Brent remains on top for LNG term contracts

Asian LNG buyers have turned to the relative security of term contracts amid a very volatile spot market in 2021-22, with Chinese buyers leading the deals. Fluctuations in the TTF have kept Brent the most popular price linkage. Read on to learn more.

11 января 2022

From the Economist's Chair: USD strength may temper 2022’s more bullish outlooks

Early-year bullish oil and commodity sentiment has been boosted by limited new restrictions due to Omicron and by supply-side tightness. Ongoing demand recovery seems assured for 2022, although a strong USD could place a cap over demand in key developing economies.

11 января 2022

Market Talks: NPK prices might discourage Brazilian purchases in early 2022

Prices at historically high levels, tight supply and an unfavourable barter rate for farmers will likely see Brazilian importers purchasing lower fertilizer volumes in early 2022 and regularly throughout the year to meet domestic demand, while managing financial risks.

03 января 2022

Market Talks: Brazil unrolls its new biodiesel market model

Brazil’s switch from a tender system to a free-market biodiesel model was far from easy, with its lot of last-minute changes and surprises.

04 января 2022

Weight of freight: Naphtha tests positive for clean tankers

The year 2021 marked a new paradigm for the tanker freight market, with shipowners recording huge losses and record-low earnings. The rollercoaster drop from highs just a year ago made it feel worse. But the year-end holidays are behind us and clean tanker freight rates

29 декабря 2021

The Crude Report: Opec+ likely to stay the course

After having weathered the storm of uncertainty last month, expectations are that Opec and its non-Opec partners will once again opt to stick to the script and agree on a 400,000 b/d increase in its production ceiling, as planned.

29 декабря 2021

Market Talks: Trends for grain freight rates in Brazil in 2022

After several problems during the 2020-21 crop, grain freight rates had an irregular trajectory in 2021. Now, with the expectation of a record crop next year, especially for soybeans, what should be the trend in demand for grains transportation service in 2022?

28 декабря 2021

The US Crude Export Chronicles: December 2021

Crude prices have regained some of last month’s losses, but growth is limited near-term amid surging cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant and a looming global crude surplus in 2022.

28 декабря 2021

Weight of Freight: Powering through the pandemic with the Panama Canal’s deputy administrator

This latest Weight of Freight podcast episode focuses on the effects of the pandemic on the Panama Canal, logistical changes made at the canal over the prior year and the increased transit volumes it saw during its 2021 fiscal year.

28 декабря 2021

Time to rethink LNG indexation

Recent global LNG price trends suggest the market is ripe for new indexes, as existing methods appear increasingly inadequate to hedge price risks.

22 декабря 2021

Market Talks: Cade authorised Petrobras to buy regasified LNG. What happens now?

Turbulence within global natural gas markets has seen high prices and increased demand, resulting in anti-trust watchdog Cade authorising Petrobras to buy gas from the Bahia Terminal.

22 декабря 2021

The Crude Report: Rocky markets follow Trans Mountain shutdown

The 300,000 b/d Trans Mountain pipeline connecting Canada’s crude hub to refineries and export hubs at the west coast was closed for three weeks starting in November as a precaution to extreme weather conditions. As a result, ANS crude demand and, therefore, prices surg

16 декабря 2021

Weight of Freight: Clean tankers - ending the year with Omicron

This latest Weight of Freight podcast focuses on the current and possible forward state of the clean tanker markets in the East and West of Suez. Fundamentally, demand is strong, but Covid-19 refuses to let the world move on.

17 декабря 2021

Metal Movers: What now for European and US HRC

US and EU hot-rolled coil (HRC) is the hot topic in this episode of Metal Movers featuring Colin Richardson, Editor - Steel, and Rye Druzin, Senior Steel Reporter.

17 декабря 2021

From the Economist's Chair: Freight costs underpin surging inflation

Sustained inflationary pressures will likely pull interest rate rises forward in 2022, albeit central banks must tread carefully to avoid derailing post-pandemic recovery.

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