Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 10/27/23

First quarter results were negatively affected by a mix shift, which reduced demand for priority services, increased demand for deferred services, and constrained yield growth. In addition, higher operating expenses and one fewer operating day negatively affected the quarter’s results. A reduction of structural costs from the company’s DRIVE program initiatives partially offset these factors. “Despite a challenging quarter, we remain focused on transforming our network, improving our efficiency, lowering our cost-to-serve, and enhancing our ability to adapt with speed to evolving market dynamics,” said Raj Subramaniam, FedEx Corp. president and chief executive officer. “Overall, I remain confident in the value-creation opportunities ahead as we focus on reducing our structural cost, growing revenue profitably, and leveraging the insights from our vast collection of data as we continue to build the world’s most flexible, efficient and intelligent network.”

After jumping 2.2 percent on Monday, futures added 1 percent in New York on Tuesday. European and Asian stocks rose as President Donald Trump faced resistance to plans for a series of import tariffs, while a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea also boosted optimism. Still, the International Energy Agency’s warning that OPEC production cuts will unleash a supply surge from the U.S. and other producers maintained a note of caution in the market. The production cuts that helped push prices above $60 a barrel are triggering a flood of supply from OPEC’s rivals including Brazil and Canada, which will cover all growth in global demand until 2020, the IEA said. The agency may also raise its forecast for U.S. output if oil stays above $60 a barrel, Birol said during the CERAWeek oil conference in Houston. Non-OPEC growth is so strong that the oil market will change for years, he said. Click Read More below for additional information.

Digital speed limitation for timber trucks works well on stretches with a lot of infrastructure, and haulage companies show great commitment to safer timber transports. This is demonstrated by the geofencing project that SCA has undertaken in collaboration with the Swedish Transport Administration. "We continue to utilize the technology on both existing routes and new ones," says Lars Nolander, logistics manager at SCA Skog. SCA's efforts to create safer timber transports have been ongoing for several years, and the latest initiative involves testing digital speed limitation, known as geofencing, on four selected routes in Västernorrland and Jämtland, where the road passes through villages or residential areas with houses and residents along the way. The technology involves creating zones using GPS points, where the vehicle senses when it's time to adjust the speed. Four haulage companies and nearly 40 timber trucks have been involved in the project.