In these papers, Platts' specialists take an in-depth look at various issues affecting the energy, petrochemical & metals industries; highlighting current trends, looking at what price history can tell us and drawing attention to things in the future that will be important for market participants.
New Crudes, New Markets
Published February 2012
The US crude oil market is on the verge of enormous change. Extensive exploration and production activity in new various crude oil shale plays such as Eagle Ford and Bakken promise to boost domestic crude output for these new light sweet crudes. Substantial pipeline development projects such as the Seaway Reversal Project and the "on-hold" Keystone XL project, wwhen completed, could open new markets for previously landlocked grades such as WTI and Western Canadian Select in the US Gulf Coast – the focal point of refining capacity and waterborne crude imports in the Americas. A paradigm shift is on the horizon, which includes the possibility of the US becoming a net exporter of condensates and will decrease substantially light crude imports into the US Gulf Coast. These structural shifts in the market will likely unseat the dominance of WTI in Cushing, Oklahoma as the singular benchmark for Americas crude in the next two to three years. This paper reviews the production forecasts and infrastructure projects in store for both the Bakken Formation and Eagle Ford, and delves into how these new crudes and potential new markets thanks to infrastructure developments could shift the ground for the Americas crude market and beyond.
The aluminum alloy market – strong but beset with uncertainty
Published Winter 2011/2012
Prices for major secondary aluminum grades in Asia, Europe and North America surged at the beginning of the third quarter of 2011 as the global automotive industry recovered from the devastating Japanese natural disasters in March. As a major consumer of secondary aluminium alloys this industry is especially vulnerable to the economic saga of Europe and North America. This report examines in detail activity throughout the sector and beyond and helps bring focus to the outlook of Q1 2012.
These are a series of deep-dive discussion papers examining current price-discovery issues in the market place. These are typically issues Platts is tracking in detail and may be consulting with the market on in advance of making changes to existing methodologies or launching new assessments. These are of interest to all those affected by price-discovery methodology and process in the energy, petrochemical and metals markets.
Dated Brent: The Pricing Benchmark for Asia-Pacific Sweet Crude Oil
Published May 2011
The Dated Brent benchmark has taken on an increasingly significant role in the determination of oil prices in the entire Asia-Pacific region. This paper examines and explains the reasons for this ongoing and accelerating trend.
Major Findings in US Markets Following the 3.15pm ET Alignment
Published April 2011
On June 1, 2009, Platts made a major change to its Americas oil assessment processes, aligning all price inputs to 3:15 pm Eastern Time. This report details the impact of the alignment, proving that the revised methodology has resulted in several key benefits.
These papers are written by industry commentators and consultants and cover a series of topics that are of interest to people across all energy & commodity markets. They delve into topics as diverse as enhancing transparency and disclosure strategies for energy hedging.
A look forward - Understanding Forward Curves In Energy Markets
Published February 2011
This paper explores several types of forward curves used by market participants, differences between market-based curves and settlement-derived curves, and tools available to energy companies for modeling forward prices.
Hedge Strategy - Enhancing Transparency and Disclosure Strategies for Energy Hedging Programs
In this section, you will find papers written by Platts’ customers who are sharing best practices on the use of Platts’ news and information. These educational papers help inform existing or new market participants on how similar companies use information to help shape their decision making.
Independent Price Assessment Data Helps Iron Ore Newcomer, Bahia Mineracao, Mine for Competitive Intelligence
Published October 2010
Despite a floundering global economy, demand for iron ore has continued to increase over the last few years. In this case study, we see how Bahia Mineração, a relative newcomer to the iron ore industry, prepares for the future using a new market-oriented pricing methodology. The benefit comes from negotiating prices more frequently based on a published index, creating transparency and contracts that reflect true market value.