grams as on January 16, 2026. Silver futures with expiry in March were at Rs 2,87,701 per kg.
The tussle between European Union and the United States of American will be watched closely across the world this week. Trump administration has put fresh tariffs on the European Union following his demand to acquire Greenland, an autonomous region under Denmark, prompting the EU to halt the trade deal with the US with immediate effect.
“The 0 per cent tariffs on US products must be put on hold,” Weber said in a post on X, citing concerns over Washington’s latest actions.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the new tariffs risk damaging transatlantic ties.
“Tariffs undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” she said, stressing that Europe would uphold its sovereignty and remain united.
Gold, Silver Outlook
The long-term appeal of silver and gold will remain. Chronic supply shortages, especially in silver, sustained central bank gold purchases, accelerating demand from green energy, EVs, AI, and electronics, and ongoing macro and geopolitical uncertainties continue to support the long-term bullish narrative, said Ponmudi R, CEO – Enrich Money.
While near-term volatility may persist due to profit-taking, dollar movements, and key U.S. macro data, any corrective phases are expected to remain shallow and attract buying interest, added Ponmudi R.
“Silver continues to offer relative outperformance potential due to its higher industrial leverage, while gold remains a reliable hedge against macro and geo-political uncertainty,” he said.
Prasenjit Paul, Equity Research Analyst & Fund Manager at 129 Wealth Fund said one of the biggest mistakes investors can make is treating gold, silver, and debt as one broad “defensive” allocation.
“Doing so masks overlapping risks and can lead to a situation where supposedly safe assets decline at the same time as equities,” he said.
For gold he added that it should be viewed purely as catastrophe insurance—largely independent of the business cycle and the most reliable hedge against systemic stress.
Adding for silver, Paul said, Silver does not belong in the defensive category at all. Its demand is heavily linked to industrial activity, particularly in areas like solar energy and electric vehicles.
“As a result, silver behaves more like a cyclical asset and should be treated as a tactical satellite allocation,” Paul added.
Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
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January 18, 2026, 14:54 IST
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UK inflation could have ticked higher last month, as Christmas getaways helped fuel price rises at the end of the year, economists have said.
Some economists are expecting the rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation to have risen in December after falling sharply the previous month.
Rob Wood and Elliott Jordan-Doak, economists for Pantheon Macroeconomics, said they were forecasting CPI to rise to 3.3% in December, from 3.2% in November.
A hike to tobacco duties, which was announced at the autumn budget in November, is set to have pushed up overall inflation during the month.
The price of plane tickets and hotels are also expected to have soared amid stronger demand for Christmas travel.
Analysts forecast that airfares could have jumped by about 30% between November and December.
But economists stressed that the choice of date for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to collect the latest inflation data would be crucial, as prices would have differed throughout the month.
If it was collected later in the month, travel prices could have been much higher in line with the school holidays, pushing up the overall rate of inflation.
Andrew Goodwin, chief UK economist for Oxford Economics, said he thought the slowdown in the rising cost of living was “temporarily halted” in December.
He said: “Some of November’s downward pressure came from volatile categories, including clothing, airfares, and accommodation services, and this is likely to have unwound in December, although the choice of date for collecting the data will likely have a crucial bearing on the outturn for airfares.”
He is predicting a much sharper increase of CPI inflation to 3.6% in December.
On the other hand, analysts for Barclays said they thought inflation would remain unchanged at 3.2% in December.
They forecast energy price inflation to have slowed, while food and drink price rises to have steadied at the end of the year.
But experts said they thought inflation was still heading downwards this year.
Victoria Scholar, head of investment for Interactive Investor, said that “longer term, the trajectory for inflation is still on the downside, heading back towards the 2% target later this year”.
“November’s budget from the Chancellor was largely viewed as disinflationary owing to its contractionary fiscal measures, including tax increases and spending cuts,” she said.
“Plus, there are growing signs of slack in the labour market, also easing inflationary pressures in the UK economy.”
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