The Great Rotation: With the invastion of Ukraine, VVP decided to use gas as a weapon & cut pipeline flows into Europe.
In return, Europe maxed out LNG terminal capacities & contracted every available free LNG cargo globally to compensate the collapse of Russian flows.
2/n
Europe was able to attract LNG by being the best business globally.
How? By offering the highest prices. A cargo owner such as Trafigura or Total which bought LNG at Cheniere in US for $4.1/MMBtu + $3 gasification fee in Jan 2022 booked a pre-shipping profit of $21/MMBtu.
3/n
It however gets more complicated.
First, as with for all commodities, natural gas prices have the function to match demand and supply daily to accomodate the commodity's specific logistics as natgas can only be consumed or stored.
That means that Europe's LNG import terminal buyers are free to discount a cargo owner's price to TTF, Europe's gas hub price.
They must: storages in the UK, ESP, FRA or ITA (major regasification hubs) are now 100%, 93%, 99% & 95%-filled, respectively.
5/n ESP %-filled
Here is one (of many) mismatches of European gas infrastructure from the "big rotation".
Neither the UK or ESP have enough storage to accomodate their regas terminal capacities.
In addition, ESP is pipeline export constraint into France (MidCat pipeline project pending).
6/n
Consequently, TTF/NBP are down hard (& in s-term cantongo) & LNG trades at a discount to TTF.
Means? A Nov cargo into Spain was heard trading at TTF minus $30/MMBtu. Call it a "regas terminal slot discount".
For now, the stop-loss is Far East minus shipping cost.
7/n
However, cargo owners (and TTF) know winter is around the corner. At that point Europe's consumption is 2-4x higher than now.
Hence, they prefer to float their tankers and sell into higher Dec TTF prices which are currently at $42/MMBtu (3rd bullett from left).
8/n
Consequently, LNG floating storage is going vertical (below; Mt).
9/n
This in turn removes LNG shipping capacities globally and, among others, sent LNG shipping spot rates to $375,000 per day - an all time record.
10/n
TTF $10/MMBtu lower for Oct/Nov, LNG cargo discounts of $15/MMBtu & higher shipping rates (true for East of Suez rates too) will reduce LNG flows into Europe to match storage availability.
Message: Politicians don't need a price cap. Floating prices do the work instead.
11/n
What EU politicians however need to do if they are serious about reducing prices is to create a 50-70mt LNG export capex boom.
That in turn needs l-t contracts as terminal capacity expansion needs $bn for which Qatar et al must sell cargo for 20 years to earn it back.
12/n
Sadly, l-t contracts are in conflict with European climate laws which require the industry to be net-zero by 2050.
Why would EU utilities, majors or trading houses sign l-t LNG contracts with Qatar on that basis?
India likes a "GOOD" deal - also in crude oil - and is about to teach Russia a lesson what that means.
Spoiler 1: it's not a pretty one!
Spoiler 2: China & Turkey will learn quickly..!
Let's look at the Indian-Russo crude oil bromance.
1/x Thread
Before the invasion in Feb 2022, Russia exported some 2.8mbpd (55%) of its 5.5mbpd crude to Europe by way of pipeline (Druzhba) & sea transportation (seaborne).
But not just crude oil...
2/x
Russia also sold products such as diesel or jet to Europe for a total of 1.4mbpd in petroleum product exports.
In other worlds, G7 sanctioned as introduced in Dec 2022 required 4.2+mbpd of crude & products to be re-shuffeled in globally. Big numbers!
For now, Red Sea disruptions due to Houthi attacking commercial vessels randomly remains a ton-mile story, not a crude oil story.
Within different shipping segments the picture of diverting cargo around the Suez Canal remains a Container Vessel story, to a less extent also a Product Tanker & Crude Oil tanker story.
Container Vessels owners have been the most consequent in diverting cargo.
Since Nov, the number of container vessels crossing the Suez Canal has collapsed by 80% in both directions.
2/n
Crude Oil tankers from the Middle East (Saudi Arabia; UAE; Iraq; Kuwait; Qatar or Oman) to Europe are also lower but our high frequency data does not yet show a similar collapse.
It also nicely illustrates how changing Russian crude flows (Urals diverted to India & China and away from Europe) have increased traffic through the Suez Canal - good for Egypt as Russian dark fleet vessels will or cannot seek an alternative route to ship oil from the Baltics to India.
Brazil is is an interesting microcosm to study in the oil industry.
It's a large, growing consumer of petroleum products. It's the 8th largest producer of crude oil in Dec 2023 as well as a large producer & consumer of biofuels.
Most importantly, it's energy agency reports the data in detail & timely (unlike most countries globally).
1/n
Brazil's resource wealth (mainly offshore) is well documented but it struggled for years to follow through.
Finally, it does with an exit rate of 3.9mbpd of oil production in 2023. Only the US, SA, RUS, CAD, IRQ, CN & IRN (incl condi; in this order) produced more that month. That's 50% growth since Jan 2018!
2/n
Better still, most such production growth reaches the international market. In Dec 2023, Brazil exported 1.7mbpd of crude oil - an ATH.
Remember, in oil net exports is the key number to measure.
Shall we look at the European NatGas market together?
Will Europe have to freeze this winter, after much mild weather luck last winter?
Will TTF drag coal prices up as last winter?
Thread 1/n
Our rolling forecast upfront for those of you with a little ADD:
Best-estimate today, Europe will exit the winter 23/24 in March at or around 40% storage levels (red line) which suggests TTF doesn't have to spike, ceteris paribus. Is it a bear? Neither.
Let me explain.
2/n
Natgas has unique characteristics for a commodity:
Supply is inelastic while demand is highly ELASTIC: Colder temps >> demand goes up exponentially & vice versa.
Not all demand is equal but heating buildings (HH & retail demand) is 65-70% of winter demand (Oct-Mar).
In 2023, BYD will sell some 3 million passanger cars, of which 1.5m will likely be Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) & the rest Plug-in Hybrids (PHEV). At least that is what we see coming from tracking monthly figures.
2/n Note: table incomplete due to poor company breakouts
BYD's Chairman shared somewhat bigger sales targets recently. He hopes to "double last year's sales to 3.6 million units".