Jan 13 @ 10:55am by Matt Smith in Crude Oil, Economy, Global Energy, Natural Gas
Happy Friday 13th! And it is indeed turning out to be an unlucky day for markets, as credit downgrades to European countries have scuppered the goodwill that had been carefully constructed in the last week.
Crude had already been pressured back into double-digitdom by the likely delay to an oil embargo on Iran by the EU, while natural gas has plundered lower and lower on moderate weather outlooks, and both rampant storage surpluses and supply. But enough from me, let’s hit the treats. » read more
Jan 12 @ 10:55am by Matt Smith in Natural Gas, risk management
Recently I’ve been sounding like a broken record as I keep referencing how natural gas prices are re-enacting a certain scene from Star Wars.
It’s the one where the Millennium Falcon is being inextricably pulled towards the Death Star by a tractor beam…except in naturalgasworld™, natty is the Millennium Falcon and the Death Star is below the $3 mark. With me so far? Good, good. The analogies, however, do not end there. There is a number of themes which flow through natural gas like the force…and here are but a few. » read more
Nov 4 @ 10:56am by Matt Smith in Capital Markets, Crude Oil, Economy, Global Energy, Natural Gas
Yep, goats in a tree. Happy Friday, and welcome to another random assortment of educational and odd. Confusion reigns in relation to the European debt crisis as Greece threw a spanner (=ratchet) in the works after last week’s bailout plan had been agreed upon. This week’s bout of economic data has been decidedly mixed – good enough to inspire hope that slow economic growth will continue, but weak enough to provoke wariness and apprehension. Crude oil continues to gauge itself off general market sentiment – swaying like a reed with the news flow - while natural gas sold off after last weekend’s Northeastern snowstorm, only to see bargain-hunting coming back into the market late in the week. Before the weekend respite, let’s hit up the bites: » read more
Oct 28 @ 10:55am by Matt Smith in Capital Markets, Crude Oil, Economy, Global Energy, Natural Gas
Happy Halloween weekend, as we make it to the end of another week. General markets have surprisingly been shy of both scares and bears, as the cup of positive sentiment overfloweth after European leaders managed to defer their problems carve out a last minute agreement to halve the value of Greek debt and inflate the Euro bailout fund to €1 trillion (whoop! whoop! let’s party!). The crude complex has rallied like a banshee on hope, hope, and hope², while natural gas has seen a stronger December contract roll onto the board and run higher as the first bout of winter (hark, snow for NY) hits the US. Enjoy the weekend, enjoy the frights; but for now..burrito bites: » read more
Oct 14 @ 10:55am by Matt Smith in Crude Oil, Economy, Global Energy, Natural Gas
Where have you been?! Your dinner's on the table!
Wowee, mid-October already. Despite Halloween and the prospect of scares ahead, general markets have mustered a kangaroo-like jump higher. Crude has rallied well into double-digits in percentage terms since the lows of last week - as have equities - as economic data and hopes of containment for the Euro debt crisis (am sounding like a broken record, I know) improve. Natural gas, meanwhile, has plumbed the depths of the lows of the year, but is now seeing some support from the onset of winter temperatures on the horizon. Lots to digest – let’s hit the bitefest: » read more
