The main events by the morning: January 28

• Chinese AI threatens the technological leadership of the United States. According to Donald Trump, the release of a neural network model from the Chinese startup DeepSeek should be a signal to the American technology industry about the need to increase competition. The President noted that the development of AI, accompanied by lower costs and faster processes, is a positive phenomenon that allows achieving results with less investment.

• Canada will discuss with the EU, the UK and Mexico retaliatory measures to possible US duties, Minister Melanie Joly said. She plans to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks. President Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico since February, citing the problem of illegal migration and the flow of synthetic opioids into the United States.

• Global oil prices decreased by 1.7-2% due to the abandonment of risky assets. April futures for Brent fell by 1.7% to $76.62 per barrel, and March futures for WTI fell by 2% to $73.57. The decline was due to sales in American markets, where shares of technology companies fell, which increased pressure on the oil market.

• Trump announced US plans to impose duties on imports of semiconductors and pharmaceutical products in order to return their production to the country. At the same time, the president clarified that he does not intend to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper yet, but is considering such an opportunity. According to him, the potential duties will be sufficient to protect national interests.

• LNG exports from Russia in 2024 reached a record of 33.6 million tons. The volume of shipments increased by 4% compared to the level of 2023. Also in December, it was possible to update the maximum for monthly shipments — 3.25 million tons. The EU countries remained the largest buyers. They accounted for 52% of all exports. At the same time, experts expect that the introduction of restrictions against LNG from the Russian Federation will have little impact on demand in the EU.