Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 53

Friday, February 28, 2020

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 53

1          Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Prices May Be Too Cheap for Buyers to Ignore
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-prices-may-be-too-cheap-for-buyers-to-ignore-636083

U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures hit multi-year lows on Friday and were set for their steepest weekly decline in more than four years as the spread of the coronavirus raised fears of a global recession and consequently lower demand for crude oil and other refined fuels.

2          The Perfect Storm Sends Natural Gas Crashing
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Gas-Prices/The-Perfect-Storm-Sends-Natural-Gas-Crashing.html
If you’re waiting for natural gas prices to recover, you might be in for a considerable wait, as inventories are expected to hover well above their five year average for the remainder of the year, the EIA has forecast, painting a rather sour picture for the industry that has seen investments stifled due to the lower prices.

3          Weekly Resin Report: Asking Prices for Most Commodity Resins Edge Higher
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-asking-prices-most-commodity-resins-edge-higher/180820005162477

Last week’s flow of offers was sporadic, with asking prices for most commodity resins continuing to edge higher, reports the PlasticsExchange (Chicago) in its Market Update. Prime polypropylene (PP) prices added a half-cent, and polyethylene (PE) levels either held steady or were mildly mixed by grade.

4          The forgotten winners in a low-price global gas market
https://blogs.platts.com/2020/02/26/global-gas-market-low-price/
Global gas prices today are not only low, but unprecedentedly low, with little to suggest any imminent upside.

Producers may be suffering, but large consumers of natural gas have an opportunity to benefit from current market dynamics if they are willing be proactive and take a careful look at their procurement.

5          Oil prices on track for biggest weekly fall in four years
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN20M08L
Investors are increasingly worried about an economic slowdown weighing on oil demand as the virus spreads beyond its epicentre in China to more than 40 other countries.

The most active Brent crude contract for May LCOc2 was down $1.74, or 3.3%, at $49.99 a barrel by 0959, its lowest since July 2017. The front-month contract, which fell to a session low of $50.05 and is headed for its biggest weekly fall since January 2016, expires later on Friday.

6          WoodMac: Coronavirus’s greatest impact on Upstream is oil and gas prices, not project delays
https://www.bicmagazine.com/industry/commodities/woodmac-coronavirus%E2%80%99s-greatest-impact-on-upstream-is-oil-and/

Wood Mackenzie Head of Upstream Analysis Fraser McKay said: “For most operators, even if delays stretch to six months, the greatest impact is prevailing oil and gas prices.

7          OPEC leaning towards larger oil cuts as virus hits prices, demand: sources
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-opec-idUSKCN20M1MB
Several key OPEC members are leaning towards a bigger than previously expected oil output cut, four sources with knowledge of the talks said, as oil prices fell to $50 per barrel on fears the coronavirus outbreak will hit oil demand badly.

8          Borealis delivers strong financial results despite softening market environment
https://www.britishplastics.co.uk/News/borealis-delivers-strong-financial-results-despite-softening/
Borealis has announced a net profit of €138 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to €94 million in the same quarter of 2018.

While the 2018 result was impacted by a one-off impairment charge of €92 million, the result in the fourth quarter of 2019 was driven by a soft polyolefins market in Asia, lowering the contribution from Borouge.

9          Oil Market Meltdown Sends Energy Stocks Crashing
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Oil-Market-Meltdown-Sends-Energy-Stocks-Crashing.html
The market meltdown continued on Thursday, with stocks across the board in retreat. Oil prices were down more than 4 percent in early trading, falling to their lowest levels in more than a year.

10        Mexico’s Pemex Widens Q4 Net Loss To $9 Billion
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Mexicos-Pemex-Widens-Q4-Net-Loss-To-9-Billion.html

Mexican state-owned oil firm Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) reported on Thursday a net loss of US$8.77 billion (169.8 billion Mexican pesos) for the fourth quarter of 2019, widened from a loss of US$8.1 billion (157.3 billion peso) for the same period of 2018, mainly due to lower crude oil exports.

11        Husky Energy CEO blames regulatory process ‘that just went on and on’ for end of Teck Frontier mine
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/husky-ceo-blames-regulatory-process-teck-frontier-mine-1.5478751

The shelving of the proposed $20.6-billion Frontier oilsands mine this week stems mostly from the length of time it took for it to win regulatory approval, says the CEO of oilsands producer Husky Energy Inc.

12        Sibur-Reliance JV starts butyl rubber facility
https://www.rubbernews.com/expansion/sibur-reliance-jv-starts-butyl-rubber-facility
Sibur and Reliance Industries Ltd. have started up their joint venture butyl rubber plant in Jamnagar, India, Sibur CEO Dmitry Konov confirmed at a Feb. 20 press conference in London.

The Indian company holding a majority stake (about 75 percent) in the venture.

13        DSM to Extend Engineering Plastics Compounding in North America
https://www.plasticstoday.com/compounding/dsm-extend-engineering-plastics-compounding-north-america/210954373262510

With the investment, the engineering plastics supplier will enhance the site to produce the next generation of advanced materials, including bio-based thermoplastics. The project is expected to be completed in Q3 2021.

14        A heavy maintenance season sees spot polypropylene prices increase 14% since New Year
https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/petrochemicals/022620-a-heavy-maintenance-season-sees-spot-pp-prices-increase-14-since-new-year

A mixture of polypropylene plant maintenances and outages have pressured pricing upwards 14% and tightened supply since the start of the new year, sources said Wednesday.

15        Versalis Acquires 40% of Finproject to Create an Integrated Supply Chain of Special Polymers
https://kemicalinfo.com/versalis-acquires-40-of-finproject-to-create-an-integrated-supply-chain-of-special-polymers/

Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, has acquired 40% of Finproject, the Italian leader in the compounding sector and the production of ultralight products, from the VEI Capital fund.

The move was intended with the aim of creating value by integrating the respective production chains.

16        Univar Earnings and Revenues Fall Short of Estimates
https://kemicalinfo.com/univar-earnings-and-revenues-fall-short-of-estimates/
In the fourth quarter, the company reported sales of $2.2 billion, up 9.3% compared to the prior year quarter. The company reported a loss of $55.1 million, compared to a profit of $1.2 million for the same period the prior year.

Contribution from the Nexeo buyout was partly offset by reduced demand for chemicals and ingredients from global industrial markets, softness in the energy markets and chemical price deflation in the United States, Canada and EMEA.

17        Global oil & gas prices in 2020 set to fall short of earlier forecasts as coronavirus spreads
https://www.rystadenergy.com/newsevents/news/press-releases/global-oil-gas-prices-in-2020-set-to-fall-short-of-earlier-forecasts-as-coronavirus-spreads/

As China’s coronavirus epidemic continues to expand and more countries are affected, the slowdown in global oil and gas consumption this year will hit suppliers who will see average prices fall below previous expectations, according to Rystad Energy’s revised forecasts.

18        Major Bank Sees Abysmal Demand Growth For Oil
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Major-Bank-Sees-Abysmal-Demand-Growth-For-Oil.html
The oil market faces a steep supply surplus in the near-term due to the coronavirus and the prospect of demand destruction and economic deceleration. But the U.S. shale industry likely won’t rebound from its current slump, at least not to the explosive growth rates of recent years, keeping supply in check.

19        Russia’s leading petrochemical plant Sibur saw revenues down in 2019, but profits up and plans on track for long term growth
http://intellinews.com/russia-s-leading-petrochemical-plant-sibur-saw-revenues-down-in-2019-but-profits-up-and-plans-on-track-for-long-term-growth-177294/

Russia’s leading petrochemical producer Sibur won’t hold its highly anticipated IPO this year, or even next year, as profits were up but revenues were down on poor market conditions. However, the shareholders remain committed to listing the company when the market conditions improve, Sibur’s CEO Dmitry Konov told bne IntelliNews at an investors’ day in London on February 20.

20        Chemical Industry Metric Suggests Gains for US Economy
https://www.rigzone.com/news/chemical_industry_metric_suggests_gains_for_us_economy-26-feb-2020-161206-article/

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) reported Tuesday that one of its economic indicators suggests a growth trend for the broader U.S. economy for much of this year.

“The CAB signals gains in U.S. commerce into the fourth quarter of 2020,” ACC Chief Economist Kevin Swift commented in a written statement, referencing the organization’s Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB).

21        Shell Plans Major Drilling in Mexico
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/shell_plans_major_drilling_in_mexico-26-feb-2020-161210-article/
Royal Dutch Shell Plc is pushing ahead on its massive deep-water drilling plan in Mexico, even as it doesn’t foresee production starting under the current government.

22        Stabilis Energy moves ahead with small-scale LNG plans in Mexico
https://www.lngworldnews.com/stabilis-energy-moves-ahead-with-small-scale-lng-plans-in-mexico/
The company said on Wednesday it has filed a permit application to build and operate a small-scale LNG production facility in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Stabilis has also started signing LNG supply agreements with Mexican customers for sales from that location.

23        Now that Teck Frontier is dead, is there a future for Canada’s oilsands?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tasker-teck-frontier-future-oilsands-1.5475658
Alberta’s oilpatch was dealt another devastating blow this week with Teck Resources’ decision to pull the plug on its Frontier oilsands mining project — a move that has some analysts wondering whether the sector has a future in the long term.

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 24

Friday, February 28, 2020

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 24

1          In a shifting landscape, do you stand your ground or leap forward?
https://www.ey.com/en_gl/oil-gas/in-a-shifting-landscape-do-you-stand-your-ground-or-leap-forward
The industry and its investors are re-examining the value of oil and gas assets as a shift to low/no-carbon energy approaches.

2019 was a year of exploration in the oil and gas industry, but much of it didn’t involve oil or gas. Instead, the industry and its investors searched to define the industry’s role and the value of its assets in the face of the coming transition to low-carbon and no-carbon energy.

2          Shell Exploring World’s Largest Green Hydrogen Project
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/shell-exploring-worlds-largest-green-hydrogen-project
Oil major Shell has started feasibility work on what would be the largest green hydrogen project in the world.

The plans would see 3 to 4 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity established in the North Sea by 2030 purely for the manufacture of green hydrogen. Electrolyzers will be based in Eemshaven, along the northern coast of the Netherlands, and potentially offshore as well.

3          BP cuts ties with three US trade groups over climate policies
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/feb/26/bp-cuts-ties-trade-groups-climate-policies
BP is to sever links with three US-based trade associations, including the country’s main refining lobby, because of disagreements over their climate-related policies and activities.

The decision comes after the UK oil corporation’s new chief executive, Bernard Looney, set an ambitious target to shrink its carbon footprint to net zero by 2050. To achieve this it will have to cut more greenhouse gas emissions every year than the amount produced by the whole of the UK.

4          Rio Tinto announces $1bn spend to reach net zero emissions by 2050
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/26/rio-tinto-announces-1bn-spend-to-reach-net-zero-emissions-by-2050

Mining giant Rio Tinto says it wants its globe-spanning operations to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and will spend US$1bn over the next five years to reduce its carbon footprint.

The second biggest miner in the world has also committed to reducing its emissions by 15% by 2030.

5          Can Electric Cars Rise In Time To Save Us? Washington State Says Yes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2020/02/27/can-electric-cars-rise-in-time-to-save-us-washington-state-says-yes/

On January 15, the Washington State Senate voted 26-23 to pass SB 5811, that essentially mandates that automakers dedicate a certain portion of their vehicle sales in the state to fully electric vehicles (EVs) by 2022, and that all new vehicles sold in the state must be electric by 2030.

6          Energy Systems Can Contribute To The Decline Of Freshwater Ecosystems – Or Help Reverse It
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffopperman/2020/02/20/energy-systems-can-contribute-to-the-decline-of-freshwater-ecosystems–or-help-reverse-it/

From hydropower dams that fragment rivers and block fish migration to thirsty crops for biofuels that contribute to the depletion of water resources, the energy sector has a significant impact on freshwater resources and ecosystems—and thus must be a big part of the push for solutions defined in 2020 to be implemented in the coming decades.

7          World may miss carbon targets unless big firms improve
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/27/world-may-miss-carbon-targets-unless-big-firms-improve-mark-carney

Businesses must improve how they disclose their impact on the environment or risk failing to meet climate targets, the Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, warned the City on Thursday.

Without disclosure rules that allow investors to compare how businesses are meeting the climate challenge, the world risks missing targets to be carbon neutral by 2050, Carney said.

8          The Real Reason The Middle East Is Pivoting Towards Renewables
https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/The-Real-Reason-The-Middle-East-Is-Pivoting-Towards-Renewables.html

The oil-rich Middle East is boosting investments in renewable energy generation at home and abroad.

Just a few years ago, this notion would have raised a few eyebrows. But these days, Persian Gulf companies’ increased investments in solar and wind power in the region and around the world make perfect sense in a world that begins its long energy transition journey and a Middle East suffering from low oil prices.

9          The Coronavirus May Impact U.S. Renewables Markets In 2020
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robday/2020/02/26/a-bug-in-the-system-the-coronavirus-may-impact-us-renewables-markets-in-2020/

As of 2018, China was the location for over 60% of the world’s production of lithium ion battery cells. The anticipated significant growth in the U.S. energy storage market is in large part built upon the ready availability of lithium ion batteries, and an expectation of their continued rapid fall in prices. We could very well see these prices temporarily rise in the U.S., however, as available domestic stockpiles could dry up if shipments from China are disrupted. This could impact everything from electric vehicles to microgrids to standalone battery projects.

10        ‘This is going to be a very big deal’ — Coronavirus poised to disrupt storage, solar sectors
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/coronavirus-solar-storage-power-sector/572326/
Eight provinces in China announced work stoppages because of the coronavirus, including the Jiangsu province, which houses several solar manufacturing campuses, according to notes from ROTH Capital Senior Research Analyst Philip Shen, leading to possible shortages that could cause solar ecosystem pricing to go up in the near term. Meanwhile, analysts at Wood Mackenzie estimate that the country’s battery storage production capacity could drop by 10% —​ or 26 GWh —​ of earlier forecasts for 2020.

11        Eni targets oil output peak in clean energy drive
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eni-plan-idUSKCN20M0QP
Italian energy company Eni pledged on Friday to reduce its oil production from 2025 and slash its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% and in one of the most ambitious clean-up drives in an industry under pressure from investors to go green.

12        Powered by hydrogen, Hyundai’s trucks aim to conquer the Swiss Alps
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hyundai-hydrogen-trucks-idUSKCN20M0Z9
Hyundai’s (005380.KS) hydrogen-powered 18-tonne trucks are set to hit the roads in Switzerland next month as the South Korean automaker looks to establish a case for its zero-emissions technology in a low carbon world.

13        Portuguese fossil fuel giant creates renewables unit
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/02/28/portuguese-fossil-fuel-giant-creates-renewables-unit/
Galp Energia aims to develop a sustainable power project portfolio based on solar and wind. It will devote up to 15% of its total investments to its renewable energy plans.

14        How the US power industry can decarbonize
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/electric-power-and-natural-gas/our-insights/a-2040-vision-for-the-us-power-industry-evaluating-two-decarbonization-scenarios

In the absence of clear federal action, a number of American states are taking the lead on reducing CO2 emissions. California and New York, in particular, have set ambitious targets of 100 percent carbon-free power by 2045 and 2040, respectively. But these two states account for only about 3.2 percent of CO2emissions in the US power sector.

15        Decarbonization policies mean utilities must change
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/electric-power-and-natural-gas/our-insights/are-us-gas-utilities-nearing-the-end-of-their-golden-age

A number of American states have committed themselves to lowering their greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal. If successful, these efforts could disrupt the local distribution companies (LDCs) that use pipelines to deliver natural gas to consumers.

16        The Dirty Truth about Medical Disinfection Practices
https://www.plasticstoday.com/medical/dirty-truth-about-medical-disinfection-practices/179013132662513

We tend to think that healthcare environments are rigorously cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis, leaving no safe quarter for microbes. Think again, suggests Linda Lybert, founder of the Healthcare Surfaces Institute (HSI).

17        IKEA reduces climate footprint for the first time
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ikea-emissions-idUSKCN20L0VI
From the production of raw materials and products through to customers’ use and disposal, emissions shrank 4.3% in the fiscal year to the end of August 2019 to 24.9 million tonnes CO2 equivalents, it said.

18        Wind has surpassed hydro as most-used renewable electricity generation source in U.S.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42955
In 2019, U.S. annual wind generation exceeded hydroelectric generation for the first time, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly. Wind is now the top renewable source of electricity generation in the country, a position previously held by hydroelectricity.

19        The Solar Farms Helping Tackle Climate Change and Fight Fossil Fuel Use
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-big-solar/
All of a sudden, solar energy is huge.

As many of the world’s major governments and corporations move to transition the global power supply away from fossil fuels, developers are transforming swaths of empty desert, agricultural land, and rural lakefront into vast solar energy farms. The mega-sized projects represent a new class of renewable power capacity that’s finally approaching the scale of coal-, oil-, and natural gas-fired plants.

20        Panasonic to exit solar production at Tesla’s New York plant as partnership frays
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-panasonic-tesla-solar-idUSKCN20K0BP
Panasonic Corp (6752.T) said it would exit solar cell production at Tesla Inc’s New York plant, the latest sign of strain in a partnership where Panasonic’s status as the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker’s exclusive battery supplier is ending.

21        Recycling lead-acid batteries for perovskite solar cell manufacturing
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/02/25/recycling-lead-acid-batteries-for-perovskite-solar-cell-manufacturing/

Researchers from China are proposing to use spent battery lead for creating a perovskite that can be used in the production of solar cells that are based on this promising material. The proposed one-step process, which was tested in the production of a 17.38% efficient perovskite heterojunction cell, is said to be cheaper and less energy-intensive than other recycling processes for waste lead from lead-acid batteries.

22        New methane data shows gas industry can no longer “hide behind burping cows”
https://ieefa.org/new-methane-data-shows-gas-industry-can-no-longer-hide-behind-burping-cows/
An international team of research scientists have found there has been a substantial underreporting of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, and annual methane emissions may be up to 40 per cent higher than first thought.

In new research published in the scientific journal Nature, scientists found that many of the world’s greenhouse gas records had used an incorrect estimate of pre-industrial methane emissions, leading to the underreporting.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 53

Friday, February 28, 2020

Business Intelligence and Analytics 53

1          What is Business Intelligence Developer: Role Description, Responsibilities, and Skills
https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/bi-developer-role-responsibilities-skills/
Everything concerning your business’s past and current status is recorded as bits of data. Marketing numbers, human resources, company budgeting, sales volumes — you name it. The number of business domains the data comes from can be large. But, as a business, you might be interested in extracting value from this information instead of just collecting it. Be thankful that there is software for everything.

2          How blockchain will dominate the digital advertising industry in 2020 Search Engine Watch
https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2020/02/26/how-blockchain-will-dominate-the-digital-advertising-industry-in-2020/

Blockchain is emerging into the technology market these days and transforming the way we have been doing the online transactions lately. This technology is not only limited to the finance market, but it is also impacting the advertising and marketing industry too.

3          How Machine Learning Is Changing the World
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/how-machine-learning-is-changing-the-world
Machine learning (ML) is an application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that provides the system with the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience rather than explicit programming. This is possible because today a large amount of data is available which lets machines to be trained rather than programmed. It is considered a major technological revolution that can analyze a massive amount of data.

4          To Maximize Your DataOps Future, Take Advantage of These Four Trends
https://tdwi.org/articles/2020/02/28/adv-all-dataops-future-four-trends.aspx
It’s 2020 and the challenges associated with enterprise data continue to intensify along with enterprises’ demands for easily accessible, unified data. Now more than ever, organizations are looking for ways to spend less time unifying, prepping, and cleansing data and more time analyzing it and using the insights it provides to generate strategic advantage.

5          Intelligent Virtual Assistant — A Billion Dollar Industry
https://medium.com/@latest_trends/intelligent-virtual-assistant-a-billion-dollar-industry-2d35d6998ed5
The intelligent virtual assistant industry is expected to grow aggressively on account of rising adoption of the technology across several applications including BFSI, healthcare, and automotive, among others. The intelligent virtual assistant (IVAs) provides critical automation assistance to various business, organizations, and individuals.

6          Lead Generation Strategies for AI Technology Companies
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/lead-generation-strategies-for-ai-technology-companies-02287950

However, if you are an AI Technology company, the success of lead generation services depends on the accuracy of your targeting and engaging with the right buyers with the right use cases. Mid to large-size B2B companies are undoubtedly the largest investors in AI technologies to this date.

7          Leading Up: The Neglected Competency
https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/ideas-work/leading-neglected-competency
At a recent seminar, I asked participants to define their company’s biggest barriers to success. The main impediment, they said, was their top leaders’ immunity to feedback. “They just won’t listen to new ideas, ” “They are living in yesterday’s world, ” “They think they have it all figured out and simply want us to execute.”

8          Leading in Our Uncertain Times: Be Real – Not a Hero
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/leading-uncertain-times-real-not-hero/
With 2020 in full swing, I wanted to sit down to try to make some predictions about the new decade. It only took a few days of headlines to show me just how foolhardy and futile this was. We are living in an era of pervasive uncertainty: Stunningly improbable events are increasingly defining the world around us. Instead of trying to predict the future, we should focus on how to thrive under these new circumstances.

9          The 5G B2B era: New horizons for advanced-electronics and industrial companies
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/advanced-electronics/our-insights/the-5g-era-new-horizons-for-advanced-electronics-and-industrial-companies

The next generation of wireless connectivity has arrived: 5G has the capacity to support a huge number of connections simultaneously while improving speed, latency, reliability, and power consumption for handsets and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. As with the transition from 3G to 4G, there are many uncertainties. Where is the value coming from, and who is going to capture it? What are the use cases where 5G performance enhancements will generate the most value and demand? And which applications will most benefit from 5G?

10        The easiest (and least scary) way to automate your marketing
https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2020/02/27/the-easiest-and-least-scary-way-automate-your-marketing

While marketing industry buzz tells us to expect more automation, so far, the rate of adoption has not reflected expectations. Is this because Machine has not yet reached the perfection that we demand (despite our ample room for human error)? What is it that we fear when we read about the newest automation tech on the block? Realistically, you’re not going to be replaced. Truthfully, all to be feared is that we’ll have more time on our hands to do what we’d prefer to be doing. And yet, the reluctance to automate is strong.

11        3 Digital Marketing Themes for Marketers and Retailers to Master in 2020
https://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/digital-marketing-themes-to-master-2020/
Technology and consumer behavior are evolving quickly, and brands are challenged with keeping pace. Today’s consumers are digitally fluid and mobile-first, expecting a consistent brand experience across devices and locations. A recent study found that 49% of consumers say they frequently shop on mobile, and at least a third of consumers research online before visiting a store. At the same time, brands must address a constant stream of new data points and respond to search algorithm updates, channel activity, and industry trends, making it incredibly difficult to create an omnichannel strategy.

12        No High-Level Fluff: 7 Steps to Build the Best Target Account Model
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/no-high-level-fluff-7-steps-to-build-the-best-target-account-model-02287062

Selecting target accounts can be stressful. You worked hard to build trust across your Sales team, and now comes a project that could ruin that hard-won trust if you don’t execute it perfectly. Guess what? It is not (and never will be) perfect. This activity can’t be done in a Marketing silo. Marketing needs Sales, and Sales needs Marketing to accurately select target accounts. And don’t forget about your Customer Success team!

13        4 Ways to use Big Data in Marketing
https://bigdataanalyticsnews.com/big-data-in-marketing/
It would not be wrong to say that we are living in the golden age of access to information. The amount of data to which a common man has access to these days was never possible in the past. When you have that much data lying in front of you the possibilities are endless. You can use that data to uncover hidden truths, read patterns and find correlations.

14        How to Start Hitting Your Sales Goals Every Time
https://www.business2community.com/sales-management/how-to-start-hitting-your-sales-goals-every-time-02287061

Knowing who your customer is will drastically increase your ability to sell. The reason is that when you have a clear idea of who your customer is you will have a clear understanding of how to communicate with them.

15        Python and R Courses for Data Science
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2020/02/python-r-courses-data-science.html
Since Python and R are a must for today’s data scientists, continuous learning is paramount. Online courses are arguably the best and most flexible way to upskill throughout ones career. This list contains well-known courses that can assist anyone wanting to begin a general understanding of each language and their specialized applications.

16        Probability Distributions in Data Science
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2020/02/probability-distributions-data-science.html
Having a sound statistical background can be greatly beneficial in the daily life of a Data Scientist. Every time we start exploring a new dataset, we need to first do an Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) in order to get a feeling of what are the main characteristics of certain features. If we are able to understand if it’s present any pattern in the data distribution, we can then tailor-made our Machine Learning models to best fit our case study.

17        Likely, unlikely, certain and impossible
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/likely-unlikely-certain-and-possibly-impossible
And therein lies the problem with terms in probability such as: likely, unlikely, certain, and impossible. Those loose definitions that mean something different not just from one layperson to the next, but from one mathematician to the next. As far as words like likely and unlikely, we can probably delete those from our probability vocabulary, because probability should never be defined in terms of being likely,

18        Moody’s downgrades auto sales forecast on virus fears
https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/supply-chain/moodys-downgrades-auto-sales-forecast-on-virus-fears-247683/

Ratings agency Moody’s is lowering its forecast for global auto sales because of the new coronavirus outbreak.

It now reckons that sales will decline 2.5% decline in 2020 instead of only 0.9%. This year’s anticipated decline follows a fall in 2019 of 4.6%.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 52

Friday, February 21, 2020

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 52

1          Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-weaker-as-bullish-traders-lose-patience-over-production-cut-delay-634808

Weaker as Bullish Traders Lose Patience Over Production Cut Delay. Today’s early weakness suggests traders aren’t going to wait for the IMF to get the data it needs to say the global economy will weaken from the impact of the coronavirus. Furthermore, just last week, OPEC and the International Energy Agency predicted lower demand.

2          Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-weakens-under-1-878-strengthens-over-1-928-634823

Natural gas futures are trading lower on Friday after posting a dramatic technical closing price reversal top on Thursday. The price action indicates a shift in momentum to down after an impressive six-day short-covering rally. Prices fell sharply on Thursday despite a somewhat bullish government storage report after a change in the weather models shifted investor sentiment.

3          Weekly resin report: Solid trading week lays foundation for rising prices
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-solid-trading-week-lays-foundation-rising-prices/151764288262425

A high volume of material changed hands last week, reports the PlasticsExchange (Chicago) in its Market Update. Supply improved and railcars came and went in groups, as buyers were eager to procure material. Sales favored railcars over truckloads and prime more so than off grade, and buyers still sought more as the week came to a close. Export demand was excellent and bids moved higher, lending support to the domestic market.

4          Russia: oil producers agree no need to hold early OPEC+ meeting
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-opec-russia-idUSKBN20E1CK
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday there was a common understanding among global oil producers that it would now no longer make sense for OPEC and non-OPEC producers to meet before their planned gathering in early March.

5          U.S. sanctions on Rosneft Trading seen shifting crude flows
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-usa-crude-idUSKBN20D2NI
U.S. sanctions on Russian Rosneft’s trading arm will disrupt a slice of global crude flows and may prompt refineries in Europe, India and the United States to shift purchases to other crude suppliers, traders said.

6          EIA expects natural gas production and exports to continue increasing in most scenarios
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42875
According to projections published in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020), total dry natural gas production in the United States will continue to increase until 2050 in most of the AEO2020 cases, primarily to support growing U.S. exports of natural gas to global markets.

7          AMERICAS: The week ahead in petrochemicals
https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/petrochemicals/021820-americas-the-week-ahead-in-petrochemicals

POLYETHYLENE: Market participants saw stable export pricing for polyethylene in the second half of last week amid unchanged rail car pricing. Some grades were expected to remain tight amid limited availability including for low density PE, linear LDPE butene and high density PE film.

8          Oil falls 2% on renewed uncertainties over coronavirus outbreak
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKBN20F06N
Oil prices fell on Friday as a rise in new cases of coronavirus and weak Asian economic data fuelled uncertainty about the economic outlook and as major crude producers showed no rush to cut output.

9          Shell: Global LNG demand to hit 700 mln tonnes by 2040
https://www.lngworldnews.com/shell-global-lng-demand-to-hit-700-mln-tonnes-by-2040/
The Hague-based LNG giant Shell expects the global LNG demand to double to 700 million tonnes by 2040, as gas’ role in shaping the lower-carbon energy system grows.

10        Global base oils supply to outpace demand while competition increases
https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2020/02/20/10473520/wbo-20-global-base-oils-supply-to-outpace-demand-while-competition-increases

The global base oils landscape will become increasingly competitive with a shift to Groups II and III while supply will outpace demand, the vice president at ICIS Consulting said on Thursday.

Stefano Zehnder said Groups II and III capacity expansions to 2025 will be 50% greater than demand growth, according to ICIS projections.

11        EIA projects U.S. energy intensity to continue declining, but at a slower rate
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42895
EIA’s recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) projects that U.S. energy consumption will grow more slowly than gross domestic product (GDP) through 2050 as energy intensity continues its decades-long trend of decline through the AEO2020 forecast period. Energy intensity is a measure of how efficiently the economy uses energy to produce every dollar of GDP.

12        Is Europe turning its back on natural gas?
https://blogs.platts.com/2020/02/20/decarbonize-or-die-europe-natural-gas/
Natural gas – once praised as the key to an achievable energy transition in Europe – is increasingly falling out of favor.

EU policymakers have spent years extolling the virtues of gas, calling it the cleanest of the fossil fuels and a bridge to a lower-carbon future.

13        Global LNG glut drives cancellations at key U.S. shale terminals
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/2/21/global-lng-glut-drives-cancellations-at-key-us-shale-terminals
A buyer of liquefied natural gas has canceled two cargoes from Cheniere Energy Inc., the biggest U.S. exporter, as a global glut pummels prices for the fuel and threatens to shut a key outlet for shale production.

14        Vitol Sees Oil Recovery This Year
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/vitol_sees_oil_recovery_this_year-21-feb-2020-161162-article/
The oil market is poised for a recovery but will have to first tackle a severe virus-induced demand slump, the chief of Vitol Group said.

15        Shelved Suncor thermal oilsands project wins Alberta government approval
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/meadow-creek-west-project-approval-1.5469187
Suncor CEO Mark Little, however, said earlier this month his company plans to delay development of Meadow Creek West and the previously approved 80,000-bpd Meadow Creek East projects until 2023 at the earliest because it is focusing on lower cost expansions of its existing oilsands facilities.

16        Rolls-Royce Reignites The Race To Build Mini-Nuclear Power Plants
https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielcohen/2020/02/21/rolls-royce-reignites-the-race-to-build-mini-nuclear-power-plants/

Global manufacturer Rolls-Royce is the latest entrant in the tech race to provide small-scale nuclear power. Last month, the company announced plans to build 10-15 small modular reactors (SMRs) in the United Kingdom by 2029, with each unit compact enough to sit on the back of a tractor-trailer. The plants would be constructed on so-called “brownfield sites” in Cambria and Whales where aging or decommissioned nuclear power stations are still in place. Rolls Royce has thus far received £18 million ($23.1 m) from the British government, and is requesting £200 million ($258 m) more.

17        Repsol Profit Misses Estimates
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/repsol_profit_misses_estimates-20-feb-2020-161152-article/
Like several of its industry peers, Repsol has suffered the effects of lower prices for oil and gas and higher exploration costs, while declining processing margins have hit downstream results. The Spanish producer has also reported impairments as part of an ambitious plan to slash emissions, raising questions over future spending and strategy.

18        The Permian Pipeline Even Environmentalists Should Support
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Permian-Pipeline-Even-Environmentalists-Should-Support.html

The idea that an oil or gas pipeline could be positive news for the environment is completely alien to those who believe we should put an end to the fossil fuel era once and for all. Yet if you ask someone who happened to be close when two oil trains in Canada derailed recently about their opinion, they might disagree about the pipelines.

19        Brazil’s Oil Production Jumps 20% To New Record In January
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Brazils-Oil-Production-Jumps-20-To-New-Record-In-January.html

Brazil’s oil production jumped by 20.4 percent on the year to set a new production record of 3.168 million barrels per day (bpd) in January, thanks to the prolific pre-salt basin, oil regulator ANP said on Wednesday.

20        As cost rises, support falls for Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, survey finds
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/trans-mountain-pipeline-expansion-support-cost-survey-1.5468730

Support for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion across Canada has dropped to its lowest levels in nearly two years, according to a new survey by the Angus Reid Institute.

The poll cites the growing price tag — which has ballooned from $5.4 billion to $12.6 billion — as the biggest cause for the deflating public support.

21        US Oil Export Story Has Really Just Started
https://www.rigzone.com/news/us_oil_export_story_has_really_just_started-19-feb-2020-161131-article/
While U.S. crude oil production has soared 160 percent to 13 million b/d in the shale-era since 2008, total demand has remained flat at 19-21 million b/d. In turn, exports of crude and products have been mounting fast. The country’s immense refining infrastructure is yielding more gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, and other petroleum products now freed up for export to foreign markets.

22        A Middle East Financial Crisis Is In The Making
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/A-Middle-East-Financial-Crisis-Is-In-The-Making.html
A Dubai-based operator of ports and terminals around the world is returning to full state ownership with a proposed transaction and a subsequent delisting from Nasdaq Dubai.

23        Russia Is Defeating The U.S. In The Middle East Oil Game
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/Russia-Is-Defeating-The-US-In-The-Middle-East-Oil-Game.html

Historically, Russia goes to great lengths to hide or disguise its strategic intentions but it clearly feels empowered enough in the Middle East to very obviously stake its claim in the region – excluding, for the time being only, Saudi Arabia – by stating that a slew of Russian companies are to spend up to US$20 billion on oil projects in Iraq in the near term.

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 23

Friday, February 21, 2020

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 23

1          Lithium-Ion Battery Cell Densities Have Almost Tripled Since 2010
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/02/19/bloombergnef-lithium-ion-battery-cell-densities-have-almost-tripled-since-2010/

Battery energy density is the amount of energy that can be stored in the same amount of weight. Think about it as the amount of range that can be extracted from the same 500 kilogram pack. As energy density increases, more energy can be extracted from a battery pack of the same weight. “Battery energy densities keep getting better,” Colin McKerracher, Head of Advanced Transport at BloombergNEF, said. “They’ve almost tripled at the cell level since 2010.”

2          Can The U.S. Compete With China In The Energy Storage Race?
https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Can-The-US-Compete-With-China-In-The-Energy-Storage-Race.html

Last year Oilprice reported that the energy storage industry was about to explode in China. We wrote that “China is set to become the single biggest energy storage market in the Asia Pacific region by 2024,” citing a Wood Mackenzie report that said China was in the midst of a global energy storage market takeover with “cumulative energy storage capacity projected to skyrocket from 489 megawatts (MW) or 843 megawatt-hours (MWh) in 2017 to 12.5 gigawatts (GW) or 32.1GWh in 2024.”

3          The Two Most Important Factors In The EV Boom
https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/The-Two-Most-Important-Factors-In-The-EV-Boom.html

The ranks of batteries aiming to challenge the dominant lithium ion technology have been swelling rapidly in the past few years are researchers and businesses seek a better and cheaper alternative to lithium ion technology. But lithium ion battery makers have not been sitting on their hands, either. According to BloombergNEF, the energy density of lithium ion battery dells has tripled over the last ten years.

4          Electric Vehicle Growth Set To Accelerate Through The 2020s
https://www.woodmac.com/news/opinion/electric-vehicle-growth-set-to-accelerate-through-the-2020s/
Wood Mackenzie projects demand for global petroleum products to fall by 1 million barrels a day from the effect of BEVs alone. We also project automotive batteries to form the bulk of the demand globally for metals such as lithium (69%) and cobalt (46%). The need for charging infrastructure is expected to create new industries for installing and maintaining charging stations. For a more thorough analysis of the impact, see our H2 2019 electric vehicle long-term outlook.

5          Tesla’s Secret Weapon In The EV Revolution
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Teslas-Secret-Weapon-In-The-EV-Revolution.html
The future of electric vehicles around the world depends on China. While Europe has long been at the forefront of the electric car industry, with Tesla leading the charge, almost all of those European EV companies have to go through China at some point in the production process, as Chinese industry has a veritable chokehold on one of the essential components of the standard electric car.

6          Taxpayer subsidies for electric vehicles only help the wealthy
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/taxpayer-subsidies-for-electric-vehicles-only-help-the-wealthy

The reality is that the rest of us are already doing a lot to support the adoption of electric vehicles. For example, taxpayers fund the federal electric vehicle tax credit program, which grants up to $7,500 for qualifying purchases. States such as Colorado offer an additional state income tax credit of $4,000, and New Jersey just passed legislation for a new $5,000 state rebate in addition to an existing sales-tax exemption for electric vehicle buyers. The nation’s teachers, nurses, and factory workers are all paying higher taxes for a program that generously benefits those who buy electric vehicles.

7          Why The World’s Top Oil Traders Are Going Green
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Why-The-Worlds-Top-Oil-Traders-Are-Going-Green.html
Oil and gas companies have frequently been pilloried for trying to burnish their green credentials with half-hearted attempts at clean energy investments. The recrimination appears well deserved, considering the sector currently dedicates less than one percent of its capital spending to renewable energy despite its operations being responsible for 15% of greenhouse emissions.

8          BMW expects to cut average emissions in Europe by 20% this year
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bmw-emissions-cfo-idUSKBN20E1KK
BMW (BMWG.DE) will continue to grow sales globally while at the same time lowering its European average emissions of carbon dioxide by around 20% this year, Chief Financial Officer Nicolas Peter said on Thursday.

9          Livent Corp expects lower profit in 2020 on weak lithium prices
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-livent-corp-results-idUSKBN20E2VJ
U.S. lithium producer Livent Corp (LTHM.N) reported an 87% fall in quarterly adjusted profit on Thursday and said it expects a drop in 2020 profit, hit by a downturn in prices of the metal used in rechargeable batteries.

10        Albemarle expects 2020 profit drop as lithium prices sag
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-albemarle-results-idUSKBN20D2R0
Albemarle Corp, the world’s largest lithium producer, reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday and forecast a double-digit drop in 2020 earnings on weak prices for the battery metal.

11        Global Offshore Wind Capacity Tops 27GW as 2019 Sets New Record
https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/02/20/global-offshore-wind-capacity-tops-27gw-as-2019-sets-new-record/

Global offshore wind installations reached 27,213MW by the end of 2019, according to Global Offshore Wind Report 2019 by World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO).

5,194MW of offshore wind capacity went into operation during the last year, making 2019 a new record year in terms of new global offshore wind installations with a 24% growth as compared to 2018, WFO said.

12        The Solar Sector Is Suffering From Coronavirus Contagion
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Solar-Sector-Is-Suffering-From-Coronavirus-Contagion.html

While analysts and international agencies are already assessing the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak on global oil demand, the damage to the energy industry is extending well beyond oil. Promising fast-growing green energy technologies and sectors are also suffering because the outbreak is disrupting China’s industrial activity and manufacturing of crucial components for the solar, wind, and battery storage industries.

13        Solar energy expands quickly in Brazil, attracts Chinese firms
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-power-solar-idUSKBN20E2UO
Beside the green pastures and sugarcane plantations surrounding the farming town of Porto Feliz is the strange sight of hundreds of blue, silicon panes turned towards the sun.

14        Austria’s OMV Wants To Dominate $50B Global Market For Synthetic Oil Made From Plastic Waste
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gauravsharma/2020/02/20/austrias-omv-wants-to-dominate-50b-global-market-for-synthetic-oil-from-plastic-waste/

The complex is running at a 97% utilization rate these days and accounts for over 50% of Austrian oil and gas company OMV’s refinery capacity of nearly 18 million tons. On its grounds, hidden away from prying eyes, amid the chimney masts, manifolds, pipelines and tanks, a rather unique and as yet commercially untested project is underway that could have a profound impact on the crude oil and plastics market, via a unit that connects both by converting plastic waste into synthetic crude.

15        In Mexico’s cradle of corn, climate change leaves its mark
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-mexico-idUSKBN20F0OC
At least 9,000 years ago, humans began domesticating corn for the first time near Tehuacan, in the central Mexican state of Puebla, laying the foundation for permanent settlements in the Americas. But in the past few years, more frequent and longer droughts have forced many farmers in the area to give up corn and other cereals in favor of alternatives requiring less water such as pistachio nuts or cactus.

16        Canada is launching methane emissions rules for Oil and Gas
https://energypost.eu/canada-is-launching-methane-emissions-rules-for-oil-and-gas/
January 2020 marked the first time the Canadian government has targeted methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. They’ve committed to reduce oil and gas methane emissions by 40% to 45% below 2012 levels by 2025.

17        Shipping industry faces $370 million hit from new Panama Canal charge
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shipping-panamacanal-idUSKBN20E211
A new “freshwater” charge that came in this month to help the Panama Canal cope with climate change will cost the shipping industry up to $370 million a year, marking another blow for maritime companies already hit by fallout from the coronavirus.

18        Rio Tinto becomes latest mining giant to tap solar-plus-storage
https://www.energy-storage.news/news/rio-tinto-becomes-latest-mining-giant-to-tap-solar-plus-storage
Mining giant Rio Tinto is to develop a large-scale solar-plus-storage system at an iron ore mine in Western Australia, continuing a trend of hybrid renewables-plus-storage projects in the region.

Announced earlier this week, Rio Tinto is to combine 34MW of solar PV with a 12MWh energy storage system at a cost of US$98 million.

19        How Siemens Gamesa Could Give Coal Plants a Second Life
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/how-siemens-gamesa-could-give-coal-plants-a-second-life
Ten years ago, Siemens Wind Power, as it was then known, started playing around with a concept for a thermal energy storage system. Last year, the wind turbine manufacturer now known as Siemens Gamesa plugged a 30-megawatt/130-megawatt-hour demonstration system into the grid at Hamburg harbor.

20        Germans divided over plans for Tesla electric car factory
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/19/germans-divided-plans-tesla-electric-car-factory-environmentalists-tree-felling

German environmentalists and political leaders are at loggerheads over plans to build a Tesla electric car factory on the site of woodland outside Berlin, with the government casting doubt over the future of a project seen as key for its support of green technologies and regeneration in the east of the country.

21        Chinese giant doubles down on cell production expansion
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/02/19/chinese-giant-doubles-down-on-cell-production-expansion/
When Chinese solar manufacturer JA Solar announced less than seven weeks agothat its ambitious production expansion plans would be ‘periodically reviewed’ and ‘subject to market conditions’, it would have been natural to presume the board was covering its back in the case of any sudden downturn in a still-volatile domestic market.

22        Oil and gas major Galp eyes 10GW clean energy portfolio by 2030
https://www.pv-tech.org/news/52074
Oil major Galp is to allocate up to 15% of its overall investments to renewable power generation and businesses, with a view to amassing a 10GW clean energy portfolio by 2030.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 52

Friday, February 21, 2020

Business Intelligence and Analytics 52

1          The New Business of AI (and How It’s Different From Traditional Software)
https://a16z.com/2020/02/16/the-new-business-of-ai-and-how-its-different-from-traditional-software/
At a technical level, artificial intelligence seems to be the future of software. AI is showing remarkable progress on a range of difficult computer science problems, and the job of software developers – who now work with data as much as source code – is changing fundamentally in the process.

2          How Machine Learning Is Changing the World
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/how-machine-learning-is-changing-the-world
Machine learning (ML) is an application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that provides the system with the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience rather than explicit programming. This is possible because today a large amount of data is available which lets machines to be trained rather than programmed. It is considered a major technological revolution that can analyze a massive amount of data.

3          The Death of Data Scientists – will AutoML replace them?
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2020/02/data-scientists-automl-replace.html
One cannot introduce AutoML without mentioning the machine learning project’s life cycle, which includes data cleaning, feature selection/engineering, model selection, parameter optimization, and finally, model validation. As advanced as technology has become, the traditional data science project still incorporates a lot of manual processes and remains time-consuming and repetitive.

4          5 Key Business Analytics Questions to Ask Solution Providers for 2020
https://solutionsreview.com/business-intelligence/5-key-business-analytics-questions-to-ask-solution-providers-for-2020/

Business analytics questions to ask solution providers is an annual sneak peak at the top-of-mind concepts to consider during product evaluation. For five key business analytics questions to ask yourself, consult our Buyer’s Guide for Data Analytics and BI Platforms.

5          Business leaders see U.S. unprepared for economic downturn
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/business-leaders-see-u-s-unprepared-for-economic-downturn/

New study says it reflects larger underlying problem of political gridlock and need for less-partisan election system

Those feeling bullish about the U.S. economy have lots to justify their optimism. The stock market and job creation are high, and unemployment and interest rates are low. The nation has logged more than a decade of aggregate growth since the 2008 Great Recession, with January marking 127 straight months of expansion, a historic milestone.

6          Using Analytics to Improve Your Business in 2020 -Big Data Analytics News
https://bigdataanalyticsnews.com/analytics-improve-your-business/
Analytics is an essential tool for any business. Due to the possibility of extracting beneficial information from analytics, organizations have the opportunity to increase efficiency, profits, and effectively scale up.

7          From coal to cars – what big data is China tracking to put virus-hit businesses back on track?
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-bigdata-graphic-idUSKBN20F0P9
China is tracking big data on an array of industrial barometers such as power use and traffic flows to take the pulse of general activity and target stimulus measures aimed at mitigating the impact of the coronavirus on its struggling economy.

8          The 5 Essential Digital Marketing Skills You Need (& How to Get Them!)
https://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/the-5-essential-digital-marketing-skills-you-need-how-to-get-them-02285891

Marketing is not about pitching to customers; it’s about communicating with individuals. It’s understanding what resonates best with them and why, and delivering value on those terms. It’s not asking them to buy, it’s building trust so that when the time comes for them to make a decision, they willingly choose you.

9          The Forgotten Algorithm
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2020/02/forgotten-algorithm-monte-carlo-simulation.html
When we talk about Machine Learning, we often think of supervised and unsupervised learning. In this article, I want to discuss an often forgotten but equally powerful algorithm: Monte Carlo Simulation. I will share a general design framework and a few techniques with an interactive tool. Finally, you can also find a list of good simulation tools at the end of the article.

10        How to Develop an Imbalanced Classification Model to Detect Oil Spills
https://machinelearningmastery.com/imbalanced-classification-model-to-detect-oil-spills/
Many imbalanced classification tasks require a skillful model that predicts a crisp class label, where both classes are equally important.

An example of an imbalanced classification problem where a class label is required and both classes are equally important is the detection of oil spills or slicks in satellite images. The detection of a spill requires mobilizing an expensive response, and missing an event is equally expensive, causing damage to the environment.

11        To Disrupt or Not to Disrupt?
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/to-disrupt-or-not-to-disrupt/
The term disrupt has become synonymous with being an ambitious startup of any type. There’s an almost cult-like devotion to the idea that becoming a disrupter is the best path to success — witness, for example, the annual TechCrunch Disrupt conference. But most studies of disruption have focused on the disrupted — why businesses that are seemingly at the top of their game suddenly find themselves in distress.

12        Ten insights to get your digitization strategy right
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/twenty-five-years-of-digitization-ten-insights-into-how-to-play-it-right

Countries, sectors, and CEOs face an increasingly complex world characterized by the diffusion of new digital technologies, affecting productivity performance while causing disruption. In this world, the rewards for success—and the penalties for failure—are ever greater.

13        Supervised Learning vs Unsupervised & Semi Supervised in One Picture
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/supervised-learning-vs-unsupervised-in-one-picture
Machine learning algorithms learn in three ways: unsupervised, supervised, and semi supervised. This picture illustrates the differences between the three types.

14        Supply chain transparency, explained
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/supply-chain-transparency-explained
According to Alexis Bateman, research scientist and director of MIT Sustainable Supply Chains at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, there are two elements to supply chain transparency:

Visibility: Accurately identifying and collecting data from all links in your supply chain.

Disclosure: Communicating that information, both internally and externally, at the level of detail required or desired.

15        Antibiotic that kills drug-resistant bacteria discovered through AI
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/20/antibiotic-that-kills-drug-resistant-bacteria-discovered-through-ai

A powerful antibiotic that kills some of the most dangerous drug-resistant bacteria in the world has been discovered using artificial intelligence.

The drug works in a different way to existing antibacterials and is the first of its kind to be found by setting AI loose on vast digital libraries of pharmaceutical compounds.

16        Coronavirus ‘could cost global economy $1.1tn in lost income
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/19/coronavirus-could-cost-global-economy-1tn-in-lost-output

The coronavirus could cost the global economy more than $1tn in lost output if it turns into a pandemic, according to a leading economic forecaster.

Oxford Economics warned that the spread of the virus to regions outside Asia would knock 1.3% off global growth this year, the equivalent of $1.1tn in lost income.

17        The business value of design
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-design/our-insights/the-business-value-of-design
We also all know iconic designs, such as the Swiss Army Knife, the humble Google home page, or the Disneyland visitor experience. All of these are constant reminders of the way strong design can be at the heart of both disruptive and sustained commercial success in physical, service, and digital settings.

18        9 Ways to Enhance Your Project Management Skills in 2020
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/9-ways-to-enhance-your-project-management-skills-in-2020-02285011

Smart project managers know that meeting and exceeding their goals and objectives is the key to their success.

With the right project management skills, they execute their tasks better and reach milestones well within time.

19        6 Emerging Business Intelligence Tools -Big Data Analytics News
https://bigdataanalyticsnews.com/emerging-business-intelligence-tools/
Business Intelligence tools are the softwares used to analyze, gather, visualize, and process huge data effortlessly. These tools allow organizations to generate actionable business insights, store data, create manageable dashboards, and simplifies the decision-making process.

20        34 Great Articles and Tutorials on Clustering
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/14-great-articles-and-tutorials-on-clustering
This resource is part of a series on specific topics related to data science: regression, clustering, neural networks, deep learning, decision trees, ensembles, correlation, Python, R, Tensorflow, SVM, data reduction, feature selection, experimental design, cross-validation, model fitting, and many more.

21        Free Book: Classification and Regression In a Weekend
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/free-book-classification-and-regression-in-a-weekend
This tutorial began as a series of weekend workshops created by Ajit Jaokar and Dan Howarth. The idea was to work with a specific (longish) program such that we explore as much of it as possible in one weekend. This book is an attempt to take this idea online. The best way to use this book is to work with the Python code as much as you can.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 51

Friday, February 14, 2020

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 51

1          The Coronavirus May Mark The End Of Russia-OPEC Cooperation
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/The-Coronavirus-May-Mark-The-End-Of-Russia-OPEC-Cooperation.html

A week ago, at an emergency meeting of the OPEC’s Joint Technical Committee, Russia refused to agree to the cartel’s proposal to reduce production by an additional 600 000 barrels per day (bpd). Explaining Russia’s position, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that in order to make such a decision, it takes time to evaluate the effect of coronavirus on the oil market.

2          Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-firm-on-increasing-optimism-over-opec-production-cuts-633215

U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures are edging higher on Friday as investors continue to increase bets that OPEC and its allies will come through with the production cuts a technical committee recommended last week. The price action also suggests that traders are a little more optimistic that the coronavirus outbreak has reached a peak and that the demand crisis may be ending.

3          Oil demand set for first fall in a decade as virus takes toll: IEA
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iea-oil-idUSKBN20710B
Oil demand is set to fall this quarter for the first time since the financial crisis in 2009 due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday.

4          EIA Cuts 2020 Oil Price Forecast
https://www.rigzone.com/news/eia_cuts_2020_oil_price_forecast-13-feb-2020-161084-article/
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has cut its Brent oil price forecast for 2020, its February short-term energy outlook (STEO) report has revealed.

5          Bearish Sentiment Will Dominate Oil Markets Through 2020
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Bearish-Sentiment-Will-Dominate-Oil-Markets-Through-2020.html
We are less than two months into the new decade and we’ve already seen multiple major oil market events. The first was the killing of Qasim Soleimani, the commander of IRGC’s elite group the Quds. The assassination caused oil prices to spike as talk of a regional and global retaliation from Iran ignited fears of a major supply disruption.

6          U.S. natural gas consumption has both winter and summer peaks
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42815
Natural gas consumption in the United States has two seasonal peaks, largely reflecting weather-related fluctuations in energy demand. In the winter months, cold weather leads to more demand for heating in the residential and commercial sectors. In the summer months, warm weather leads to more demand for air conditioning and, in turn, more demand for electricity.

7          Natural Gas Price Prediction
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-prediction-prices-consolidate-following-inventory-report-2-633122

Natural gas prices moved higher but remain in a relatively tight range following a slightly larger than expected draw in natural gas inventories. The EIA released its inventory estimate on Thursday, and the trajectory of the draws have kept prices above the average of the 5-year range.

8          Is there a bottom for Europe’s plunging natural gas market?
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/2/14/is-there-a-bottom-for-europe-s-plunging-natural-gas-market
The global glut of the fuel has seen prices plunge in the U.S., Europe and Asia as a wave of liquefied natural gas hits the market. Associated gas from oil fields in North America also boosted supplies at a time when demand growth is under threat from a slowing global economy and the coronavirus.

9          Global Oversupply Equals a Tough Year for LNG Exporters
https://www.rigzone.com/news/global_oversupply_equals_a_tough_year_for_lng_exporters-14-feb-2020-161094-article/

2020 is going to be tough for LNG exporters. A warm winter in the northern hemisphere has depressed demand in North America, Europe and Asia.[i] This together with the outbreak of the coronavirus means liquid natural gas prices are poised to test record lows. In essence, demand is insufficient to absorb rising global supplies of this super-cold fossil fuel.

10        Natural gas prices fall to lowest level since 2016, the lowest February prices in 20 years
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42835
This winter, natural gas prices have been at their lowest levels in decades. On Monday, February 10, the near-month natural gas futures price at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) closed at $1.77 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). This price was the lowest February closing price for the near-month contract since at least 2001, in real terms, and the lowest near-month futures price in any month since March 8, 2016, according to Bloomberg, L.P. and FRED data.

11        China likely to shun US LNG despite multibillion trade deal
https://www.rystadenergy.com/newsevents/news/press-releases/china-likely-to-shun-us-lng-despite-multibillion-trade-deal/

An ongoing two-year long trade war between the US and China that has impacted the exports of both countries seemed to be closer to a resolution in January, when the two rivals sealed a deal that left the Asian nation committed to buy a total of $26.2 billion in energy products this year.

12        Fuel consumption sinks on record warmth across northern hemisphere
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-energy-weather-kemp-column-idUSKBN2081LD
Last month was the warmest January on record across the northern hemisphere, sending demand for heating oil, natural gas and coal plunging in all the major consumption centres of the world.

13        Chart increases 2020 guidance as profit slumps
https://www.lngworldnews.com/chart-increases-2020-guidance-as-profit-slumps/
The company reported a net profit of $46.4 million, a 47.27 percent drop from the $88 million profit reported in 2018.

Chart reported net orders for the year of $1.41 billion, a 23.7 percent increase over 2018 driven by record orders in trailers, LNG fueling stations, cryogenic equipment in India, lasers, hydrogen, cannabis and water treatment.

14        Falling air freight points to renewed global economic slowdown
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-global-economy-kemp-idUSKBN2071M3
Global air freight started to weaken again last month, after improving in the final quarter of 2019, a worrying sign the nascent upturn in the global economy was running into trouble even before the coronavirus crisis worsened.

15        The $2 Trillion Threat To Middle East Oil
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/The-2-Trillion-Threat-To-Middle-East-Oil.html
In less than a decade and a half, the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—could see their combined US$2 trillion wealth wiped out, if they do not significantly accelerate fiscal reforms and raise their non-oil revenues and non-oil share of their respective economies to be ready for a world of peak oil demand.

16        Weekly resin report: Tightening supply sends prices higher
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-tightening-supply-sends-prices-higher/8605971962393

Tighter supply sent polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) prices up $0.01 to 0.02/lb last week, reports the PlasticsExchange (Chicago) in its Market Update. While the flow of fresh railcars remained slow for the second straight week and the variety of materials offered were not necessarily the most desirable, demand was robust and buyers snagged the best low-hanging fruit. The week ended with buyers seeking more well-priced resins.

17        Materials: Innovative PC Copolymers for Medical Equipment Housings and More
https://www.ptonline.com/products/materials-innovative-pc-copolymers-for-medical-equipment-housings-and-more

An innovative new family of PC copolymers touted for their excellent chemical resistance to highly aggressive chemical disinfectants used to prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in hospital and clinics are newly available from SABIC (U.S. office in Houston, Texas). The new LNP Elcres CRX copolymers are said to be an easier drop-in alternative to incumbent resins used in healthcare equipment housings ranging from portable ultrasound and X-Ray machines to hand-held diagnostics and infusion pumps.

18        Scientists develop biodegradable packaging for organic beauty market
https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/environment/biodegradable-compostable/scientists-develop-biodegradable-packaging-organic-beauty-market-11-02-2020

The new packaging solves a conundrum for cosmetics firms that currently sell organic, ‘clean’ products in plastic containers made from fossil fuel products that cannot degrade and will forever remain in landfill.

19        INEOS and UPM Biofuels announce supply agreement for renewable raw materials to make plastic
https://www.britishplastics.co.uk/News/ineos-and-upm-biofuels-announce-supply-agreement-for-renewab/

INEOS and UPM Biofuels have announced a long-term agreement to supply a renewable raw material for new and innovative bio-attributed polymers to be produced at INEOS Köln.

20        DOMO Completes Acquisition of Solvay’s Nylon Business in Europe
https://kemicalinfo.com/domo-completes-acquisition-of-solvays-nylon-business-in-europe/
DOMO Chemicals, a leading producer of engineering materials announced that the company has completed its acquisition of Solvay’s Performance Polyamides Business in Europe.

21        Linde Wins Contract for Sibur’s Amur Gas Chemical Complex
https://kemicalinfo.com/linde-wins-contract-for-siburs-amur-gas-chemical-complex/
Linde PLC has recieved a contract to provide technology for PJSC Sibur Holding’s cracker at Amur gas chemical complex (GCC).

GCC is an integrated 1.5 million tons per year polyethylene and polypropylene production complex to be built near Svobodny in Russia’s far-east Amur region.

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 22

Friday, February 14, 2020

Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 22

1          Germany’s Volkswagen and Daimler push for more ‘sustainable’ Chile lithium
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-lithium-exclusive-idUSKBN20524Z
German automakers Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Daimler (DAIGn.DE) have launched a study to push for more “sustainable” lithium mining in Chile, according to lobbyist filings reviewed by Reuters, a sign of growing supply chain concerns ahead of an expected electric vehicle boom.

2          Investors from five countries eye Mexico’s nascent lithium market
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-lithium-idUSKBN2070AG
Investors from at least five countries have expressed interest in Mexico’s nascent lithium extraction and production industry, said Francisco Quiroga, the undersecretary for mining, after a promising find in the north of the country.

3          Portuguese communities lock horns with lithium miners to save their land
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-portugal-environment-lithium-insight-idUSKBN2080GV
The lush, green hills where Paulo Pires has for years brought sheep to graze above his picturesque Portuguese village may soon be transformed by the race to power electric vehicles.

4          Energy density advances and faster charging would unlock EV revolution
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/02/11/energy-density-advances-and-faster-charging-would-unlock-ev-revolution/

If the electric vehicle (EV) industry can drive advances in battery energy densityand drastically improve charging rates, as many as eight in every ten cars sold could be fully electric in ten years’ time, according to analyst Wood Mackenzie. The U.S.-owned business intelligence firm said yesterday its base case scenario for EV adoption would see fully electric vehicles account for just 14% of sales in 2030, up from 3% last year.

5          China Batteries and the World
https://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=2069777&menu=yes
Carmakers are looking for secure battery supply chains independent from the current dominance of Chinese cell makers, seeking to challenge Chinese hegemony in the global battery markets.

6          Total considers stopping fuel oil sales for power: CEO
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-total-fueloil-idUSKBN2081LT
France’s Total (TOTF.PA) is considering stopping sales of fuel oil to power markets as the energy giant seeks to reduce its carbon footprint and grow its renewable power business, its chief executive told Reuters.

7          What BP Can Learn From Orsted: The Route to Low-Carbon Profits
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-bp-can-learn-from-orsted
The first step to change is admitting you’ve got a problem.

“BP gets it.” That was one of several mantras to appear during new CEO Bernard Looney’s two-and-a-half-hour flag-planting welcome party on Wednesday.

8          BP’s carbon-neutral pledge puts pressure on Exxon, Chevron
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/2/12/bp-s-carbon-neutral-pledge-puts-pressure-on-exxon-chevron
BP’s pledge to zero out all its carbon emissions by 2050 deepens the divide between major European and American oil producers on climate change, increasing the pressure for Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. to do more.

9          Delta to invest $1 billion to curb global air travel’s climate impact
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-delta-air-idUSKBN2081FY
Delta Air Lines Inc said on Friday it will invest $1 billion over the next decade in initiatives that would limit the impact of global air travel on the environment, the first airline to make a commitment of that scale.

10        EU watchdog says ESG rating firms need rules to stop ‘greenwashing’
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-climate-regulator-idUSKBN2062H6
Agencies that issue ratings on how much companies and financial products are exposed to climate change need better supervision to help crack down on “greenwashing”, a top European Union regulator said on Wednesday.

11        Antarctic temperature rises above 20C for first time on record
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/13/antarctic-temperature-rises-above-20c-first-time-record

The Antarctic has registered a temperature of more than 20C (68F) for the first time on record, prompting fears of climate instability in the world’s greatest repository of ice. The 20.75C logged by Brazilian scientists at Seymour Island on 9 February was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 19.8C, taken on Signy Island in January 1982.

12        A Third Of Fossil Fuel Assets May Soon Be Stranded
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/A-Third-Of-Fossil-Fuel-Assets-May-Soon-Be-Stranded.html
Fossil fuel companies hold vast oil, gas and coal riches that they frequently tout to the investing universe to help elevate their market values. However, not a single energy company has ever told investors about the potential effects on the environment if all their hydrocarbon reserves were burned.

13        Big oil traders start investing in renewables
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-traders-renewables-factbox-idUSKBN20603K
The world’s big oil trading firms are investing heavily in environmentally-friendly projects as they face increasing pressure from investors, governments, activists and financiers to find a sustainable business model.

14        Carbon Offsets and Forestry – How the Market for Innovation is Shaping up.
https://www.cleantech.com/carbon-offsets-and-forestry-how-the-market-for-innovation-is-shaping-up/
In 2019, 15 countries proposed legislation to have net-zero emissions by 2050. In total, 24 out of 28 EU countries and key US states such as California have all made similar commitments towards carbon neutrality. Corporates have also made bold commitments to cut carbon

15        Coronavirus outbreak in China impacting solar industry in Korea, India and Taiwan
https://www.pv-tech.org/news/52047
Manufacturing delays and supply chain constraints in China, caused by the coronavirus outbreak are starting to impact both upstream PV manufacturers and downstream installers in countries such as South Korea, India and Taiwan.

16        The Race for the Best Electric SUV
https://www.altenergymag.com/story/2020/02/the-race-for-the-best-electric-suv/32684/
Over recent years, the popularity of electric vehicles has skyrocketed. Greater awareness of environmental issues paired with increased availability of affordable and stylish electric cars has led to them becoming an attractive option. What’s more, the recent announcement that the ban on new petrol and diesel has been brought forward to 2035 gives even more urgency to the production of electric vehicles.

17        Energy Efficiency, Natural Gas and Renewable Energy Drove Decade of U.S. Energy Transformation
https://about.bnef.com/blog/energy-efficiency-natural-gas-and-renewable-energy-drove-decade-of-u-s-energy-transformation/

The U.S. overhauled how it produces, delivers, and consumes energy over a momentous decade of change, according to a new report from BloombergNEF (BNEF) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). In the process, the U.S. posted 10 straight years of economic growth, while cutting both power-sector CO2 emissions and consumer energy costs to their lowest levels in a generation.

18        Red Flags for Natural Gas In New Sustainable Energy Report
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/02/13/red-flags-a-plenty-for-natural-gas-in-new-sustainable-energy-report/

The Business Council For Sustainable Energy has just issued the 2020 edition of its annual Sustainable Energy In America Factbook series, and the first thing to jump out is the inclusion of natural gas under the category of “sustainable.” That’s quite a stretch, to say the least. Nevertheless, the report provides ample room for natural gas in the clean energy revolution of the past 10 years. For the next 10 years ahead, though, the 2020 Factbook exposes a number of factors that should send shivers up the spines of natural gas stakeholders.

19        Enel Green Power CEO: Renewables Beating Fossil Fuels With ‘No Incentives Whatsoever’
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/enel-green-power-renewables-beating-fossil-fuels-with-no-incentives

The energy transition is well underway, and it no longer relies on incentives, according to Antonio Cammisecra, head of global power generation for European utility giant Enel and CEO of subsidiary Enel Green Power.

“Subsidies are not needed anymore,” Cammisecra said in a recent phone interview. “Indeed, they are becoming rare today in this industry.”

20        Electric Vehicle Sales In China In Free Fall
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/02/12/electric-vehicle-sales-in-china-in-free-fall/
The electric car revolution is coming to Europe in a big way. EV sales in Italy are up more than 500% over last year. In France, they are up four times compared to last year. That’s wonderful news for EV fans, but France and Italy are not where the action is when it comes to sales of electric cars. China is the country everyone has their eye on. GM, Ford, Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen expect EV sales in China to explode, creating a path toward monumental profits.

21        New $1 billion mine looks to solar, wind, batteries for 80% of power needs
https://reneweconomy.com.au/new-1-billion-mine-looks-to-solar-wind-batteries-for-80-of-power-needs-90179/

Australian mining company Oz Minerals plans to power its proposed $1 billion West Musgrave copper nickel mine in central Australia with up to 80 per cent renewables.

22        Pressure Rises On The Oil And Gas Industry To Address Gas Flaring
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2020/02/12/pressure-rises-on-the-oil-and-gas-industry-to-address-gas-flaring/

It’s been almost a year now since I wrote a piece titled “The Real Existential Threat To America’s Oil Industry Isn’t What You Think.” That piece discussed the reality that the so-called “Green New Deal” that had just been so famously rolled-out by New York Cong. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was actually much less of a threat to the industry’s future than its own slowness or outright failures to adequately address local impacts that invariably arise in every significant oil or gas boom.

Business Intelligence and Analytics 51

Friday, February 14, 2020

Business Intelligence and Analytics 51

1          The Metal Trump Wants More Than Gold
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Metal-Trump-Wants-More-Than-Gold.html
There are 16 metals in total that form the world’s strategically critical rare-earth elements–and China controls the supply of every single one because it controls 96% of production.

One of these crucial metals is Cesium.

2          Huawei faces new US charges alleging decades-long effort to steal technology
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/13/huawei-new-us-indictment-decades-long-steal-technology

Huawei has been accused of stealing trade secrets and lying to US federal investigators in a new indictment that is likely to deepen US-UK tensions over a recent move by the British government to allow the Chinese company to supply 5G equipment for a new network.

3          VR allows ExxonMobil to simulate projects before they happen
https://www.bicmagazine.com/industry/refining-petchem/vr-exxonmobil-simulate-projects/
The Gulf Coast’s petrochemical corridor may seem far from Silicon Valley, but on the cutting edge of industrial applications for new technologies, experts see a fruitful marriage on the horizon.

4          40+ Modern Tutorials Covering All Aspects of Machine Learning
https://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/40-tutorials-covering-all-aspects-of-machine-learning
This list of lists contains books, notebooks, presentations, cheat sheets, and tutorials covering all aspects of data science, machine learning, deep learning, statistics, math, and more, with most documents featuring Python or R code and numerous illustrations or case studies. All this material is available for free, and consists of content mostly created in 2019 and 2018, by various top experts in their respective fields. A few of these documents are available on LinkedIn: see last section on how to download them.

5          The Basics of Simple Linear Regression (Non-Technical)
https://towardsdatascience.com/the-basics-of-simple-linear-regression-non-technical-4b559d55d611?source=rss—-7f60cf5620c9—4

I’ve been working on Linear Regression models since the inception of my journey in Data Science. Having worked with multiple business stakeholders at Fortune 300 companies, I have been fortunate enough to understand what is expected of a data scientist. This is a non-technical blog as a whole, but it does include some mathematical understanding of the model. I would encourage a non-technical person to refer to it as well, as it pays to get your hands dirty and understand the nuances of machine learning.

6          The Differences Between Machine Learning And Predictive Analytics
https://medium.com/@mahiprashanth866/the-differences-between-machine-learning-and-predictive-analytics-8eab50e537d0

Machine learning is a method of computational learning underlying most artificial intelligence (AI) applications. In ML, systems or algorithms improve themselves through data experience without relying on explicit programming. ML algorithms are wide-ranging tools capable of carrying out predictions while simultaneously learning from over trillions of observations.

7          Recommender System Metrics: Comparing Apples, Oranges and Bananas
https://www.kdnuggets.com/2020/02/comparing-apples-oranges-bananas.html
Creating a good product recommender system is challenging. Another related challenge, however, is defining what it means to be ‘good’. This article will discuss a sometimes-overlooked aspect of what distinguishes recommender systems from other machine learning tasks: added uncertainties of measuring them.

8          JPMorgan in talks to merge blockchain unit Quorum with startup ConsenSys
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jp-morgan-blockchain-exclusive-idUSKBN2051AW
JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) is in talks to merge its marquee blockchain unit Quorum with Brooklyn-based startup ConsenSys, according to people familiar with the plans.

9          U.S. companies cut back on installing robots in 2019
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-robots-idUSKBN20519Y
U.S. companies installed fewer robots in 2019 than they did the year before, the first cut back since 2015, as a downturn in manufacturing fueled by trade wars and weaker demand dampened appetite for the machines.

10        Automation and AI Only Works With Help From Customer Service Agents
https://www.business2community.com/business-innovation/automation-and-ai-only-works-with-help-from-customer-service-agents-02283388

Though AI (really a form of automation) has existed in some form for many years, it’s only been recently that both have achieved levels of maturity permitting more widespread application and meaningful use. With the promise of greater efficiencies at lower cost, companies are racing to deploy these technologies across their business, including in customer service.

11        Why We Fall for Scams and How to Prevent It
https://datafloq.com/read/psychology-online-fraud-why-we-fall-scams-how-prevent-it/7699
It’s regularly said that humans are the weakest link in cybersecurity. I find it difficult to differ with this announcement given what number of individuals succumb to different tricks every year.

12        5 Ways to Humanize B2B Content Marketing
https://www.toprankblog.com/2020/02/humanize-b2b-content-marketing/
It can be hard to bring out the humanity in B2B content, especially when your product is intangible. Not many folks feel a warm sense of empathy with a cloud-based data solution. You can’t take adorable Instagram photos of happy customers cuddling with your supply chain logistics platform. That just means that B2B content marketers have to be more creative than even our B2C counterparts.

13        5 Ways to Increase Your Market Share
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-increase-your-market-share
In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone. The cell phone boasted a full touch screen, a slew of personalization options, and internet capabilities. These features were rare in the phone market before the iPhone, and having them all on one device was especially enticing.

14        Why Small Businesses Need to Focus on Human Resource Training?
https://www.business2community.com/small-business/why-small-businesses-need-to-focus-on-human-resource-training-02283587

Human Resource Training involves training on all aspects related to the human resource function. There is no doubt that human resources are the most important resource in an organization. They are referred to as human capital, as employees are valuable assets for the company.

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 50

Friday, February 7, 2020

Energy, Petrochemicals and Plastics 50

1          Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/oil-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-pressured-by-russia-decision-to-wait-on-production-cuts-631576

U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures are edging lower on Friday after Russia said it would need more time before committing to output cuts along with OPEC and other producers amid falling demand for crude as China battles the coronavirus epidemic.

2          Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast
https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-fundamental-daily-forecast-could-strengthen-over-1-884-weaken-under-1-855-631543

Natural gas futures are inching lower on Friday after failing to follow-through to the upside following yesterday’s price surge. The price action indicates the market is still being controlled by strong sellers.

3          Weekly resin report: End-of-month spot PE prices mixed
https://www.plasticstoday.com/resin-pricing/weekly-resin-report-end-month-spot-pe-prices-mixed/69583808262343

Though the flow of both spot offers and resin requests slowed from the rampant pace seen throughout January, the PlasticsExchange (Chicago) reports that a series of relatively large transactions generated an overall high volume of completed resin deals at its trading desk last week. Several fresh railcars were offered early in the week, but as material sold, availability dwindled, which is typical into month-end, said the resin clearinghouse in its Market Update.

4          Industrial goods, oil, gas get slammed as China coronavirus slashes demand
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-commodities-idUSKBN2010UP
Industrial goods from jet fuel and iron ore to rubber and sulphuric acid are sliding toward their lowest prices in weeks, months or even years as China’s coronavirus epidemic hobbles movement and eats away demand in the world’s no.2 economy.

5          Crashing Copper Prices Spell Trouble For Oil
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Crashing-Copper-Prices-Spell-Trouble-For-Oil.html
Copper has spoken. Its voice is the loudest of the commodities, and it’s not optimistic for the global economy.

The coronavirus–which had by the time of writing claimed 490 lives and infected over 24,300 people–is battering all commodities right now, but it’s copper that the oil bulls should be watching because this is the barometer of global economic health, which speaks volumes about future oil and gas demand.

6          Total beats quarterly forecasts despite low oil price, raises payout
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-total-results-idUSKBN2000PG
Total (TOTF.PA) beat forecasts on Thursday by keeping net adjusted fourth-quarter profit steady at $3.2 billion despite low oil prices and fulfilled a pledge to boost dividends, lifting the French energy firm’s shares.

7          Oil slips as Russia needs time on OPEC+ cuts amid virus outbreak
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKBN201056
Oil prices edged down on Friday as Russia said it would need more time before committing to output cuts along with OPEC and other producers amid falling demand for crude as China battles the coronavirus epidemic.

8          Oil Demand Under Siege As Airlines Cancel Over 50,000 Flights
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Oil-Demand-Under-Siege-As-Airlines-Cancel-Over-50000-Flights.html

Over 54,011 airline flights scheduled to, from, and within China between January 23 and February 4 were canceled, according to Cirium data cited by CNBC, creating a ripple effect for global oil demand.

The 50,000+ flights account for 28% of all scheduled flights to, from, and within China, and 14% of those flights that were canceled were international flights.

9          Gulf Coast could see over $300 Billion in new investments
https://www.bicmagazine.com/industry/refining-petchem/gulf-coast-could-see-over-300-billion-in-new-investments/

When it comes to the petrochemical industry and refining, the outlook for energy manufacturing (as well as LNG exports) is tied to the global economy. According to the Gulf Coast Energy Outlook for 2020, there could be “considerable headwinds” that would push against capacity investments that have been made during the past several years and new capital investments over the next three years.

10        Fitch Solutions Slashes Oil Price Forecast
https://www.rigzone.com/news/fitch_solutions_slashes_oil_price_forecast-06-feb-2020-161011-article/
Fitch Solutions Macro Research (FSMR) has revised down its Brent oil price forecast for 2020, a new report by the company has revealed.

FSMR now sees Brent averaging $62 per barrel this year, which marks a $3 drop compared to its  previous forecast in January.

11        Coronavirus set to slash Chinese LNG demand but US LNG tariff lift could save the day
https://www.rystadenergy.com/newsevents/news/press-releases/coronavirus-set-to-slash-chinese-lng-demand-but-us-lng-tariff-lift-could-save-the-day/

The unseasonably warm weather in the northern hemisphere has undercut liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand and, combined with the steady rise of global supply levels, has resulted in record-low prices. Adding insult to injury, the coronavirus epidemic in China has reduced business and industrial activity, with January’s LNG imports dropping by about 10% year on year.

12        Total rejects Chinese LNG buyer’s force majeure notice
https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/07022020/total-rejects-chinese-lng-buyers-force-majeure-notice/

Multiple Chinese LNG buyers have begun issuing force majeure notices in response to the coronavirus epidemic, which, coupled with a mild winter, has slowed down demand for LNG and oil spot imports to the country. LNG spot cargoes are currently priced at less than half the price being paid for long-term contracts in the region.

13        The End Of The Oil Price Boom And Bust Cycle
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-End-Of-The-Oil-Price-Boom-And-Bust-Cycle.html
Something strange is happening in the oil world. A string of events and developments that should have pushed prices much closer to three-digit territory has, in fact, had only a transient effect on the benchmarks.

Could this trend suggest that the boom-bust cycle the oil industry has been following since its inception may be over?

14        Canada oil sands players target smaller, cheaper expansions
https://www.rystadenergy.com/newsevents/news/newsletters/EandP/Bit_by_bitumen_Canada_oil_sands_players_target_smaller_cheaper_expansions/

15        Suncor posts $2.3B loss, writes down oil sands and offshore assets
https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/operations/suncor-posts-2-3b-loss-writes-down-oil-sands-and-offshore-assets-246520/

Suncor Energy Inc. is reporting a net loss of $2.3 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019 due mainly to asset impairment charges of $3.3 billion.

16        Suncor focuses on low-cost oilsands expansions
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/suncor-oilsands-montreal-refinery-1.5454582
Suncor Energy Inc.’s on-again, off-again plan to add a coker unit to its Montreal refinery to allow it to process heavier barrels of oil, including oilsands bitumen, is off the table as it shuffles its spending priorities.

17        UAE finds 80 tcf gas field, the world’s biggest since 2005
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/2/6/uae-finds-80-tcf-gas-field-the-world-s-biggest-since-2005
Dubai and Abu Dhabi made what could be the world’s largest natural gas discovery since 2005 as the two biggest sheikhdoms in the United Arab Emirates aim to push the country to energy self-sufficiency.

18        EIA launches redesigned International Energy Portal
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42695
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has redesigned its International Energy Portal to streamline navigation, simplify data presentation, and implement responsive design use. EIA based many of the redesigned aspects on customer feedback about the earlier beta release of the portal.