Business Intelligence and Analytics 7

Friday, March 1, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 7

1              A beginner’s guide to Linear Regression in Python with Scikit-Learn
https://towardsdatascience.com/a-beginners-guide-to-linear-regression-in-python-with-scikit-learn-83a8f7ae2b4f?source=rss—-7f60cf5620c9—4&gi=32b13e3427c7

There are two types of supervised machine learning algorithms: Regression and classification. The former predicts continuous value outputs while the latter predicts discrete outputs. For instance, predicting the price of a house in dollars is a regression problem whereas predicting whether a tumor is malignant or benign is a classification problem.

2              3 Key Ways Big Data Is Changing Financial Trading
https://www.smartdatacollective.com/3-key-ways-big-data-is-changing-financial-trading/

Big data is one of the internet-oriented developments that have caused enormous impact across all industries over the last couple of decades. The term big data refers to the gigantic amounts of information constantly collected by websites and search engines as people continue to use the internet for diverse purposes. It consists of all kinds of data – numbers, text, images, tables, audio, video and any other possible type of information.

3              7 Jobs Humans Can Do Better Than Robots And AI
https://www.smartdatacollective.com/7-jobs-humans-can-do-better-than-robots-and-ai/

The rise of artificial intelligence or AI in the past decades has resulted in collective anxiety around the world. The common apprehension is that there will be massive loss of jobs as robots and computers eventually replace employees. The fear is not without some basis; after all, robots and computers have proven to be far better than humans at executing certain tasks. However, it must be noted that not all jobs will eventually be replaced by AI. So, what’s the secret to staying ahead and remaining employable? The answer lies in knowing both what AI is capable of doing better than humans and what humans are capable of doing better than AI.

4              3 reasons to add deep learning to your time series toolkit
https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/3-reasons-to-add-deep-learning-to-your-time-series-toolkit

The ability to accurately forecast a sequence into the future is critical in many industries: finance, supply chain, and manufacturing are just a few examples. Classical time series techniques have served this task for decades, but now deep learning methods—similar to those used in computer vision and automatic translation—have the potential to revolutionize time series forecasting as well.

5              Evolution of Automated Marketing Tools: Improving Customer Experience
https://blog.marketo.com/2019/02/continually-improving-the-customer-experience-the-evolution-of-automated-marketing-tools.html

Automated marketing tools have evolved over the last few decades, giving generations of marketers new and innovative ways to engage with their customers. That’s not going to stop anytime soon. Automated marketing technology continues to advance rapidly. And over the next few years, it’ll change the way people experience your brand and interact with your company.

6              Blockchain Post-Trade Platform Vakt Partners With Majority of North Sea Oil Market
https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-post-trade-platform-vakt-partners-with-majority-of-north-sea-oil-market

Vakt, a Blockchain-based post-trade platform for oil, has signed up four new clients, according to a statement published on the platform’s website on Feb. 25.

As per Etienne Amic, Vakt’s recently appointed CEO, the company has partnered with four new clients prior to its official launch at International Petroleum Week, which starts in London today, Feb. 26.

7              5 Lead Generation Techniques for Small Businesses in 2019
https://blog.marketo.com/2019/02/5-lead-generation-techniques-for-small-businesses-in-2019.html

You’ve got a loyal following of delighted customers. Now it’s time to grow. But to do that, you need leads.

The question is, how do you go about getting them? What techniques and approaches will help you generate a consistent stream of leads this year and beyond?

8              PyTorch on Azure: Deep learning in the oil and gas industry | Blog
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/pytorch-on-azure-deep-learning-in-the-oil-and-gas-industry/

Drilling for oil and gas is one of the most dangerous jobs on Earth. Workers are exposed to the risk of events ranging from small equipment malfunctions to entire off shore rigs catching on fire. Fortunately, the application of deep learning in predictive asset maintenance can help prevent natural and human made catastrophes.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 7

Friday, March 1, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 7

1              Commodity Resin Prices Bottom Out : Plastics Technology
https://www.ptonline.com/articles/prices-of-pp-ps-bottom-out

Flat-to-upward pricing trajectory predicted for the five highest-volume commodity resins.

Higher global crude-oil prices, firming prices of key feedstocks, higher export volumes in some cases, and a rebound in demand in some other cases, are key drivers in projections for flat to at least slightly higher prices ahead for PE, PP, PS, PVC, and PET.

2              Oil prices steady, supported by OPEC tightening supplies
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1QI39Q

Oil prices were broadly steady on Friday as surging U.S. supply and concerns of a global economic slowdown were offset by falling OPEC output. International Brent crude futures were at $66.39 per barrel at 1231 GMT, up 8 cents from Thursday’s settlement. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were at $57.38 per barrel, up 16 cents.

3              Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-eia-report-to-show-much-larger-than-normal-withdrawal-555141

We’re looking at strength ahead of the EIA report, which could be an indication that investors are betting on a larger-than-estimated draw. This could trigger a short-covering spike to the upside. The early rally could also be indicating a bullish change in the weather pattern overnight.

4              The $32 Trillion Push To Disrupt The Entire Oil Industry | OilPrice.com
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-32-Trillion-Fund-Transforming-The-Oil-Industry.html

Global oil and gas companies are increasingly facing an uphill battle as global warming policies are taking their toll. Most analysts and market watchers are focusing on peak oil demand scenarios, but the reality could be much darker. International oil companies (IOCs) are likely to face a Black Swan scenario, which could end up being a boon for state-owned oil companies (NOCs).

5              Design for Recycled Content Guide
https://recycledcontent.org/

Creating more sustainable packaging requires a multifaceted strategy to address an array of environmental considerations across the packaging life cycle. A key element of any sustainable packaging strategy is to ensure materials are effectively recovered at the end of their useful life to provide new inputs for industrial or biological cycles.

6              EIA expects stable U.S. biofuels production, consumption, and trade through 2020 – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=38532

In its February 2019 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA forecasts that several recent trends in U.S. biofuels markets will continue through 2020. In the STEO, production of fuel ethanol and net imports of biomass-based diesel stay unchanged, while net exports of fuel ethanol decline modestly. Federal mandates and state programs continue to support biofuel consumption through 2020, however, biofuels remain a relatively small share of total U.S. liquid transportation fuels supply.

7              While Politics Dominates The News, Big Oil Invests In Global Energy Reality
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2019/02/25/while-politics-dominates-the-news-big-oil-invests-in-global-energy-reality/

One of the big concerns during the depths of the oil price bust of 2014-2016 was the fact that so many big, integrated and state-run oil companies were delaying or taking a full pass on investing in major and highly-costly international projects. During the financial retrenchment of this dark period, exploration for major new resources consistently took a back seat to finding ways to pay the bills and service the company’s debt.

8              Dutch prosecutors target Shell over Nigeria oil deal
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shell-nigeria-idUSKCN1QI3TZ

Dutch prosecutors are preparing criminal charges against Royal Dutch Shell over the $1.3 billion acquisition of an Nigerian offshore oilfield, ramping up pressure on the energy firm that already faces bribery charges in Italy over the case.

9              Encana layoffs amount to roughly 470 jobs across Canadian and American operations
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/encana-job-cuts-newfield-1.5037861

The CEO of Encana Corp. says it cut its total workforce by 15 per cent and reduced its ranks of executives by 35 per cent in just over a week after closing its deal to buy U.S. rival Newfield Exploration Co. in mid-February.

10           Even China may not be able to soak up all 2019’s new LNG: Russell
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-column-russell-lng-china-idUSKCN1QH0KL
Not even China’s voracious appetite for liquefied natural gas may be enough to absorb the additional supplies hitting the market this year, with the price of the super-chilled fuel potentially a casualty.

11           Why Canada needs better information about all the energy it produces
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-energy-data-1.5027115

A lack of information about Canada’s energy sector has long been an issue for those trying to gauge how the system is working — from analysts to economists to public policy researchers.

12           Global Oil Plows Billions Into Solar & Energy Storage
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/02/27/global-oil-plows-billions-into-solar-energy-storage/

Global oil companies are plowing billions of dollars per year into solar and into energy storage, as more nations seek to switch their energy sources away from fossil fuels. In only 5 out of 15 acquisition deals done in solar over the past two years, over $8 billion was spent, according to an analysis by Mercom Capital Group.

13           Against The Odds, Big Oil Doubles Down On Megaprojects | OilPrice.com
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Against-The-Odds-Big-Oil-Doubles-Down-On-Megaprojects.html

The global oil industry is expected to ratchet up spending on new oil and gas projects this year, with the number of new final investment decisions (FIDs) soaring compared to the past few years.

14           Shell: Global LNG supply to rise by 35 million tonnes in 2019
https://www.lngworldnews.com/shell-global-lng-supply-to-rise-by-35-million-tonnes-in-2019/

Strong demand for cleaner-burning fuel in Asia continued to drive rapid growth in liquefied natural gas (LNG) use in 2018, with global demand rising by 27 million tonnes to 319 million tonnes, according to Shell’s latest annual LNG Outlook.

15           ExxonMobil Beaumont Contract Goes to KBR | Rigzone
https://www.rigzone.com/news/exxonmobil_beaumont_contract_goes_to_kbr-26-feb-2019-158248-article/

ExxonMobil Corp. has awarded KBR, Inc. a reimbursable contract to provide detailed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the offsites and interconnecting units as part of the supermajor’s refinery expansion in Beaumont, Texas, KBR reported Monday.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 6

Friday, February 22, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 6

1              How to Get the Best Results from Big Data Analysis
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/page-model-thinker-book/

Scott E. Page, professor of complex systems, political science and economics at the University of Michigan, doesn’t want people to limit themselves to linear thinking. In his new book, The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You, he explains how taking a multi-paradigm approach puts more power into solving problems, innovating and understanding the full range of consequences to complex actions.

2              Building a competitor analysis is a process, not a single event
https://searchengineland.com/building-a-competitor-analysis-is-a-process-not-a-single-event-312774

Big or small, we all have competitors we have to contend with. But what’s the best way to deal with them? How can we identify who they are? How do we stack up? And how can we use this information to better our accounts? Both Sean and Andrew gave great ideas for better analyzing competitor behavior and finding opportunities you can leverage.

3              Introduction to Machine learning: Top-down approach
https://towardsdatascience.com/introduction-to-machine-learning-top-down-approach-8f40d3afa6d7

A super smooth introduction to machine learning. We couldn’t have ever imagined how much computers will improve to become the monstrous machines we have today, they’re not just getting better at what they do, they are also conquering other jobs.

4              Descriptive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics And Predictive Analytics For Customer Experience
https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/02/21/descriptive-analytics-prescriptive-analytics-and-predictive-analytics-for-customer-experience/

Understanding your customers when there’s only a handful isn’t too difficult. But as your company grows and the number of customers expands rapidly, it can be overwhelming to keep up with the change. Who are your customers? What do they want? How can you provide the best customer experience to give you a competitive advantage? Those questions can all be answered with data analytics.

5              Fresh Content Marketing Ideas for Your B2B Buyer’s Journey
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/b2b-buyers-journey-fresh-content-marketing-ideas/

The content you create guides the buyer’s journey that your prospects and customers take. That’s why it’s important to tailor content to the stage of the buyer’s journey prospects and customers will be at when they come across a particular piece of content. Marketers have historically chosen content formats based upon the information needs of their audience at a particular stage of the buyer’s journey, and through that, patterns have emerged that pair specific formats with specific stages.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 6

Friday, February 22, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 6

1              The Oil And Gas Situation: Is A Train Wreck Around The Corner?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2019/02/22/the-oil-and-gas-situation-is-a-train-wreck-around-the-corner/
The energy media has recently featured headlines that seem at odds with one another and that, when taken together, portend the possibility of a coming train wreck somewhere down the road where crude oil supply and prices are concerned.

2              U.S.-based Devon Energy to sell oilsands assets and leave Canada
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/devon-oilsands-sale-1.5026090
Another foreign company is exiting the Alberta oilsands. Devon Energy has hired advisers to help sell off the company’s oilsands assets as the firm plans to leave Canada by the end of the year.

3              Nova Chemicals’ take on the Alliance to End Plastic Waste
https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/nova-chemicals-take-on-alliance-end-plastic-waste/93397636260284
The plastics industry is mobilizing quickly on multiple fronts putting out raging firestorms of anti-plastics opinion and activities including bans and other proposed regulations that target plastic pollution and waste. One of the latest and most ambitious of the broad-based countermeasures is the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), which was announced last month (see CEOs tout ambitions of Alliance to End Plastic Waste during live media presentation, published January 2019) and has a specific focus on ocean pollution.

4              Plastics News: Braskem manufactures “I’m Green” PE from renewable resources
https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20190219/NEWS/302199999/braskem-launches-new-chemical-recycling-study

Braskem has launched a new study to develop a chemical recycling process for post-consumer plastics, such as grocery bags and packaging films for snacks and cookies.

5              Biopolymer films market value to surpass $6.7 billion by 2025
https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/biopolymer-films-market-value-surpass-67-billion-2025/199434660160289

The food and beverage segment led demand among end users in the global biopolymer films market in 2017, according to a new report from Global Market Insights (GMI; Selbyville, DE), Global Biopolymer Films Market. Escalating demand for packaged food, particularly because of increasing per-capita income, along with a growing number of working populations across the world will boost demand.

6              Warm winter pushes LNG to 17-month low in biggest market
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2019/2/22/warm-winter-pushes-lng-to-17-month-low-in-biggest-market

Liquefied natural gas prices in North Asia, the world’s biggest market for the fuel, have slumped to the lowest in 17 months as the peak demand season ends with a whimper.

7              $5B Louisiana LNG Project to Break Ground Immediately | Rigzone
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/5b_louisiana_lng_project_to_break_ground_immediately-22-feb-2019-158222-article/?all=hg2

Venture Global LNG Inc. said it will start construction immediately on its $5 billion Calcasieu Pass liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana after receiving approval from the top U.S. energy regulator.

8              Rival presidents face off as Venezuela’s economy crashes
https://www.petroleum-economist.com/articles/politics-economics/south-central-america/2019/rival-presidents-face-off-as-venezuelas-economy-crashes

Venezuela is rapidly heading towards uncharted territory, barely a month after the newly-appointed national assembly (NA) leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president and called for fresh elections. The South American oil giant must now cope with an escalating political crisis, while also enduring the economic upheaval caused by a new raft of US sanctions on state-owned energy firm Pdvsa.

9              How Pemex ‘destroyed’ $1 billion with erratic business choices
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-oil-pemex-audit-idUSKCN1QA30Q

Mexico’s state-oil company Pemex burned through $665 million at its fertilizer unit, ignored consultants and made high-risk investments with no discernible business strategy, according to a devastating government audit of its 2017 operations.

10           Mexican’s Oil Policy Should Not Be A Slave To Ideology
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2019/02/11/mexicans-oil-policy-should-not-be-a-slave-to-ideology/

Years ago, at a ministerial level meeting, the U.S. Secretary of Energy lectured other energy ministers about how ‘free markets’ would eliminate oil price volatility. Aside from being nonsensical, his comments came shortly after the U.S. had announced tariffs on steel imports, emphasizing his hypocrisy. But in response, I pointed out that there was no such thing as a free market:  they are a theoretical construct.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 5

Friday, February 15, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 5

1              Oil Will Continue to Play Significant Role in 2040 https://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_will_continue_to_play_significant_role_in_2040-15-feb-2019-158167-article/

Although the precise outlook is uncertain, the world looks set to consume significant amounts of oil for several decades, according to BP’s latest Energy Outlook.

2              Oil prices are rising and poised for a breakout. Watch these levels   Reuters
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/oil-prices-are-rising-and-poised-for-a-breakout-watch-these-levels.html

People work at the Halfaya oilfield in Amara, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq.

Analysts say oil prices are approaching breakout levels, and the final day of trading this week will offer clues about whether crude futures can keep rallying.

Brent crude on Friday topped $65 a barrel for the first time this year, hitting a nearly three-month high. The international benchmark for oil prices was pushing toward $66 around 9:45 a.m. ET.

3              EIA adds new play production data to shale gas and tight oil reports – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=38372

In December 2018, U.S. shale and tight plays produced about 65 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas (70% of total U.S. dry gas production) and about 7 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil (60% of total U.S. oil production). A decade ago, in December 2008, shale gas and tight oil accounted for 16% of total U.S. gas production and about 12% of U.S. total crude oil production.

4              Exclusive: Trafigura halts oil trade with Venezuela –
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-oil-trafigura-excl-idUSKCN1Q41H8

Global commodities firm Trafigura has decided to stop trading oil with Venezuela due to U.S. sanctions on the OPEC nation’s energy sector, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

5              Brent crude hits 2019 high above $65, buoyed by output cuts
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1Q403J

Brent crude oil climbed above $65 a barrel to its highest this year as OPEC-led supply cuts and this week’s announcement of a higher than expected cut by Saudi Arabia encouraged investors.

6              Shell taking time with Prelude FLNG commissioning
https://www.lngworldnews.com/shell-taking-time-with-prelude-flng-commissioning/

The Hague-based LNG giant Shell said it is in no rush with the commissioning process of its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility located offshore Western Australia.

The company has already started feeding the gas into the pipes in the third quarter last year and opened up a number of wells and fed the gas to the unit for liquefaction in December.

7              Liquefied natural gas: US hype and German obedience?
https://www.naturalgasworld.com/germany-us-liquefied-natural-gas-hype-67966

The US has a vested interest in selling liquefied natural gas to Europe’s biggest economy as it produces a lot more than it needs at home. But is LNG really vital for Germany’s long-term energy strategy?

8              Germany soon to have two LNG terminals
https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/13022019/germany-soon-to-have-two-lng-terminals/

The German economy minister, Peter Altmaier, has expressed optimism that Germany will soon be building two LNG import terminals in the near future.

9              Bioplastics: Promising but pricey | Plastics News
https://www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20190212/PNE/190219951/bioplastics-promising-but-pricey

One of the bio-based plastics that have attracted major interest in recent years is PHA. Produced by bacteria, PHA is not just one, but a family of naturally occurring biopolyesters with the potential to replace a host of conventional, fossil-based resins.

10           Inoes boss slams EU green taxes for “uncompetitive” chemicals industry
https://www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20190213/PNE/190219934/inoes-boss-slams-eu-green-taxes-for-uncompetitive-chemicals-industry

Ineos founder and chairman Jim Ratcliffe has written an open letter to European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, expressing his concerns about the future of the European chemicals industry.

The letter particularly criticised the EU for its green taxes and regulations, saying they should be reduced to sustain a competitive chemical industry.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 5

Friday, February 15, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 5

1              Why It’s So Hard to Fight Instinct vs. Data in BI Decision-Making
https://www.smartdatacollective.com/how-big-data-changes-business-intelligence-decision-making/

In the days before robust business intelligence (BI) platforms existed, professionals usually had to rely on experience and gut instinct when making decisions.

Now, data analysis tools can give solid conclusions gleaned from months or years of compiled information. Even so, the people who dig through data still have difficulty trusting what the data says and quieting their gut instincts.

2              Top 10 Data Science Use Cases in Telecom
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2019/02/top-10-data-science-use-cases-telecom.html

In the course of time, data science has proved its high value and efficiency. Data scientists find more and more new ways to implement big data solutions in daily life. Nowadays data is a fuel needed for a successful company.

(Fraud detection, Predictive analytics, Customer segmentation, Customer churn prevention, Lifetime value prediction. Network management and optimization, Product development, Recommendation engines, Customer sentiment analysis, Real-time analytics)

3              Data science is a growing field. Here’s how to train people to do it
http://theconversation.com/data-science-is-a-growing-field-heres-how-to-train-people-to-do-it-110449

The world is inundated with data. There’s a virtual tsunami of data moving around the globe, renewing itself daily. Take just the global financial markets. They generate vast amounts of data share prices, commodity prices, indices, option and futures prices, to name just a few.

4              How To Drive More Engagement On All Your Digital Assets
https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2019/02/how-to-drive-more-engagement-on-all-your-digital-assets/

Let’s talk about how to drive more engagement for a minute. These days, consumers have plenty of choices available to them in terms of products and services. So, you differentiate your brand by becoming the one that has the most valuable connections (or the best relationship) with the consumer.

5              Deep Learning 101 for Dummies like Me –
https://towardsdatascience.com/deep-learning-101-for-dummies-like-me-a53e3caf31b1

Currently, Artificial Intelligence is advancing at a great pace and deep learning is one of the biggest contributors to that. So, in the 2nd post of the 101 for Dummies like Me series, I’ll take you through the basics of deep learning. You can find the 1st post here where we talked about the basics of PyTorch, which was inspired by Intro to Deep Learning with PyTorch from Udacity. Some of the images in this post are taken from Udacity Deep Learning Nanodegree which is a great starting point for beginners. In the last years, applications of Deep Learning made huge advancements in many domains arousing astonishment in people that didn’t expect the technology and world to change so fast. Refer below image for a uber level comparison between AI vs. ML vs. DL

6              Top Trends for Data Science in 2019
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/top-trends-for-data-science-in-2019-1

Ok. So there’s been a lot of coverage by various websites, data science gurus, and AI experts about what 2019 holds in store for us. Everywhere you look, we have new fads and concepts for the new year. This article is going to be rather different. We are going to highlight the dark horses – the trends that no one has thought about but will completely disrupt the working IT environment (for both good and bad – depends upon which side of the disruption you are on), in a significant manner. So, in order to give you a taste of what’s coming up, let’s go through the top four (plus 1 (bonus) = five) top trends of 2019 for data science:

(AutoML, Interoperability (ONNX), Cyber Data Science Crime, Cloud AI-as-a-Service, (Bonus) Quantum Computation & Data Science.)

7              Here’s How Big Data Analytics Has Changed the eCommerce Industry
https://www.smartdatacollective.com/how-big-data-analytics-has-changed-ecommerce-industry/

Data is everywhere. We gather and share countless data every moment, in fact, even our actions are generating data right now. Things that we used to see in sci-fi movies have now become real. With us being surrounded by so much data, managing them has become very challenging, but then big data is here!

8              4 Ways To Take Big Data And SEO To The Next Level
https://www.smartdatacollective.com/4-ways-to-take-big-data-and-seo-to-next-level/

With planning and the right moves, business leaders can improve their operations and take big data and search engine optimization (SEO) initiatives to the next level. The two technologies have changed a lot in the last two years.  Relatively recent innovations have created new ways for enterprises to find, understand and engage with their audiences with the help of big data and SEO. As new marketing channels like social media gain traction, a wealth of data is available to help marketers understand consumers in new and exciting ways.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 4

Friday, February 8, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 4

1              7 elements of an effective inbound marketing strategy
https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/inbound-marketing-strategy/7-elements-of-an-effective-inbound-marketing-strategy/

A step-by-step guide to producing a plan that will attract, engage and delight customers Building a strong brand, attracting new prospects and retaining customers requires a strong integrated marketing strategy. This will use a combination of both outbound (push) and …..

2              Biggest Challenges to AI Marketing Success
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/artificial-intelligence/biggest-challenges-to-ai-marketing-success/

Embracing the new opportunities that AI brings to marketing is something that every business must do to stay competitive in 2019 and beyond.

However, just because AI-powered marketing platforms are becoming more commonplace and simpler to use, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any pitfalls when it comes to using AI in marketing.

3              Best Ways to Automate Your Business in 2019
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/best-ways-to-automate-your-business-in-2019-02166107

Automation is a business trend that won’t be going away any time soon. Entrepreneurs always tend to have a ton on their plate. For some, the 4-hour work week can seem like a myth.

To get a better handle on your to-do list and actually make progress, try adding more automation to your business. Automation is when you rely on the tools and systems that are often put in place by technology to do things quicker and without your direct involvement.

4              Big retailer will test reusable packaging to replace throwaway plastic in Canada
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/loop-reusable-packaging-1.5004525

Canadian efforts to reduce single-use plastic will get a boost this year when a major retailer is slated to launch a test of reusable packaging in the most populated part of the country.

The chain’s identity is expected to be unveiled this spring, with online operations starting by year end, says the founder of recycler TerraCycle’s Loop.

5              Using Blockchain: A Strategic Roadmap for Companies
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/using-the-blockchain-a-strategic-roadmap-for-companies/

Bitcoin may be getting the headlines, but what makes companies more excited is the blockchain, the decentralized ledger technology that underpins cryptocurrencies. It has the potential to revolutionize everything from financial settlements on Wall Street to global supply chains. But like any promising innovation, there’s also plenty of hype that comes along with it.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 4

Friday, February 8, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 4

1              Petrobras sets aside $622M in case it has to pay up for Vantage rig contract termination
https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/petrobras-sets-aside-622m-in-case-it-has-to-pay-up-for-vantage-rig-contract-termination/

Brazilian oil company Petrobras has set aside $622 million plus interest in case it is forced to pay Vantage Drilling for wrongful termination of a 2015 drillship contract.

2              Falling oil-by-rail shipments could hurt Alberta’s plan to clear backlog
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crude-by-rail-oilpatch-imc-suncor-cn-cp-1.5007949

The push by oil companies in Western Canada to ship oil by rail has lost its momentum, which could undermine the Alberta government’s attempts to clear the backlog of crude in the province.

3              Oil and economy poised between growth and recession: Kemp
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-economy-kemp-idUSKCN1PW1QD

Policymakers and analysts who claim the outlook is “unusually uncertain” are normally overstating their own forecasting problem and understating the difficulties faced by their predecessors.

4              Oil falls as U.S. inventories weigh on supply outlook
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN1PW03Z

Oil fell more than 2 percent on Thursday as the market confronted concerns that global demand growth would lag in the coming year.

5              Oil Major Total Evacuates Staff From Venezuela After U.S. Sanctions | OilPrice.com
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Oil-Major-Total-Evacuates-Staff-From-Venezuela-After-US-Sanctions.html

France’s oil and gas major Total has pulled out all its personnel from Venezuela following the U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA, which also blocked Total’s accounts in the Latin American country, CEO Patrick Pouyanné said on Thursday.

6              Uncertainty Continues For LNG Markets | OilPrice.com
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Uncertainty-Continues-For-LNG-Markets.html

‘King Coal’ dominated the energy mix during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. The replacement of the steam engine by the internal combustion engine made oil the most important source of energy. However, industrialisation’s fallout effect, global warming, has increased the importance of environmentalism. Natural gas is one of the few sources of energy which is relatively clean and able to supplement renewables.

7              Global polyolefins giant LyondellBasell Industries posted higher sales but lower profit in 2018
https://www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20190205/PNE/190209950/global-polyolefins-giant-lyondellbasell-industries-posted-higher-sales-but-lower-profit-in-2018

The firm, which is based in Houston and London, rang up sales of just over $39 billion in 2018, up 13 percent vs. 2017. But annual profit slipped almost 4 percent to just under $4.7 billion.

8              How U.S. sanctions on Venezuela have left a dozen oil tankers idling with no place to go
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/venezuela-oil-sanctions-1.4990879
The sanctions the U.S. slapped on Venezuelan oil last week are playing havoc with the tankers that ship crude around the world, and throwing energy prices off-kilter in the process.

9              The United States expands its role as world’s leading ethane exporter – Today in Energy
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=38232

U.S. exports of ethane have increased from nearly nothing in 2013 to an average of 260,000 barrels per day (b/d) through the first 10 months of 2018, accounting for about one-sixth of U.S. hydrocarbon gas liquids exports. Ethane is a key feedstock for petrochemical manufacturing. The United States became the world’s top exporter of ethane in 2015, surpassing Norway, the only other country to ship ethane internationally. In 2014 and 2015, all U.S. ethane shipments went to Canada, but in 2018 the United States sent ethane to 10 countries.

10           In squeezed oil industry, some rethink hunt for new barrels
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-exploration-analysis-idUSKCN1PU1AJ

New partnerships are emerging in the global hunt for oil discoveries, with some explorers essentially offering an outsourcing service for the riskiest part of the energy business.

Central to this new strategy are efforts to find an ally earlier in the process of discovering new fields, and on a larger scale, in order to save money as budgets remain tight after the oil price slump of 2014.

11           Microplastics finally on their way out?
https://www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20190204/PNE/190209982/microplastics-finally-on-their-way-out

The European Chemicals Agency ECHA as submitted a restriction proposal for microplastic particles that are intentionally added to mixtures used by consumers or professionals. The scope covers a wide range of uses in consumer and professional products in multiple sectors, including cosmetic products, detergents and maintenance products, paints and coatings, construction materials and medicinal products, as well as various products used in agriculture and horticulture and in the oil and gas sectors.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 3

Friday, February 1, 2019

Business Intelligence and Analytics 3

1              How Data Analytics Can Boost Any Organization’s Performance
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/data-analytics-can-boost-organizations-performance/

Data analytics isn’t just the realm of high-tech industries any more. It’s making inroads into a wide variety of organizations, from financial firms to sports teams to medical institutions. One sign of the times is that New York City recently passed a bill to make the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics a permanent part of city government, according to StateScoop.

2          The Practical Guide to Artificial Intelligence
https://blog.marketo.com/2018/12/the-practical-guide-to-artificial-intelligence-for-marketers.html

Today’s marketers are in the early stages of transforming how they identify, execute, and evaluate campaigns leveraging new and innovative technology: artificial intelligence (AI). As digital-savvy customers expect more sophisticated and personalized experiences, marketers can lean on AI advancements to seamlessly deliver what they crave.

3              How companies are building sustainable AI and ML initiatives
https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/how-companies-are-building-sustainable-ai-and-ml-initiatives

The current generation of AI and ML methods and technologies rely on large amounts of data—specifically, labeled training data. In order to have a longstanding AI and ML practice, companies need to have data infrastructure in place to collect, transform, store, and manage data. On one hand, we wanted to see whether companies were building out key components. On the other hand, we wanted to measure the sophistication of their use of these components. In other words, could we see a roadmap for transitioning from legacy cases (perhaps some business intelligence) toward data science practices, and from there into the tooling required for more substantial AI adoption?

4              Big Data Improves Customer Segmentation Analysis For Email Marketers
https://www.smartdatacollective.com/how-big-data-improves-customer-segmentation-analysis-for-email-marketers/

Big data is turning old email marketing strategies on their head. You can use big data to get a better understanding of your customers, which helps you make sure they are segmented properly. This is just one of the many ways that big data helps maximize the ROI of your email marketing strategies.

5              Top 10 Technology Trends of 2019
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/top-10-technology-trends-of-2019

Primarily smart data technologies were actively applied only by huge enterprises and corporations. Today, big data has become available to a wide range of small businesses and companies. Both big enterprises and small companies tend to rely on big data in the questions of the intelligent business insights in their decision-making.

The ever-growing stream of data may also present a challenge to businesspeople. The prediction of changes in the role of big data and technologies is even more difficult. Thus, our top technology trends of 2019 are to serve a comprehensible roadmap for you.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 3

Friday, February 1, 2019

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 3

1              Exclusive: Qatar, Exxon to proceed with $10 billion Texas LNG project https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-lng-golden-pass-exclusive-idUSKCN1PQ4OZ

Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil Corp are expected to announce plans next week to proceed with a $10 billion project that will expand a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Texas, three people familiar with the transaction said.

2              Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – OPEC-led Cuts Underpinning Prices; China Deal Will Spike Prices Higher
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-opec-led-cuts-underpinning-prices-china-deal-will-spike-prices-higher-550313

The price action clearly indicates that the next major move in crude oil will be fueled by the outcome of U.S.-China trade relations. Simply stated, a deal has to get done by the self-imposed March 1 deadline or President Trump is likely to impose stiffer penalties on China. This is likely to lead to further weakness in China’s economy, which could eventually spread to the global economy.

3              OPEC oil output drops on Saudi cut, outages and sanctions
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/opec-oil-output-drops-january-saudi-cut-outages-124114858–finance.html

OPEC oil supply has fallen in January by the largest amount in two years, a Reuters survey found, as Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies over-delivered on the group’s supply-cutting pact while Iran, Libya and Venezuela registered involuntary declines.

The 14-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has pumped 30.98 million barrels per day (bpd) this month, the survey showed on Thursday, down 890,000 bpd from December and the largest month-on-month drop since January 2017.

4              Mexican Oil at a Crossroads | Rigzone
https://www.rigzone.com/news/mexican_oil_at_a_crossroads-29-jan-2019-158030-article/

Having taken office, President Andres Manuel Lopez Labrador has both challenge and opportunity with regards to setting policy for the Mexican oil industry. Historically, policy has been driven by nationalist sentiments and a preference for government over private ownership, both of which have had some negative consequences. Recent reforms have already achieved significant results and should be furthered, but it appears he will not do so.

5              Natural Gas Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-weekly-forecast-mixed-forecast-for-feb-5-9-keeping-traders-guessing-549361

Forecast: The hang-up for traders is the forecast for a milder trending pattern February 5 to February 9, which sees less cold air across the northern U.S. The European model see colder temperatures during this time period.

Next week’s direction will be determined by how this time period plays out. We’re likely to see a sideways, choppy trade if the forecasts continue to clash. The market is likely to turn bullish if the forecasts point to increased demand. We could revisit recent lows if both forecasts turn bearish.

6              East Med Energy: Restoring Squandered Opportunities
https://www.naturalgasworld.com/east-med-energy-opportunities-67121

At beginning of this decade, natural gas prospects in the Eastern Mediterranean generated geopolitical optimism about potential new patterns of regional cooperation that might catalyze a Cyprus settlement, improve Arab-Israeli relations, and provide new gas supplies for Turkey and the EU. Natural gas projects do indeed appear to be reinforcing new strategic triangles among Israel, Cyprus, and Egypt as well as Israel, Cyprus and Greece. Turkey, however, risks being left out of the strategic mix. By using energy as a uniting factor, the European Union has a chance to play a catalyzing role in resolving the Cyprus Question and improving Turkey-EU relations, similar to the role of the US in the Southern Corridor.

7              Pemex to hold restricted tender for $8-bln refinery

https://www.theoilandgasyear.com/news/pemex-to-hold-restricted-tender-for-8-bln-refinery/

Mexican NOC Pemex will hold a restricted tender to choose a company to build the 340,000-bpd Dos Bocas refinery in the state of Tabasco, local media reported Tuesday.

“It will be a restricted tender because we are going to invite serious specialist companies,” local newspaper Excelsior cited Secretary of Energy Rocío Nahle as saying to audiences at an oil and gas conference in Mexico City. “We are avoiding international companies that have a history of corruption.”