Commodities Focus

A constant rush of imports has commanded short supply of equipment needed to move out exports of resins used to make everything from grocery bags and shampoo bottles to vinyl siding and vehicle dashboards. After US resin producers struggled through a year of severe weather that squeezed supply, they entered 2022 with multiple hurdles to restoring those outflows just when more supply is ready to ship out. Global polymer lead Kristen Hays and US container freight editor David Lademan discuss the whys and wherefores of these logjams, and what shipping and resin markets can expect going forward into the year.

As more renewable energy enters the grid, wind and solar generators increasingly compete for the same revenue streams. This results in a price cannibalization risk, in which renewables erode their own value over time. Recent renewable penetration trends in North America with wind and solar capacity additions are already showing signs of eroding prices in regions such as ERCOT and SPP. Managing editor global power pricing Amy Gasca, power pricing analyst Daryna Kotenko, and senior power analyst Giuliano Bordignon discuss these trends in North America for historical capture price indexes, outlook on risks, and other expected technology drivers.

The commercial and financial ramifications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be felt for a long time. As the conflict escalates, sanctions have been imposed on Russian banks and shipping companies. This has meant that many companies are reluctant or unable to trade with Russia. In this podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights' Pradeep Rajan, Sameer C. Mohindru, Zhuwei Wang and Shriram Sivaramakrishnan explain what the latest developments mean for the maritime sector, global trade and shipments and prices of key commodities including crude, refined oil products, grains and coal. Tell us more about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our two-minute survey here: https://bit.ly/plattspod22

The natural gas storage situation in North America has fluctuated wildly this winter, quickly moving from a surplus to a growing deficit in the US. Meanwhile, Canada’s inventories have teetered near historical lows all winter. In response, key hubs throughout the US and Canada are maintaining prices not seen since 2008, the early days of the US shale boom, as Henry Hub forwards recently posted record-high daily gains. US natural gas writer Brandon Evans sits down with Platts Analytics’ energy analysts Richard Frey and Eric Brooks to discuss the state of gas storage and exports in Canada and the Lower 48, as well as the outlook for the rest of heating season.

Asia's LPG demand has been growing over the last decade, led by China's mushrooming petrochemical sector. India’s LPG demand has also grown due to large subsidy-driven household consumption. But major Middle Eastern exporters have to grapple with growing competition from other producers, led by the shale-driven US natural gas liquids sector. In a move to win back traditional buyers and entrench themselves in a bullish LPG market, Middle Eastern producers are projected to boost export volumes in 2022. S&P Global Platts Wendy Wells, Ramthan Hussain and Joshua Ong discuss what lies ahead for the LPG markets in 2022. Tell us more about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our two-minute survey here: https://bit.ly/plattspod22

Copper prices were on a roller-coaster ride in 2021 with demand recovery in US and Europe, logistics issues, COVID-19 disruptions and power cuts in China all contributing to the price fluctuations. Futures backwardation also hit a historical high in 2021.  In 2022, increasing supply from new and existing mines is likely to be one of the key factors to watch out for. On this week's Commodities Focus podcast, S&P Global Platts Yuen Cheng Mok and Han Lu discuss what’s in store for copper markets in 2022.

Enterprise Products Partners co-CEO Jim Teague and Chris D’Anna, senior vice president of petrochemicals, discuss the energy storage and transportation titan’s push into upstream petrochemicals that will feed growing plastics demand over the next decade. The company is a key delivery point for physically settled futures markets, with global hydrocarbon risk management from the wellhead to waterborne markets. Enterprise’s reach includes 50,000 miles of natural gas liquids, crude oil, natural gas and refined products pipelines as well as 260 million barrels of NGLs, crude, refined products and petrochemicals storage. Petrochemicals is not new to Enterprise, but the company is expanding that reach with export growth, storage and olefin production facilities, including serious consideration of a cracker that could serve downstream plastics producers. Kristen Hays, S&P Global Platts’ global market lead for polymers, recently sat down with Teague and D’Anna to discuss the company’s growing focus on petrochemicals.

The World Petroleum Congress in Houston brought back a sense of normalcy to the energy sector as both the industry and the world continue to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. But the other existential threat for fossil fuels is the burgeoning energy transition and switch to cleaner sources of power and fuels. At the conference, many oil and gas executives pushed back at the notion of a seamless transition, arguing that fossil fuels will be needed for many decades to come, and warning of price shocks and energy shortages if the world shifts too quickly. Americas oil news director Jeff Mower, senior upstream editor Starr Spencer, and senior midstream editor Jordan Blum sat down to recap these themes from WPC and reflect on the slow shift toward in-person events again.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is one of the most controversial energy infrastructure projects in history. Now complete, there remains uncertainty over when the 55 Bcm/year project will begin commercial flows. On this week's Commodities Focus podcast, S&P Global Platts Henry Edwardes-Evans, Stuart Elliott, Gary Hornby and James Huckstepp discuss the project's history, the many obstacles it has faced, its impact on European gas prices and what to expect next.

US natural gas and power markets are strengthening as the heart of winter heating season nears.    In this podcast, editors from S&P Global Platts power and natural gas teams discuss spot and forward pricing, weather outlooks, major trends, and market fundamentals impacting the winter outlook. With power and gas prices rising across the board, we investigate how these markets have evolved from the previous year, what infrastructure has been added, and what to expect as winter forges ahead.