CAMPINAS, (Brazil): Brazilian coffee exporter Grupo Tristao sees coffee production in Espirito Santo state potentially exceeding that of Vietnam in the coming years, as it plans to build a large new warehouse in the region to meet the supply increase.
Espirito Santo is Brazil’s second-largest coffee-producing state, behind only Minas Gerais, but while the latter is a large arabica producer, the former focuses more on robusta, a generally cheaper variety primarily used to make instant coffee.
If it were a country, Espirito Santo alone would rank third globally in coffee output, behind Brazil and Vietnam. But the head of Grupo Tristao, a leading exporter of green and instant coffee, believes that the state will soon close the gap with the Asian country, which also produces mostly robusta.
“It is not impossible to imagine that five years from now, Espirito Santo will be producing more than Vietnam,” Sergio Tristao told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
He pointed to advanced technology and irrigation, as well as room to expand planting on degraded pastures, as factors behind the projected increase. Market participants have voiced surprise at the quick growth in Brazil’s robusta coffee production.
The US Department of Agriculture expects Vietnam to produce 31 million 60-kg bags of coffee in 2025/26, while Espirito Santo’s output was estimated at 21.5 million bags – also, including some arabica output.
Brazil’s total coffee production is seen at 65 million bags in the season. Family-run Grupo Tristao plans to build a large warehouse for at least 1 million bags in Espirito Santo to improve logistics as supply grows, Tristao said.
The warehouse will be located near the brand-new Imetame Port in the city of Aracruz, whose operations are slated to begin in 2027. “We are going to buy land near the port and plan our future there,” Tristao said.
The group currently owns a warehouse for about 300,000 bags in Espirito Santo and another one in Minas Gerais state.
LONDON: Copper prices retreated on Friday as focus switched to US President Donald Trump’s July 9 deadline when sweeping tariffs take effect on countries that have not yet secured trade agreements.
Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was down 0.8% at $9,880 a metric ton in official open-outcry trading, having hit a three-month high of $10,020.5 a ton earlier this week.
Volumes were subdued due to the July 4 Independence Day holiday in the United States, traders said.
Trump said his administration will begin sending letters later on Friday to 10 to 12 countries informing them of the tariff rate their products will face in the US Caution due to several large trading partners, including the European Union, Japan and India, still trying to negotiate a deal with the US had triggered profit-taking on long positions or bets on higher prices, traders said.
On the technical front, first support for copper, used in power and construction, comes in at the 21-day moving average around $9,762. Elsewhere, worries about aluminium supplies on the LME created by large holdings of warrants and nearby contracts receded due to slowing outflows and deliveries to the LME-registered warehouses. Aluminium stocks in LME warehouses have climbed 27,025 tons to 363,925 tons since June 25. Cancelled warrants or metal earmarked for delivery at 2% indicate only small amounts are due to be delivered out.
Overall, a softer dollar was providing some support for industrial metals on Friday. But traders said growing prospects of the Federal Reserve holding interest rates steady after Thursday’s strong jobs report could boost the US currency and weigh on metals demand. Aluminium was down 0.6% at $2,590.5 a ton in official activity, zinc fell 0.5% to $2,736, lead eased 0.1% to $2,062, tin retreated 0.3% to $33,750 and nickel slipped 0.9% to $15,315.
PARIS: Global food commodity prices edged higher in June, supported by higher meat, vegetable oil and dairy prices, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in a basket of internationally traded food commodities, averaged 128.0 points in June, up 0.5% from May. The index stood 5.8% higher than a year ago, but remained 20.1% below its record high in March 2022.
The cereal price index fell 1.5% to 107.4 points, now 6.8% below a year ago, as global maize prices dropped sharply for a second month. Larger harvests and more export competition from Argentina and Brazil weighed on maize, while barley and sorghum also declined.
Wheat prices, however, rose due to weather concerns in Russia, the European Union, and the United States.
The vegetable oil price index rose 2.3% from May to 155.7 points, now 18.2% above its June 2024 level, led by higher palm, rapeseed, and soy oil prices.
Palm oil climbed nearly 5% from May on strong import demand, while soy oil was supported by expectations of higher demand from the biofuel sector following announcements of supportive policy measures in Brazil and the United States.
Sugar prices dropped 5.2% from May to 103.7 points, the lowest since April 2021, reflecting improved supply prospects in Brazil, India, and Thailand.
Meat prices rose to a record 126.0 points, now 6.7% above June 2024, with all categories rising except poultry. Bovine meat set a new peak, reflecting tighter supplies from Brazil and strong demand from the United States. Poultry prices continued to fall due to abundant Brazilian supplies.
The dairy price index edged up 0.5% from May to 154.4 points, marking a 20.7% annual increase. In a separate report, the FAO forecast global cereal production in 2025 at a record 2.925 billion tonnes, 0.5% above its previous projection and 2.3% above the previous year. The outlook could be affected by expected hot, dry conditions in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly for maize with plantings almost complete.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures closed lower on Friday, weighed by weaker rival edible oils at the Chicago and Dalian markets and by profit booking, though the contract still managed to post its seventh weekly gain in eight.
The benchmark palm oil contract for September delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange slid 29 ringgit, or 0.71%, to 4,062 ringgit ($963.02) a metric ton at the close. The contract rose 1.27% this week.
Crude palm oil prices were lower, tracking weakness in soybean oil and Dalian palm olein prices, said David Ng, a proprietary trader at Kuala Lumpur-based trading firm Iceberg X Sdn Bhd.
“Profit-taking activities after the recent price rally also affected the market,” he added.
Dalian’s most-active soyoil contract fell 0.95%, while its palm oil contract shed 0.07%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade lost 0.96%.
Palm oil tracks the price movements of rival edible oils as it competes for a share of the global vegetable oils market. Oil futures fell slightly after Iran reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, while major producers from the OPEC+ group are set to agree to raise their output this weekend.
Weaker crude oil futures make palm a less attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. The ringgit, palm’s currency of trade, strengthened 0.05% against the dollar, making the commodity slightly expensive for buyers holding foreign currencies.
Malaysia’s palm oil inventories likely dropped for the first time in four months in June as production fell unexpectedly while export demand remained robust for the tropical oil, a Reuters survey showed.
SINGAPORE: Japanese rubber futures advanced on Friday, marking their third consecutive weekly gain with adverse weather in Thailand and China raising supply concerns, even as sluggish demand and high inventories capped the upside.
The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for December delivery ended daytime trade up 1.6 yen, or 0.52%, at 312.1 yen ($2.16) per kg. The contract has climbed 0.77% this week.
The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for September delivery dipped 50 yuan, or 0.36%, to 14,005 yuan ($1,955.08) per metric ton.
The most active August butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE gained 5 yuan, or 0.04%, to 11,275 yuan ($1,573.97) per ton. Top rubber producer Thailand’s meteorological agency warned of heavy rains and accumulations that may cause flash floods and overflows.
China’s ‘Sanfu Season’, a period of intense heat which typically begins in mid-July and lasts through late August, has arrived unusually early this year in eastern China. Beyond damaging crops and eroding farm incomes, these rising temperatures can also impact manufacturing hubs and interfere with operations in key port cities.
LAHORE: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday that inflation rate in the country has dropped while the country’s foreign reserves reached $14.5 billion.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is endeavouring to improve the country’s economy and Pakistan is now set to progress,” Ishaq Dar said while speaking to the media after performing ‘Ghusl’ ceremony at the shrine of great saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakash Saturday.
He said the country’s image has improved in the comity of nations and Pakistan has signed $2 billion investment agreement with Azerbaijan.
Country ready for ‘digital revolution’, says Dar
When asked about media reports regarding expected meeting between the three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, the PML-N senior leader termed it as mere a ‘speculation and somebody’s desire’ but there was no truth in it. He made it clear that Nawaz Sharif did not require meeting anybody.
Responding to another question regarding joining the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to the cabinet, Dar said the PPP had not yet shown any desire to join the federal cabinet. “PPP is an ally of the PML-N in the Center and will remain so and they would give more respect to them,” he said, adding: “The ruling alliance now enjoys a two-third majority in the National Assembly (NA).”
Talking about Indian aggression, Dar said Pakistan inflicted a humiliating defeat upon India on the night between May 9 and 10. “Pakistan downed six planes of the Indian Air Force,” he said, adding, “The hostile neighbour will never forget the lesson Pakistan taught it.” However, there are always challenges in such a situation. Regarding Israeli aggression against Iran, he said that Pakistan strongly condemned it. Iran has now realized that Pakistan is its true friend. In the Iranian parliament, gratitude was expressed to Pakistan for its support during the war with Israel, he added.
Talking about expansion of Data Darbar, he said hopefully the project would be completed before the next years ‘Ghusl’ ceremony of the Mazar. He added that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has already accorded approval to the expansion/ renovation work.
At the time of writing, Ether (ETH) is trading at around $2,505, up 0.56% in the past 24-hours, according to CoinDesk Research’s technical analysis model. As for the broader crypto market as gauged by the CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20), it is up 0.34% during the same period.
SharpLink Gaming, Inc. (SBET) is a pioneering online performance marketing company specializing in the sports betting and iGaming industries. Headquartered in Minneapolis, SharpLink leverages its AI-powered C4 platform to deliver personalized, data-driven marketing content that enhances customer acquisition and retention for sportsbook and casino operators. The company has expanded through strategic acquisitions and partnerships, establishing itself as a leader in the evolving sports betting ecosystem.
On July 4, 2025, SharpLink announced on X that it has become the first publicly listed company to adopt ETH as its primary treasury reserve asset. The company outlined a comprehensive treasury strategy focused on accumulating ETH, staking it, and growing ETH-per-share to create long-term shareholder value.
SharpLink emphasized that its goal is not just to hold ETH but to actively deploy it through native staking, restaking, and Ethereum-based yield strategies. The company highlighted ETH’s advantages as a corporate reserve asset: it is productive via staking rewards, composable across decentralized finance protocols, scarce, secure, and aligned with the infrastructure of the future internet. This approach represents a bold redefinition of traditional treasury management, integrating decentralized finance principles into corporate finance.
This strategic pivot began with a $425 million private placement announced on May 27, led by Consensys and other prominent crypto investors, to fund the acquisition of ETH as SharpLink’s primary treasury asset. Joseph Lubin, Ethereum co-founder and founder of Consensys, joined SharpLink’s Board of Directors as Chairman upon closing this placement, reinforcing the company’s commitment to blockchain innovation.
Since officially launching its ETH treasury strategy on June 2, SharpLink has aggressively expanded its Ethereum holdings. Between May 30 and June 12, 2025, the company acquired approximately 176,271 ETH for about $463 million at an average price of $2,626 per ETH.
Following this, from June 16 to June 20, SharpLink purchased an additional 12,207 ETH for roughly $30.7 million, funded in part by $27.7 million raised through At-The-Market (ATM) equity sales.
By June 24, SharpLink’s ETH holdings reached 188,478 ETH, with 100% of these reserves deployed in staking solutions generating staking rewards. And by July 1, the treasury expanded further to 198,478 ETH, yielding over 220 ETH in staking rewards since the strategy’s inception.
Joseph Lubin has stated that embedding Ethereum at the core of SharpLink’s capital strategy embodies technological progress and institutional trust, positioning the company to lead the evolution of digital commerce. Meanwhile, CEO Rob Phythian has noted that SharpLink’s upcoming Nasdaq closing bell ceremony on July 7, 2025, will symbolize this new chapter, showcasing how digital assets can coexist with public market discipline and corporate governance.
SharpLink’s Ethereum treasury strategy uniquely positions the company at the crossroads of sports betting, blockchain technology, and decentralized finance, offering investors regulated and transparent exposure to Ethereum’s growth potential while advancing SharpLink’s mission to innovate the multi-billion-dollar iGaming industry.
Technical Analysis Highlights
ETH gained 2.2% from July 4 15:00 to July 5 14:00, climbing from $2,475.48 to $2,530.02.
A sharp sell-off between 13:06 and 14:05 pushed ETH down to $2,514.85 before buyers stepped in.
Strong support formed between $2,480 and $2,500 during the July 5 16:00 hour, with 382,821 ETH traded.
A bullish breakout on July 4 at 22:00 lifted ETH above $2,520, with resistance confirmed near $2,530.
ETH consolidated around $2,515 with signs of reduced volatility and an ascending recovery trendline after 13:40.
Momentum remains neutral short-term but structurally bullish given broader uptrend since late June.
Disclaimer:Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence toour standards. For more information, seeCoinDesk’s full AI Policy.
The Stop Killing Games campaign has just crossed a major milestone—1 million signatures and counting. But instead of celebration across the board, it’s also stirred controversy and backlash. Indie dev and streamer Pirate Software, also known as Thor, has responded after becoming a lightning rod for outrage from supporters of the movement.
The Petition That Shook the Industry
Stop Killing Games (SGF) started as a movement urging game publishers to maintain access to digital games, even after they lose official support. The argument? Players who paid for a game should be able to access it permanently. As of now, the petition has drawn over 1.15 million signatures.
Pirate Software Pushes Back
Pirate Software, who previously criticized the campaign for being too “vague,” has found himself at the center of the storm. In a July 4 Twitch stream, Thor revealed the extreme fallout following his comments. “I got swatted on Tuesday,” he said.He described receiving tens of thousands of death threats—not just toward him, but also directed at his moderation team. Constant phone calls, harassment, and doxxing followed.
Pirate Software QUITS Game Development After Stop Killing Games Petition Success!
“Corporate Plant,” “Nepobaby,” and Other Attacks
Thor described the level of online harassment as relentless. According to him, users attacked his life’s work and claimed he never held the jobs listed in his professional history, even in the face of proof.He added that he’d been called everything from “corporate plant” to “napobaby,” expressing visible frustration at how the campaign’s success had turned into personal vendettas against him.
Fallout From Offbrand Games
The backlash wasn’t limited to just words. On July 3, Thor announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he had stepped away from Offbrand Games, a studio founded by fellow creator Ludwig. He said supporters of the campaign began attacking all titles published by the studio simply due to his involvement, calling the behavior “unhinged.”
A Final Word to SGF
Though clearly embattled, Thor didn’t wish failure on the movement itself. Instead, he left viewers with a sharp message:
“I hope that your initiative [SGF] gets everything that you asked for, but nothing you wanted.”
It’s a statement layered in bitterness—possibly a wish for the movement to succeed on paper but fail in its spirit.
Where This Leaves the Industry
As SGF’s petition grows, the debate over digital ownership is louder than ever. But Thor’s experience raises a tough question: Can disagreement survive in online spaces without turning into personal destruction?While Stop Killing Games may want to protect digital access, this chapter highlights another issue that needs saving—civil discourse.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was the fastest NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifier Saturday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but he also drew the ire of Team Penske’s Will Power.
Power thought three-time and defending series champion Palou should have been more polite to him during the morning practice. To make his point, Power, a two-time series champion, six times directed one of the big curse words at Palou, and he pointed his finger at the Spaniard at least that many times.
Later, Power argued that it was as much the fault of Palou’s strategist Barry Wanser for sending Palou into his path, but he was just as angry that Palou didn’t yield the track to his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
“I went out on new tires, and he came out a lap later in front of me and then stayed there,” Power told FS1. “(He) then spent four laps just going slow, so I had to keep backing up, backing up, backing up, which was frustrating.
“Then, I came in (to the pits), made a change, went out, (was) on a money lap (and CGR) sent him out of the pits again right in front of me – and he didn’t move. He just kept going, and I had to back off again.”
Power noted that not only did Palou didn’t have traffic ahead of him on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course, no cars were behind him. One resolution would have been for Power to slow down to give himself a gap to Palou, but he didn’t choose that path.
“He could have backed off, which I always do for him and anyone else if I’m in that position,” Power said.
Palou said he anticipated what Power wanted to say to him – and likely how he was going to say it – as he approached him on pit lane after the session.
“Yeah, I knew, I knew,” Palou said. “Look, I think if you look at (either) practice, everybody is complaining about traffic, and we’re all angry that we don’t get clear laps. But maybe he thought we did something personal to him. For sure, that was not the intention.
“I don’t know if you saw, but I was always like a second or two seconds in front of him. He was just having to back off. I never tried to defend or anything. I think he was just a little upset, and that’s OK.
“But, yeah, I knew what he was coming (to discuss) – I just didn’t want to start to get into an argument. Yeah, it happens. It wasn’t my first time with him, so it’s good.”
Power, Teammates Fail To Advance
Power’s day didn’t get any better in qualifying. He and Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin did not turn laps in Round 1 that were fast enough to have them advance to the second round.
Newgarden will start Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport from the 18th position (of 27 cars). McLaughlin and Power will start together on the 11th row, qualifying 21st and 22nd, respectively. McLaughlin blamed traffic for preventing him from having a faster lap in qualifying.
All three Penske drivers are former series race winners at this track, so they must be accounted for in this race. McLaughlin has been particularly strong in recent years, finishing first, fourth and third in the past three races, an average finish of 2.66.
Newgarden has won two series races here. Power and McLaughlin have won one each.
Keep an Eye on Turn 4
This popular section of the Mid-Ohio circuit is the first corner the field will encounter at the start of Sunday’s race. Cars will be two-wide – at least – as they approach the hard right-hander. Trouble awaits, especially for those positioned in the left lane.
That portion of the track has been redefined since last year’s race, and it is flatter now to lessen the drop-off from asphalt to the gravel trap known as “China Beach.” Several cars drifted wide in practice, dropping left-side tires in the new grass. But that’s not the primary issue.
There now is a bump at a popular braking point, and the bump seems to be more prominent on the left side. McLaughlin hit it at a bad time Saturday, and it pushed his car off the track. He wasn’t the only one, and he won’t be the last. If another car is alongside when the bump bites, more than one car could get chewed up.
Longer Race Changes Pit Strategy
This will be the first INDYCAR SERIES race at this track since 2019 that’s 90 laps in length, and the 10-lap increase will change strategies.
For the past four years, 80 laps were the norm, but that was an easy two-stop strategy with tight pit windows. The result was conservative racing and few options. This year, three stops will be necessary, and there should be some flexibility in when to make them.
Fuel should last between 26 and 28 laps, but look for some competitors to pit early to get track position in the event of an early caution.
INDYCAR staged 90-lap races here from 2013-19.
Odds and Ends
McLaughlin is one of six drivers who won series races last year but are winless this year, and each of them won multiple races. Power and Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward joined McLaughlin as three-time winners; Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, Newgarden and Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian won two each. This year, Palou (six) and Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood (three) are the only winners through nine races.
Kirkwood qualified seventh but like McLaughlin thought he was impacted by traffic ahead of him in the second round of qualifying. As a consolation, the driver who stands second in the standings (93 points behind Palou) will be one of the highest qualifiers with two sets of new Firestone Firehawk alternate tires for the race, and that should be an advantage.
Santino Ferrucci has been the hottest non-winner in the field the past four races. Despite having an average starting position of 18.25, the driver of the No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet has finished fifth, second, fifth and third, an average finish of 3.75, helping him climb to ninth in the standings. He qualified 17th for Sunday’s race.
Marcus Ericsson’s season continues to be a struggle. Twenty-first in the standings, the driver of the No. 28 FOX INDYCAR Honda of Andretti Global saw the front of his car slam the right-side barrier at Turn 14 in practice. Repairs were made, but Ericsson could only manage to qualify in the 11th position.
Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen qualified 10th, but the No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet will move back six positions for the start of the race due to an unapproved engine change following last week’s test at Iowa Speedway.
