Unlike home heating demand amid one of the mildest winters on record, industrial consumption of natural gas is holding relatively steady due to ongoing robust economic activity and energy needs in the U.S. manufacturing sector. Industrial gas demand averaged 24.0 Bcf/d over the 30-day period through last week, according to Wood Mackenzie data. That was…
Economy
Articles from Economy
Soft Natural Gas Prices Disappoint Bulls but Buoy Consumers, Tame U.S. Inflation
Weak weather-driven demand and robust production intersected this winter to depress natural gas prices, deflating market bulls. But lower heating costs contributed to falling inflation levels, saving consumers money and supporting expectations for continued economic growth in 2024. The U.S. Department of Labor said Tuesday its Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased at a rate of…
Resilient Economy and Baseline Demand Provide Floor, Upside Potential for Natural Gas Prices
Aside from a brief Arctic chill that temporarily sent heating demand soaring in mid-January, weather this winter has largely disappointed natural gas price bulls. Near-record production that kept supply well above average levels compounded matters. The March natural gas futures contract on Tuesday settled at $2.009/MMBtu, down 7.3 cents on the day. The prompt month…
Resilient Economy, Potential for Interest Rate Cuts Could Power Industrial Natural Gas Demand, Support Prices
For all the talk about weak weather-driven demand in 2023, a buoyant U.S. economy may complement mounting global energy needs and provide a key pillar of strength for natural gas markets in the form of steady industrial demand in the new year. Over much of 2023, elevated inflation and the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) aggressive interest…
Slumping Natural Gas Prices Further Curb Inflation, Even as Job Growth Endures
Producers and others along the natural gas value chain are apprehensive about the substantial shift in trading momentum this year, but the sector’s price slump is playing an outsized role in drawing down inflation and easing recession worries. The U.S. Department of Labor said Tuesday its Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased at a 3.1% rate…
Without Natural Gas, Nearshoring in Mexico Flops, Experts Say
Mexico could boom thanks to the new global economic system, and natural gas will be key, according to experts. Speaking Tuesday at the U.S.-Mexico Natural Gas Forum in San Antonio, TX, Guillermo García Alcocer who handles planning at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico (ITAM), said without greater access to natural gas, the so-called nearshoring opportunity…
U.S. E&Ps ‘Showing New Interest’ to Expand but Lending Market Said Tight
A more favorable commodities market for oil and gas prices often has led to more U.S. drilling activity, but producers into 2024 may face volatility and less-than-enthusiastic lenders, according to a new survey by Haynes and Boone LLP. The law firm’s semi-annual Borrowing Base Redeterminations Survey found that exploration and production (E&P) companies may not…
ExxonMobil Sees Global Natural Gas Demand Jumping by 20%-Plus to 2050
Natural gas use is projected to increase worldwide by more than 20% in 2050, even as solar and wind resources rise sharply, according to ExxonMobil. In the Global Outlook to 2050 published on Monday, the Houston-based integrated major said global gas consumption would continue to climb, “given its utility as a reliable and lower-emissions source…
Weaker Natural Gas Prices, Higher Borrowing Costs Push Inflation Lower
Weakened natural gas prices – following a massive run-up last summer – intersected with rising interest rates to ease inflation that had only a few months ago reached a 40-year high. Further New York Mercantile Exchange gas futures price drops early this year, owing in part to relatively benign winter weather across most of January,…
Falling Natural Gas Prices, Rising Interest Rates Tap Brakes on Inflation
Weakened natural gas prices – following a massive run-up last summer – intersected with rising interest rates to ease inflation that had only a few months ago reached a 40-year high. Further New York Mercantile Exchange gas futures price drops early this year, owing in part to relatively benign winter weather across most of January,…