Published February 2011

Platts editors provide ESPO data for the beginning of regular exports of crude to China. Exports are now around 600,000 barrels/day, marking the end of the first phase of the multi-billion dollar project. ESPO has become more widely accepted by Asian and U.S. refiners, leading to its rise in market value. Looking ahead, production and deliveries will continue growing as more fields are brought on stream.

Published June 2010

Platts editors explain the structure of global oil markets, in addition to the different types of oil and their classifications. Learn how physical oil and oil derivatives are bought and sold, with discussions of floating price deals, hedging, and selling long and short.

Published May 2010

Read about the launch of Platts’ crude oil price assessments for Russia’s ESPO (Eastern Siberian Pipeline Ocean). Included in this report are price histories of the ESPO loading program and related production and specification data.

Published March 2010

This backgrounder document answers important questions regarding Platts’ role in the pricing of crude oil and how our prices are used. We also discuss Platts’ Market-on-Close (MOC) assessment process and how MOC works in real life.

Published February 2010

ESPO (Eastern Siberian Pipeline Ocean), the new Russian crude oil which recently started to flow out of the Russian port of Kozmino, has been delivered into Asian and U.S. markets. Platts launched crude oil price assessments for Russia’s ESPO—starting with a Singapore close followed by a London close assessment—which provide transparent prices for this oil stream. The start of ESPO crude exports will be a major step for Russia’s oil export infrastructure, which has heavily focused on moving oil west toward Europe.

Published June 2009

Platts examines the notion that despite surviving one oil price spike, another looms. Insufficient investment, a forecast resumption in oil demand and rapid depletion point to a new supply crunch. In fact, the high-price paradigm governing oil commodity markets since 2002 has risen from the ashes of recession and been reinstated.

Published March 2009

Platts discusses the changing outlook for hedgers over the past two years. The report focuses on how companies are responding to this tougher environment so they may continue to effectively manage their exposure to price risk and their counterparties.

Published January 2009

An unprecedented rise in the price of diesel fuel—not speculation, geopolitics or the dollar—is dragging up the price of crude oil in its wake. Our editors explain how demand destruction, along with changes in the output mix at refineries, sent crude oil on its downward ride. Then, we take a peak under the hood of the world oil market to determine if these pressures are dissipating.

Published September 2008

Platts editors discuss China’s growing role in the global marketplace and the responsibilities this entails. Included is an in-depth discussion of China’s energy bureaucracy and the pollution bottleneck that poses a threat to the country’s healthy pace of growth.

Published February 2010

During the past two years, most of the companies paying the highest and lowest prices for spot LNG cargoes have come from India and China. With the addition of brokers, banks and a more diverse range of buyers and sellers, Platts editors discuss how the spot LNG market is seeing the start of a profound shift. Increasing liquidity and the rising number of market participants have helped increase transparency, giving the market more confidence in price levels.

Published February 2009

William Powell, Editor, International Gas Report, discusses global gas markets as they try to adapt to a new era of highly volatile oil prices, growing LNG supply and technological innovation. Powell illustrates that LNG sellers and buyers are going to have to cope with a changing landscape that can be attributed to major events in Asia.

Published October 2008

In this paper, Platts editors discuss the popularity of the LNG market resulting from new, cost-effective technologies. Despite this popularity, serious uncertainties remain: delayed LNG projects; engineering unknowns; labor shortages/rising material costs; increasing U.S. natural gas supply; and a volatile trading market.

Published May 2009

The global economic crisis has affected electricity generators worldwide, with no country suffering more than Asia. The robust, often double-digit growth in power consumption that had been the norm for almost a decade was replaced toward the end of 2008 by a sudden contraction in demand throughout much of Asia. This report touches on the 1997 Asian financial crisis and its enduring aftermath.

Published June 2010

In this special report, Platts editors explore the landscape and outlook in India for the two major polymer markets—polypropylene and polyethylene—in 2010 through 2015. The report incorporates the viewpoints of the producing sector, trading community and end-user group: OPaL, Lila Polymers and Supreme Industries.

Published May 2009

This paper discusses the challenges facing the petrochemical sector and how the overall result of the economic downturn could actually fast track the restructuring that was already in progress. Platts explains how this could result in a fitter, stronger sector ready to benefit from an upturn.