Tag: shale

Best in Energy – 28 March 2023

China’s coal imports rebound as economy restarts

France hit by fuel shortage due to industrial unrest

Kurdish regional oil output falls after pipeline halt

Sustainable aviation fuel adoption in United States

U.S. renewable generation surpasses coal or nuclear

Freight forecasts downgraded on stock glut ($WSJ)

U.S. retailers negotiate cuts in freight rates ($WSJ)

U.S. shale producers avoid forward oil selling ($FT)

Aramco’s downstream integration into China ($FT)

Aramco downstream integration into China ($BBG)

Central banks constrained by inflation targets ($FT)

U.S. CONTAINER PORTS handled loaded boxes amounting to 2.24 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in February 2023, down from 2.77 million TEUs in February 2022, and the lowest for the time of year since 2015. Businesses are still trying to reduce excess inventories as a result of the pivot from spending on merchandise to services following the lifting of epidemic controls, as well as the general slowdown in the business cycle:

Best in Energy – 8 March 2023

Russia/India switch trade settlement out of dollars

India’s heightened risk of evening power shortages

Nord Stream sabotage linked to Ukraine ($NYT)

Ukraine denies involvement in pipeline sabotage

U.S. shale chiefs recognise end of revolution ($FT)

Tesla shifts focus to cutting manufacturing costs

Nuclear generation deployment is shifting to Asia  

China’s military researchers study Ukraine conflict

Europe boosts diesel from Middle East and Asia

Tech sanctions to spur industrial espionage ($FT)

U.S./China struggle to stabilise relationship ($WSJ)

U.S. CENTRAL BANK chief Jerome Powell toughened his rhetoric on core inflation during congressional testimony, sending forecasts for interest rates surging higher on March 7. Rate traders expected interest rates to end 2023 at around 5.55% up from a forecast of 5.38% on March 6:

SINGAPORE distillate inventories remain at their lowest level for the time of year since 2008. Stocks are -4 million barrels (-36% or -1.91 standard deviations) below the prior ten-year seasonal average. The deficit has only narrowed slightly from six months ago when it was -4 million barrels (-34% or -2.21 standard deviations):

Best in Energy – 7 March 2023

OPEC/U.S. shale firms discuss tight capacity

EU to launch joint gas buying system ($BBG)

China’s next premier will be Li Qiang

BP resets renewable energy strategy

South Korea boosts coal-fired power

Russia’s crude shipped to Middle East

U.S. Customs clears China solar panels

U.S. solar generation and wind farms

U.S. oil firms to get CCS subsidies (FT)

India trade pivots to U.S. allies ($WSJ)

U.S. recession postponed again ($WSJ)

U.S./China relations deteriorate ($FT)

U.S./China escalation strategies ($FT)

U.S. INTEREST RATE traders continue to boost their expectations for benchmark short rates at the end of the year as the central bank signals rates may have to go higher and stay there for longer to bring inflation back to target. Rates are now expected to be around 5.25-5.50% in December 2023 up from an expectation of 4.25-4.50% at the start of February:

COMMITMENT OF TRADERS reports – the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and ICE Futures Europe suspended publication of their commitments of traders reports in late January following a ransomware attack on a major market participant and infrastructure provider which resulted in incomplete submissions. Both are now starting to catch up with the backlog of missed weekly reports. ICE has caught up; the CFTC is still some weeks behind. I am not going to publish a weekly analysis again until they have both caught up fully since the reports now contain very out of date information. For reference, however, the hedge fund and money manager positions on February 7, the most recent currently available, are shown below:

Best in Energy – 6 March 2023

Automakers want to secure EV supply chain

China focuses on coal’s role in energy security

EIA blames oil blending for adjustment factor

EU firms relaxed about U.S. climate subsidies

U.S. downturn confined to tech sector? ($WSJ)

India’s loss-making Mundra power plant ($BBG)

EUROPE’s gas futures prices continue to slide despite a blast of colder weather across the northwest this week reflecting the high level of inventories. Front-month futures prices closed below €45 per megawatt-hour on March 3 for the first time since August 2021:

U.S. NON-MANUFACTURING firms reported a solid increase in activity in February. The ISM non-manufacturing index stood at 55.1 (40th percentile for all months since 1997) in February, little changed from January, but up from 49.2 (7th percentile) in December. The low December reading is starting to look like an anomaly. Service providers and other non-manufacturing businesses are reporting healthier conditions than their counterparts in manufacturing and freight:

U.S. OIL DRILLING activity continued to decelerate with the number of active rigs down -8 to 592 over the week ending on March 3. The oil-directed rig count has fallen in 10 of the last 13 weeks by a total of 35 rigs (-6%):

Best in Energy – 1 March 2023

India’s coal producers see booming fuel demand

China’s massive deployment of wind generation

Northwest Europe forecast cold winter end ($BBG)

India heatwave boosts power use to record ($BBG)

U.S. consumer confidence and expenditure ($BBG)

U.S. shale firms squeezed by escalating costs ($FT)

Colorado refinery shut after cold weather damage

U.S. electricians in increasing demand ($WSJ)

Russia/China nuclear cooperation ($BBG)

Central banks fear impact of rising wages ($FT)

CHINA’s manufacturers reported the most widespread rise in business activity for over a decade as the economy rebounded after the end of coronavirus lockdowns and the passing of the epidemic’s exit wave. The official purchasing managers’ index surged to 52.6 in February, the highest since April 2012, and up from just 50.1 in January 2023 and 47.0 in December 2022. The index was in the 96th percentile for all months since 2011 pointing to a very broad upturn in activity:

NORTHWEST EUROPE is more than three-quarters of the way through the heating season. Frankfurt in Germany has experienced 1,377 heating degree days so far this winter compared with a long-term seasonal average of 1,673, a deficit of almost 18%, reducing heating demand and easing the pressure on gas inventories and prices:

Best in Energy – 27 February 2023

Indonesia’s production of lower-grade nickel surges

India boosts imports of low-grade coal to up generation

China accelerated approval for coal generators in 2022

(see also underlying report from CREA/GEM)

WTI to be included in Brent benchmark from June 2023

EU explores cautious electricity market reform ($BBG)

Russia’s semiconductor imports and sanctions ($WSJ)

NATO explores options to end war in Ukraine ($WSJ)

China’s diplomatic intervention in Ukraine ($BBG)

NATO and Russia at war in Ukraine ($WSJ)

U.S. OIL AND GAS drilling rigs fell by -7 last week to 753. The number of active rigs has fallen in five of the last eight weeks and is at the lowest since the start of July 2022. The upturn that started in August 2020 after the first wave of the pandemic has at least paused and possibly ended as drilling rates slide in response to lower oil and gas prices:

Best in Energy – 24 February 2023

U.S. central bank grapples with long and variable lag

BASF to cut chemicals production in Germany ($FT)

Cheniere outlines plan for U.S. LNG expansion ($FT)

U.S. shale firms squeezed by rapid cost rises ($FT)

G7/EU claim success on Russia oil sanctions ($WSJ)

Hafnium prices surge on increased aerospace demand

U.S. PETROLEUM INVENTORIES including the strategic reserve rose by +3 million barrels over the seven days ending on February 17. Increased inventories of commercial crude (+8 million), distillate fuel oil (+3 million) and jet fuel (+1 million) were partly offset by reductions in gasoline (-2 million), propane (-3 million) and other oils (-3 million).

Petroleum inventories have risen for seven consecutive weeks by a total of +55 million barrels, the largest increase over any similar period since June 2020, when the market was absorbing the impact of the first wave of the pandemic and lockdowns.

Total inventories are still at the lowest seasonal level since 2005 and -235 million barrels (-13% or -2.22 standard deviations) below the prior ten-year average, but the deficit has narrowed from -291 million barrels (-16% or -3.06 standard deviations) on December 30:

Best in Energy – 13 February 2023

Cyber-attack disabled futures reporting system

China/Qatar negotiating LNG buying agreement

U.S. shale producers plan more mergers ($FT)

U.S. gas futures price volatility is rising ($WSJ)

Freeport LNG had systemic safety failures ($BBG)

Global petroleum supply and inflation risk ($BBG)

NORTHEAST ASIA has experienced an unusually cold winter, in contrast to milder than normal temperatures at the other end of the Eurasian continent. Heating demand in Beijing, the heart of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jīng-Jīn-Jì) mega-region, with a combined population of 113 million, has been +8% higher than the long-term average so far this winter. Beijing’s daily temperatures were below the seasonal average on 43 of 62 days in December and January:

Best in Energy – 6 February 2023

[MUST READ] Russia targets Ukraine power grid

Shadow tankers fleet rises to 600 vessels ($BBG)

London heat island and excess mortality ($BBG)

South Africa’s coal exports hit by gangs ($BBG)

U.S. labour market’s surprising strength ($BBG)

China’s balloon flight and U.S. countermeasures

China’s previous balloon overflights ($WSJ) ¹

China’s high-altitude balloon programme ($FT)

¹ China’s high-altitude balloon overflight across North America and the U.S. decision to shoot it down is being almost totally ignored by the country’s main state-controlled media, suggesting the government is still deciding its response and/or is keen not to allow the episode to worsen relations further.

U.S. OIL DRILLING is slowing in response to the slide in prices since the middle of 2022 (when WTI was trading around $120 per barrel) especially since the start of November (when it was still $90-95). Typically there is a 15-20 week lag between a change in futures prices and a change in number of active rigs. The number of rigs drilling for oil has fallen in 7 of the last 9 weeks by a total of -28 rigs (-4%). The drilling reduction is the largest since July and August 2020 when the industry was still in shock after the first wave of the pandemic and the volume war between Russia and Saudi Arabia:

Best in Energy – 1 February 2023

South Asia’s LNG buyers express interest after prices fall

France’s nuclear generators key for power prices in 2023

India to boost government capital spending in 2023/24

U.S. refiners predict high margins on Russian sanctions

U.S. road haulage firms see recovery in late 2023  ($WSJ)

Greek tankers resume shipments of Russian oil

Pakistan prepares for IMF loan – or debt default

U.S. gas consumption hit record on December 23

Freeport LNG requests authorisation to restart one unit

U.S. CRUDE OIL including condensates production fell by -35,000 b/d to 12.38 million b/d in November compared with October. But production was up by +585,000 b/d (+5.0%) compared with the same month a year earlier. Annual growth levelled off at around +600,000 b/d for most of 2022: