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Oil features
Swaps sellers aim to sustain tanker earnings amid rising fuel costs

Forward Curve Freight Rates July 2, 2008
Freight forward agreements (FFAs) on crude tankers for the coming year have gained upward momentum as swaps sellers aim to sustain tanker earnings amid rising costs for bunker fuel and players extrapolate the unprecedented strength of spot freight rates into the future, industry sources said.
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India's D6 gas production to commence September

Indian oil and gasJune 26, 2008
India's giant D6 gas block in the eastern offshore Krishna Godavari Basin is expected to start production in September at a rate of 25 million cu m/day (about 882,500 Mcf/day) and supplies will be prioritized for the country's underutilized urea and power plants, the oil ministry said late June 25.
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EU, OPEC share oil price 'concern' but disagree on causes

OPEC GuideJune 24, 2008
OPEC and the European Union met for high-level talks in Brussels June 24, reiterating their mutual "concern" over record oil prices but failing to agree on whether a supply/demand mismatch was to blame for the historic surge.
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Crisis for US airlines as oil prices defy gravity

Risk: Jet Fuel & Hedging May 20, 2008
Fuel costs are the biggest catalyst in the latest flurry of consolidations in the US airlines industry, analysts say, and may bring about more trouble as with the exception of a few, none of the airlines has prepared for today's cost environment.
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Iraq: The year of transfer?

Oil in IraqApril 24, 2008
Iraqi oil minister Hussein al-Shahristani said April 23 that the recent government crackdown in the southern oil hub of Basra had been a success and had created a safer environment for the oil industry.
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Next-generation biofuels begin to emerge
Advanced biofuelsApril 16, 2008
The production of biofuels has tripled from 4.8 billion gallons in 2000 to 16 billion gallons in 2007, but still only accounts for less than 3% of total global transportation fuel supply, according to a report from the Economic Research Services division of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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IEA says world needs bigger cushion on oil inventories

Challenges for crude oilApril 14, 2008
The world oil market needs a bigger oil stock "buffer" to cope with geopolitical tension, even though inventory levels are already above five-year averages, the International Energy Agency said March 11.
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Crude oil market round-ups

Oil Markets round-upFebruary 8, 2008
In a special series of podcasts, Platts European oil team discuss what's been moving the West African, North Sea and Urals crude markets in the week beginning February 4.
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Electric power Features
Energy issues continue to dominate Capitol Hill legislative agenda

US Election 2008July 22, 2008
Energy issues continued to dominate the Capitol Hill legislative agenda in the week ended July 18, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle voicing indignation over gasoline prices that are heaping economic pain on millions of people across the country.
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Huge investments needed to meet US power demand growth

US Power PricesJune 4, 2008
US utilities and their customers are feeling the pinch. Amidst the credit crunch, huge investments are needed to meet power demand growth, but inflation is rife across the supply side.
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Negative outlook for mergers could turn around

Mergers Activity Changes CourseMay 8, 2008
Analysts were unanimous in agreement at the Edison Electric Institute International Utility Conference back in March 2008 that there would not be much cross-Atlantic merger and acquisition activity in the US power sector this year.
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Rebalancing with gas and wind

Eastern European Power GenerationMay 1, 2008
Continuing uncertainty about the future carbon environment as well as ongoing concerns over security of supply seem to be outweighing fears about tightening supply-demand margins, according to Platts Energy in East Europe's latest power plant tracker.
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Congress analyzes cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide

US Cap and Trade SystemMarch 4, 2008
A program to control carbon dioxide emissions through a cap with an emissions-allowance trading program that includes a "safety valve" would be "significantly more efficient" than an inflexible annual cap on CO2.
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NERC chief applauds Florida restoration efforts

Florida Power OutageFebruary 27, 2008
NERC CEO Rick Sergel on Feb. 27 applauded the efforts on Feb. 26 by Florida utilities to restore power after a system disturbance led to the loss of about 12 power plants and cut power to millions of customers.
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Prosperous solar PV sector confronts specter of looming investment 'bubble'

Photovoltaic energyFebruary 27, 2008
The solar photovoltaic industry since 2000 has established the best track record for growth among all energy sources, oil and gas included.
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EC sets out new targets for emissions, renewables

EC Climate Change PackageJanuary 24, 2008
The European Commission on January 23 set out detailed proposals for meeting its target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020.
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Emissions trading -- time to get serious

Kyoto Protocol kicks it up a notchJanuary 2, 2008
The Kyoto Protocol's five-year compliance period begins in 2008. Industrialized nations around the world have pledged to cut carbon emissions, but the job seems to get harder, not easier. Can market mechanisms make the crucial difference?
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Natural Gas features
High oil prices destroying European gas demand

European Gas Demand July 9, 2008
High oil prices are destroying gas demand directly or indirectly, leading to consumer outrage in Europe. But not only might they be short-lived; but there are other, painless, ways of reducing industrial and residential demand too.
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Calls to curb oil market speculators may spill into gas, industry fears

Speculative Trading in energy markets May 14, 2008
Talk of curbing speculative trading in petroleum markets has the potential to bleed into the gas market, according to industry insiders, who warned that, despite the historically high price of commodities, the reining in of such players could have devastating effects on energy trading.
Read the full story...

Shale boom to help US meet growing gas demand

North American Shale GasMay 28, 2008
It's been more than a century since the first natural gas wells were sunk in the United States - shallow holes in the rigid shale formations of Appalachia.
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Western markets are poised to prosper in 2008

US Rockies Natural GasMarch 17, 2008
With 2008 in full swing, Rocky Mountain market watchers agree that some significant pricing and infrastructure events from 2007 continue to exert their influence.
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LNG regas capacity is outstripping new liquefaction plant at a rapid rate

Global LNG OutlookMarch 12, 2008
The ratio of regasification capacity to LNG liquefaction is set to grow rapidly over the next five years.
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World gas prices reflect regional splits

Natural Gas Price DivergenceFebruary 5, 2008
Wholesale spot prices in Asia, Europe and North America are moving further apart this winter, not converging.
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Coal features
Coking coal prices top $350/mt as steel demand, supply uncertainty hits market

Coking Coal Price RisesJuly 22, 2008
Platts latest Q3-2008 coking coal price assessments showed spot values gaining across the board for all varieties, compared to the previous quarter on the back of several record benchmark term contract agreements and continued tightness in the global metallurgical coal market.
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Coal - a derivatives market on the brink of change

Coal Derivatives MarketApril 15, 2008
Coal is re-emerging as a vital generation feedstock fuel with plentiful global reserves. A global seaborne steam coal market split between the Atlantic and Pacific basins has been complemented by a thriving financial derivatives market.
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Nuclear features
Cost doubts assail new nuclear growth

European Nuclear OutlookMay 28, 2008
On paper the case for new nuclear in Europe is as compelling today as it was during the 1970s oil crisis, indeed more so because of new imperatives to control CO2 emissions.
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DOE gets approval for nuclear energy loan guarantees

Support for Nuclear GrowthJanuary 7, 2008
With the spot price of uranium having slid through the month of July, there are differences among analysts about how low the price will drop before it once again rises, as most expect it will.
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Petrochemicals features
Ethanol stocks high, prices static
European Ethanol OutlookFebruary 15, 2008
Ethanol prices in Europe have been static in the first part of 2008 as high stock levels have reduced spot trading activity.
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Metals features
Aluminum hits all-time record highs despite weak demand

Global Aluminum MarketJuly 15, 2008
Aluminum may have been responding to two different events in the week ending July 11 when it hit a succession of all-time price highs, but the market remains divided over the medium-term direction, given that world fundamentals point to weak demand and rising stock levels.
Read the full story...

A treacherous year for steel buyers

Steel Market TrendsJune 26, 2008
If you are a steel buyer, 2008 has so far been a treacherous year. Consider the following... Since late December 2007 through early June 2008, the Platts-assessed price of hot-rolled coil (HRC) in the US market is up 88%.
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Gold prices soar to record levels as rally continues

Gold Market AnalysisJanuary 16, 2008
Someone once said there's this odd thing about the future -- it never gets here. But if exchange-traded steel futures contracts ever take off, 2007 may be looked back on as the pivotal year.
Read the full story...

Risk features
Swaps sellers aim to sustain tanker earnings amid rising fuel costs

Forward Curve Freight Rates July 2, 2008
Freight forward agreements (FFAs) on crude tankers for the coming year have gained upward momentum as swaps sellers aim to sustain tanker earnings amid rising costs for bunker fuel and players extrapolate the unprecedented strength of spot freight rates into the future, industry sources said.
Read the full story...

Crisis for US airlines as oil prices defy gravity

Risk: Jet Fuel & Hedging May 20, 2008
Fuel costs are the biggest catalyst in the latest flurry of consolidations in the US airlines industry, analysts say, and may bring about more trouble as with the exception of a few, none of the airlines has prepared for today's cost environment.
Read the full story...

Calls to curb oil market speculators may spill into gas, industry fears

Speculative Trading in energy markets May 14, 2008
Talk of curbing speculative trading in petroleum markets has the potential to bleed into the gas market, according to industry insiders, who warned that, despite the historically high price of commodities, the reining in of such players could have devastating effects on energy trading.
Read the full story...

Commodities as an asset class for investors

Risk Management January 2, 2008
Recent years have seen a profound re-appraisal by many
financial market players of the merits of commodity-related investments, both in terms of the companies that extract, refine, transport and market such key building blocks of modern economies and directly in those commodities themselves.
Read the full story...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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