Posts Tagged ‘MENA’

1 May 18 2011 @ 10:58am by Matt Smith in Crude Oil, energy consulting, Global Energy

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered: Gasoline, Crude, Natural Gas, and Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald is absolutely brilliant. She has the most rabble-rousingly glorious voice which cannot help but inspire. So by borrowing a few song sheets from her extensive back catalogue, I’m going to elaborate on some of the key issues in energy through ‘The First Lady of Song’. First up we’re going to take a look at gasoline, which is ‘Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered’.

After writing this post a couple of months ago about how gas prices could land a telling blow to the US economy, they have achieved a psychological breaking point for the consumer as we have recently reached $3.98 on the national retail average. » read more

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0 Apr 1 2011 @ 10:53am by Matt Smith in Crude Oil, energy consulting, Global Energy, Natural Gas, risk management

Burrito bites

I bid you good day and welcome to Q2, on a day which is jam-packed with action – Nonfarm Friday, global manufacturing data, April Fool’s Day, Method Man’s 40th birthday, the list goes on…I am actually going to shy away from any kind of April Fool’s prank – not because I can’t think of a good one (of course I could, ahem), but because there are more serious matters at hand (although this bean could solve the energy crisis). Conflict in MENA continues apace without any clear sign of resolution, while Japan remains fighting the threat of nuclear disaster. Crude is up to a 30-mth high on continued uncertainty, while natty keeps running into the wall of resistance at $4.40, dusting itself off, then charging again. In celebration of Q2…c’mon, let’s chew!:   » read more

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0 Mar 14 2011 @ 7:51am by Matt Smith in Crude Oil, Global Energy, UK natural gas

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Caterwauls: Update on Global Events

As there appeared no let up in developments over the weekend (or their impact on energy markets), it made sense to collect info, links, and stats here (clients can find further analysis in today’s weekly doc) to get you up to speed on this Monday morning: » read more

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0 Mar 11 2011 @ 10:57am by Matt Smith in Biofuels, Capital Markets, Crude Oil, Economy, Global Energy, Natural Gas

Burrito bites

As we head towards the end of another week of turmoil in the Middle East, escalating violence has escalated the skittishness of crude markets. Then the so-called ‘day of rage’ in Saudi Arabia today has been overshadowed by the devastating earthquake (and tsunami) in Japan, sending crude spiraling lower. The natural gas market, on the other hand, has been rather serene in comparison, floating inbetwixt $3.80 – $4. European sovereign debt concerns have reared up once more, with Greece, Portugal and Spain playing musical chairs as to who may default next. China’s deficit gave us a sign their economy may well be slowing, but in reality, all eyes have been on Libya and the potential outfall to the worst case scenario that is Saudi Arabia…until tsunamis and earthquakes. Let’s be grateful for small mercies, and little snacks:   » read more

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2 Mar 3 2011 @ 10:58am by Matt Smith in Blog, Crude Oil, Global Energy, risk management

From Silence To A Caterwaul

As I was talking to somebody yesterday about the unrest in MENA and its potential impact on the global crude complex, I realized how completely immersed in the situation I have become. Therefore I figured it would be useful to highlight some of the more pertinent facts and figures involved, as they explain exactly why the crude complex is going ballistic at the moment. A good place to start is by taking a look at the bigger picture – literally - to see how the land lies, and where the potential dominoes may fall: » read more

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