Oil Markets
Episodes
Coronavirus hits North Sea crude production and prices
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
COVID-19 has crushed crude prices and is now closing North Sea oil fields. S&P Global Platts reporters Nick Coleman and Emma Kettley share their views...
On lockdowns and light ends: Asia gasoline, LPG demand slump as COVID-19 pandemic bites
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nationwide lockdowns imposed by governments in the race to contain the spread of COVID-19 have in turn dampened economies and triggered severe demand ...
Crude oil markets and coronavirus face off
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With the OPEC+ agreement in tatters and COVID-19 destroying demand, the crude oil markets are in turmoil. Prices have fallen over 70% since October bu...
Coronavirus forces jet market collapse
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
COVID-19 has crushed demand and prices of jet fuel around the world. What can be done with all that extra jet fuel, and what are the prospects for air...
Oil Markets extra: What does the sustainability shift mean for oil and gas?
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In an extended Oil Markets podcast, we present a panel discussion on the energy transition and its impact on oil and gas companies, recorded at this y...
IP Week vs COVID-19
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
International Petroleum Week is supposed to be a week of business and parties, but what happens when a virus outbreak threatens more disruption than e...
Post-IMO 2020: Asia Marine Fuel 0.5% valuations on a roller-coaster ride
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts refined oil products experts Atsuko Kawasaki, Amy Tan, and Rajesh Nair examine the rapidly changing fortunes of the Asian Marine Fue...
Greener opportunities for jet fuel
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Growing environmental scrutiny upon the aviation sector is shining a light on its carbon footprint. Tune into jet fuel specialist Emma Thomas and biof...
Refining maintenance
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While oil refineries should be enjoying a relatively low crude oil price, the Covid-19 virus has hit demand in some regions. Can refiners use this tim...
Coronavirus reshapes the oil balances
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has been dominating the news agenda, with the World Health Organization, governments and OPEC scrambling to find a response...
Coronavirus fears sends jitters across Asia Pacific crude market following record premiums
04 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The start of the year sees new record premiums for Asia-Pacific crude with IMO 2020 kicking in, and amid fewer supply from Libya. But sentiment in the...
All eyes on Russia's new government and oil policies
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As Russian President Vladimir Putin makes sweeping changes to his government, Platts Russia specialists Elza Turner and Rosemary Griffin tell Joel Han...
Firm naphtha squeezes plastics producers
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Price rises in the European naphtha market and growing tightness in propane are putting pressure on petrochemicals producers, who face trouble downstr...
Sour potential for Middle Eastern crude flows amid US-Iran tensions
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pressure on availability of sour crude could be brewing amid tension in the Middle East, with the potential for US involvement in the area to result i...
French strikes hit oil industry
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With industrial action seen across many industries in France, Platts reporters Virginie Malicier and John-Laurent Tronche tell Joel Hanley of the impa...
Fueling the future
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the clamor for greener fuels grows ever louder, bunker players are already looking forward to the next big thing. Platts bunker reporters Jack Jo...
Qatar's latest crude experiment and its impact on Mideast pricing
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In a rare move, Qatar Petroleum issued a tender this month that included a cargo of its Marine Crude grade. It was made even more unusual by the fact ...
IMO 2020-friendly fuel oil trump gasoline as cracks tell a surprising story
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Surging popularity for 0.5% sulfur marine fuel is boosting the new fuel's cracks to twice that of refining mainstay gasoline, product reporters Tom Wa...
Uncertain times for middle distillate products amid large cargo arrivals
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Middle distillates have been drifting into the a softer patch on the back of frustrated expectations for IMO 2020. Amid this, arrivals of VLCCs carryi...
Shippers bless the rates down in Africa
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The cost of shipping refined products from Europe to West Africa has risen strongly in recent weeks, making shippers rethink their strategies. Platts ...
Asian end-users grapple with soaring crude prices as freight rates surge
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Asian end-users faced a month of soaring crude oil prices in October after freight rates surged to record highs earlier this month. Editors Vickey Du ...
High noon for high sulfur?
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Much is made of the new 0.5% sulfur standard in marine fuels come IMO 2020 but what of the well-established 3.5% fuel market? How are prices reacting ...
"The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia."
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With Otto von Bismarck's famous quote likely ringing in his ears, Saudi King Salman welcomed Russia's President Putin this week. Oil, OPEC, and cooper...
Crude sellers count the cost of mounting freight rates
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As trade tensions take their toll on the shipping sector, will sellers of crude oil have to slash differentials to offset the high cost of transport? ...
Delivered crude comes to Dated Brent
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the traditionally FOB-based Dated Brent benchmark starts incorporating CIF offers, S&P Global Platts senior director of price group Jonty Rushforth...
Asia crude buyers cautious as supply uncertainty lingers post-Saudi attacks
27 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Saudi Arabia has said that its crude production capacity would be restored to 11 million b/d by end-September, and to the full 12 million b/d in Novem...
Saudi shut-in after attacks, and an exploding scrubber: just another week in oil
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the oil market players digested the insights from the annual APPEC meeting in Singapore, an explosive attack on critical oil infrastructure in Saud...
The middle way: Distillate-rich crudes forge ahead as IMO 2020 looms
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With all of the focus on sour crudes ahead of IMO 2020, the relationship between naphtha-rich and distillate-rich barrels has attracted less attention...
Prepare to reap the whirlwind
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While the US continues to count the cost of Hurricane Dorian, Europe's refined products markets are seeing differing impacts. Joel Hanley hears from P...
Key themes to watch at Platts APPEC 2019
30 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts editors Ada Taib, Eesha Muneeb and Avantika Ramesh give listeners a preview of what will keep oil market participants busy at the 20...
Sweet opportunities remain for sour crude and heavy products
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
IMO 2020 may be looming and the overall trajectory for sour crude such as Urals and high sulfur fuel oil is down, but with anomalous trading patterns ...
US crude: overpriced, overhyped, and over here?
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As trade tensions mount, US crude production continues to grow and it has to go somewhere; Europe and Asia have been accommodating homes so far but ha...
Cleaner, greener fuels on the road and on the seas
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As ethanol plays a greater role in European gasoline standards, S&P Global Platts reporters Solomon Lanitis and Joel Hanley discuss the impact of the ...
US, Russia battle for Asian crude oil demand
02 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
US crude has been gaining market share in Asia, with growing popularity in South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. S&P Global Platts editors Avantika Ramesh...
Hormuz tanker tensions fail to ignite the oil markets
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Tankers have been seized, drones downed, and warships scrambled but oil prices have barely registered the escalating tension in the Persian Gulf. S&P ...
The only way is up for refiners
18 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Talks of closures are over for now and a clutch of run cuts at European refineries, followed by a significant outage in the US, is propping up sentime...
Changing currents for crude flows following trouble in the Strait of Hormuz
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The UK and Iran are facing off against one another over oil tankers and this is spooking both shippers and oil producers, with ripple effects across t...
Choppier waters for European gasoline
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The US is diversifying its sources of imports, but while this might sound dismal for European producers there is still a varied landscape of shorts ou...
How do current tensions in the Middle East affect crude flows to Asia?
28 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Singapore-based S&P Global Platts editors Eesha Muneeb and Avantika Ramesh examine the impact on prices as well as the level of concern among Asian re...
Angola's challenges as crude production and differentials slide
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Production is at fresh lows and prices are following suit, but there are signs Angola is taking steps to stem the decline. Joel Hanley talks to Eklavy...
Oil market feels impact from US oversupply of light ends
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With refined products such as naphtha and LPG beset by structural weakness, what are the longer term prospects for the lighter end of the barrel? S&P ...
Strong NWE gasoline masks a weaker global picture
07 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Crude oil pipeline contamination in Europe has boosted gasoline cracks, which are masking a softer reality across regions. S&P Global Platts editors E...
Why is the fuel oil sulfur spread going bananas?
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After months near parity, the spread between high and low sulfur fuel oil has suddenly blown out. What's behind this move and what could it mean for t...
Iran sanctions begin to bite; what does IMO 2020 mean for fuel oil?
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The expiration of the US-issued Iranian sanctions waivers has now passed, leaving regular buyers of Iranian crude – and the fuel oil market – shor...
Russian crude oil contamination causes European supply shock
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A high dose of organic chlorides in Urals crude oil has shut down European refineries and led to severe logistical and price complications. S&P Global...
What does the end of the Iran sanction waivers mean to Asian crude and condensate buyers?
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The US announced the end of all waivers from Iran oil sanctions when they expire on May 2. Ada Taib, Eesha Muneeb and Andrew Toh, S&P Global Platts ed...
Gasoline resurgent, but why and where next?
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gasoline has emerged from its recent winter doldrums but what is behind this and what can the market expect as the year wears on? S&P Global Platts st...
So what happened at MPGC 2019?
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As ever, the Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference has provided plenty to talk about from currency rows to Trump tweets. Fresh from Dubai, Dave Ernsb...
How Russian Urals crude is reacting to the sweet and sour inversion
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With heavy sour crudes seeing remarkable value versus their light sweet counterparts, how are Russia's Urals and the Europe's fuel oil markets respond...
Forward fuel and the sticky bitumen question
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Forward prices of high sulfur fuel oil are seeing understandable pressure as 2020 approaches. S&P Global Platts reporters Tamara Sleiman and Jack Jord...
Dated Brent crude oil grades feel impact of strong buying interest
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts reporters Emma Kettley and Gillian Carr speak to Joel Hanley about the sudden strong buying interest in the North Sea Dated Brent cr...
Oil Markets podcast – Africa's oil opportunities
22 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of the African Refiners' Association conference in Cape Town, S&P Global Platts reporters Francesco Di Salvo and Eklavya Gupte tell Joel Hanley ...
US crude oil returns to China in small volumes amid ongoing US-China trade talks
22 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
US crude is returning to China in small volumes, signaling growing confidence among Chinese buyers that the ongoing trade talks between China and the ...
Parties! Protests! Dinosaurs! IP Week 2019 in review
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts Joel Hanley, Dave Ernsberger and Francesco Di Salvo discuss the highs and lows of London's International Petroleum Week. As ever, th...
Azerbaijan prepares to host OPEC/non-OPEC JMMC, boost domestic energy sector
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Azerbaijan will host the OPEC/non-OPEC joint ministerial monitoring committee meeting in Baku on March 18, pushing it into the global energy spotlight...
Spotting the big oil trends ahead of IP Week 2019
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As traders are set to gather in London for International Petroleum Week, S&P Global Platts reporters from across the barrel tell Joel Hanley which oil...
Nigerian election puts focus on country's energy future
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of the podcast, S&P Global Platts Francesco Di Salvo joins editors Eklavya Gupte and Philip Reeder to discuss the lead-up to the Niger...
Venezuelan sanctions threaten to remap oil trade-flows across the Atlantic
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of the podcast, Joel Hanley joins S&P Global Platts reporters Herman Wang, Philip Reeder and Solomon Lanitis to discuss the fall-out f...
Brent-Dubai narrows sharply ahead of fresh OPEC oil output cuts, sour crude shortage
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sour crude oil differentials have risen sharply relative to sweet crude grades in the Atlantic Basin as OPEC moves to cut back on production, sending ...
Light and heavy oil products in Europe invert again
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts editors Tamara Sleiman, Philip Reeder and Eklavya Gupte tell Joel Hanley how the inversion in fuel oil and naphtha cracks speaks of ...
S&P Global Platts announces CIF Rotterdam offers to be included in Dated Brent assessment
18 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Platts editors Joel Hanley and Paula VanLaningham discuss the January 14 subscriber note on the inclusion of offers on a CIF Rotterdam basis into FOB ...
Delays in the Turkish straits put freight markets and Urals Med crude under pressure
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Turkish straits form the link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean – a crucial choke point for transporting crude oil. But this year, poo...
The potential for delivered crude oil coming into Dated Brent
14 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After the recent S&P Global Platts consultation on the Dated Brent benchmark, Platts editors Robert Beaman and Paula Vanlaningham discuss with Joel Ha...
Rising number of GPS disruptions pose an emerging security risk for the shipping industry
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As maritime authorities report a rising number of GPS disruptions, the scale of the digital tampering in an industry which relies heavily on the techn...
Low Rhine water levels continue to impact oil products markets
31 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts reporters Virgine Malicier and Francesco Di Salvo tell Joel Hanley about soaring strength in European diesel markets brought on by t...
European light ends struggle to find balance amid a culmination of bearish factors
25 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Noteworthy weakness in the European gasoline complex has weighed on light ends fundamentals in recent weeks. A culmination of heavy supply, combined w...
The Oil/Petrochemicals imbalance
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the environmental pressure on plastics, petrochemical demand is booming. Given the link to oil via naphtha and propane, Platts reporters Phili...
European low sulfur VGO market facing bearish headwinds on sinking gasoline cracks
11 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The European low sulfur vacuum gasoil market has been facing bearish headwinds in recent weeks on the back of rapidly weakening gasoline cracks. S&P G...
Refiners announce first details of new 0.5% sulfur bunker fuels
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Shipowners have received some of the first details about the fuel they will be relying on from 2020 this week with some announcements about the new bl...
West African crude oil trading goes public
20 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A new swap contract has led to unprecedented transparency in Nigerian crude oil trading. S&P Global Platts senior editors Joel Hanley and Paula VanLan...
Jamnagar, Yanbu outages have conflicting impact on European gasoline and VGO markets
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Maintenance on secondary cracking units at the Jamnagar and Yanbu refineries is having a conflicting impact on European gasoline and Vacuum Gasoil mar...
Off-spec Houston bunker fuel sparks contamination crisis
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A recent spate of shipping engine failures has been traced back to a problematic cargo of bunker fuel in Houston earlier in the year. S&P Global Platt...
Low Rhine water levels struggle to keep NWE barges market afloat
03 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A heat wave in Europe and lack of rain are keeping the water levels of some of Europe's rivers low. For the Rhine, this means dire consequences for th...
IMO: financing marine fuel costs post-2020
24 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Tonnage, debt, price and credit could be explosive issues for the shipping and bunker industry going into 2020. The fallout from the International Mar...
Younger generation of shipping executives reconsider scrubbers ahead of IMO 2020
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Among shipowners looking at how to cope with tighter marine fuels sulfur limits in 2020, the use of scrubbers to clean their emissions on board has be...
Implications of US sanctions on Iran for Asian oil buyers
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How will Asia's top buyers react to the re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran?In this podcast, S&P Global Platts editors Mriganka Jaipuriyar, Philip V...
What's keeping naphtha afloat?
04 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts light ends reporter Philip Reeder tells Joel Hanley why prices for versatile feedstock naphtha have remained strong while other refi...
Looking for the upside: CPC Blend crude oil at six-year lows
19 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts editors Gillian Carr and Joel Hanley discuss how differentials for Kazakhstan's CPC Blend crude oil have plummeted on heightened out...
Rotterdam overtakes Fujairah as world's second bunker fuel hub
28 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bunker demand data for 2017 over the past month has shown Fujairah slipped behind Rotterdam in total sales last year, while both remain long behind th...
What next for African refining?
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After attending the African Refiners Association meeting in Cape Town, March 12-14, S&P Global Platts reporters Ahila Karan and Eklavya Gupte share th...
What's behind the Russian sour crude oil slump?
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
With Russian crude oil values in Europe slumping to multi-year lows, S&P Global Platts editors John Morley and Maude Desmarescaux discuss with Joel Ha...
IP Week -- Oil and gas: An industry trying to redefine itself
23 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts oil news team discusses the oil and gas industry's search to redefine itself amid weak prices, rising US shale output, and growing e...
Asian kerosene strength brings fresh highs to European jet fuel prices
08 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts European jet fuel editors Christopher Ewen and Caroline Knight discuss with Joel Hanley the strength in the European jet fuel market...
December Forties Pipeline System outage affects January North Sea-Asia crude arbitrage
25 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts crude oil editors Paula Vanlaningham and Maude Desmarescaux discuss the consequences of the December Forties Pipeline System outage ...
The Saudi purge and Aramco: how the kingdom's oil policy may play out
16 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Saudi Arabia, with its anti-corruption purge, has been much in the headlines lately, as has kingdom's state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, with much...
Jet fuel barges soar above $50/mt bucking traditional seasonal trends
10 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
David Elward, S&P Global Platts associate editorial director, EMEA clean refined products, and Christopher Ewen, associate editor, EMEA middle distill...
Northwest European propane prices buck traditional seasonal trends
26 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Joel Hanley, S&P Global Platts senior director EMEA oil, and Iain Stevenson, managing editor EMEA light ends, discuss this summer's firm propane funda...
How is US oil recuperating from Harvey, from wellhead to midstream to refining?
28 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hurricane Harvey affected the US oil industry from the wellhead to refinery outputs, and the sector is still showing signs of slowness after the storm...
Kurdistan's independence poll raises the heat in Iraq but what does it mean for oil?
28 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan raised regional tensions this week with its non-binding referendum for independence. The result, a resounding yes, wa...
IMO 2020: Which country will be the toughest enforcer of the sulfur cap?
21 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
At recent shipping industry events in London, compliance with the IMO's upcoming 0.5% sulfur cap on marine fuels was a hot topic among industry repres...
After the storms: Jet fuel trends and outlook in Europe and the US
18 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As the US recovers from a devastating series of hurricanes, S&P Global Platts editors Caroline Knight and Daron Jones discuss with Joel Hanley the sto...
European gasoline, diesel prices rally on Hurricane Harvey, traders eye Irma impact
07 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts editors David Elward, Virginie Malicier, George Shaw and Marcel Goldenberg discuss the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on Europ...
North Sea crude complex holds up in face of wider inter-regional spreads
23 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts editors Joel Hanley and John Morley discuss the changing competition affecting North Sea crude oil, as the Brent/WTI and Brent/Dubai...
European oil, petchems reaction to Shell Pernis refinery production halt
08 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Following the July 29-31 fire and subsequent leak at Shell's Pernis refinery in the Netherlands –- the largest in Europe and a key petrochemicals hu...
NWE naphtha turns bullish on petrochemical, gasoline blending demand
01 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts refined products editors David Elward, Katherine Dunn and James Colquhoun discuss how after prolonged weakness the Northwest Europea...
What has prompted the recent split in crude differentials in the Med sweet markets?
13 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts crude oil editors Paula VanLaningham and Marcel Goldenberg discuss the recent uptick in differentials for the Mediterranean's light,...
IMO update: Latest news on the 2020 sulfur cap
10 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
After the latest meeting of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee in London on July 3-7, S&P Global Platts editors Ned Molloy and Jack Jor...
What role will China play in the North Sea crude oil market in Q3?
28 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts oil editors Paula VanLaningham and John Morley discuss the changes in North Sea crude arbitrage to Asia, with a particular focus on ...
Saudi Arabia's new crown prince and the outlook for the kingdom's oil sector
22 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as his successor, giving the young prince a free hand to carry out his ambitious ...
What next for the gasoline/diesel spread in Europe?
21 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
S&P Global Platts oil editors Joel Hanley, George Shaw and Chris Ewen discuss the narrowing spread between gasoline and diesel in Europe, highlighting...