Cement News tagged under: natural gas
Drop in oil, reversed by new Middle East situation adding uncertainty, while petcoke discounts attract buyers again20 October 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark A geopolitics crisis emerged with the Hamas attack on Israel at the beginning of October. The European Central Bank raised interest rates 0.25 per cent but is behind the US Federal Reserve (Fed). This has strengthened the US dollar as the Fed still talks of keeping rates high for longer. The two per cent inflation target is still far away. In October the fear surrounding China’s property market re-emerged and, along with higher interest rate... |
Coal continues recovery while petcoke sees sharp fall11 October 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll Aps, Denmark Coal has continued its recovery with a higher energy complex, consolidating in the US$110-140 range and balancing Russian supply. Petcoke saw a sharp fall on increased supply, leading to a switch to coal as the discount fell to low levels. Both grades are now below US$100 and pushed down by freight. The increased FOB discount is expected to lure in new buyers. Petcoke with 6.5 per cent S is expected to continue in the US$80-95 range wi... |
Petcoke discount falls sharply, energy complex rises driven by oil20 September 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark The fight against inflation is still the focus point for the US Federal Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank, which both raised interest rates by 0.25 per cent in July. This impacted equity markets as the IMF came out with a slower global GDP forecast for 2024, down 0.5 per cent to three per cent. However, new Chinese promises of boosting the economy have taken some of the fear out of the energy markets, which have seen a recovery in... |
Petcoke discount falls sharply, energy complex rises driven by oil22 August 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark The fight against inflation is still the focus point for the US Federal Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank, which both raised interest rates by 0.25 per cent in July. This impacted equity markets as the IMF came out with a slower global GDP forecast for 2024, down 0.5 per cent to three per cent. However, new Chinese promises of boosting the economy have taken some of the fear out of the energy markets, which have seen a recovery ... |
Petcoke on the rise, driven by higher coal prices and high discounts – new OPEC cuts support oil21 July 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark The holiday mood has dampened the volatility in most markets and the dominant factor is the fear of low demand due to slower growth as central banks keep raising interest rates to bring inflation down. The European Central Bank (ECB) raised interest rates again. Following the general elections, the Turkish Central Bank raised rates by 6.5 per cent to 15 per cent in a new inflation focus. Talks between the USA and China have released the te... |
Natural gas and CO2 abatement across the Atlantic30 June 2023, Published under Cement NewsThis week we look at the differing attitudes to alternative fuels (AFs) on each side of the Atlantic. While CEMBUREAU in its 2022 Activity Report has demonstrated the rising level of co-processing in the EU-27 as achieving 52 per cent, in the USA a study by Global Efficiency Intelligence (GEI) has argued that US cement plants may well do better replacing coal and petcoke with natural gas rather than alternative fuels. Europe is considered the leading proponent of co-processing and the use... |
Petcoke and coal prices fall while oil is stabilising31 May 2023, Published under Cement NewsOil prices are stabilising after a new drop despite OPEC+ production cuts. At its next meeting, scheduled for 4 June 2023, OPEC+ may consider new interventions if oil stays below uS$75. A large supply of coal is exerting a downward pressure on coal prices while low gas is testing the US$100 mark. Petcoke prices continue their drop, driven down by lower coal prices, ample supply and buyers holding back as they wait to see how low petcoke prices will fall. Steam coal and petcoke pri... |
New slide in oil pushing coal lower and petcoke below US$100 due to demand fears after new rate hikes22 May 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark IMF downgraded global growth to 2.8 per cent and warned of a “rocky recovery” due to inflation and falling demand. The US Federal Reserve (Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB) continued the interest rate hikes with a further 0.25 per cent, leading to rates of 5.25 and 3.75 per cent for the Fed and ECB, respectively, and market fears of falling demand. Combined with the usual US debt ceiling theatre, this has sent the equity market and e... |
Oil in narrow range while coal continues lower – petcoke pressured lower as discounts fall sharply28 February 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark The markets are still dominated by hawkish statements from central banks due to the stubbornly high inflation both in the USA and Europe. Expectations see rates climb still higher and for a longer period. However, the good news is that a recession may be avoided. In the energy markets, the G7 round of new sanctions on Russian refined products do not seem to have had any major impact. The markets are locked between the China reopening and th... |
Oil and coal are falling, petcoke climbs higher23 February 2023, Published under Cement NewsBy Frank O. Brannvoll, Brannvoll ApS, Denmark Another month with the European Central Bank (ECB) and the US Federal Reserve in focus: in the US the interest rate has been increased by 0.25 per cent while the ECB notched up the rate by 0.5 per cent. However, inflation seems stubbornly high. Therefore, it is expected that rates will increase further and remain high for some time with fears of a recession continuing albeit to a lesser degree. The IMF has adjusted global growth up by 0.2 per... |