Mersen exceeds growth forecast and 'no impact' of US tariffs
Mersen, a French supplier of advanced materials, reported on Wednesday that its annual consolidated sales were higher than expected at 1.24 billion euro ($1.29 billion), representing organic growth of 2.6%. Thomas Baumgartner, Mersen’s Chief Financial officer, told a conference call that the company had exceeded its initial organic growth projection of 1%-2%. He attributed it in part to a recovery on the silicon semiconductors market by the end of 2024. Due to a slowdown on the electric vehicle market…
Trinidad and Tobago auctions 26 deepwater oil and natural gas blocks at the largest ever auction
Official notices state that Trinidad and Tobago offered 26 offshore oil and natural gas blocks on Tuesday in its largest ever auction of deepwater exploration and production areas. In order to fully utilize its gas processing capability, the twin-island Caribbean nation, Latin America's biggest exporter of LNG, is pressing producers, particularly those offshore, to increase natural gas production. Trinidad and Tobago is trying to secure sufficient gas supplies for its LNG and Petrochemical sectors by offering new blocks bordering Venezuela and Guyana.
Russell: Europe imports more LNG as it draws cargoes out of Asia.
In January, the world's imports will reach their highest level in a single year as Europe's winter demands draw cargoes from Asia's top consumer region. According to commodity analysts Kpler, a total of 38.12 millions metric tons super-chilled gasoline is expected to be imported by January. This represents an increase from the 37.69 in December, and the highest since January 2024, when 38.73 was imported. The volume of LNG imports in January is the third highest ever recorded, highlighting…
Mozambique President discusses LNG and hydro projects with TotalEnergies CEO
Patrick Pouyanne (CEO of TotalEnergies) met Mozambique President Daniel Chapo on Monday. The two discussed several projects of the company in the southern African nation, including the long-delayed development of liquefied gas worth $20 billion. The French oil major confirmed last week that the force majeure on the project had not yet been lifted. This pushed back the deadline for Mozambique LNG to start construction in 2024. It was originally scheduled to begin gas production by 2029.
Russell: Europe imports more LNG as it draws cargos from Asia
In January, the world's imports will reach their highest level in a single year as Europe's winter demands draw cargoes from Asia's top consumer region. According to commodity analysts Kpler, a total of 38.12 millions metric tons super-chilled gasoline is expected to be imported by January. This represents an increase from the 37.69 in December, and the highest since January 2024, when 38.73 was imported. The volume of LNG imports in January is the third highest ever recorded, highlighting…
Trump's policies and European demand will tighten the global LNG market by 2025.
The global market for liquefied gas could be tighter this year, as the rising demand in Europe intensifies competition between Asia and North America and offsets new North American supplies at a moment when President Donald Trump’s energy policies and tariffs are also being closely watched. Energy Aspects, a consultancy, said that Europe's LNG consumption is expected to increase by over 14 million metric tones to 101 million tones in 2025 as it replenishes storage facilities for gas and replaces lost supplies after the Russia-Ukraine transit agreement expired at the end last year.
DeepSeek's "Sputnik moment" prompts investors to dump big AI players
Investors sent technology stocks like Nvidia and Oracle tumbling on Monday as the appearance of a Chinese artificial intelligence model that is low-cost cast doubts on Western firms' dominance in the sector.Startup DeepSeek launched last week a free assistant that it claims uses less data and costs a fraction of what existing models cost. This could be a turning point for the amount of investment required in AI.Futures for the Nasdaq 100 fell almost 4%. If these losses continue, the index may see its largest daily decline since September 2022 on Monday.S&P 500 shares fell 2%.
We learned a lot from the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2025
After a week-long discussion dominated by Donald Trump's return to the U.S. presidency, world leaders and business executives have left Davos in Switzerland. Israel's ceasefires against Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups sparked real regional peace talk. Friends and enemies agreed that Trump is the only person who can get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on board with a Palestinian State. Iran, one Trump's primary targets during his first tenure, chose Davos as the venue to announce that it was willing to renegotiate the nuclear deal and had no intention or ambition to build a bomb.
Zelenskiy wants Europe and the US to be involved in any Ukraine Peace Talks
Reporters heard the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy say that he hopes Europe and America will be included in any discussions about ending Ukraine's war against Russia. Zelenskiy, at a press conference held with the President of Moldova Maia Sandu said that Ukraine must also be included in any discussions about ending the conflict for these negotiations to have any real impact. Zelenskiy clarified that the framework for the talks has not yet been established. Zelenskiy believes that the new U.S. president Donald Trump can end the war.
We learned a lot from the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2025
After a week-long discussion dominated by Donald Trump's return to the U.S. presidency, world leaders and business executives have left Davos in Switzerland. Israel's ceasefires against Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups sparked real regional peace talk. Friends and enemies agreed that Trump is the only person who can get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on board with a Palestinian State. Iran, one Trump's primary targets during his first tenure, chose Davos as the venue to announce that it was willing to renegotiate the nuclear deal and had no intention or ambition to build a bomb.
Japan's JERA plans on expanding US LNG purchases in order to diversify the energy supply
JERA, Japan's largest LNG buyer, is planning to increase its purchases from the United States in order to diversify their supply and meet the demand growth spurred on by data centres and AI. U.S. president Donald Trump promised to unleash the U.S. industry of energy to boost production and threatened the EU if it did not purchase more gas. This could mean that JERA would have to compete against other buyers to get more U.S. natural gas. Japan's largest utility, which handles between 30-35 millions metric tons of LNG per year, sources almost half of it from Asia Pacific, including Australia and Malaysia.
European gasoline glut affects global margins
As a result, gasoline stocks in Europe reached a record-high as exports fell due to increased refinery runs in Nigeria and the United States. This led to the profit margins for European and U.S. refineries to fall to a 15 month low in January. Gasoline profit margins usually fall in the winter due to lower seasonal demand. However, the magnitude of the drop is a major blow for refiners who are now facing low margins on petrochemicals. Diesel provides some relief to overall margins. This…
S&P 500 reaches record high thanks to Netflix results and AI investment plan
Wall Street indexes rose Wednesday. The benchmark S&P 500 hit a record during the session as investors cheered the quarterly report from streaming video provider Netflix and technology shares rallied after President Donald Trump's announcement of a private sector artificial intelligence infrastructure plan. The S&P 500 index's 11 main industry sectors were led by the technology sector, which saw a big boost from AI chip leaders Nvidia and Microsoft. The day after Trump's announcement, investors piled up bets on the promise of AI.
S&P 500 reaches record highs on Netflix results and AI investment plans
Wall Street's major indexes rose Wednesday. The benchmark S&P 500 hit a record high as investors cheered the quarterly report from streaming video provider Netflix and technology shares rallied following the announcement of an artificial intelligence infrastructure plan for the private sector. Data pointing to an economy in which inflation is cooling and President Donald Trump's less aggressive approach to tariffs than expected have boosted risk appetites. Netflix, the S&P 500’s largest percentage gainer, posted a 9.8% increase after reporting a record number for holiday quarter subscribers.
Trump's USDA Secretary pick led group against ethanol and farm subsidies
According to an analysis of the group's policies, President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Agriculture Department is Brooke Rollins. She led an organization opposed to ethanol mandates as well as farm subsidies. These are major programs that she could influence, if confirmed. Rollins' background could put her at odds with lawmakers from farm states at her nomination hearing this Thursday, and raise concerns among the corn and biofuel lobby about Trump’s mixed record in his first term of office on ethanol.
Trump's USDA Secretary pick led group against ethanol and farm subsidies
According to an analysis of the group's policies, President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Agriculture Department is Brooke Rollins. She led a group that opposed ethanol mandates as well as farm subsidies. These are major programs she would be able to influence if she were confirmed. Rollins' background could put her at odds with lawmakers from farm states at her nomination hearing this Thursday, and raise concerns among the corn and biofuel lobby about Trump’s mixed record in his first term of office on ethanol.
Trump's complaint about the trade deficit with EU and what could come next
Donald Trump, President of the United StatesTrump has pledged to reduce a long-standing trade deficit between the United States and the European Union. He says he will do this by imposing tariffs, or forcing the EU to buy more U.S. gas and oil. In a memo entitled "America First Trade Policy", issued by Trump on his first day in the White House, he directed the Commerce and Treasury Departments and the U.S. Trade Rep to investigate the goods trade deficit and recommend measures before April.
IEA: Global gas markets will remain tight due to rising demand
LONDON (Jan. 21) - The global natural gas market will remain tight in 2019 as the demand for gas increases and production grows slower than it did before the energy crises of 2022 and 2020-2021. This was revealed by a report released on Tuesday by the International Energy Agency. Political factors have exacerbated the volatility of gas prices, including the uncertainty surrounding the energy policy of U.S. president Donald Trump and possible disruptions of Middle Eastern supply. The European Union has not yet experienced a shortage of gas due to the shutdown of Russian gas supplies via Ukraine…
Dollar jumps after Trump's tariff plans. Shares are jittery.
The global markets welcomed Donald Trump's new presidency on Tuesday with apprehension, largely due to the headlines about his plans for trade and tariffs. The U.S. market was closed on Monday for a holiday, so the reactions to Trump’s return to the White House began to be felt in Asian trading on Tuesday. European futures were also pointing towards a lower opening. Investors cheered the possible delay of Trump's tariffs after a brief mention in his inauguration address, but the U.S.
Can Trump reverse Biden's offshore oil drilling ban?
In an executive order issued on Monday, President Donald Trump revoked the ban placed by former Democratic president Joe Biden against new offshore oil-and-gas development along most of America's coasts. Trump will face legal challenges regarding his authority. What did BIDEN and Trump do? Biden used his authority, granted by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1970, to stop oil and gas drilling in federal waters along the East and Western coasts of the United States as well as the eastern Gulf of Mexico. He also halted the drilling of portions of the northern Bering sea of Alaska.
