Top five contrarian commodity scenarios for 2025: Russell
In 2025 it may be worth being a contrarian, since the year ahead could be one of most volatile ever, especially in commodities. Donald Trump is back, threatening to disrupt the global trade flow with a wall on imports. He will be able to do little this time, with a Republican-led Congress. China is the second largest economy in the world and the biggest buyer of commodities. The future of global energy transition is much…
Palm closes lower due to Dalian weakness; market waits for further leads
Malaysian palm oils futures continued to lose money on Monday. This was in line with the decline of rival soyoils at the Dalian exchange, and the market was waiting for further triggers during the holiday season. At the close, the benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in March on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives exchange fell 72 ringgit or 1.56% to 4,552 Ringgit ($1,019.48 per metric ton). Dalian's palm oil contract, which is the most active contract, dropped by 0.34% while soyoil prices fell by 0.18%.
Palm oil prices slip on Dalian weakness; market waits for further leads
Malaysian palm oils futures fell on Monday in line with the decline of rival soyoils traded on the Dalian exchange, as the market awaited more triggers during the holiday season. By midday, the benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in March on the Bursa Derivatives exchange had fallen 4 ringgit or 0.09% to 4,620 Ringgit ($1,034.25) per metric ton. A Kuala Lumpur based trader stated that "Today's Futures will be lackinglustre.
Top five contrarian commodity scenarios for 2025: Russell
In 2025 it may be worth being a contrarian, since the year ahead could be one of most volatile ever, especially in commodities. Donald Trump is back, threatening to disrupt the global trade flow with a wall on imports. He will be able to do little this time, with a Republican-led Congress. China is the second largest economy in the world and the biggest buyer of commodities. The future of global energy transition is much more uncertain because of Trump's climate change doubt…
Year Ender: Big Oil retreats from renewables as climate agenda falters
In 2024, major European energy companies increased their focus on oil and natural gas to maximize profits in the short-term. They also slowed down and sometimes reversed climate commitments. This is a trend that will likely continue in 2025. Oil majors have retreated after governments worldwide slowed down the rollout and set back targets for clean energy as energy prices soared in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Qatar will stop EU gas exports if fined for due diligence, reports FT
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday, Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi said that Qatar would stop shipping gas into the EU if the member states enforced a new law aimed at cracking down against forced labour and environmental damages. Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence, approved in this year, is a directive that requires large companies operating within the European Union, to verify whether their supply chain uses forced labour, or causes environmental damage, and take action, if necessary.
DOE-backed report: U.S. data centers' power consumption could triple by 2028
According to a Department of Energy report, the U.S. power consumption for data centers could triple within three years and account for 12% of all electricity consumed in the United States. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's report is due to be released this Friday. It comes as the U.S. government and power industry are trying to figure out how the sudden increase in data center demand by Big Tech will impact electrical grids, electricity bills, and climate change.
US pressures EU to align LNG methane regulations
A letter obtained by showed that U.S. officials redoubled their efforts to convince EU counterparts that shipments of liquefied gas meeting current U.S. regulations on methane would automatically meet the new European standards for gas imports. On December 17, the administration of President Joe Biden sent a second email to Ditte J. Jorgensen (EU Director-General for Energy) to increase support for their case that US Environmental…
Hungary: US exemption of gas payments from Russia Gazprombank sanctioned
In a video on social media, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto stated that the United States had granted exemptions for gas payments from the sanctions they imposed against Russia's Gazprombank. The U.S. implemented sanctions against Gazprombank in November, creating a barrier for European gas buyers. Gazprombank was used by buyers to pay for their purchases. Hungary, which relies primarily on Russian oil, gas and other energy sources, requested an exemption from the U.S.
Putin is clear: there will be no Ukraine Gas Transit Deal
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, said that it is now clear that no new gas transit agreement will be signed with Kyiv for Russian gas to be sent through Ukraine to Europe. However, Russia will survive. As the EU attempts to reduce its dependency on Moscow, Russia has lost nearly all its European clients. Before the Ukraine War, Russia was Europe's largest single natural gas supplier. The Nord Stream gas pipeline, which was destroyed in 2022, cut off a major artery of Russian gas exports.
AI's hunger for energy fuels geothermal startup but rivalry over natgas clouds the future
The number of geothermal energy startups is on the rise, as Big Tech companies look to power their AI data centers with natural gas. However, long-term investment remains uncertain because oil majors are doubling down on natural gases. Meta and Alphabet’s Google are two of the tech companies that have partnered with startups to create geothermal energy to power their data centres. The energy demands of artificial intelligence are being met by large datacenter operators…
Where will Trump's trade with China lead commodities in 2025? Russell
In 2025, Donald Trump's return as U.S. president and China's stagnant economy will influence global commodity markets. The only certainty is that there will be volatility, and many factors acting in opposite directions. In 2025, it will be harder to predict the prices of major commodities, such as crude oil and liquefied gas, ore like iron ore, coal, and metals, such as copper. Consider, for example, Trump's signature promise during his campaign: tariffs.
US graphite miners ask Washington to impose tariffs of 920% on Chinese competitors
On Wednesday, North American miners of graphite asked the U.S. Government to impose tariffs as high as 92% on Chinese suppliers for the battery metal to combat what they call Beijing's "malicious" trade practices. This is the latest effort by Western suppliers of critical minerals to counter China's control over the extraction and processing of building blocks used in electric vehicles and electronic devices. Graphite can be produced synthetically or from natural sources.
Qcells claims that a new technology could reduce the space required for solar panels
Hanwha Corp.'s Qcells announced on Wednesday that it had made a significant breakthrough in a new solar technology. This has the potential of reducing the space needed by panels to generate electricity from the sun's light. The solar industry is facing a number of pressing challenges, including the need for more space. In some areas of the United States, large-scale projects that occupy vast tracts of land are being met with opposition.
Sweden's North frets about financial risks as the green boom stumbles
Sweden's local governments, frightened by Northvolt's struggle for survival and its potential impact on taxpayers, have asked the central government to increase financial support for Sweden's transition towards green industry. Last month, Europe's leading electric vehicle battery manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States with $5.8 billion of debts. The EU's energy transformation is failing, and shockwaves were sent through Skelleftea, northern Sweden, where its Northvolt Ett plant is located.
US offers PG&E a conditional loan of up to $15 billion for climate resilience
The Department of Energy announced on Tuesday that the United States had offered PG&E, a California-based utility, a conditional $15 billion loan to upgrade its electrical grid and support climate resilience. PG&E is a natural-gas and electric utility and the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. It serves about 16,000,000 people in northern and central California. The loan will be paid in cash over several years if the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office finalizes the record amount.
Treasury: US sanctions against North Korea and Russia include new sanctions
New sanctions imposed by the United States on Monday targeted Pyongyang’s financial activities as well as its military support for Moscow, according to the Treasury Department. The sanctions list North Korean generals, banks and officials, as well as Russian oil companies. They are the latest U.S. measures aimed at disrupting North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Treasury Department released a statement naming Golden Triangle Bank and Korea Mandal Credit Bank as the North Korean banks that were targeted.
DET: Germany's Wilhelmshaven Liquefied natural gas terminal will not operate in Q1
According to its operator, the government-owned Wilhelmshaven terminal in Germany, which was built to address Europe's energy shortage, will not be able to receive any LNG deliveries until at least the first quarter 2025. In a market announcement, Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH said that there would be no regasification activities at the terminal from Jan. 5, 2025 to April 1, 2025. However, this is not final, and plans could change in the short term.
Venture Global says it has produced the first LNG at its Plaquemines plant.
Venture Global LNG produced its first LNG (liquefied natural gases) on Friday at its Plaquemines facility in Louisiana. The first U.S. plant to produce super-chilled natural gas in two years, Cheniere Energy Corpus Christi's midscale expansion project has been beaten to the market. Venture Global said that it had built two of its fastest greenfield LNG plants to go from financial approval to first LNG production. Plaquemines, when completed, will be the largest LNG plant in the world.
US House panel finds BlackRock and other asset managers reluctant to join climate initiative
According to a report published on Friday by the Republican-led U.S. Congress committee, top asset managers in the United States were concerned that signing up for an industry climate initiative would make them look like they worked too closely together and attract regulatory scrutiny. This is the latest report released by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Republican majority in a probe that they claim has revealed fund…
