Maguire: High natural gas prices may lead to a new surge in coal consumption in the US
The benchmark U.S. gas prices will end 2025 the same way they started - with an explosive rally. This is bad news for those who hoped for a further reduction in coal consumption in the U.S. Gas prices in the United States increased by a third between January and March this year due to a harsh winter and strong LNG exports. This led to an increase in coal-fired electricity generation, as utilities reduced costs by burning coal instead of gas.
Maguire: High natural gas prices may lead to a new surge in coal consumption in the US
The benchmark U.S. gas prices will end 2025 the same way they started - with an explosive rally. This is bad news for those who hoped for further reductions in U.S. coal usage. Gas prices in the United States increased by a third between January and March this year due to a harsh winter and strong LNG exports. This led to an increase in coal-fired electricity generation, as utilities reduced costs by burning coal instead of gas.
Russell: China's LNG crown is at risk due to high prices that limit demand.
Asia's imports liquefied gas remained flat in November. The region that is the largest buyer of this super-chilled fuel will likely record its first decline annually in three years. China is largely to blame for this soft result, as it may lose its position as the top LNG importer in the world to Japan. The drop in imports is likely due to the high spot price for LNG, which has been persistent for most of the year.
Bousso: New oil quotas system to spur spending with ROI-OPEC+
The changes OPEC+ makes to its oil production quotas will likely trigger a wave upstream investment among members, especially in low-cost Gulf producers. This will reduce concerns about long-term shortages of supply. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) and other major oil producing nations including Russia and Kazakhstan approved on Sunday a mechanism for assessing members' maximum output capacity.
Bousso: New oil quotas system to spur spending with ROI-OPEC+
The changes OPEC+ makes to its oil production quotas will likely trigger a wave upstream investment among its members, especially in low-cost Gulf producers. This will reduce concerns about long-term shortages of supply. OPEC+ (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and other major oil producing nations including Russia and Kazakhstan approved a new method to determine the maximum production capacity of members.
Russell: China's LNG crown is at risk due to high prices that limit demand.
Asia's imports liquefied gas remained flat in November. The region that is the largest buyer of this super-chilled fuel will likely record its first decline annually in three years. China is largely to blame for this soft result, as it may lose its position as the top LNG importer in the world to Japan. The drop in imports is likely due to the high spot price for LNG, which has been persistent for most of the year.
Russell: Silver outperforms Gold for the precious metal podium
Silver is often referred to as the bridesmaid of gold on precious metal markets. Its more popular rival seems to overshadow its less talked about counterpart. Silver is outperforming gold quietly in terms of returns for investors. It may also have a better long-term outlook, given the structural deficit in supply and the surge in demand from renewable technologies like solar panels. Since October 2023, spot silver has been on a steady upward trend.
Russell: COP30 agreement is not important in the battle between renewables and fossil fuels.
It was not realistic to expect anything better from the COP30 Climate Summit than a weak statement that omitted all mention of fossil fuels. It was never going to be easy to bring nearly 200 countries together with vastly different perspectives and make a statement of commitment to fight climate change. After the Belem summit, the question that needs to be asked is, does what the final statement says and doesn't state, really matter?
Russell: COP30 agreement is not important in the battle between renewables and fossil fuels.
It was not realistic to expect anything better from the COP30 Climate Summit than a weak statement that omitted all mention of fossil fuels. It was never going to be easy to bring nearly 200 countries together with vastly different perspectives and make a statement of commitment to fight climate change. After the Belem summit, the question that needs to be asked is, does what the final statement says and doesn't state, really matter?
Bousso: TotalEnergies' ROI-TotalEnergies power play shows Big Oil how to make energy transition work
TotalEnergies of France is betting heavily on renewables and power, positioning itself as a leader in the global energy demand wave. It also offers investors an alternative to its rivals who are doubling down on gas and oil. Since 2022, the strategies of European oil companies have been in a constant state of flux. The sanctions and full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine…
Bousso: TotalEnergies' ROI-TotalEnergies power play shows Big Oil how to make energy transition work
TotalEnergies of France is betting heavily on renewables and power, positioning itself as a leader in the global energy demand wave. It also offers investors an alternative to its rivals who are doubling down on gas and oil. Since 2022, the strategies of European oil companies have been in a constant state of flux. The sanctions and full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine…
How much will the price of ROI-LNG drop by 2026? Russell
The market for liquefied gas is bracing itself for an increase in supply, mostly from the top exporter, the United States. However, it is not clear how low the spot price will need to fall to clear these additional volumes. According to commodity analysts Kpler, the global supply of super-chilled gasoline is forecast to reach 475 million metric tonnes in 2026. This represents a 10.2% increase over the 431 millions tons predicted for 2025.
Russell: China's imports of major commodities, other than iron ore, are decreasing.
Iron ore, despite steel's signs of pressure, bucking this trend and restraining imports in China. The General Administration of Customs released data on Friday showing that crude oil, natural gases, copper, and coal have all declined since September. In October, China, the largest crude oil importer in the world, had arrivals of 11,39 million barrels of crude oil per day. This was the third consecutive monthly decrease and down from 11,50 million bpd.
Russell: China's imports of major commodities, other than iron ore, are decreasing.
Iron ore, a commodity that has been resilient in spite of the pressure on the steel industry, was the exception to the trend. The General Administration of Customs released data on Friday showing that crude oil, natural gases, copper, and coal have all declined since September. In October, China, the largest crude oil importer in the world, had arrivals of 11,39 million barrels a day (bpd).
Maguire: Clean energy push in Australia reaches pivotal milestone for energy transition
Last month, Australian utilities produced more electricity using clean energy sources than fossil fuels. This was a first for one of the top coal and natural gas exporters in the world. Data from the energy think tank Ember show that in October, utility-supplied electricity from clean sources reached 9.88 terawatts hours (TWh), which was higher than the 9.82 TWh produced by fossil fuels.
Russell: The US-Australian critical minerals deal highlights the gap with China
It is not the game changer needed to reduce Western dependence on China. But it is a first important step. U.S. president Donald Trump and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese signed a deal in Washington on Monday that could see up to $8 billion invested in projects for the development and refinement of metals essential to industries such as defence, advanced manufacturing, and energy transition.
Russell: The US-Australian critical minerals deal highlights the gap with China
It is not the game changer needed to reduce Western dependence on China. But it is a first important step. U.S. president Donald Trump and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese signed a deal in Washington on Monday that could see up to $8 billion invested in projects for the development and refinement of metals essential to industries such as defence, advanced manufacturing, and energy transition.
Maguire: Italy's economic troubles have an upside for the moment, a positive climate.
The persistent economic crisis in Italy has led to the lowest emissions in its power sector for decades. Climate activists need to be aware that economic measures could cause a rapid U-turn on pollution trends. Italy has been experiencing economic stagnation for over a decade. This has resulted in a steady decline of goods produced and exported, and lowered power consumption among many businesses.
Maguire: Italy's economic troubles have an upside for the moment, a positive climate.
The persistent economic crisis in Italy has led to the lowest emissions in its power sector for decades. Climate activists need to be aware that economic measures could cause a rapid U-turn on pollution trends. Italy has been experiencing economic stagnation for over a decade. This has resulted in a steady decline of goods produced and exported, and lowered power consumption among many businesses.
Russell: The Big Three Asian thermal coal producers look healthy while others are pale
Asia dominates global thermal coal markets, but the future looks increasingly divided between the robust domestic markets of the three heavyweights China, India and Indonesia as well as a slowly fading seaborne industry. In recent years, the three countries have increased their coal production rapidly to meet the rising demand for energy. Outside of these three nations…