Commodities Focus

Warm weather out West and continued below-average temperatures in Chicago and the East bolstered US natural gas prices as the May futures contract held its own to roll off the board at $4.79/MMBtu. Gas Daily editors Rodney White, Chris Tremulis, TL Hamilton, and Bill Holland discuss what's in store...

Platts petrochemicals editor Pavel Pavlov talks about what's been driving up the US ethylene market, where spot prices recently hit a 12-week high. Both planned and unplanned outages have been spurring prices upward, as has the continued outage of the Evangeline pipeline between Texas and...

Platts petrochemical editor Anna Ward talks to Platts petrochemical analyst Chris Ferrell about the current state of polyethylene markets in North America and market expectations that prices could eventually move lower. We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at...

Gas Daily editor Jim Magill explains how the Haynesville Shale, once a hot property for natural gas drilling in the US, has fallen out of favor as producers turn their attention elsewhere. Liquids-rich and oil-rich plays are shifting rig counts out of the Haynesville, and gas prices will need to...

Winter left US natural gas stocks at an 11-year low, and now the industry is left with the question of just how full storage will be before next winter and at what cost. Gas Daily editors Rodney White, Jessica Marron, Patrick Badgley, and Bill Holland discuss what could influence summer prices and...

Platts' William Powell, managing editor for International Gas Report, recently attended the Gastech conference in South Korea, focusing on the main themes discussed, including the prospects for gas prices globally and how, if at all, developments in Ukraine will affect the global gas picture. We...

Anna Ward, Platts associate petrochemical editor discusses the sharp fall in Asian natural rubber prices in the first quarter compared to Q1 2013. Why are prices on a downward trend and what is the market outlook going forward? We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at...

The Northeast US, traditionally a large consumer of natural gas, is now also a major supplier thanks to the prolific Marcellus and Utica shale plays. T.L. Hamilton, associate editor for gas, discusses how three pipeline projects intended to move gas toward the Southeast could herald a growing focus...

The S&P Capital IQ Energy Symposium in Houston on April 2 was focused on exploring the future of North American oil and gas industry. One of the panelists, Stewart Glickman, director, equity research, S&P Capital IQ, explains how there are still questions about whether technology can...

Ahead of Platts' European Power Summit in Berlin on 28-29 April, 2014, Henry Edwardes-Evans spoke to Graham Weale, Chief Economist, RWE AG, on German power market supply, demand and wholesale price dynamics, market design and the prospects for a German capacity mechanism. We welcome any feedback or...

US methanol prices were hovering near five-year highs, but March cut them down, in part due to extra supply headed to US shores. Colleen Barry-Goodman, managing editor of Americas petrochemicals, talks with John Calton, associate editor of petrochemical markets, about how global prices, including...

Another blast of cold this week drove next-day cash gas prices higher by double digits for New England and New York. The weather isn't expected to linger but the hangover from all the gas withdrawn from storage to heat a 20-year winter may linger into the summer. Or not. Gas Daily Editors...

Platts petrochemical editor Nandita Lal talks to Platts petrochemical analyst Hetain Mistry about the latest Shale to Polyethylene report highlighting how the shale gas developments in North America and the conversion of coal to olefins in China are impacting global PE dynamics We welcome any...

Platts associate editor Patrick Badgley takes another look at what's ahead for US natural gas markets this summer, including for flows and storage, and answers questions submitted by participants in the March 18 "Cruel Summer?" webinar. Will gas drawdowns be replaced by summer, what's the future of...

Beatrice Bedeschi, associate editor for European gas and power, examines a recent reform of gas storage rules in Italy that introduces auctions to allocate capacity, against the backdrop of narrowing summer-winter spreads and an uncertain outlook as the Ukraine crisis escalates. We welcome any...

Starr Spencer, senior editor of oil news in the Platts Houston office, takes a look at what kind of decisions are being made in Mexico as state oil company Pemex goes through some radical changes in 2014. What will this year hold for onshore and offshore projects, and what kind of roles could...

Platts US natural gas editors Rodney White, Tiffany Hamilton, Jessica Marron, and Bill Holland discuss how the tired US Northeast gas markets are trying to look past another upcoming winter storm and prepare for the spring and summer. We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us...

Platts US petrochemicals editors Christopher Ferrell and Pavel Pavlov examine why domestically produced PVC is experiencing rising demand and prices in the US while global markets have more subdued trading activity, in part due to a cold winter, a stronger US dollar, and turbulence in other...

Ahead of Platts' European Power Summit in Berlin on 28-29 April, 2014, Henry Edwardes-Evans spoke to Angela Knight, Chief Executive of trade association Energy UK, about regulator Ofgem's wholesale power market reforms, the government's proposed capacity mechanism and how market dynamics will fare...

Platts US petrochemicals editors Jeremy Rakes and Chris Ferrell examine the effects that this year's harsh winter weather has had on the logistical side of the US petrochemical business, including an impact on propane prices, barge traffic issues, and delays impacting polymer buyers. We welcome...

The Arctic chill is the third wave from the north to push temperatures below frigid in heavy natural gas buying markets such as Chicago, Boston, and New York. Platts editors Valarie Jackson,Chris Tremulis, Rodney White and Patrick Badgely discuss the action in the futures, cash, and forward markets...

Platts editors Andrew Moore and Valarie Jackson discuss the impact of the recent cold weather on US coal stockpiles and the effect of natural gas price volatility on coal as the dominant fuel for electricity generation. We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at...

The NYMEX gas futures market sees cold next week and next-day cash prices retreat only a bit, despite warmer temperatures this week. Plus, a steel company found an unusual way to hedge its gas costs – pair up with a driller. Platts editors Valarie Jackson,Chris Tremulis, and Rodney White...

Platts natural gas editors Letitia Vasquez and Patrick Badgley take a step back from the price volatility the US has seen this winter and look ahead to the expectations for natural gas prices this summer. We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at webeditor@platts.com.

Anna Ward and Daved Chohan, Platts petrochemical editors based in Europe, discuss the impact of the weakness in the Turkish Lira on Turkey's polymer market and the short-term recovery seen in the polypropylene market. We welcome any feedback or suggestions for topics. Contact us at...