The world’s top rice exporter India recently lifted most of the restrictions on its rice exports, which the country placed in July 2023 to control soaring domestic food prices. Price-sensitive rice importers, such as the West African countries, are likely to look towards India as a competitive supplier. However, shipping concerns that impacted the country’s rice exporters recently may continue to add to the trade uncertainties in the coming days as well. In this podcast, Asim Anand, managing editor, agriculture and food and pricing is joined by Tanya Rana, associate editor, agriculture and food pricing, Pranay Shukla, director, head of dry bulk freight & commodities research, and Tanya Kalra, associate editor, Asia container markets, to discuss the factors impacting global rice markets as well as the freight and container outlooks in 2025, and their possible impact on Indian rice trade.    

The outcome of the US presidential election in November will have ripple effects for the international energy picture. In the weeks before the election, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are trying to draw contrasts with each other, including on energy and foreign policy. Kate Winston, oil news editor for S&P Global Commodity Insights, discusses oil sanctions, LNG exports and solar tariffs with reporters Chris Vanmoessner, Corey Paul and Kirsten Errick. They discuss the foreign policy and economic policies of the candidates and how they may impact supplies and prices for oil, gas and solar components across the globe. Links: How the 2024 elections could reshape US domestic energy policy

Political experts say Nov. 5 will likely become known as one of the most pivotal elections in US history. Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins the presidency, and whether Republicans or Democrats control Congress, the energy sector faces major potential shifts. There will be implications for supply chains, energy infrastructure, and the overall direction of US energy markets.  Jasmin Melvin, senior editor and team lead for The Energy Daily, leads a discussion on what’s at stake in the oil, gas, power and metals arenas with Commodity Insights reporters and analysts Zack Hale, Taylor Kuykendall, Starr Spencer and Anna Mosby. They examine the polarizing energy positions from the presidential candidates and how a potentially divided Congress could reshape energy policy.  Links:  Platts Connect - S&P Global Commodity Insights news coverage, pricing and analysis CapIQ - Commodity Insights Americas news

India has maintained its position as the world's largest producer of direct-reduced iron (DRI) for several years. As the global race to accelerate energy transition efforts intensifies, DRI has gained prominence due to its potential for reducing carbon emissions in energy-intensive sectors like steel. Recognized as a key pathway to 'green steel,' DRI offers various low-carbon steelmaking alternatives. Walking the DRI path is expected to help India's steel industry to lower its emissions. Capturing this evolving and dynamic market in India, S&P Global Commodity Insights' Platts has launched a daily pellet-based Indian domestic direct reduced iron spot price assessment on an ex-works Raipur, Chhattisgarh basis. Related: Indian domestic direct reduced iron price assessment  

In the global wheat markets, recent concerns over a major production cut in Russia, a key exporter, have sparked attention on the supply and demand dynamics. Neighbouring European producers are also facing similar concerns. Meanwhile, in Canada and Australia, weather developments in recent months have played a significant role in shaping production prospects. While, on the demand side, key importing regions such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Asia are experiencing challenges as well. In this podcast, Lalita AVD, editor, agriculture news, talks to Vivien Tang, senior editor, APAC agriculture and food Pricing, Vivian Iroanya, editor, EMEA agriculture and food pricing, and Ashya Kaderabek-vela, associate editor, Americas agriculture pricing about the potential implications of the production cut in Russia and analyze how other key wheat exporters, such as Canada and Australia, could step up to fill in the supply gap. Russian Wheat 12.5% FOB Black Sea Deep Water (WRBSD00)  CWRS Wheat 13.5% FOB Vancouver (30-45 days forward) (AWHCD00)  APW Wheat FOB Australia (WAUSA00) 

With high temperatures moving through the US, multiple regions are preparing for gas and power price volatility. Gas supply constraints or cooling demand could result in power demand spikes. Data centers have been increasing power and gas requirements in some areas, power generators have been competing for gas supplies with LNG terminals along the Gulf Coast, and high gas storage levels in Southern California could lower gas and power prices from past summers. Americas gas editorial lead J Robinson and senior power editor Jared Anderson discuss these factors in the natural gas and power market outlook for summer 2024.   Links:Register for the Financing US Power Conference

Global container markets have endured a year of volatility not experienced since the global pandemic in 2020-2021, anchored by the complexity for supply chains as carriers loop around the Cape of Good Hope. Now that demand is ushering back into markets in a period of restocking, rates have surged upwards for North and South American import markets from Asia, with some suggesting that the ceiling has not yet been reached heading into Q3. In the midst of all of this is an uncertain geopolitical environment, where impending tariffs imposed by the US government on Chinese goods have influenced volume shifting in this upward drive.

Meat consumption is soaring globally, driven by population growth, rising incomes, and dietary preferences. As emerging markets embrace protein-rich diets, demand for feed grains intensifies, and the weather, government policy, animal disease and other factors can have major impact on both industries.  For the second installment of this two-part series focusing on global beef and poultry markets, Will Bland resumes the conversation, this time with agriculture managing editors Liz Thang and Asim Anand. The team turns the spotlight to Asia and the Middle East, where most of the world's population and livestock live. Links:  Press Release: S&P Global Commodity Insights Launches New Platts Price Assessments for Poultry, Beef Proteins Price Assessments: S&P Global Commodity Insights Live

Grilling season is underway in the US -- the world's largest producer and consumer of beef. Even so, per capita consumption of beef in the US has halved over the last 50 years. The US can now produce more beef with fewer head of cattle, but it has become reliant on imported beef. And Brazil has a herd of some 235 million head and now supplies the world.  In this first installment of a two-part series focusing on global beef and poultry markets, EMEA agriculture and food manager William Bland speaks with Americas agriculture managers John-Laurent Tronche and Rafael Savoia about these changing dynamics.   Links: Press Release: S&P Global Commodity Insights Launches New Platts Price Assessments for Poultry, Beef Proteins Price Assessments: S&P Global Commodity Insights Live

As election fever grips the UK, this Commodities Focus podcast looks at the country’s oil refineries as they grapple with the fast-changing process of energy transition, including shifting government targets, shrinking diesel demand, the rise of sustainable aviation fuel, and unrelenting competitive pressure from giant refiners around the world. In this new instalment of the Commodities Focus podcast focusing on UK energy policy, Nick Coleman, senior editor for oil news, is joined by managing editor for downstream oil news Robert Perkins, senior analyst for global oil markets Rebeka Foley, and downstream oil news reporter Kelly Norways.  

The expansion in the Indian steel manufacturing capacity comes at an opportune moment for the industry as the country has witnessed massive infrastructure projects like construction of national highways over the past few years. Now, with the general elections underway in the country and if the incumbent government comes back to power, the thrust on infrastructure would likely receive continued boost on account of policy continuity.    Even though India has unseated Japan as the second largest producer of steel in the world over the past few years, steel production is quite a capital-intensive business, and a large chunk of production costs is driven by prices of raw materials. In such a scenario, the question arises if the Indian steel sector is comfortably placed in terms of having access to conventional and non-conventional raw materials going ahead.  In this discussion, Anirudh Iyer, steel and raw materials is joined byKeith Tan, associate regional pricing director for Asia metals, Rohan Somwanshi, managing editor for global agriculture and metals news and Paul Barthomolew, lead analyst for metals and mining, to share their views on what lies ahead for the Indian steel sector.

The rice markets in Asia have seen new trends emerging with Indonesia importing rice, and India putting restrictions on their rice exports. Ripple effects have been felt in other major growing rice growing countries such as Pakistan and Thailand. In this Commodities Focus episode, Elizabeth Thang, Managing Editor for Food and Agriculture is joined by three rice experts from S&P Global Commodity Insights, Tanya Rana and Elvis John, associate editors with the agriculture markets and Mugunthan Kesavan, Engagement lead for food and agriculture to discuss some key questions—how the markets are reacting to Indonesia’s return to the market as an importer, what the industry is anticipating about the rice export ban in India ahead of elections in the country, and more.

As a UK general election looms, energy security and the transition to net-zero are high on the agenda. In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, our experts sift through the policy options, from windfall taxes to licensing bans, and discuss why they matter, not just for the UK, but for Europe and beyond. Nick Coleman, senior editor for oil news, is joined by Gethin Baker, senior technical research analyst specialising in the North Sea, and Stuart Elliott, news reporter focusing on the UK and European gas markets. Links: Energy Security Sentinel  PCAAS00 Dated Brent GTFTX00 Dutch TTF Eur/MWh Day Ahead

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. In this episode, Jeremy Beaman, natural gas news editor, talks with Bryan Mcnamara and Imre Kugler, directors of upstream research about how natural gas producers are approaching a difficult price environment and what their plans are for 2024 and 2025. Register for Global Power Markets    

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 hopes of making their supply chain more agile. S&P Global Commodity Insights containers editor Tanya Kalra speaks with Chris Rogers, Head of Supply Chain and Research, S&P Global Market Intelligence, Greg Knowler, Senior Editor, Journal of Commerce and Mohammed Al Ansare, Associate Editor, EMEA Containers, S&P Global Commodity Insights about the changing dynamics in the containers market and how carriers and shippers are navigating through them. 

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 transition applications. S&P Global Commodity Insights metals editor Nick Lazzaro speaks with Viral Shah, managing editor for low carbon and base metals in EMEA, and Adriana Carvalho, senior managing editor for Americas metals markets, about the changing dynamics in global lithium markets this year, new pricing trends in the US, and the future prospects for North American lithium supply. Register for Global Power Markets Conference S&P Global Commodity Insights events

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 geopolitical tensions? Or are there choppier waves to come?   In this podcast, Vivien Tang, associate grains editor, grains, Victoria Sinitsyna, associate director, Grains Analytics and Nikolaos Aidinis Antonopoulos, senior freight pricing specialist discuss the potential challenges faced by the wheat markets and provide an outlook on global wheat production and freight markets in 2024.

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 behind the price, share the outlook for copper concentrate and copper cathodes.  S&P Global Commodity Insights senior managing editor Mok Cheng speaks with senior copper analyst Wang Ruilin and senior price editor Han Lu about the factors driving copper concentrate TC/RCs movement, implications for copper cathodes and copper price, and what we would expect in 2024.

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 operators are applying lessons learned from past winter storms and benefitting from policy directives on winterization of equipment.  World Petrochemical Conference

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 buyer, China.  S&P Global Commodity Insights' chief agricultural economist Paul Hughes speaks with feed and grains senior analyst Anamaria Martins and grains and oilseeds pricing manager Rafael Savoia about the factors behind this astounding transformation, the implications for world trade, the beneficiaries, and what is likely ahead. White paper: How China’s aging demographics will affect food and agricultural commodities (subscriber content)

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 significant declines at bay.   As the market looks at what’s ahead for 2024, YuenCheng Mok, Senior Managing Editor of Asia nonferrous metals at S&P Global Commodity Insights discusses the key developments in the Asian alumina and aluminum markets with Jenson Ong and Germaine Lee from the Asia nonferrous metals team, and Lucy Tang, market specialist for Metals.   In this podcast, find out what’s in-store in the near term for these markets.

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 Editor of nonferrous metals at S&P global Commodity Insights discusses the key trends in the Chinese copper concentrate and cathode markets with Jesline Tang, Editor with the nonferrous metals team and Han Lu, senior editor with the team.  Find out what’s in-store in the near term for these markets and the expectations for 2024 benchmark levels. More listening options:    

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 dramatically over the past year, with the record prices and extreme volatility of 2022 giving way to more bearish fundamentals ahead of the coming winter. Under those circumstances, 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.  In this podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights' Americas and Atlantic LNG experts Corey Paul and Margaret Rogers examine how well the US is placed as a supplier this winter as Europe navigates another peak demand season following the loss of Russian pipeline gas.  Related prices: LNG FOB US Gulf Coast Cargo (LGCSM01) LNG DES Northwest Europe Marker (AASXU00) LNG DES JKM Spot Cargo (AAOVQ00)

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 September and Q1 2024, run rate discipline will be crucial, especially as low prices encourage virgin resin substitution for recyclers despite impending sustainability targets in the US. Global polymers pricing lead Kristen Hays leads a discussion with global sustainable chemicals lead Heng Hui, US polyethylene editor Colleen Ferguson and US recycled polymers senior editor Antoinette Smith about the main drivers behind HDPE prices and what market participants expect in the short-term as the supply and demand dynamic struggles to find equilibrium. Related prices: HDPE Blowmolding FAS Houston (AAWCZ00) Recycled HDPE Natural Pellets FOB Chicago (ARNPA00) DON'T MISS: Chemical Week’s Billion-Dollar Club: Ranking the world's top chemical producers

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 alternative but longer routes.  S&P Global Commodity Insights' Barbara Troner, Americas freight senior managing editor, discusses these impacts with Americas tankers reporter Catherine Rogers, containers reporter Laura Robb, and dry bulk reporter Nikolaos Aidinis Antonopoulos. The group discusses how shipping markets have been impacted by the El Niño-induced water conservation measures responding to the extended dry season in the Panama Canal watershed, and what remedial steps shipowners can take to navigate the logistical bottleneck potentially continuing well into 2024.  Prices in this episode: PCR0500 – North Asia-EC North America $/FEU freight (containers) GRNOQ00 - DBF Grain New Orleans Louisiana US Gulf Coast-Qingdao China 66kt $/mt Panamax (dry bulk) GRNOJ00 - DBF Grain New Orleans Louisiana US Gulf Coast-Kashima Japan 50kt $/mt Supramax (dry bulk) TCAUX00 – Medium Range 38kt USGC-Chile Lumpsum freight (tankers) Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro

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, associate editor for petrochemicals, Charlie Wright also an associate editor and Antoinette Smith, senior editor, Americas chemicals discuss the current RPET conditions and provide a look ahead at the rest of the year and early 2024. DON'T MISS: Chemical Week’s Billion-Dollar Club: Ranking the world's top chemical producers UPCOMING: APPEC 2023 -- register yourself today!  We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz More listening options:

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 only recently cut rigs, slowed new well starts and dialed back completions. At over 102 Bcf/d, though, US gas production remains near record highs this summer. Will recent capex cuts be enough to balance the market? S&P Global Commodity Insights' J. Robinson, editorial lead for the Americas natural gas news team, sits down with Reed Olmstead, executive director of research and analysis for upstream, and Jeremy Beaman, editor for the American natural gas team, to discuss the outlook for US output as domestic operators readjust to leaner margins.  We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

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 would that mean for prices and for domestic and export demand? S&P Global Commodity Insights' Jennifer Pedrick, Pete Meyer, Paul Hughes and Luke Lundgren examine the progress of these crops so far in the crop year, and look toward the possible outcomes of the upcoming harvest on the US market and trade flows in South America and around the globe.  We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

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 Indonesian government's announcement of its plan to develop a nickel index, as well as proposed changes from the LME to strengthen its legacy position, what are the potential implications for the nickel market, and how could near-term supply-demand fundamentals influence this?  Leah Chen, editor of the S&P Global Commodity Insights non-ferrous team discusses the impact of the black swan event as well as recent developments in the nickel industry with Jesline Tang, editor of battery metals pricing team, and Charles Thompson, editor of EMEA nickel, aluminum and secondary alloys.   Related price assessments: Nickel sulfate DDP China BATNS04  MHP CIF NA basis LME BATMC00  MHP CIF NA basis NS BATMB00 (percentage)  MHP CIF NA basis NS BATMA00   MHP CIF NA basis NSME00   MHP CIF NA basis LME BATMD00 (percentage)    We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

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 whether the natural gas system is up to the task of supplying fuel to gas-fired generators needed for reliability. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Kate Winston, a senior editor for Americas power news, discussed reliability with John Moura, the director of reliability assessment at NERC. Joining the discussion were Mason Lester, a senior research analyst with SPGCI, and Daryna Kotenko, the team lead for North American power pricing at SPGCI. We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro

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 continue to force US sellers and prices to compete as all chase the same thin pockets of demand, particularly with new polymer capacity coming online in the next few months that will push more material into export markets. Kristen Hays, global market lead for polymers at S&P Global Commodity Insights, sat down with three polymer market experts at SPGCI to discuss the state of play as a rebound in China’s domestic demand remains key to buyers and sellers worldwide. Joining Hays were Heng Hui, senior editor in Singapore whose coverage includes Asian polyethylene, and Fumiko Dobashi, also a senior editor in Singapore whose coverage includes Asian polyvinyl chloride, and Preeti Bhagat, associate editor in Gurgaon, India, who covers India's polyethylene and PVC markets.

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 agriculture news senior editor Asim Anand discusses the outlook for Australian wheat with associate editor Vivien Tang, senior pricing specialist Nikolaos Aidinis Antonopoulos and editor Sampad Nandy. The panel considers whether Australian wheat has an edge over its competitors and supply prospects for the upcoming marketing year, as well as diving into the ambiguity surrounding the Black Sea grain trade deal and the impacts on the Asian market if the deal is not renewed on May 18.

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 making greater inroads into hydrogen, biofuels and electric mobility sectors. In a wide-ranging discussion with Sambit Mohanty, Asia Energy Editor at S&P Global Commodity Insights, Pulkit Agarwal, India head of content, Deepak Kannan, head of global coal markets, and Agamoni Ghosh, senior editor for carbon markets, discuss whether India's heavy reliance on fossil fuels could create hurdles in moving towards cleaner fuels at the desired pace.

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 interconnection queue backlog, and massive growth in battery storage capacity. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Kassia Micek, Mark Watson, Morris Greenberg, and Sam Huntington discuss the biggest topics impacting US power markets right now and what progress has been made regarding change. Related price assessments: Lithium Carbonate CIF North Asia (BATLC04) ERCOT North Hub day-ahead on-peak (IERNM00) Powder River Basin 8,800 OTC (CTAOM01) CAISO SP15 Gen Hub solar capture price index (ACPID00)

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 cultivation in the US. In this episode, S&P Global Commodity Insights' Sophie Byron (associate editorial director, agriculture pricing), Bharti Malhotra (research and analytics manager and lead author of gene editing report), Alan Bullion (special reports and projects director for Agribusiness, co-author of report), and Pete Meyer (crops and feedstock economist) discuss the fast-growing world of gene-edited crops and how this technology is being perceived globally to resolve the biggest challenges of food security, energy security, and sustainability.  Register for the European Biofuels Conference here Register for the Geneva Sugar Conference here

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 Kristen Hays speaks with Chemical Week editors Rob Westervelt and Clay Boswell to break down how the markets got here and what’s coming up. Don’t miss them at the World Petrochemical Conference in Houston next week as well.    Related: Chemical Week

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 blamed the automated process for exacerbating volatility during last year's energy crisis, when electricity and gas prices exploded due to tight supplies and regulatory uncertainty.  In this episode S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Kira Savcenko shares fragments of her conversation about this phenomenon with Jürgen Mayerhofer, CEO of algorithmic trader Enspired, and discusses further with Henry Edwardes-Evans, managing editor of S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Power in Europe newsletter. Related price assessments: UK Day-ahead Baseload Power price: AADET00  UK Day-ahead Peakload Power price: AADFC00 UK Block 5 Power price: GTB5G00

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 incidents, a decline in Russian production, and even tougher sanctions hangs over global markets.     In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast S&P Global Commodity Insights experts Paul Sheldon, Stuart Elliott and Sambit Mohanty discuss the impact of the war with managing editor for Russia commodities and energy news Rosemary Griffin. Related price assessments: GTFWM10 - Dutch TTF 1-Mo PCAAS00 – Dated Brent AAWVH00 – Urals FOB Primorsk AAWVI00 – Urals Primorsk v Med Dtd Strip

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. In the US, the shutdown took the lid off a really hot domestic gas market, as a key source of domestic demand went offline. But global LNG and US gas market dynamics have changed dramatically in the eight months since Freeport went offline.   In this episode, S&P Global Commodity Insights LNG experts Harry Weber and Corey Paul discuss these issues as Freeport returns, as well as LNG market fundamentals more broadly in the Atlantic.   Also listen: Have LNG and gas markets returned to normality in 2023? Register for CERAWeek by S&P Global here

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 Foo, Allen Reed and Stuart Elliott discuss these topics with global director for LNG Ciaran Roe. Related price assessments: AAOVQ00 - LNG Japan/Korea DES Spot Crg AASXU00 - LNG NWE DES $/MMBtu GTFWM10 - Dutch TTF 1-Mo $/MMBtu  

In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, our experts delve into the Black Sea wheat trade situation amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, from the impact of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on global food security to the challenges faced by the initiative and the future of wheat exports in the region. Additionally, our experts also discuss the impact of sanctions on Russian fertilizer supplies and how it will shape the global demand in 2023. Related content on Platts Dimensions Pro: Grains news and insights Dry Freight news and insights

Copper prices reached six-month high in December on a weakening US dollar and news of China relaxing its zero-COVID control policy, but copper cathode end-users reduced term contracts coverage for 2023. Copper concentrate supply is expected to be in surplus this year, but we saw spot tightness just in the start of the year. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ experts Yuen Cheng Mok, Han Lu and Jesline Tang discuss the driving factors for recent copper market and expectations for the new year. Price assessments on Platts Dimensions Pro: Clean Copper Concentrate CIF China - PCCCB00 Copper Concentrate Producer-Trader Differential - PCCCG00

Adverse weather events due to climate change are increasingly impacting agriculture. In this podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters Shikha Singh and Mugunthan Kesavan speak to Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, Senior Research Scientist with NASA, and recipient of the 2022 World Food Prize Award on greenhouse emissions, rising temperatures and their impact on agriculture. James McMahon, CEO of The Climate Service at S&P Global’s Sustainable 1, also joins the discussion and shares his thoughts on global emissions and the modelling of climate risks.  Learn more about climate-related physical risks and transition risks.  

As EU sanctions on Russian crude and oil products come into force, the Baltic and Black Sea shipping markets face uncertainty. In this episode of the Platts Commodities Focus podcast, our EMEA Tanker Editors and Freight Analytics team delve into the challenges and opportunities facing shipowners in these regions. From navigating new strategies to considering the potential impact of these sanctions, join us as we explore what the future holds for shipping in the west. Helpful links: Europe & Africa Crude Oil Dirty Tanker Freight Shipping News & Insights  

Price regulation plays an important political and economic role in emerging countries, and Latin American countries this year have faced oil price volatility that has forced them to look for buffer alternatives. News experts Jeff Mower and Sheky Espejo sat down with pricing experts Maria Jimenez and Sarah Hernandez to discuss how price regulation has been applied in Colombia, Brazil and Mexico and how that has affected domestic and export refined products markets. Related content: Platts Capitol Crude podcast

Demand for moving goods around the world has dramatically fallen as the cost of living rises and consumers start to tighten their belts. However, many shipowners have been left with bumper profits accumulated during the peak. Are freight rates going to continue their downward trend?How will the market react to the upcoming ESG regulations? In the latest Platts Commodities Focus podcast, our container editors take a look at what is to come up as the market embraces new regulations, namely IMO 2023, and the prospect of oversupply in the market given the record-high order book. Stay up to date with our Container Rates content.

As the oil and gas industry works to find its footing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic it now faces a world transformed, with new risks stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine and brewing global economic headwinds. In their third quarter earnings, oil industry executives appeared to diverge on their outlooks for the sector. Upstream players, hamstrung by capacity constraints, are maintaining capital discipline in the face of broad uncertainties, while the downstream side of the industry is eyeing ever bullish demand outlooks. Oil editors Chris van Moessner, Starr Spencer, Janet McGurty and Lassana Fisiru sat down to recap the emerging themes and outlooks following S&P Global's coverage of the industry’s third-quarter earnings. Subscribe to Platts Dimensions Pro to learn more about Platts Global Jet Index (PJGLO00) and WTI MEH USG (AAYRG00). 

With Luis Inacio Lula de Silva returning to the presidency in Brazil after 12 years, the agriculture industry anticipates its market fundamentals could be impacted by an increasingly progressive agenda. Some defining issues include how Lula's government will deal with Petrobras' fuel price policy; fuel subsidy mechanisms; regulation of the biodiesel mandate; and the Renovabio program. In this episode, Latin America agriculture experts Beatriz Pupo, Luciana Torrezan and Nicolle Castro discuss the possible impacts of the recent presidential elections on sugar and biofuels -- not only in Brazil, but globally.