Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 7/28/23

Oil prices steadied on Friday after almost a week of sharp rises as Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms in a century, drove towards Florida after tearing through the Caribbean. Irma is the second major hurricane to approach the United States in two weeks and has already killed 14, flattening whole islands. Its predecessor, Harvey, shut a quarter of U.S. refineries and 8 percent of U.S. oil production. “Hurricanes can have a lasting effect on refinery and industry demand,” said Eugen Weinberg, head of commodities research at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. “The impact of the forces of nature on U.S. oil production should not be overestimated – nor should their impact on demand be underestimated.”

Futures dropped 1.7 percent in New York, snapping eight straight sessions of gains. Russia wants to continue with the current deal and any further supply curbs would send the wrong message to the market, according to government officials. The U.S. dollar gained, reducing the appeal of commodities denominated in that currency. While prices have surged during the past week, oil remains in a bear market after concerns that rising global supply will offset output cuts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners. Libya and Nigeria, exempt from the OPEC-led curbs, accounted for half of the group’s production boost last month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Click Read More below for more of the story.

UPS announced second-quarter 2024 consolidated revenues of $21.8 billion, a 1.1% decrease from the second quarter of 2023. Consolidated operating profit was $1.9 billion, down 30.1% compared to the second quarter of 2023, and down 29.3% on an adjusted basis. Diluted earnings per share were $1.65 for the quarter; adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.79 were 29.5% below the same period in 2023. For the second quarter of 2024, GAAP results include an after-tax charge of $120 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, comprised of a one-time payment of $94 million to settle an international regulatory matter, and transformation and other charges of $26 million. “I want to thank all UPSers for their hard work and efforts in the second quarter,” said Carol Tomé, UPS chief executive officer. “This quarter was a significant turning point for our company as we returned to volume growth in the U.S., the first time in nine quarters. As expected, our operating profit declined in the first half of 2024 from what we reported last year. Going forward we expect to return to operating profit growth.”