Commodities Focus

Unlike other commodities sectors, the domestic steel market seemed to be largely immune during the first few weeks of Covid-19's spread across the US. Prices held relatively steady and mill production was fairly constant, with most participants basically in wait-and-see mode, but concern was limited. The scenario has shifted dramatically in recent days. The Big 3 automakers of GM, Ford and Fiat-Chrysler, as well as Honda and Toyota, announced temporary production stoppages in North America. That got the attention of flat-rolled steel producers, distributors, and even scrap processors. Christopher Davis, S&P Global Platts regional pricing director for metals in the Americas, examines the market with Mike Fitzgerald, US ferrous metals managing editor, and and Nick Ruggiero, regional metals derivatives manager.

China's long-awaited value-added-tax rebate on fuel oil paved the way for domestic producers to supply bunker fuel to ships plying international routes at Chinese ports. A month after its implementation, S&P Global Platts fuel oil experts Su Ling Teo and Rajesh Nair examine what has changed and what the road ahead looks like for China's bunker market, and whether it the country is getting closer to its dream of being a bunkering hub in Asia.

With commodities weakening on the back of the coronavirus epidemic and the oil price crash, Robert Beaman of S&P Global Platts talks to sugar specialists Nicolle Monteiro de Castro and Beatriz Pupo about the impact on the Brazilian sugar market. Brazilian sugar has been in the news following February's reversal of fortunes in Brazil's Center-South region, which saw sugar prices starting to pay producers better than ethanol for the first time since 2017. Joined by global manager Piero Carello, the team investigates the impact on the Brazilian sugar and ethanol markets and looks at the global context of these changes.

US LNG developers face challenges advancing any new export projects this year amid the escalating coronavirus outbreak, which has exacerbated the drop in global demand that has already led to record-low prices in Asia. Decision makers are lamenting that for the foreseeable future China's door appears to be shut to US LNG, and that has put the sector in hunker-down mode as participants try to ride out the turmoil. S&P Global Platts senior natural gas writer Harry Weber and senior digital editor Jason Lindquist discuss the challenges ahead.

With oil prices off roughly 30% in the past week in face of falling demand triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, impacts in the downstream are far-reaching. Changes in crude flows, refinery operations, LNG development and petrochemical price dynamics all are newly in play. Editors from S&P Global Platts and S&P Global Market Intelligence explore market and industry dynamics triggered by the extreme volatility in world oil markets, with a special focus on downstream us oil, natural gas, LNG and petrochemical operations. Also check out Part 1: Volatility in global markets creates havoc for upstream US oil, gas and LNG

The ongoing and extreme volatility in world oil markets has triggered a range of industry dynamics in the US. Editors from S&P Global Platts and S&P Global Market Intelligence examine the latest market news, with a particular focus on upstream US oil, gas and LNG operations. Coming soon: Part 2: Downstream impacts

S&P Global Platts refined products experts Wendy Cheong and Wanda Wang focus on the impact of lockdown policies in parts of China on petrochemical deliveries, the buildup in stocks, and the effect on the Asian naptha market.

Clean energy resource capacity in PJM Interconnection states has been increasing in recent years, often spurred by state programs that provide financial support. In response, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's December 19 order aimed to combat the potential price-suppressing effects of subsidized resource participation, setting off a scramble to assess the impacts of the rule.

S&P Global Platts editor Eric Yep and pricing specialists Fred Wang and Srijan Kanoi examine the impact of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, on China's coal and LNG markets, and take a look at potential demand centers that could absorb existing supplies in the market.

Amid prolonged drought in Thailand, the latest S&P Global Platts Commodities Focus podcast investigates the damage to the country's vital agriculture sector. This has been most keenly-felt in the rice industry, and EMEA agriculture lead Robert Beaman discusses the latest developments in production and prices with rice expert Stephen Jones. They are joined by rice team manager Charlotte James and senior reporter Peter Storey, as well as Piero Carello, who highlights some surprising parallels with the situation in the sugar market.