The spot price of gold hit a new record high on Monday. As of 9:34 a.m., it stands at $4068.74 per ounce, which is 1.3% higher than the previous session’s close. Earlier in trading, the spot price of gold rose to $4078.24 per ounce, marking an all-time high. Gold futures on the Comex exchange are up 2.2%, reaching $4087.4 per ounce.
The precious metal is supported by rising tensions between the United States and China, as well as expectations of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the possibility of significantly increasing import tariffs on Chinese goods in response to Beijing’s tightened export controls on rare earth metals. He also said he saw no point in meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, on Sunday, Trump stated that Washington wants to help Beijing rather than harm it and suggested that he might still meet with Xi later this fall.
In addition, traders expect two more rate cuts by the Fed before the end of the year. According to futures market pricing, the probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut by the U.S. central bank at its next meeting on October 28–29 is estimated at 95.7%. Investors in the derivatives market also expect another similar cut in December.
Earlier, the analytical center Experts Club released an analysis of the world’s leading gold-producing countries in a video on its YouTube channel — https://youtube.com/shorts/DWbzJ1e2tJc?si=9YBue5CS6dz-tA6_
Buying real estate in Europe is increasingly becoming not only a financial but also a fiscal challenge. According to data from Idealista and a Financial Times study, analysts at Experts Club examined the tax systems of EU countries. The results show that the difference in tax burdens when purchasing property across Europe can reach nearly a 20-fold range — from symbolic rates in Greece and France to double-digit taxes in Spain and Belgium.
Spain is recognized as the country with the highest property purchase taxes in Europe: rates range from 6% to 11% of the property value, depending on the region and housing type. This means that when buying an apartment for €300,000, a buyer may pay more than €30,000 in taxes alone.
In Belgium, the total rate reaches 12%, but some regions offer significant benefits. In Brussels, the first €200,000 of a home’s value is exempt from tax if it is purchased as a primary residence. In Flanders, since 2023, the rate has been reduced to 2% for first homes to support young buyers.
The United Kingdom ranks third among countries with the highest real estate taxes — around 6% on average. The stamp duty tax is especially heavy for investors owning more than one property: the rate can rise to 17% for properties costing over £1.5 million (€1.7 million). First-time buyers are exempt if the property value does not exceed £300,000 (€343,000).
Italy and the Netherlands impose an average tax of 5–5.5%, though Italy also adds notary, registration, and agency fees, which significantly increase the final cost of the transaction.
In Germany, the tax ranges from 3.5% to 6.5%, depending on the federal state.
In Portugal, it varies from 4% to 8%, with tax relief for lower-priced properties.
Austria applies rates around 3–4.5%, also offering benefits for primary residences.
France has relatively low taxes (0.7–5%) but high agency commissions — up to 8% of the property’s value, usually paid by the buyer.
Greece offers the most lenient system in Europe — from 0.5% to 3.8%, depending on the region.
| Country | Minimum Rate | Average Rate | Maximum Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 6% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Belgium | 2% | 7.2% | 12.5% |
| United Kingdom | 0% | 6% | 12% |
| Italy | 2% | 5.5% | 9% |
| Netherlands | 0% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| Germany | 3.5% | 5% | 6.5% |
| Portugal | 0% | 4% | 8% |
| Austria | 1.5% | 3% | 4.5% |
| France | 0.7% | 2.9% | 5% |
| Greece | 0.5% | 2.1% | 3.8% |
Beijing urges Washington to adhere to previously reached consensuses and considers President Donald Trump’s threats of new tariffs a mistake, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said.
“China urges the United States to immediately reconsider its mistaken actions, adhere to the important consensuses reached during telephone conversations between the two heads of state, safeguard the hard-won results of consultations, and continue to use the mechanism of China–US trade and economic consultations,” the statement published on the ministry’s website said.
Beijing emphasized that it stands for resolving differences through dialogue, and if Washington insists “on the wrong path,” China will take measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.
“Deliberate threats of high tariffs are the wrong way to build relations with China,” the ministry stressed. The agency also noted that US statements about possible new tariffs are an example of double standards.
On Saturday night, Trump announced that he intends, starting November 1, “or maybe even earlier,” to impose additional 100% tariffs on goods imported from China.
“Starting November 1, or perhaps earlier, depending on China’s actions, the United States will impose 100% tariffs in addition to the existing ones. In addition, starting November 1, we will implement export control measures for any vital software,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump explained that he made this decision because China “declared that starting November 1 it would implement serious export control measures on almost all products manufactured in the PRC.” “This will affect all countries and is clearly a plan that China has been preparing for years,” the US president said.
Top countries whose citizens become entrepreneurs in Ukraine
Over 1.6 thousand sole proprietorships were opened by foreigners in Ukraine in the first 9 months of 2025, according to the Unified State Register. This is almost 10% less than during the same period last year. At the same time, the net increase between openings and closures this year amounted to 490 non-resident entrepreneurs. Most often, citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Uzbekistan become entrepreneurs in Ukraine.
Foreigners registered 1,648 sole proprietorships this year in Ukraine, which is 10% less than in the same period last year. Overall, only 0.7% of all new entrepreneurs this year are non-residents of Ukraine.
At the same time, 1,158 foreign sole proprietors ceased their activities during the same period. The net growth amounted to 490 non-resident entrepreneurs. In total, more than 213 thousand entrepreneurs closed down in Ukraine during this period, with foreigners making up only 0.5%.
Unlike Ukrainians, most foreign entrepreneurs are men: 69% versus 31% women.
It is worth noting that non-resident entrepreneurs are quite resilient: the median operating time of such a business in Ukraine is 3.1 years. The record holder was a woman with Russian citizenship whose business operated for 30 years and closed at the beginning of this year. For comparison, Ukrainian sole proprietorships last slightly less — 2.5 years.
“Opening sole proprietorships by foreigners is an absolutely normal and legal practice. People who have a temporary or permanent residence permit in Ukraine obtain a tax identification number (TIN), so they can officially run a business and pay taxes on par with Ukrainian citizens. As for citizens of the Russian Federation — they are no exception to this rule. Only those who legally reside in Ukraine can start their own business. In this case, the procedure does not differ from opening a sole proprietorship by any other non-resident,” notes Denys Popov, head of the legal department of Opendatabot, lawyer, and arbitration manager.
Most new entrepreneurs come from Azerbaijan — 229 (14%), followed by citizens of the Russian Federation — 222 (14%), Uzbekistan — 160 (10%), Moldova — 125 (8%), and Armenia — 95 (6%).
The highest number of business closures were among citizens of Russia — 241 (21%), Azerbaijan — 157 (14%), Moldova — 102 (9%), Uzbekistan — 91 (8%), and Belarus — 69 (6%).
The majority of foreigners choose the trade sector — nearly every third business. Other popular sectors include food service (14%), wholesale trade (9%), computer programming (6%), and information services (4%).
Most closures also occur in these sectors: retail trade (37%), computer programming (10%), and food service (9%).
Every third foreign entrepreneur starts their business in Kyiv: 544 in 2025. Next come Odesa region — 300 (18%), Kyiv region — 138 (8%), Kharkiv region — 104 (6%), and Lviv region — 83 (5%). The fewest foreign entrepreneurs are registered in Volyn, Chernihiv, Sumy, Donetsk, and Kherson regions — from 2 to 17.
Foreigners mostly close their businesses in the same regions: Kyiv — 297 (26%), Odesa (17%), Kharkiv (9%), Kyiv region (8%), and Dnipropetrovsk (5%).
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/fops-foreigners-2025
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/fops-foreigners-2025
The mining and metallurgical group Metinvest plans to invest $293 million in its assets this year, while last year the total amount of investments, including joint ventures, amounted to $251 million, about 90% of which went to the development of Ukrainian enterprises. According to dsnews.ua’s article “Top 10 Successful Investor Companies in Ukraine,” Metinvest entered the top ten leading investors in Ukraine: $90 million in the first half of 2025. These investments were directed mainly at supporting technologies, maintaining production volumes, and ensuring labor safety.
As before, the funds are concentrated on critical areas: the mining segment, to ensure the production cycle, and the energy sector, to minimize blackout risks.
Despite the proximity of the front line, Metinvest continues large-scale repair and modernization works at its enterprises. In the first half of 2025, investments in repairs and equipment amounted to $28.8 million at Kametstal, $6.4 million at Zaporizhstal, $19 million at Northern GOK, and $3 million at Central GOK. The group focuses particularly on Kametstal and the mining and beneficiation plants.
At Kametstal, the first overhaul of Blast Furnace No. 9 since the start of the full-scale invasion was completed for $16 million, and equipment of one of the converters was restored. At Southern GOK, a new vacuum pump production station No. 4 is being built with a planned capacity of over 100,000 tons of concentrate per month.
A priority is the construction of a tailings thickening plant at Northern GOK. The relevant equipment will be purchased from the Finnish industrial manufacturer Metso Finland, for which Metinvest opened a credit line of EUR 23.6 million at Deutsche Bank.
The group is taking up the challenge of “greening” production processes, particularly within the EU’s environmental policy framework. From 2026, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) should come into full effect, obliging importers to buy certificates compensating for emissions contained in goods imported to the EU. The EU may postpone CBAM for Ukraine due to the war.
At Northern GOK, one of the LURGI 552 roasting machines is being redesigned to produce improved pellets that meet EU green metallurgy requirements. Capital investments at Kametstal also support the green transition. Overall, the group estimates the green modernization of its assets at about $8 billion.
The group pays special attention to energy security. Between 2022 and 2024, it spent UAH 159.4 million on 242 diesel generators with a total capacity of 22.9 MW. Another UAH 240 million was allocated to modernize and maintain steam generation with a nominal capacity of 89 MW. At Kametstal, maneuverable gas generation has started in pilot mode.
Metinvest has major plans for developing its own generation: gas piston generators at Northern, Central GOKs and Kametstal (29 MW, $26 million), as well as solar power plants at Central GOK (23.8 MW) and Kametstal (13.3 MW) worth $18.1 million in 2025–2026.
Another important direction is investment in artificial intelligence technologies. Metinvest Digital, the group’s IT company, is responsible for R&D. Its solutions are quickly implemented in production. The AI tool ForgeCheck helps control product quality at Zaporizhstal by detecting slab defects, reducing complaints and saving electricity.
Another system, the SPAIS platform, integrates into industrial video surveillance to monitor safety compliance, helping reduce workplace violations.
According to Metinvest B.V.’s report, in the first half of 2025, capital investments decreased by 28% to $91 million compared to $127 million a year earlier. $52 million was invested in metallurgy and $38 million in mining. 79% of expenses went to maintenance (90% in the first half of 2024), the rest to strategic projects.
In 2024, capital investments decreased by 17% to $235 million from $284 million in 2023. $81 million was invested in metallurgy and $146 million in mining.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical companies. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine — in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions — as well as in European countries. The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart-Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it. Metinvest Holding LLC is the group’s management company.
The state enterprise “Medical Procurement of Ukraine” (MPU) purchased two sets of equipment for the production of radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosing cancer at early stages, for the creation of nuclear medicine centers, from the company LLC “Protek Solutions Ukraine” for UAH 445 million.
According to the MPU press release, five suppliers took part in the auction, and the winner, LLC “Protek Solutions Ukraine,” offered a price 31.5% lower than expected.
Delivery of the equipment is scheduled for July 2027, taking into account the production time of the main component of this equipment set — cyclotrons — which exceeds one year.
The nuclear medicine centers are planned to be built in two cities — in Kyiv, based at the National Cancer Institute, and in Lviv, based at the Lviv Regional Oncological Diagnostic and Treatment Center.
The procurement was financed by the European Union through the Ukraine Facility instrument.
One set of equipment for creating a nuclear medicine center consists of 46 items. The main element is a cyclotron — a particle accelerator that directs a beam of energy onto special materials or capsules (targets) to obtain radioactive isotopes.
The nuclear medicine center also includes the setup of a radiochemical laboratory for the production of radiopharmaceuticals, which are made using the radioactive isotopes “extracted” by the cyclotron.
Mostly, a radioactive isotope of fluorine is used for this purpose, embedding it into a glucose molecule since glucose is the main source of energy for cells. At the same time, tumor cells consume more glucose than normal ones because they grow and divide faster.
After such a radiopharmaceutical is injected into a patient’s body, it accumulates in cancerous tissues and “highlights” these areas during scanning with a positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET-CT). Such diagnostics help detect cancer at early stages and ensure timely treatment.
The half-life of a fluorine-based radiopharmaceutical is about 110 minutes — an extremely short time, making long-distance transportation impossible. That is why hospitals establish nuclear medicine centers that allow the production of radiopharmaceuticals directly near the PET-CT diagnostic room.
The MPU notes that in developed countries, there are 1–3 PET-CT scanners per million inhabitants, while in Ukraine there are only five such machines providing positron emission tomography services under the Medical Guarantees Program (MGP), with only two nuclear medicine centers equipped with cyclotrons for radiopharmaceutical production.
According to the National Cancer Registry, on average 80% of cancer cases in Ukraine are diagnosed at late stages (III–IV), with poorer recovery forecasts. At the same time, oncologists note that if cancer is diagnosed at stage I, it can be cured in 90–100% of cases, at stage II — in 70–80%, and at stage III — in 30–35%.
