As the maritime industry faces a crucial turning point, the adoption of stringent environmental regulations is reshaping fuel consumption and market dynamics. In this episode of Commodities Focus, our Platts experts discuss the implications of the European Union's Emissions Trading System (ETS) on shipping operations and the transition to alternative fuels. With the upcoming FuelEU regulations and the establishment of a new Emissions Control Area in the Mediterranean, we delve into how these cha...
Dec 17, 2024•30 min
India is at the crossroads of transitioning from Asia's primary corn exporter to a net importer amidst growing ethanol production within the country. Is this trend of corn imports going to continue, and why is the Indian ethanol market a crucial factor? What challenges stand in the way of this transition? In this podcast, grains and oilseeds price reporter Edward Low is joined by Namarita Kathait, associate editor for Asia agriculture and senior editor for biofuels, Rishab Joshi, and global biof...
Dec 11, 2024•12 min
The world's top rice exporter India recently lifted most of the restrictions on its rice exports, which the country placed in July 2023 to control soaring domestic food prices. Price-sensitive rice importers, such as the West African countries, are likely to look towards India as a competitive supplier. However, shipping concerns that impacted the country's rice exporters recently may continue to add to the trade uncertainties in the coming days as well. In this podcast, Asim Anand, managing edi...
Nov 13, 2024•21 min
The outcome of the US presidential election in November will have ripple effects for the international energy picture. In the weeks before the election, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are trying to draw contrasts with each other, including on energy and foreign policy. Kate Winston, oil news editor for S&P Global Commodity Insights, discusses oil sanctions, LNG exports and solar tariffs with reporters Chris Vanmoessner, Corey Paul and Kirsten Errick. They discuss the foreign policy and econo...
Oct 16, 2024•15 min
Political experts say Nov. 5 will likely become known as one of the most pivotal elections in US history. Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins the presidency, and whether Republicans or Democrats control Congress, the energy sector faces major potential shifts. There will be implications for supply chains, energy infrastructure, and the overall direction of US energy markets. Jasmin Melvin, senior editor and team lead for The Energy Daily, leads a discussion on what's at stake in the oil, ...
Oct 14, 2024•26 min
India has maintained its position as the world's largest producer of direct-reduced iron (DRI) for several years. As the global race to accelerate energy transition efforts intensifies, DRI has gained prominence due to its potential for reducing carbon emissions in energy-intensive sectors like steel. Recognized as a key pathway to 'green steel,' DRI offers various low-carbon steelmaking alternatives. Walking the DRI path is expected to help India's steel industry to lower its emissions. Capturi...
Sep 25, 2024•14 min
In the global wheat markets, recent concerns over a major production cut in Russia, a key exporter, have sparked attention on the supply and demand dynamics. Neighbouring European producers are also facing similar concerns. Meanwhile, in Canada and Australia, weather developments in recent months have played a significant role in shaping production prospects. While, on the demand side, key importing regions such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Asia are experiencing challenges as w...
Jul 03, 2024•18 min
With high temperatures moving through the US, multiple regions are preparing for gas and power price volatility. Gas supply constraints or cooling demand could result in power demand spikes. Data centers have been increasing power and gas requirements in some areas, power generators have been competing for gas supplies with LNG terminals along the Gulf Coast, and high gas storage levels in Southern California could lower gas and power prices from past summers. Americas gas editorial lead J Robin...
Jun 28, 2024•13 min
Global container markets have endured a year of volatility not experienced since the global pandemic in 2020-2021, anchored by the complexity for supply chains as carriers loop around the Cape of Good Hope. Now that demand is ushering back into markets in a period of restocking, rates have surged upwards for North and South American import markets from Asia, with some suggesting that the ceiling has not yet been reached heading into Q3. In the midst of all of this is an uncertain geopolitical en...
Jun 14, 2024•17 min
Meat consumption is soaring globally, driven by population growth, rising incomes, and dietary preferences. As emerging markets embrace protein-rich diets, demand for feed grains intensifies, and the weather, government policy, animal disease and other factors can have major impact on both industries. For the second installment of this two-part series focusing on global beef and poultry markets, Will Bland resumes the conversation, this time with agriculture managing editors Liz Thang and Asim A...
Jun 10, 2024•17 min
Grilling season is underway in the US -- the world's largest producer and consumer of beef. Even so, per capita consumption of beef in the US has halved over the last 50 years. The US can now produce more beef with fewer head of cattle, but it has become reliant on imported beef. And Brazil has a herd of some 235 million head and now supplies the world. In this first installment of a two-part series focusing on global beef and poultry markets, EMEA agriculture and food manager William Bland spea...
Jun 03, 2024•14 min
As election fever grips the UK, this Commodities Focus podcast looks at the country's oil refineries as they grapple with the fast-changing process of energy transition, including shifting government targets, shrinking diesel demand, the rise of sustainable aviation fuel, and unrelenting competitive pressure from giant refiners around the world. In this new instalment of the Commodities Focus podcast focusing on UK energy policy, Nick Coleman, senior editor for oil news, is joined by managing ed...
May 28, 2024•27 min
The expansion in the Indian steel manufacturing capacity comes at an opportune moment for the industry as the country has witnessed massive infrastructure projects like construction of national highways over the past few years. Now, with the general elections underway in the country and if the incumbent government comes back to power, the thrust on infrastructure would likely receive continued boost on account of policy continuity. Even though India has unseated Japan as the second largest produ...
May 06, 2024•22 min
The rice markets in Asia have seen new trends emerging with Indonesia importing rice, and India putting restrictions on their rice exports. Ripple effects have been felt in other major growing rice growing countries such as Pakistan and Thailand. In this Commodities Focus episode, Elizabeth Thang, Managing Editor for Food and Agriculture is joined by three rice experts from S&P Global Commodity Insights, Tanya Rana and Elvis John, associate editors with the agriculture markets and Mugunthan ...
May 02, 2024•17 min
As a UK general election looms, energy security and the transition to net-zero are high on the agenda. In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, our experts sift through the policy options, from windfall taxes to licensing bans, and discuss why they matter, not just for the UK, but for Europe and beyond. Nick Coleman, senior editor for oil news, is joined by Gethin Baker, senior technical research analyst specialising in the North Sea, and Stuart Elliott, news reporter focusing on the UK...
Apr 24, 2024•21 min
Pressured by sub-$2/MMBtu prices, many US producers have decided to cut spending on gas-directed drilling and completion activity and to scale back production in 2024. But there are signs of price improvement along the futures curve in late 2024 and thereafter, due in part to the arrival of new LNG facilities, giving operators reason for optimism. In this episode, Jeremy Beaman, natural gas news editor, talks with Bryan Mcnamara and Imre Kugler, directors of upstream research about how natural g...
Mar 13, 2024•13 min
Red sea crisis has forced carriers and shippers alike to adjust strategies. Container freight rates not only reached yearly high after receding throughout 2023 but carriers also seized a profit making opportunity they were looking for after the post pandemic lull. The change in this dynamic has forced shippers to again look for alternatives in the hopes of making their supply chain more agile. S&P Global Commodity Insights containers editor Tanya Kalra speaks with Chris Rogers, Head of Suppl...
Mar 11, 2024•27 min
Lithium producers are pushing timelines out for project development in North America as global lithium prices sit near a three-year low after plunging from record levels in 2022. The change in sentiment has cooled off a red-hot market and cast doubt on the future of domestic lithium supply for North America's electric vehicles and other energy transition applications. S&P Global Commodity Insights metals editor Nick Lazzaro speaks with Viral Shah, managing editor for low carbon and base meta...
Mar 08, 2024•26 min
Wheat prices have been on a largely downward trend since the start of 2024 despite lower production in key exporters, Canada and Australia, and continued logistics concerns due to the wars in the Black Sea and the Red Sea. Does this imply the weight of a larger global supply in the year ahead and that the markets have adapted to a new normal amidst geopolitical tensions? Or are there choppier waves to come? In this podcast, Vivien Tang, associate grains editor, grains, Victoria Sinitsyna, associ...
Mar 06, 2024•16 min
The Asian copper market saw CIF China copper concentrate TC/RC fall by 65% in just three months' time, while smelters were still not able to find enough feedstocks to meet their production needs. As copper concentrate market changed from surplus to deficit and copper price is still hovering at $8100-$8500/mt level, our experts discuss what happened behind the price, share the outlook for copper concentrate and copper cathodes. S&P Global Commodity Insights senior managing editor Mok Cheng sp...
Feb 16, 2024•17 min
Following on from heavy winter storms in recent years that disrupted power supply across US regions, power markets managed a mid-January 2024 winter storm with elevated prices and a few demand records, but no large-scale power outages. S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters Mark Watson, Jared Anderson, Kassia Micek and Tom Tiernan discuss how grid operators are applying lessons learned from past winter storms and benefitting from policy directives on winterization of equipment. World Petroc...
Jan 31, 2024•14 min
Over the past 20 years, Brazil's growth in the production of feedstuffs like soybeans and corn has been remarkable. In the process, it has become a powerhouse exporter. To accomplish this, it took the convergence of Brazil modernizing its agricultural production and transportation systems along with the equally meteoric demand growth of a willing buyer, China. S&P Global Commodity Insights' chief agricultural economist Paul Hughes speaks with feed and grains senior analyst Anamaria Martins a...
Dec 13, 2023•18 min
Asian aluminum markets continue to see lackluster demand and ample stocks pressuring premiums, though the sporadic reopening of the Chinese import arbitrage window is providing support across the region. Further upstream in the alumina markets, flat demand remains a drag on prices globally, but cost pressures and output curtailments are keeping significant declines at bay. As the market looks at what's ahead for 2024, YuenCheng Mok, Senior Managing Editor of Asia nonferrous metals at S&P Glo...
Dec 06, 2023•20 min
Chinese copper markets are showing signs of recovering from the slump that hit the industry in the second quarter pf this year. The clean concentrate spot TCs are declining on increased demand for cargoes and cathode import interest are improving on tighter spot supplies. As the market heads into negotiation season, YuenCheng Mok, Senior Managing Editor of nonferrous metals at S&P global Commodity Insights discusses the key trends in the Chinese copper concentrate and cathode markets with Je...
Oct 16, 2023•19 min
With bearish fundamentals characterizing the global LNG market, what role will US exporters play for Europe this winter? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and subsequent decoupling between LNG and natural gas in Europe, the US has played an even larger role in the region's energy security. Global LNG markets have changed dramatically over the past year, with the record prices and extreme volatility of 2022 giving way to more bearish fundamentals ahead of the coming winter. ...
Oct 06, 2023•14 min
High density polyethylene product consumption and market behavior are key indicators for consumer spending. The US and major export outlet Asia are climbing out of a price slump created by HDPE oversupply, attractive cost margins and slow-to-recover demand. With about 1.5 million mt/year of North American ethane-advantaged capacity starting between September and Q1 2024, run rate discipline will be crucial, especially as low prices encourage virgin resin substitution for recyclers despite impend...
Sep 21, 2023•12 min
Draft reduction at the Neopanamax locks and limitations on daily transits at the Panamax lock system have resulted in longer wait times to transit the Panama Canal. Shipowners have been raising freight costs to seek reimbursement for higher transit and demurrage fees; lightering ships by offloading cargo before crossing; or rerouting ships via alternative but longer routes. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Barbara Troner, Americas freight senior managing editor, discusses these impacts with Am...
Sep 07, 2023•20 min
A sluggish start to the peak summer demand season has disrupted the global recycled PET markets, with subpar demand from beverage bottling in North America, squeezed margins, stiff competition from virgin resin and pessimism running rampant. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Heng Hui, global market lead for sustainable chemicals, Lee Joon lei, associate editor for petrochemicals, Charlie Wright also an associate editor and Antoinette Smith, senior editor, Americas chemicals discuss the current ...
Aug 31, 2023•14 min
US Henry Hub natural gas prices have averaged just $2.43/MMBtu this year, pushing many producers close to, or even below, their breakeven price. Mild weather and weak gas demand this past winter were largely to blame, triggering a selloff that dropped gas prices from historic highs. US gas producers were slow to respond to the selloff, however, and only recently cut rigs, slowed new well starts and dialed back completions. At over 102 Bcf/d, though, US gas production remains near record highs th...
Aug 23, 2023•15 min
It's been a rough couple of years for US corn and soybeans. 2022 brought drought, record-low Mississippi River water levels, and ultimately sky-high grains and oilseeds prices. The 2023 planting season was initially met with dry weather, causing concern of low yields come harvest time, but have conditions turned around since then and if not, what would that mean for prices and for domestic and export demand? S&P Global Commodity Insights' Jennifer Pedrick, Pete Meyer, Paul Hughes and Luke Lu...
Aug 11, 2023•24 min
