The bulls are fleeing the North American natural gas market as hopes for a hotter-than-normal summer have disappeared. That leaves the bears in charge with moderate August weather in the forecasts and predictions of five more weeks of above-average storage injections. Also: Appointing a former...
US spot ethylene assessments rose to their highest levels in more than a year earlier in the week, and the tightness in the polyethylene export market hearkens back to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. US petrochemical editors Chris Ferrell and Pavel Pavlov discuss how prices are moving, attempts...
Platts North American natural gas editor Patrick Badgley explains how a mass of arctic air is expected to move across the US this week, and in many places natural gas prices are lower than last year. A surge of production in the Northeast and a slew of pipeline projects could keep prices in these...
Platts' Stuart Elliott, associate editorial director, Europe and Africa oil news and Rosemary Griffin, associate editor, discuss the potential impact of ongoing tension between Russia and the EU over the Ukraine crisis on the South Stream gas pipeline, and the likelihood of further sanctions...
Air conditioners are cranking up across much of the US, but Hurricane Arthur left comfortable temperatures in its wake in other natural gas consuming areas. Platts Gas Daily editors Rodney White, TL Hamilton, Chris Tremulis and Bill Holland talk the futures market, cash prices, what storage...
Ahead of Platts' European Emissions Markets conference in Brussels on September 29, 2014, Frank Watson, Platts Managing Editor for European emissions markets, interviews Jesse Scott, head of the Environment and Sustainable Development Policy Unit at Eurelectric, to discuss proposed carbon market...
Production hiccups in the US benzene market are pushing prices higher, which is causing ripples in downstream markets. Platts petrochemical editors Colleen Barry-Goodman, John Calton and Jeremy Rakes discuss how the markets have moved, including near-record highs for benzene prices and changing...
There's no sign that North American traders are worried about refilling natural gas in storage as the gas market limps along with little change in weather. Platts Gas Daily editors Rodney White, TL Hamilton, Chris Tremulis and Bill Holland discuss the market, as well as how the US set a new record...
Ahead of Platts' European Emissions Markets conference in Brussels on September 29, 2014, Frank Watson, Platts Managing Editor for European emissions markets, interviews Jesse Scott, head of the Environment and Sustainable Development Policy Unit at Eurelectric, to discuss proposed carbon market...
North American natural gas futures contracts are trading sideways while looking for a fundamental change in weather or supplies, but cash prices introduced a lot of volatility in certain cities such as Boston. Additionally, Aubrey McClendon just closed on three deals for $4.25 billion: one doubles...
Platts associate editor for natural gas TL Hamilton talks about the Environmental Protection Agency's new power plant emissions standards and how the North American gas industry possibly stands to gain from the changes. She also discusses how many are optimistic that prices won't unsettle the...
Hetain Mistry, senior analyst for the Platts Petrochemicals Analytics team and Daved Chohan, Platts petrochemicals editor, discuss the recent trends in the propylene market. The implications of shale gas in the US market and the growth of demand in China have boosted investment in propylene. We...
Mike Cooper, Platts Asia senior editor for coal, and Eric Zeng, managing editor at Fenwei Energy, Platts' joint venture partner for its CCI thermal coal prices discuss the latest moves in domestic and CFR South China thermal coal prices and the possible implications of China's proposed ban on...
While gas markets in the northeast US swung high and low as temperatures ranged from the 90's to the 50's, the futures market stayed range bound as bull and bears stayed locked into their positions waiting for some kind of signal. Gas production and supply hit record highs but more than...
After over a decade of prolonged talks, Russia and China have finally inked a historic gas deal, with Gazprom supplying 38 bcm/year of gas to CNPC for 30 years from 2018. Mriganka Jaipuriyar, senior editor for Platts Oilgram News and Song Yen Ling, Platts senior writer for China, assess the...
Increased focus on US shale plays has contributed to an sharp increase of natural gas and NGL production. With more natural gas liquids flooding the market, the price relationship between gas, NGLs and petrochemicals is tightening and, in some cases, reversing. Samantha Santa Maria, Platts managing...
Ng Bao Ying, Platts senior Asian petrochemicals editor and Vernon Lee, Platts petrochemicals editor, provide in-depth analysis on where benzene volumes have been flowing to in recent months, with the market in the midst of the longest open arbitrage window for Asian benzene cargoes to the US since...
Spring finally arrrived and the US natural gas markets have finally settled down. But storage injections are well behind the averages and there is a lot of gas to get into the tank after this winter's record pull. Gas Daily editors Rodney White, Chris Tremulis, TL Hamilton, and Jasmin Melvin take a...
Bob Fryklund, chief upstream strategist, IHS Energy, spoke with Platts web editor Elizabeth Bassett about challenges the energy industry will face in East Africa on the fourth day of the 45th Offshore Technology Conference. While countries like Mozambique have massive oil and gas reserves,...
Platts web editor Elizabeth Bassett spoke with Christopher Smith, principal deputy assistant secretary for fossil energy with the Department of Energy, at the Offshore Technology Conference. Smith was part of a panel on the second day of the conference, and he talked about what sort of R&D the...
Warm weather out West and continued below-average temperatures in Chicago and the East bolstered US natural gas prices as the May futures contract held its own to roll off the board at $4.79/MMBtu. Gas Daily editors Rodney White, Chris Tremulis, TL Hamilton, and Bill Holland discuss what's in store...
Platts petrochemicals editor Pavel Pavlov talks about what's been driving up the US ethylene market, where spot prices recently hit a 12-week high. Both planned and unplanned outages have been spurring prices upward, as has the continued outage of the Evangeline pipeline between Texas and...
Platts petrochemical editor Anna Ward talks to Platts petrochemical analyst Chris Ferrell about the current state of polyethylene markets in North America and market expectations that prices could eventually move lower. We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at...
Gas Daily editor Jim Magill explains how the Haynesville Shale, once a hot property for natural gas drilling in the US, has fallen out of favor as producers turn their attention elsewhere. Liquids-rich and oil-rich plays are shifting rig counts out of the Haynesville, and gas prices will need to...
Platts' William Powell, managing editor for International Gas Report, recently attended the Gastech conference in South Korea, focusing on the main themes discussed, including the prospects for gas prices globally and how, if at all, developments in Ukraine will affect the global gas picture. We...
Winter left US natural gas stocks at an 11-year low, and now the industry is left with the question of just how full storage will be before next winter and at what cost. Gas Daily editors Rodney White, Jessica Marron, Patrick Badgley, and Bill Holland discuss what could influence summer prices and...
The Northeast US, traditionally a large consumer of natural gas, is now also a major supplier thanks to the prolific Marcellus and Utica shale plays. T.L. Hamilton, associate editor for gas, discusses how three pipeline projects intended to move gas toward the Southeast could herald a growing focus...
Anna Ward, Platts associate petrochemical editor discusses the sharp fall in Asian natural rubber prices in the first quarter compared to Q1 2013. Why are prices on a downward trend and what is the market outlook going forward? We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at...
The S&P Capital IQ Energy Symposium in Houston on April 2 was focused on exploring the future of North American oil and gas industry. One of the panelists, Stewart Glickman, director, equity research, S&P Capital IQ, explains how there are still questions about whether technology can...
US methanol prices were hovering near five-year highs, but March cut them down, in part due to extra supply headed to US shores. Colleen Barry-Goodman, managing editor of Americas petrochemicals, talks with John Calton, associate editor of petrochemical markets, about how global prices, including...
