Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 35

Friday, October 25, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 35

1          Fears Of A Global Financial Meltdown Loom Over Oil Markets
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Fears-Of-A-Global-Financial-Meltdown-Loom-Over-Oil-Markets.html

Oil prices received a jolt mid-week on rumors that OPEC+ might cut deeper and also because of a surprise drawdown in EIA inventory data. Nevertheless, economic cracks continue to dominate the narrative.

2          Oil extends gains despite weak demand outlook
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKBN1X203E
Oil prices extended their gains on Thursday, with Brent rising above $61 a barrel as a surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories and the prospect of further market-supporting action by OPEC and its allies offset some concern over the outlook for demand.

3          Goldman: A Major Oil Price Rally Is On The Horizon
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Goldman-A-Major-Oil-Price-Rally-Is-On-The-Horizon.html
Energy forecasters see a worsening supply glut in 2020, putting OPEC+ in a bind. But beyond that, the bust could result in a boom as supply growth slows to a trickle. “For three years, oversupply has deteriorated Energy equity sentiment,” Goldman Sachs wrote in a note on Monday. That presented an impossible choice for OPEC – cut output or let prices crash? The group chose to slash production in an effort to rescue prices, but in doing so, it arguably prolonged the adjustment by propping up unprofitable shale drillers.

4          Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Supported by Hopes of Additional Output Cuts by OPEC; Capped by Demand Worries
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/crude-oil-price-update-supported-by-hopes-of-additional-output-cuts-by-opec-capped-by-demand-worries-608294

Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s de facto leader, wants to focus first on boosting adherence to the group’s production-reduction pact with Russia and other non-members, an alliance known as OPEC+, before committing to more cuts, sources told Reuters.

5          Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-cold-is-coming-but-short-blast-isnt-bullish-enough-for-prolonged-rally-608330

The short-term range is $2.568 to $2.388. Its 50% level or pivot at $2.478 is proving to be major resistance, stopping four attempted rallies this week. Besides being resistance, it is also the trigger point for an acceleration to the upside.

6          Norway’s oil fund now worth NOK 10 trillion
https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/norways-oil-fund-now-worth-nok-10-trillion/
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, popularly known as the oil fund, has grown to a record 10 trillion Norwegian crowns (NOK) or 1,091,750,000,000 U.S. dollars. To remind, the fund had hit a one trillion-dollar value mark in 2017.

7          New contracts have been signed to promote petrochemical industry
https://www.industryglobalnews24.com/new-contracts-have-been-signed-to-promote-petrochemical-industry

McDermott International has secured a contract from Saudi Aramco and Total Raffinage Chimie for a mixed feed cracker for the Amiral advanced. Under the contract, valued between $50m and $250m, the corporate is to blame for giving licenses, basic engineering packages, extended basic engineering, training, technical services and provide of proprietary instrumentality for the project.

8          Canada Countering Collapse in US Oil Imports From OPEC
https://www.rigzone.com/news/canada_countering_collapse_in_us_oil_imports_from_opec-24-oct-2019-160140-article/

With U.S. crude oil production up 150 percent to 12.4 million b/d since 2008, the great American shale boom has collapsed imports from OPEC. In 2018, OPEC met less than 15 percent of total U.S. oil demand, down from over 30 percent in 2007.

9          Exclusive: Mexico taps banks, oil major as it nears end of 2020 oil hedge
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-hedge-exclusive-idUSKBN1X22LO
Mexico’s finance ministry has completed a majority of its annual oil hedging program, working with at least four top investment banks and oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), sources said, after challenges slowed the world’s largest oil financial deal this year.

10        China’s CNOOC says COSCO sanctions have impact but oil and gas output unaffected
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cnooc-results-idUSKBN1X3161
CNOOC, China’s largest offshore oil and gas producer, on Thursday said it would be affected by U.S. sanctions on its COSCO shipping firm but there would be no impact on its oil and gas production.

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 6

Friday, October 25, 2019

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 6

1          How To Kick The Hydrocarbon Habit
https://www.woodmac.com/news/the-edge/how-to-kick-the-hydrocarbon-habit/

Let’s start with the good news…

The power sector is already being transformed, with renewables on an explosive growth path, propelled by the precipitous fall in wind and solar costs. Renewables’ share of the global power market rises from 7% today to 25% by 2040. Some markets are also looking to build in grid-edge technologies such as energy storage and EV charging.

2          Can The Energy Industry Rise To The Challenge Of Climate Change?
https://www.woodmac.com/news/feature/can-the-energy-industry-rise-to-the-challenge-of-climate-change/

What about the Paris Agreement? The statement above from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the central aim of The Paris Agreement, ratified at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21).

3          Glacial rivers absorb carbon faster than rainforests, scientists find
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/25/scientists-glacial-rivers-absorb-carbon-faster-rainforests

In the turbid, frigid waters roaring from the glaciers of Canada’s high Arctic, researchers have made a surprising discovery: for decades, the northern rivers secretly pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a rate faster than the Amazon rainforest.

4          P&G to double recycled plastic packaging in Europe by 2020
https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/markets/household-products/pg-double-recycled-plastic-packaging-europe-2020-24-10-2019

Fairy, Flash and Viakal will increase the use of recycled plastic to 9,000 tonnes of post-consumer resin and post-industrial resin, replacing virgin plastic in the supply chain. In total, 300 million bottles across P&G’s European household cleaning brands will be converted annually to either 100% recycled or partially-recycled plastic. Additionally, all surface cleaning wipes will be made of 100% recycled fibre.

5          Climate risk leads Kuwait to consider reducing production targets
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2019/10/24/climate-risk-leads-kuwait-to-consider-reducing-production-targets

Kuwait, OPEC’s fourth-biggest member, is considering cuts to its oil production capacity targets, in large part because mounting concern about climate change will constrict demand for fossil fuels.

6          Factbox: Climate targets – the devil’s in the detail
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-shipping-factbox-idUSKBN1X21JK
Amid a groundswell of public pressure for climate action, companies, sectors and countries worldwide have trumpeted new pledges, from setting net-zero emissions targets to declaring carbon neutrality in specific timeframes.

7          The Best Thing About The Death Of Coal
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Best-Thing-About-The-Death-Of-Coal.html
This isn’t another tired story about how kicking the coal habit will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That would be like kicking a dead horse. Instead, there is a massive new benefit to ditching the dirty: Doing so will free up billions of gallons of water.

8          Why Big Oil faces court cases that echo the litigation against Big Tobacco in the ’90s
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/exxon-shell-climate-change-court-new-york-attorney-general-litigation-documents-1.5331228

How much did the oil industry know about the impact of fossil fuel emissions on the climate? When did they know it? And what did they do with that knowledge? Those are the central questions in a series of court cases attempting to hold companies accountable for their role in climate change.

9          Blockchain technology applied to plastics traceability and sustainability
https://www.plasticstoday.com/sustainability/blockchain-technology-applied-plastics-traceability-and-sustainability/51580656461743

Resin suppliers Domo and Covestro are teaming up with transparency start-up Circularise in a collaborative project for circularity in the plastics industry through the use of blockchain technology. The newly-formed Circularise Plastics project group aims to set up an open standard for sustainability and transparency within this field. At K 2019, Domo and Covestro discussed the project with customers and looked for new partners to join them on this pathway towards full circularity.

10           The Billionaire Battle For EV Dominance

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Billionaire-Battle-For-EV-Dominance.html

The neck-to-neck race to dominate the electric vehicle space continues between Elon Musk’s Tesla and Warren Buffet’s BYD. But it’s a much larger story than just EV sales — with both companies being leaders in global sales of battery packs used in EVs and energy storage, and Tesla ready to enter BYD’s home market of China. Two other elements of the story include a decline in EV sales in both the U.S. and in China, and the next trend in electric buses and commercial vehicle global sales.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 35

Friday, October 25, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 35

1          Your Cloud and Data Management Strategies are About to Collide
https://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/digital-business/your-cloud-and-data-management-strategies-are-about-to-collide/a/d-id/1336130

Companies are moving further into the cloud and undergoing data modernization. What some don’t realize yet is that one strategy is better than two.

2          The eight essentials of innovation
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-eight-essentials-of-innovation

It’s no secret: innovation is difficult for well-established companies. By and large, they are better executors than innovators, and most succeed less through game-changing creativity than by optimizing their existing businesses.

3          A CMOs Guide to Navigating Data Analytics
https://martechseries.com/mts-insights/guest-authors/a-cmos-guide-to-navigating-data-analytics/
The CMO function has always been critical for every business, but the role has expanded and evolved recently to encompass responsibility for driving predictable and measurable growth – as evidenced by the fact that the function is now often titled Chief Growth Officer or Chief Revenue Officer. As Sales, Marketing and Technology roles become intertwined, CEOs and Boards now expect senior marketers to prove a correlation between strategies and the bottom line.

4          The complete guide to a great customer experience
https://www.smartinsights.com/user-experience/customer-experience-management-cxm/the-complete-guide-to-a-great-customer-experience/
For many consumers, customer service and customer experience are seen as one in the same. However, customer service and experience differ just a bit. Service is a single touchpoint with a brand, while experience impacts all of the feelings and emotions associated with a brand.

5          Supply Chain 4.0: Managing a digital transformation
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/operations-blog/supply-chain-40-managing-a-digital-transformation

As digitizing supply chains becomes easier than ever, managing them is becoming harder. To deal with this complexity, organizations should understand not only where and how to digitize, but also who will lead them—balancing the steady wisdom of experienced supply chain professionals with the drive and ambition of new digital talent.

6          Digital transformation: Improving the odds of success
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/digital-transformation-improving-the-odds-of-success

For established companies, the pressure to digitize business models and products has reached new intensity. McKinsey research shows that the best-performing decile of digitized incumbents earns as much as 80 percent of the digital revenues generated in their industries.

7          The Complete Data Science LinkedIn Profile Guide – Big Cloud
https://medium.com/@BigCloudTeam/the-complete-data-science-linkedin-profile-guide-1e47d14e2bd2

To date, there are more than 830,000 data science LinkedIn profiles registered worldwide. Despite this number of Data Scientists available/in roles online currently, it’s no secret there is still a major talent shortage. In fact, according to a report by O’Reilly Media, nearly half of all European companies are struggling to fill data science positions. Studies performed by Indeed’s Hiring Lab show an overall increase of 256% in data science job openings since 2013, with an increase of 31% year over year from as recent as December 2018. Data science is a vast, complex industry with many subsets.

8          Trump Surrenders 2.5 Billion Barrels Of Oil To Syria
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Trump-Surrenders-25-Billion-Barrels-Of-Oil.html

The American president just gifted 2.5 billion barrels of oil to long-time Syrian enemy Bashar Al-Assad and, by default, Iran and Russia. As far as gifts go, it was both well-received and unexpected given the ‘Deep State’ designs on Syria for years.

9          10 Expert-Approved B2B Lead Generation Strategies
https://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/10-expert-approved-b2b-lead-generation-strategies-02251357

According to research from the Content Marketing Institute, 85% of B2B marketers say lead generation is a top priority, but 44% rate their efforts as neutral when it boils down to effectiveness.

10           How Will Smart Technology Help You In Your Old Age?
https://datafloq.com/read/how-will-smart-technology-help-you-in-your-old-age/7059

Did you know that 32% of homes in America have already installed some sort of smart home technology? The technology includes such things as smart thermostats, which allow you to control your home’s temperature remotely; doorbells with video capabilities; and Alexa adding items to your grocery list.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 34

Friday, October 18, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 34

1          Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Chinese Refinery Output Strong Enough to Offset Demand Growth Concerns
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-chinese-refinery-output-strong-enough-to-offset-demand-growth-concerns-606868

Crude oil is also being underpinned by the hopes that a Brexit deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union could prevent an economic recession in the Euro Zone.

2          Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-eia-storage-report-expected-to-show-triple-digit-build-606602

Natural gas futures are edging higher early Thursday on short-covering and position-squaring ahead of today’s weekly government storage report. Prices plunged the previous session, erasing earlier gains as traders raised doubts over the durability of the late October cold that had been creeping into the weather forecasts all week. Sellers also took control on the back of a forecast calling for a triple-inventory build.

3          Weekly resin report: Spot PE market finds its groove
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-spot-pe-market-finds-its-groove/208827774861694

The spot resin markets were very busy last week: Demand was strong, and while supply was available, it was not simply free flowing, reports the Plastics Exchange (Chicago) in its Market Update.

4          Total says 2 million bpd of crude supply off market due to geopolitics
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-total-supply-idUSKBN1WX0EF
Oil markets have lost 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude supply this year due to security and political issues but are more concerned about slowing demand, a senior executive at French oil and energy group Total said on Friday.

5          Deepwater Transformation Sparking New Interest
https://www.rigzone.com/news/deepwater_transformation_sparking_new_interest-17-oct-2019-160082-article/

Changes have revived interest in deep-water projects and enabled new ones in regions including the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and China Seas.

6          Russia Ready To Seize Control Of The World’s Largest Oil Reserves
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Russia-Ready-To-Seize-Control-Of-The-Worlds-Largest-Oil-Reserves.html

Russian TASS reports, quoting El Nacional, that the radical move is being discussed as a way of erasing Caracas’ debt to Moscow. The debt is sizeable: at the end of June this year, money owed to Rosneft alone stood at $1.1 billion. That’s down from $1.8 billion at the end of March.

7          Northeast Asia LNG trading hub expands on rising demand
https://blogs.platts.com/2019/10/15/jktc-world-lng-spot-trading-hub/

US LNG exports, on destination-free terms, have been regarded as the game changer for the market in recent years. But this view neglects the role played by China’s rising demand, and the changes taking place among traditional LNG buyers in Northeast Asia, which are driving the rapid establishment of an LNG trading hub.

8          Asian LNG spot prices now at eight month high
https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/18102019/asian-lng-spot-prices-now-at-eight-month-high/

According to the latest Reuters report, LNG spot prices for Asia have risen to a new eight-month high, as demand for pre-winter cargoes emerges. Spot prices for cargo deliveries in December are now estimated to be approximately US$6.80 per million Btu – a 35 cent increase from last week.

9          Total launches its large LNG bunker vessel in China
https://www.lngworldnews.com/total-launches-its-large-lng-bunker-vessel-in-china/
Total, the world’s second-largest LNG player, said that its first large liquefied natural gas bunker vessel has been launched at the Chinese Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard.

10        Natural gas inventories surpass five-year average for the first time in two years
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=41733

Working natural gas inventories in the Lower 48 states totaled 3,519 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for the week ending October 11, 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA). This is the first week that Lower 48 states’ working gas inventories have exceeded the previous five-year average since September 22, 2017. Weekly injections in three of the past four weeks each surpassed 100 Bcf, or about 27% more than typical injections for that time of year.

11        ADNOC and Borealis join BASF-Adani MoU for $4bn renewable energy petchems site
https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2019/10/17/10429192/adnoc-and-borealis-join-basf-adani-mou-for-4bn-renewable-energy-petchems-site

BASF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Borealis, Adani and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to evaluate collaborating on a chemical complex in Mundra, Gujarat, India, the German major announced on Thursday.

12        US plastics boom puts spotlight on sustainability
https://blogs.platts.com/2019/10/16/shale-fueled-us-plastics-boom-sustainability/
Virgin plastic production is thriving in the US, fueled by the North American shale boom. But the reversal of fortune for the US chemical industry has highlighted a bigger challenge amid widespread concern about plastic waste and sustainability

13        A Draconian Crackdown Looms Over Natural Gas
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/A-Draconian-Crackdown-Looms-Over-Natural-Gas.html

The natural gas industry is reeling as the political climate begins to shift against the industry faster and earlier than many expected.

14        US crude exports set to double by 2022: Rystad Energy
https://www.oilandgasmiddleeast.com/drilling-production/35359-us-crude-exports-set-to-double-by-2022-rystad-energy

US crude exports could grow from current levels of 2.9mn barrels per day (bpd) to nearly 6mn bpd by 2022, according to a forecast from Rystad Energy.

15        Russia & China to build world’s largest petrochemical plant — RT Business News
https://www.rt.com/business/470966-russia-china-largest-petrochemical-contract/
An agreement worth more than $13 billion has been signed between China National Chemical Engineering Group (CNCEC) and Russia’s RusGasDobycha to build a natural gas processing and chemical plant.

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 5

Friday, October 18, 2019

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 5

1          Driving Change: Transportation And Electric Utility Industries Will Soon Collide – In A Good Way
https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2019/10/15/driving-change-transportation-and-electric-utility-industries-will-soon-collide–in-a-good-way/

Starting this coming year, energy pioneers in Toronto will wake up each morning, and jump into their gleaming new Nissan Leafs and purr quietly into the Downtown core of the city.  They will navigate their way to designated parking garages, plug their vehicles into bi-directional EV chargers, and take elevators to their respective offices.

2          Does A Sustainable First World Exist?
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/10/18/does-a-sustainable-first-world-exist/
Sustainable citizens face a quandary. We can’t ‘buy’ ourselves into sustainability. Replacing plastic with bamboo, diesel with electric, it all sounds fabulous, but the carbon footprint calculator results are blunt and we’d still need multiple Earths to suit our eco-lifestyles.

3          Big Oil Leaders Take On The Climate Challenge
https://www.woodmac.com/news/the-edge/big-oil-leaders-take-on-the-climate-challenge/
The OGCI – a group of 13 companies, including all the largest western IOCs and some of the leading NOCs – is “dedicated to the ambition of the Paris Agreement to progress to net-zero emissions in the second half of this century”.

4          Big oil to be eclipsed by the sun
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/18/big-oil-eclipsed-sun-renewables-revolution-fossil-fuels-upside

Oil has been a game-changer for humanity. It turbocharged more than a century of growth and destruction: people got bigger, went further, stayed warmer and lived longer. Oil powered travel, exploration, science, industry and innovation.

5          Floating wind growth could be ‘far slower’ than hoped: study
https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/1865313/floating-wind-growth-could-be-far-slower-than-hoped-study

The world’s floating wind power fleet could expand at a speed much slower than many in the emerging sector are expecting, with a new study from Scotland’s University of Strathclyde suggesting 4.3GW – rather than the 12-15GW forecast by a range of analysts and developers – is likely to be switched-on by 2030.

6          Confronting carbon: Comparing party platforms
https://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/confronting-carbon2/
Each plan goes to the heart of the party’s ideological approach to tackling climate change. The Liberals rely on market-driven measures, arguing that climate action and a strong economy can co-exist, while the Conservatives reject taxes on consumers or regulations on industry in favour of green technology. The Greens stress the dire warnings from scientists that even a 1.5 C increase in global temperatures could lead to severe climate disasters — and that emissions reductions should be seen as an urgent national security issue.

7          Warren Buffett-linked company to build $200M wind power farm in Alberta
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wind-farm-warren-buffett-alberta-berkshire-hathaway-calgary-1.5321345

A company linked to U.S. investor Warren Buffett says it will break ground on a $200-million, 117.6-megawatt wind farm in southeastern Alberta next year.

8          Inovyn becomes first commercial producer of bio-attributed PVC
https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/petrochemicals/101719-inovyn-becomes-first-commercial-producer-of-bio-attributed-pvc

European vinyls producer Inovyn has launched the world’s first commercially available bio-attributed PVC, company representatives said Thursday. The Biovyn product will be made using 100% renewable ethylene feedstock derived from biomass.

9          Leyline Renewable Capital Raises $150M to Support Early-Stage Solar and Biogas
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/leyline-renewable-capital-raises-150m-to-support-early-stage-solar-and-biog

Leyline Renewable Capital has raised $150 million from private equity firm Newlight Partners to finance early-stage solar projects and anaerobic digesters backed by other developers.

10        The Recycling Partnership and The PepsiCo Foundation Raise $25m for US recycling
https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/environment/recycling/recycling-partnership-pepsico-foundation-raise-25m-us-recycling-16-10-2019

The PepsiCo Foundation and The Recycling Partnership has announced that their All In On Recycling challenge, the largest ever industry-led residential recycling challenge in the United States, has successfully raised $25m in a little more than a year since launch in July 2018.

11        Google in renewable energy investment plan to spur $1.5bn
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/1864616/google-in-renewable-energy-investment-plan-to-spur-usd-15bn

Google said it will invest about $150m in renewable energy projects that can help to green its manufacturing base. The web giant said the investments to be made alongside partners aim to spur $1.5bn of capital for renewables projects “in key manufacturing regions”, which it did not specify.

12        Plastic bottles vs. aluminum cans: who’ll win the global water fight?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-environment-plastic-aluminium-insight-idUSKBN1WW0J5

Global bottled water giants are ramping up trials of easily recyclable aluminum cans to replace plastic that pollutes the world’s seas. Sound like a slam-dunk for the environment? Not entirely.

13        Coca Cola and PepsiCo “responsible for 25% of packaging beach pollution”
https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/top-story/coca-cola-pepsico-responsible-25-packaging-pollution-14-05-2019

Ocean conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) arranged the UK’s largest ever nation-wide survey of packaging pollution found on Britain’s beaches and rivers, conducted by environmental consultancy Eunomia Research & Consulting, featuring more than 45,000 volunteers during SAS’s recent Big Spring Beach Clean series.

14        Electric Vehicle Adoption Overshadowed By SUV Boom
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Electric-Vehicle-Adoption-Overshadowed-By-SUV-Boom.html

There are now 200 million SUVs on the roads globally, up from 35 million in 2010, according to data the International Energy Agency (IEA). In fact, 60 percent of the increase of the global vehicle fleet since 2010 came from SUVs.

15        Ships are illegally dumping plastic trash at sea, study suggests
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/sea-litter-ships-bottles-1.5318390
Thousands of plastic drink bottles are washing up on a remote, uninhabited island in the South Atlantic, and researchers say they’re evidence of illegal dumping from cargo ships.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 34

Friday, October 18, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 34

1          3 Concepts Defining the Future of Work: Data, Decentralisation and Automation
https://datafloq.com/read/3-concepts-defining-future-of-work/7051
The organisation of tomorrow will look fundamentally different than today’s organisation. Those enterprises that are aware of the upcoming changes can best prepare and achieve competitive advantage in a data-driven society

2          How Artificial Intelligence(AI) Will Impact Your Life in the 2020s
https://datafloq.com/read/artificial-intelligenceai-impact-life-2020/7041
As technology advances, more AI designs are expected. In the 2020s, we are bound to feel the AI-driven changes in the way we live and interact with the world. AI is expected to play a significant role in changing our lives in many ways.

3          Winning with AI
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/projects/winning-with-ai/

AI promises rewards but also comes with risks ― namely, that competitors figure out how to successfully use it before you do. This year’s 2019 MIT SMR-BCG Artificial Intelligence Global Executive Study and Research Report shows early AI winners are focused on organization-wide alignment, investment, and integration.

4          How to get your sales representatives and marketing teams to work together
https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/sales-representatives-marketing-teams-working-together/

In most companies, marketing and sales teams don’t collaborate very efficiently. But that shouldn’t be the case. After all, they’re both trying to help the company grow, right? The only difference is that they try to achieve this goal in different ways. While your marketing team tries to raise awareness about your brand and generate leads, your sales team aims to close deals.

5          Digital Marketing News
https://www.toprankblog.com/2019/10/digital-marketing-news-101819/

Social media ad-spend to surpass print for first time
Ad spending in 2019 will for the first time see social media topping print, with global spending growth up 20 percent increasing to $84 billion, according to recently-released forecast data from Zenith.

6          How to Easily Deploy Machine Learning Models Using Flask
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/10/easily-deploy-machine-learning-models-using-flask.html
When a data scientist/machine learning engineer develops a machine learning model using Scikit-Learn, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch etc, the ultimate goal is to make it available in production. Often times when working on a machine learning project, we focus a lot on Exploratory Data Analysis(EDA), Feature Engineering, tweaking with hyper-parameters etc. But we tend to forget our main goal, which is to extract real value from the model predictions.

7          The 5 Classification Evaluation Metrics Every Data Scientist Must Know
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/10/5-classification-evaluation-metrics-every-data-scientist-must-know.html

What do we want to optimize for? Most of the businesses fail to answer this simple question. Every business problem is a little different, and it should be optimized differently. We all have created classification models. A lot of time we try to increase evaluate our models on accuracy. But do we really want accuracy as a metric of our model performance?

8          The Undeniable Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Forex Market
https://datafloq.com/read/impact-artificial-intelligence-forex-market/7018

There’s been a lot of talk about artificial intelligence (AI) lately, and it’s become a bit of a buzzword in some circles. However, as much as that’s true, it’s also hard to deny the impact of this technology on the modern world, and its very noticeable effects in some specific sectors. Finances have always had a deep link to AI, and we’ve started to see the full potential of that in recent years. And we’re likely just seeing a small fraction of what’s possible too, so it will be very interesting to see how things progress into the future.

9          6 Ways to Supercharge Your ABM with Intent Data
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/6-ways-to-supercharge-your-abm-with-intent-data-02249250

According to a recent report from TOPO, more than 80% of B2B organizations are operating account-based marketing (ABM) programs. It’s clear ABM is no longer a buzzword, but central to the success of B2B marketing engines. And a major key to ABM success is knowing which accounts you should inject resources into, as well as those to pump the brakes on.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 33

Friday, October 11, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 33

1              World Chemical Outlook 2019: Around the globe
https://cen.acs.org/business/World-Chemical-Outlook-2019-Around-the-globe/97/i2

Economists writing about 2018 already sound a bit wistful. Last year, the global economy grew 3.7%, according to the International Monetary Fund, and the US enjoyed an extraordinary time of growth and job creation. But this year, growth in the US is expected to slow to 2.5%, down from 3.5% in 2018. The story is the same for other advanced economies, according to IMF projections. And China’s growth rate will continue falling back to earth, moving to 6.2% from 6.6%.

2              Tables have turned
https://www.rystadenergy.com/newsevents/news/press-releases/tables-have-turned/
As investments in tight oil increased from 2016 to 2018 and offshore investments decreased, tight oil investments almost reached the same level as offshore in 2018. However, in 2019 the table has turned. Now offshore investments are on the rise again, while tight oil has started to decline.

3              Oilfield Services Eyeing Survival Tactics in Weak US Market
https://www.rigzone.com/news/oilfield_services_eyeing_survival_tactics_in_weak_us_market-11-oct-2019-160033-article/

Last time crude prices crashed, E&P companies cut operations and investment, with knock-on effects on oilfield service contractors, many of whom reduced headcount, went bankrupt or merged. Once again, history is repeating itself. Baker Hughes September U.S. rig count saw just 898 active rigs, a reduction of 150 from this time last year.

4              EIA Sharply Cuts Oil Price Forecast
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/EIA-Sharply-Cuts-Oil-Price-Forecast.html

The EIA has revised downward again its oil price forecast in  October’s Short Term Energy Outlook  (STEO), shaving another $5 per barrel off its forecast compared to last month’s STEO.

5              Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Prices Rise on Tanker Attack, but Need Positive Trade News to Continue Rally
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-prices-rise-on-tanker-attack-but-need-positive-trade-news-to-continue-rally-605506

Crude oil is also being underpinned by optimism over U.S.-China trade relations. President Donald Trump said he’s meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Friday, fueling optimism about a positive outcome from this week’s high-level trade talks.

6              Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-favorable-weather-indicates-further-downside-pressure-605534

The long-range weather models have started to converge a little, but neither shows early-season cold lingering around for more than a few days in the major demand areas. With all overnight weather models indicating a little lost demand for the coming 15-day forecast, rallies are likely to be capped.

7              Weekly resin report: Spot PE resin offers good buying opportunities
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-spot-pe-resin-offers-good-buying-opportunities/157805332561655

October got off to a slow start in the spot resin markets, but activity did creep up as the week wore on, reports the PlasticsExchange (Chicago) in its Market Update. While spot liquidity generally remained ample, fresh resin offers were on the lighter side as suppliers sought to edge spot prices higher.

8              Largest Oil Traders: Oil Prices Aren’t Going Anywhere
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Largest-Oil-Traders-Oil-Prices-Arent-Going-Anywhere.html
Oil prices are not going anywhere, at least until this time next year. Brent Crude  will still trade range-bound in the $50s a year from now, the heads of the world’s largest independent oil and commodity trading groups said on Wednesday.

9              America’s petrochemicals outlook, w/c October 7-Industry Global News24
https://www.industryglobalnews24.com/americas-petrochemicals-outlook-wc-october-7
September synthetic resin contracts are finalized in the week. whereas some trade sources were within the method of sinking contracts for September most trade participants have said September was up by 3 cents/lb. Moreover, producers have lowered their October increment targets from 8 cents/lb to 4 cents/lb.

10           Back to business as usual
https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2019/october/omr-back-to-business-as-usual.html

Oil markets in September withstood a textbook case of a large-scale supply disruption as the attacks on Saudi Arabia temporarily affected about 5.7 mb/d of crude production capacity. On Monday 16 September, the first trading day following the attacks, after an initial spike to $71/bbl Brent prices fell back as it became clear that the damage, although serious, would not cause long-lasting disruption to markets.

11           VLGC rates near 4-year high amid global moves to diversify LPG supply sources
https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/shipping/101019-vlgc-rates-near-4-year-high-amid-global-moves-to-diversify-lpg-supply-sources

Very Large Gas Carrier rates on the key Middle East-Japan route have touched near four-month highs around $79/mt this week and looked poised to surpass $80/mt for the first time since October 2015 as more ships head to North America and Northeast Europe to lift LPG amid Saudi supply concerns and growing demand in Asia, traders said.

12           Big Oil Tries To Buy Back Investors
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Big-Oil-Tries-To-Buy-Back-Investors.html
Major oil companies have recently raised their guidance for dividend payouts, promising shareholders handsome returns at a time when a growing number of investors are questioning the future of oil and snub energy stocks.

13           Analysis: Vietnam emerges as polymer hub amid trade war
https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/1990392-analysis-vietnam-emerges-as-polymer-hub-amid-trade-war

Vietnam is positioning itself as southeast Asia’s top polymer hub as it indirectly benefits from the US-China trade war. The trade war has created two positive spillovers for Vietnam, through the increased availability of cheaper US-origin cargoes and the emergence of new conversion investment from China.

14           Short-Term Energy Outlook – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/
Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $59 per barrel (b) in August, down $5/b from July and $13/b lower than the average from August of last year. EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average $60/b in the fourth quarter of 2019 and $62/b in 2020. EIA forecasts that West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices will average $5.50/b less than Brent prices in 2020.

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 4

Friday, October 11, 2019

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 4

1              Oil firms to pour extra 7m barrels per day into markets, data shows | Environment
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/oil-firms-barrels-markets
The world’s 50 biggest oil companies are poised to flood markets with an additional 7m barrels per day over the next decade, despite warnings from scientists that this will push global heating towards catastrophic levels.

2              Fossil fuel firms’ social media fightback against climate action | Environment
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/fossil-fuel-firms-social-media-fightback-against-climate-action

Oil and gas companies are spending millions of dollars on campaigns to fight climate regulations at the same time as touting their dedication to a low-carbon future, according to a joint analysis by the Guardian and InfluenceMap.

3              Russia Scrambles To Save Energy Industry From Climate Change
https://oilprice.com/The-Environment/Global-Warming/Russia-Scrambles-To-Save-Energy-Industry-From-Climate-Change.html

Late senator John McCain once  said  that “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.” There was some truth in his statement after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the economy. The hydrocarbon wealth of the world’s largest country prevented a total economic meltdown and provided a financial lifeline.

4              4 Reasons Why Off-Grid Energy Is Grown Up and Ready to Scale
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-off-grid-sector-is-all-grown-up-4-reasons-why-its-ready-to-scale

But things are finally changing very rapidly, according to industry leaders at Greentech Media’s first  Off-Grid Energy Access Forum, held last week in London.  All the signs suggest many of the thorniest barriers to scale have been overcome. Here are four reasons why experts say the path is finally clearing for electricity companies to reach “the next billion” customers.

5              Wind to feed a third of world’s power by 2040: Siemens Gamesa study
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/1862474/wind-to-feed-a-third-of-worlds-power-by-2040-siemens-gamesa-study

Wind power production is on track to supply over a third of global electricity demand by 2040, nine times more than at present, while putting the industry in position to offset 5.6 billion tonnes of CO2, equal to the annual emissions of the world’s 80 most-polluting cities, by mid-century, according to a new report.

6              EU plastic recycling drive pits consumer demand against economic realities
https://blogs.platts.com/2019/10/09/europe-plastic-recycling-consumer-demand/
Recognition of plastic waste as a global problem has spurred legislation and industry initiatives in the last two years, and driven growth in demand for recycled plastics.

7              America’s 5 Biggest Solar Projects
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-five-biggest-solar-projects-in-the-u-s-right-now
With climate a central issue in the 2020 Democratic primary, contenders are seizing every opportunity to one-up the clean energy bona fides of their fellow candidates. For the record — Joe, are you reading? — here are the five largest solar projects currently planned or operating in the U.S. (All project sizes listed in DC.)

8              Massive ‘Silver Frog’ solar-to-hydrogen plan sent to EU
https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/1862533/massive-silver-frog-solar-to-hydrogen-plan-sent-to-eu

Four European companies have presented a proposal to set up a massive PV manufacturing plant with a capacity of 2GW a year to serve the production of green hydrogen for the European Union’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI).

9              Shell Acquires Renewables-Only Power Retailer in UK
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/shell-acquires-renewables-only-power-retailer-in-uk
Oil major Shell acquired another customer-facing electricity and gas provider in the U.K., potentially bolstering its green credentials and renewables procurement expertise in the country.

10           Shell to offset fuel carbon emissions at UK petrol stations
https://www.energyvoice.com/other-news/209528/shell-to-offset-fuel-carbon-emissions-at-uk-petrol-stations/

Oil giant Shell has announced plans to offset carbon emission from fuel at a number of its UK petrol stations. The new project will see Shell offset the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from customers’ fuel purchases on their behalf.

11           Political polarisation over climate crisis has surged under Trump | Environment
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/11/political-polarisation-climate-crisis-trump

Donald Trump’s presidency has ushered in an era of unprecedented polarisation between Republican and Democrat lawmakers when it comes to voting on measures to tackle the climate crisis, while the fossil fuel industry now almost entirely favours Republicans in campaign contributions.

12           Inside Copenhagen’s race to be the first carbon-neutral city | Cities
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/oct/11/inside-copenhagens-race-to-be-the-first-carbon-neutral-city

“We call it hedonistic sustainability,” says Jacob Simonsen of the decision to put an artificial ski slope on the roof of the £485m  Amager Resource Centre  (Arc), Copenhagen’s cutting-edge new waste-to-energy power plant. “It’s not just good for the environment, it’s good for life.”

13           Exclusive: carmakers among key opponents of climate action | Environment
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/exclusive-carmakers-opponents-climate-action-us-europe-emissions

Global carmakers are among the leading opponents of action on the climate crisis, according to exclusive analysis of the way major corporations frustrate or undermine initiatives to cut greenhouse gases.

14           Powervault’s Kaluza deal to ‘widen the net’ for home energy storage
https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/powervaults_kaluza_deal_to_widen_the_net_for_home_energy_storage

UK battery storage manufacturer Powervault has penned an integration agreement with tech platform provider Kaluza, which the companies said would bolster consumer benefits and introduce new routes to market.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 33

Friday, October 11, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 33

1              Automation and economic disparity | McKinsey
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/automation-and-economic-disparity-a-new-challenge-for-ceos

As intelligent machines take over a wider variety of tasks, many global companies are doubling down on workforce retraining. And rightly so—the next wave of automation technologies promises to alter the nature of work further across a range of industries. But beyond these thorny organizational challenges around what work is—and what work will become—is another, less-explored management consideration: Where will this work happen?

2              The oil industry can save $100bn on digitalisation: Rystad Energy
https://www.oilandgasmiddleeast.com/products-services/35281-the-oil-industry-can-save-100bn-on-digitalisation-rystad-energy

A study by Rystad Energy estimates that as much as $100bn can be eliminated from E&P upstream budgets through automation and digitalisation initiatives in the 2020s. Service companies are reinventing themselves to help operators unlock these savings.

3              BP makes multi-million investment in AI energy firm
https://www.energyvoice.com/other-news/209550/bp-makes-multi-million-investment-in-ai-energy-firm/
Oil and gas giant BP has announced a multi-million investment in an artificial intelligence (AI) tech firm through its BP Ventures arm. The global energy company said it will look to invest around £2 million in cloud-based software firm Grid Edge.

4              Are Robots the Answer to Petrochemical Inspection and Maintenance Challenges?
https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/solving-the-challenges-of-petrochemical-inspection-and-maintenance-with-robotics/

The demand for petroleum and petrochemical products is by no means abating. In fact, the market is expected to reach  $81.4 billion by 2022  and requirements are set to grow exponentially  over the coming years. With such dramatic short-term growth, it quickly becomes challenging to ensure accurate, cost-effective, and timely inspection and maintenance.

5              The Role of Data in the Growth of Recurring Revenue Businesses
https://www.business2community.com/big-data/the-role-of-data-in-the-growth-of-recurring-revenue-businesses-02236796

In the US the subscription e-commerce market has grown by more than 100% per cent a year over the past five years, with the largest retailers generating more than $2.6B in sales in the past 12 months. The most recent research from McKinsey reveals that almost one in six people in the States have signed up for one or more subscriptions to receive products on a recurring basis, frequently through monthly boxes.

6              Customer-First Marketing: 4 Ways to Know Thy Customer and Capitalize on Their Interests
https://www.business2community.com/marketing/customer-first-marketing-4-ways-to-know-thy-customer-and-capitalize-on-their-interests-02248039

Customers are human. They are complex and changeable and yearn to feel valued and understood. As marketers, we tend to focus exclusively on demographic characteristics to lump them into groups to target. But the wants, needs, interests and values of a customer cannot be determined from this simple means of segmentation. Customer-first marketing uses a customer-centric approach and goes much deeper than traditional methods to glean a clearer understanding of what consumers care about and feel strongly connected to.

7              Empathy Marketing: How to Understand Your Customers, in 10 Steps
https://contently.com/2019/10/09/empathy-marketing-steps/

I believe that empathy for your audience is the foundation of good marketing. If you don’t truly understand your customer and the challenges they face, there’s little chance your content or brand message will make a lasting impact. Sure, you might be able to jam some conversions into your funnel. But your brand will be forgotten in the landfill of marketing buzzspeak that people have to race past as they go about their day.

8              Opinion | America’s Risky Approach to Artificial Intelligence
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/opinion/ai-research-funding.html

The brilliant 2014 science fiction novel “The Three-Body Problem,” by the Chinese writer Liu Cixin, depicts the fate of civilizations as almost entirely dependent on winning grand races to scientific milestones. Someone in China’s leadership must have read that book, for Beijing has made winning the race to artificial intelligence a national obsession, devoting billions of dollars to the cause and setting 2030 as the target year for world dominance.

9              24 B2B Lead Generation Strategies for 2019
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/10-b2b-lead-generation-strategies-for-2019/
The beginning of the year always signals a reevaluation of old strategies and the hunt for newer ones to stay competitive in your industry. Driven by a host of emerging technologies and an influx of new insights, consumer behavior continues to evolve at breakneck speeds. Understandably, B2B marketers are hard-pressed to recalibrate their lead generation strategies in this ever-shifting landscape.

10           Activation maps for deep learning models in a few lines of code
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/10/activation-maps-deep-learning-models-lines-code.html

Deep Learning (DL) models are revolutionizing the business and technology world with jaw-dropping performances in one application area after another — image classification, object detection, object tracking, pose recognition, video analytics, synthetic picture generation — just to name a few.

11           Carlsberg moves closer to creating the world’s first ‘paper’ beer bottle
https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/environment/carlsberg-moves-closer-creating-worlds-first-paper-beer-bottle-11-10-2019

Carlsberg has unveiled two new research prototypes of its Green Fibre Bottle, which are the first ‘paper bottles’ to contain beer. Carlsberg also announced it has been joined by other leading global companies who are united in their vision of developing sustainable packaging through the advancement of paper bottle technology.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 32

Friday, October 4, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 32

1              U.S. crude oil exports continued to grow in the first half of 2019 – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=41553
U.S. exports of crude oil rose to average 2.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in the first half of 2019, an increase of 966,000 b/d from the first half of 2018. U.S. crude oil exports also set a record-high monthly average in June 2019 at 3.2 million b/d.

2              Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Light Short-Covering Ahead of NFP Report
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-light-short-covering-ahead-of-nfp-report-604144

Today, all eyes will be on the U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls report. Analysts are saying the report is likely to show hiring is slowing, but it should be solid enough to quell talk of a recession.

3              Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-weekly-forecast-set-up-for-short-term-rally-to-alleviate-oversold-conditions-604120

We could be looking a couple of days of technically driven price action with the first objective $2.368 to $2.440. If the market is poised for a normal 50% to 61.8% retracement of its recent break then $2.476 to $2.539 will become the next major objective.

4              Downward Pricing Pressure for Commodity Resins this Quarter: Plastics Technology
https://www.ptonline.com/blog/post/downward-pricing-pressure-for-commodity-resins-this-quarter
The year’s last quarter started with signals that prices of PE, PP, PS, PVC, and possibly PET, despite suppliers’ price increase attempts, would drop or remain flat. Among the main drivers are ample supplies, falling global prices, and in some cases off demand. PET could be the exception as there are market projections for higher prices for its key feedstocks.

5              Prices for Nearly All Volume Resins Down : Plastics Technology
https://www.ptonline.com/articles/prices-for-nearly-all-volume-resins-down
Volume resin prices, all of which eroded during much of the third quarter, were generally projected to be flat in the fourth quarter, except perhaps for downward pricing of PET and nylons 6 and 66. Major drivers include supply outstripping demand, a slowdown in some key markets such as automotive and construction, lower U.S. GDP, slowed global demand, and tariff-related issues.

6              Markets Fear Oil Price Collapse: Should OPEC Cut More Production?
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Markets-Fear-Oil-Price-Collapse-Should-OPEC-Cut-More-Production.html

It’s been nearly three years since the world’s top oil exporter and OPEC’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia forged an alliance with Russia to start managing oil supply with the hope of rebalancing the market and ensuring, in their words, market stability, in other words—higher oil prices.

7              Oil Demand Shrinks Under Weight of US-China Trade War
https://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_demand_shrinks_under_weight_of_uschina_trade_war-03-oct-2019-159960-article/

This trade war has slowed demand for oil in China, but also in Europe and America itself. China is the world’s biggest market for crude, importing around 9.7 million barrels a day in the year up to June. In the first half of 2018, before the dispute, China was the biggest importer of U.S. crude, averaging 377,000 barrels per day. In February this year U.S. crude exports had dropped to just 41,600 barrels per day. On Sept. 1, Beijing imposed a 5 percent tariff on U.S. crude oil imports. The decline in U.S. oil and LNG exports to China could now get worse. Here, we look at the impact of the current trade war on the American oil and gas industry and after its resolution.

8              IEA May Further Cut Oil Demand Forecast
https://www.rigzone.com/news/iea_may_further_cut_oil_demand_forecast-02-oct-2019-159952-article/

The IEA may further lower its oil demand forecast, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol has revealed in a Bloomberg television interview published on Tuesday.

9              OPEC+ Ministers Stick to Their Plan
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/opec_ministers_stick_to_their_plan-03-oct-2019-159967-article/
As crude prices sink again — completely erasing the surge caused by attacks on Saudi Arabia — OPEC+ ministers acknowledged the growing risks to oil demand but gave no indication of a change in strategy.

10           U.S. Exports Are Revolutionizing The LNG Market
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2019/10/03/u-s-exports-are-revolutionizing-the-lng-market/
The term “LNG market” might be considered oxymoronic given the history of the industry, which can arguably be described as an oligopoly. Typically, a liquefaction project followed a certain trajectory:  find enough gas to fulfill a long-term deal, locate a buyer willing to commit to a long-term contract (15 or 20 years) with restrictions preventing resale of LNG cargoes (destination restrictions) to reduce competition, high take-or-pay clauses, and prices indexed to crude oil, based on the relative heat contents. (Which is like pricing tea based on the caffeine content relative to coffee.) The spot market was extremely thin.

11           Rystad: BP and Shell on opposite sides of M&A ranking in last 5 years
https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/rystad-bp-and-shell-on-opposite-sides-of-ma-ranking-in-last-5-years/
Rystad Energy has analyzed the share of resources traded globally from 2015 through July 2019. Two oil and gas companies stand out in the tally, not including the outlier deal between Occidental and Anadarko in May this year:

12           U.S.-Asia oil freight rate hits record high amid Chinese tanker sanctions: sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crude-shipping-idUSKBN1WG4W2

Freight rates for U.S. crude tankers bound for Asia hit an all-time high on Wednesday as U.S. sanctions on a Chinese transport giant cut vessel availability, traders and shipbrokers said.

13           Weak oil prices hit Exxon’s third-quarter earnings: filing
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-mobil-outlook-idUSKBN1WG4YZ

Exxon Mobil Corp’s (XOM.N) operating profits fell last quarter for the fourth consecutive period, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday that showed all three of its major businesses slumping from a year ago.

14           Huge Brazil Oil Auction Attracts Interest from BP, Exxon, Shell
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-30/huge-brazil-oil-auction-attracts-interest-from-bp-exxon-shell

The auction of drilling rights off the coast of Brazil planned for November, potentially offering more oil than all the proven reserves in Mexico, has attracted interest from some of the world’s largest producers.

Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are among 14 companies registered, the government said. Brazil expects to raise as much as 106 billion reais ($25 billion) in licensing fees from selling the leases.

15           Exclusive: Mexico’s Pemex seeks control of U.S. oil firm’s billion-barrel find
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-oil-zama-exclusive-idUSKBN1WF11Z
When U.S. oil firm Talos Energy found nearly a billion barrels off Mexico’s southern Gulf coast two years ago, it marked the first discovery by a foreign firm since the oil industry was nationalized eight decades earlier. Now Mexico’s state-run oil firm Pemex wants to take over the lucrative project, according to two former Mexican energy officials and two company executives with knowledge of internal Pemex discussions.

16           Energy and GDP growth | McKinsey
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/electric-power-and-natural-gas/our-insights/the-decoupling-of-gdp-and-energy-growth-a-ceo-guide

But past is not always prologue. Our latest global energy perspective—part of a multiyear research effort examining the supply and demand of 55 types of energy across 30 sectors in some 146 countries—suggests that we’re beginning to see a decoupling between the rates of economic growth and energy demand, which in the decades ahead will become even more pronounced.