Commodities Focus

Crude oil production from the Eagle Ford is increasing at the expense of West African crude imports to the US Gulf Coast. Richard Capuchino Jr., Americas crude managing editor, and Jacqueline Puig, associate editor for shale crude, explore how the domestic light sweet crude is finding more ways to...

Beatrice Bedeschi, Platts editor, and Gary Hornby, Platts associate editor, discuss recent developments in the European gas markets after the deal reached by Russia and Ukraine over winter gas supplies. We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at webeditor@platts.com.

Platts Gareth Carpenter, managing editor, discusses the growing biomass market and how the euro's recent weakness against the US dollar has caused European generators to source their spot wood pellets from local suppliers rather than the larger volumes available from the US. We welcome any feedback...

Platts Stuart Elliott, associate editorial director, Europe and Africa oil news and Rosemary Griffin, associate editor, discuss the likely impact on the Russian oil sector of the so-called "tax maneuver", a new taxation regime due to come into force in 2015. We welcome any feedback or suggestions...

Platts Stuart Elliott, associate editorial director, Europe and Africa oil news and Nadia Rodova, Moscow bureau chief, discuss the impact to date of US and EU sanctions against the Russian oil sector and whether the recent oil price fall is also hampering oil developments in the country. We...

Global LNG trade is up, but North Asia is not part of the growth story. Stephanie Wilson, Platts managing editor for LNG, talks about the volatility in LNG spot prices, the key drivers of price movements, and the potential impact of upcoming availability of flexible LNG supply. This is the latest in...

Platts Stuart Elliott, associate editorial director, Europe and Africa oil news, Rosemary Griffin, associate editor, and Beatrice Bedeschi, editor, discuss the possible impact of international sanctions against Russia on oil and gas projects -- both current and future -- at Sakhalin Island. We...

China's National Development and Reform Commission recently asked major power utilities to reduce coal imports, while Indonesia is implementing a new export license rule. In India, the Supreme Court has ruled that coal blocks allocated between 1993 and 2010 are illegal. Deepak Kannan, Platts...

The cold winter had many in the US coal industry hoping for sustained demand increases and higher prices. But as Andrew Moore, managing editor of Platts Coal Trader, explains, prices for Powder River Basin and Central Appalachian coal didn't react quite as expected, and now transportation issues...

Japan is facing the summer power demand peak season without nuclear power for the first time. Stephanie Wilson, Platts managing editor for Asia LNG, and Eriko Amaha, Platts associate editor for Asia LNG, discuss how the Japanese power market is coping with the season's demand; the possibility of...

Platts Darren Stetzel, power markets editor, discusses the evolving Turkish power generation mix as official energy ministry forecasts predict the need for 100 GW of installed generating capacity in Turkey by 2023, up from today's 66.6 GW. Demand is forecast to more than double through to 2023. We...

Natural gas futures and spot traders have little reason to be bullish as colder-than-normal temperatures blanket natural gas burning markets, with one exception: California. Production is still increasing, easing storage woes, and municipally owned utilities are taking advantage of current markets...

Oil companies are swapping acreage in the US to become more efficient and better plan drilling and midstream infrastructure. Starr Spencer, Platts senior editor, oil news, discusses which companies have been swapping land recently, including Chesapeake Energy, which did a swap in Wyoming's Powder...

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...

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...

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...

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...