India's energy transition strategy encompasses greater adoption of a wide range of renewable fuels to go with baseload coal for decades to come, with new policies on CCUS, carbon markets and power reforms set to play a role in the decarbonization of the third largest greenhouse gas emitter of the world. In this Platts Future Energy podcast, Consult…

The price of emissions in the world’s largest compliance carbon market –the EU’s Emissions Trading System– has fallen sharply so far in 2024, driven by economic uncertainty, weaker industrial activity and lower gas prices. S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Eklavya Gupte, Coralie Laurencin, Michael Testa and Scott Chen discuss the reasons behin…

Pressured by sub-$2/MMBtu prices, many US producers have decided to cut spending on gas-directed drilling and completion activity and to scale back production in 2024. But there are signs of price improvement along the futures curve in late 2024 and thereafter, due in part to the arrival of new LNG facilities, giving operators reason for optimism. …

Red sea crisis has forced carriers and shippers alike to adjust strategies. Container freight rates not only reached yearly high after receding throughout 2023 but carriers also seized a profit making opportunity they were looking for after the post pandemic lull. The change in this dynamic has forced shippers to again look for alternatives in the …

Lithium producers are pushing timelines out for project development in North America as global lithium prices sit near a three-year low after plunging from record levels in 2022. The change in sentiment has cooled off a red-hot market and cast doubt on the future of domestic lithium supply for North America’s electric vehicles and other energy tran…

Wheat prices have been on a largely downward trend since the start of 2024 despite lower production in key exporters, Canada and Australia, and continued logistics concerns due to the wars in the Black Sea and the Red Sea. Does this imply the weight of a larger global supply in the year ahead and that the markets have adapted to a new normal amidst…

The Asian copper market saw CIF China copper concentrate TC/RC fall by 65% in just three months’ time, while smelters were still not able to find enough feedstocks to meet their production needs. As copper concentrate market changed from surplus to deficit and copper price is still hovering at $8100-$8500/mt level, our experts discuss what happened…

Following on from heavy winter storms in recent years that disrupted power supply across US regions, power markets managed a mid-January 2024 winter storm with elevated prices and a few demand records, but no large-scale power outages. S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters Mark Watson, Jared Anderson, Kassia Micek and Tom Tiernan discuss how grid…

As the dust settles after COP28, with world leaders finally agreeing to shift energy systems away from fossil fuels, scrutiny of the climate impact of energy policy is set to intensify in 2024. The thorny issue of finance is likely to dominate the climate debate this year, and with economic and geopolitical uncertainty still dominating the headline…

There's just over a year to go until the EU introduces its sustainable aviation fuel mandate. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Seb Lewis, associate director for biofeedstocks and biofuels consulting, speaks with Stephen Li, associate director for biofuels research and analysis, and Simone Burgin, associate editor for biofuels pricing. The team discus…

Over the past 20 years, Brazil’s growth in the production of feedstuffs like soybeans and corn has been remarkable. In the process, it has become a powerhouse exporter. To accomplish this, it took the convergence of Brazil modernizing its agricultural production and transportation systems along with the equally meteoric demand growth of a willing b…

Asian aluminum markets continue to see lackluster demand and ample stocks pressuring premiums, though the sporadic reopening of the Chinese import arbitrage window is providing support across the region. Further upstream in the alumina markets, flat demand remains a drag on prices globally, but cost pressures and output curtailments are keeping sig…

Waste feedstocks in the form of Used Cooking Oil and Palm Oil Mill Effluent have been hitting headlines in the biofuels sphere – touted as the next generation of energy feedstocks. Feedstock flexibility appears to be a dominant trend over the next few years, and legislations across many countries look set to propel demand of waste-based feedstocks.…

The growing use of renewable energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels is creating a large flexibility gap that needs to be filled by clean technologies such as energy storage. Long-term storage technologies are critical to solar and wind power, addressing the challenge of intermittency. While lithium-ion stands as the incumbent, scaling it for ex…

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is seen as an essential enabler of international emissions trading, providing countries and businesses with a key pathway to meet and accelerate their climate goals. However, many key decisions and rules around the use of Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 need to be clarified at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in order …

Chinese copper markets are showing signs of recovering from the slump that hit the industry in the second quarter pf this year. The clean concentrate spot TCs are declining on increased demand for cargoes and cathode import interest are improving on tighter spot supplies. As the market heads into negotiation season, YuenCheng Mok, Senior Managing E…

With bearish fundamentals characterizing the global LNG market, what role will US exporters play for Europe this winter? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and subsequent decoupling between LNG and natural gas in Europe, the US has played an even larger role in the region’s energy security. Global LNG markets have changed drama…

In this series of podcasts, we explore and compare different battery chemistries against the dominant lithium-ion battery sector. Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a strong competitor to lithium-ion batteries, particularly in the energy storage sector. Some have even hailed it as a game-changer in the entry-level or low-cost EV segment, and that…

Against the backdrop of Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and a self-imposed deadline for a US Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, American steelmakers are stepping up investments in clean energy and working to ensure efforts to produce lower-emissions steel are recognized on the global stage. So how will policymakers vi…

High density polyethylene product consumption and market behavior are key indicators for consumer spending. The US and major export outlet Asia are climbing out of a price slump created by HDPE oversupply, attractive cost margins and slow-to-recover demand. With about 1.5 million mt/year of North American ethane-advantaged capacity starting between…

Voluntary carbon markets are facing a critical moment in their short history. Questions about the integrity and effectiveness of many carbon projects have led to a sharp fall in prices and liquidity. However, a series of quality and transparency initiatives are being adopted to restore confidence in offsets. S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts E…

The hefty premiums paid by BP and TotalEnergies in Germany’s latest offshore wind auction reflect the value these companies place on diversification – but do the economics stack up? Competition for offshore concessions has been fierce, but the sector is also under extreme cost pressure from stressed supply chains and rising inflation. S&P Global Co…

Draft reduction at the Neopanamax locks and limitations on daily transits at the Panamax lock system have resulted in longer wait times to transit the Panama Canal. Shipowners have been raising freight costs to seek reimbursement for higher transit and demurrage fees; lightering ships by offloading cargo before crossing; or rerouting ships via alte…

A sluggish start to the peak summer demand season has disrupted the global recycled PET markets, with subpar demand from beverage bottling in North America, squeezed margins, stiff competition from virgin resin and pessimism running rampant. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Heng Hui, global market lead for sustainable chemicals, Lee Joon lei, associa…

Renewable Natural Gas – also known as RNG or biomethane — has gained attention in recent years as a lower-carbon replacement for conventional fossil natural gas. Rising demand for RNG has helped push prices for the associated environmental attributes up to anywhere from five to forty times the price of physical natural gas. As the market has grown,…

US Henry Hub natural gas prices have averaged just $2.43/MMBtu this year, pushing many producers close to, or even below, their breakeven price. Mild weather and weak gas demand this past winter were largely to blame, triggering a selloff that dropped gas prices from historic highs. US gas producers were slow to respond to the selloff, however, and…

India has an ambitious target to double the steel production capacity by 2030 from current levels. While the steel industry gears up for this expansion, concerns of higher carbon emissions loom large amid India lacking a distinct roadmap for decarbonization and its carbon neutrality target set as far ahead as 2070. At the same time, Europe is geari…

It's been a rough couple of years for US corn and soybeans. 2022 brought drought, record-low Mississippi River water levels, and ultimately sky-high grains and oilseeds prices. The 2023 planting season was initially met with dry weather, causing concern of low yields come harvest time, but have conditions turned around since then and if not, what w…

The European steel industry is at the forefront of developing a market for lower CO2 emission steel. New production processes are being implemented, new products are being offered, but the green steel market is lacking standardization at the same time. Standardization of carbon-accounted products is one of many items on the European Commission’s en…

Amid global efforts to decarbonize, US President Joe Biden's administration has set an ambitious goal to have 50% of all new vehicle sales in the US be electric by the end of this decade. However, making this shift will be heavily reliant on securing supply of battery metals. As countries around the globe are racing to electrify, Latin America, wit…

Amid global efforts to decarbonize, US President Joe Biden’s administration has set an ambitious goal to have 50% of all new vehicle sales in the US be electric by the end of this decade. However, making this shift will be heavily reliant on securing supply of battery metals. As countries around the globe are racing to electrify, Latin America, wit…

A year after a historic short squeeze sent LME nickel metal prices soaring above $100,000/mt, industry players remain divided over their pricing preferences in the nickel market with some still referencing the LME, while Chinese market participants have largely moved to other alternatives such as sulfate-basis pricing and SHFE nickel. Following the…

Up to two-thirds of North America is at an elevated risk of electricity shortfalls this summer in extreme conditions with a high load and high outages, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Conventional plants are retiring faster than the needed transmission and generation can be built, and there are questions about whet…

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) were born out of Europe's desire to wean itself off renewable energy subsidies. PPAs are now becoming more common across the region as more companies use them as a key risk hedging and decarbonisation tool. From a very niche industry, PPAs are becoming mainstream, with companies now having entire PPA departments, wh…

China was among the last to lift COVID restrictions at the close of 2022, but its polymer exports remain elevated amid continued sluggish domestic demand, creating more global competition for limited pockets of demand. India has been a bright spot in the region given its demand, but not enough to fill the gap left by China. Those global flows conti…

With investors, importers, and the public paying more attention to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel production, US natural gas producers have increasingly turned to third-party certifiers to attest that they are responsible operators. Wyoming gas producer PureWest Energy has been on the forefront of the emerging certified gas market, havin…

Australia, one of the world's leading wheat exporters, has produced three bumper wheat harvests in a row, and with the prospect of an extension of the Black Sea grain corridor deal fading by the day, the country is emerging as a reliable wheat supplier to Asian markets. In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights…

From a dramatic shift in oil trade flows to a series of clean fuel policy reforms, India's energy sector has been in the spotlight recently. With the country poised for massive growth in energy consumption, lawmakers and corporates are preparing for an energy future that will aim to strike a balance between traditional oil and gas businesses, while…

Battery production offcuts and end-of-life batteries are collected, dismantled and shredded to produce black mass from which critical materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese can be extracted. The recycling of black mass has become increasingly important as a supplement to virgin material supply and to reduce the carbon footprint of …

The issues impacting US power markets seem to be widespread and far-reaching lately. Since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed in August, it’s really taken over discussions at energy conferences due to its far-reaching impacts. But US power markets are also facing reliability concerns from extreme weather events, transmission permitting and the …

In a time of geopolitical strife, economic uncertainty, and energy transition, nuclear power is edging more and more into the spotlight. Countries are looking to decarbonize, boost their energy security and adjust to shifting trade flows. In the second episode of this special two-part series, S&P Global nuclear news and analytics experts Bill Freeb…

The gene editing system is being used extensively by the private and public sectors to develop new traits of interest in crops. To date, more than 500 products are being developed worldwide using the technology and are at different stages of product development, with more than a dozen of gene edited grain and oilseeds having authorization for culti…

In a time of geopolitical strife, economic uncertainty, and energy transition, nuclear power is edging more and more into the spotlight. Countries are looking to decarbonize, boost their energy security and adjust to shifting trade flows, with nuclear power seen by some as a way to advance on all these fronts. Policymakers are dangling attractive i…

The global petrochemical industry is grappling with the aftermath of COVID-fueled demand. The supply squeeze in 2020 and 2021 that led to soaring prices has been doused by economic uncertainty and oversupply, leaving producers with hard decisions about output and buyers with lots of options. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ global polymer lead Kriste…

Algorithmic trading is increasingly a mainstay of European electricity and natural gas trade as major players seek to stay on top of fast-moving, volatile markets. So-called algos, which make hundreds if not thousands of trades a day, are widely used to balance renewable energy portfolios and bring more liquidity to the market. But traders have bla…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered major supply risks and wide-ranging sanctions that have dramatically changed global oil and gas markets. In a year of price volatility, supply concerns and increasingly harsh sanctions, Russia has accelerated its pivot to Asian markets. As we enter a second year of the conflict, the risk of major security inci…

The European Union’s implementation of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to support its industry’s efforts to decarbonize and prevent carbon leakage is likely to have far-reaching effects on global trade and the wider energy transition. S&P Global Commodity Insights' experts Eklavya Gupte, Coralie Laurencin, Michael Evans and Paula VanLan…

The Freeport LNG terminal in Texas started exporting LNG cargoes in mid-February for the first time since a fire and explosion in June 2022 forced a shutdown of the facility, marking a milestone in the history of US LNG. In the global LNG market, the Freeport outage initially exacerbated supply shortages that sent sky-high spot prices even higher. …

Prices are closer to lower, volatility has reduced and inter-product price spreads have come in, so are we seeing gas and LNG markets revert to normality? What are the factors that have calmed markets, and is this new-found tranquillity likely to be sustained? In this Commodities Focus podcast episode, S&P Global Commodity Insights experts Kenneth …

Join S&P Global experts from our Commodity Insights and Mobility divisions as they delve into the potential roadblocks facing the electric vehicle market in 2023. From fluctuating lithium prices to the phasing out of government subsidies, learn how these factors may impact EV sales and the battery metals market. Stay ahead of the curve as we naviga…