Argus Media

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Methanol Market Puts-and-Takes podcast, part of the Chemical Conversations series.

In this episode, Senior Analyst Cassidy Staggers talks with Dave McCaskill, Argus VP of Methanol and Derivatives and Becky Zhang, Argus lead methanol consultant on:

• Argus Methanol & Ammonia Conference recap
• Pricing trends, supply constraints, and trade flow adjustments in Asia/China
• Outlook for Atlantic Basin considering ongoing political tensions in the Middle East

Argus offers methanol prices, news, analysis, forecasts, and consulting. Get more information and request a free trial. 

As renewable generation continues to expand and extreme weather phenomena become more frequent, managing weather risk is becoming increasingly important for energy companies. Conventional hedging strategies can help manage price exposure, but they do not always address the financial impact of unexpected weather patterns on demand, generation or trading positions.

As a result, weather derivatives are gaining greater attention. In this episode, Argus European Electricity Editor Helen Senior and Deputy Editor Apostolos Tsarikas talk with Pierre Buisson, Senior Weather and Energy Structurer, and Theresa Kammel, Weather Trader and Originator at Munich Re, to discuss how these products work and where the market is headed.

Listen to discover key insights on:

• How are weather derivatives used to manage and hedge weather risk?
• Who are the biggest market players and which products are the most liquid?
• How is the market expected to evolve in the coming years?

This podcast was created using data and insights from the Argus European Electricity service

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In this week's Strait Talk: Thin Diesel, Argus experts examine how the market has changed following the Houthi maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping and attacks on key refining infrastructure. Product exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have fallen sharply, while fresh warnings to shipowners and repeated attacks on the Jizan refinery have increased uncertainty for fuel exporters and buyers alike.

As biocarbon production scales up and international trade expands, transport regulations are emerging as one of the industry's biggest challenges.

In this episode of Biomass Beat, Hannah Adler, Deputy Editor of Biomass, speaks with Captain Bulut Kartal, General Manager at Control Union North America, to discuss why the lack of a dedicated International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC) schedule is creating uncertainty across the supply chain and what regulators are doing to address it.

Tune in for insights on:

• The difference between the IMDG (International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code) and IMSBC Codes, and why it matters for bulk biocarbon shipments.
• How new IMO transport requirements are impacting producers, traders, and shipowners.
• Why regulators focus on a material's properties rather than whether it's called biochar, biocarbon, biocoal or torrefied biomass.
• What a future regulatory framework for biocarbon could look like, and the key milestones the industry should watch.

Argus offers biomass prices, news, analysis, and consulting. 

Get more information and request a free trial. 

Geopolitical conflict and Middle Eastern supply disruption are increasing the value of larger, more flexible LPG and ethane inventories in China. In this episode of Global LPG Conversations, Matt Scotland (Editor, LPG World) speaks with Celia Chen (Lead LPG Analyst) about how growing supply concerns are reshaping storage investment decisions.

Listen to discover:

• Why China is adding more than 700,000t of LPG and ethane storage
• How trade tensions are reshaping butane and ethane infrastructure
• The growing role of storage in strengthening supply security
• Why tight propane availability could limit strategic stockbuilding

The discussion draws on the Global LPG Storage Survey, available to LPG World subscribers through Argus Direct. Explore the survey data for detailed information on LPG and ethane storage capacity, infrastructure developments and major projects across China, the wider Asia-Pacific region, and the rest of the world. 

What’s driving record diesel prices and unexpectedly tight gasoline markets in Europe? Join George Maher-Bonnett (Deputy Editor, Argus European Products), Josh Michalowski (Diesel Reporter) and Atishya Nayak (Senior Gasoline Reporter) as they examine the supply disruptions, shifting trade flows and changing demand patterns reshaping Europe’s road fuels markets. 

In this episode, our experts discuss how geopolitical tensions, low inventories, refinery maintenance and seasonal demand trends are keeping diesel and gasoline markets unusually tight, and what market participants should watch as Europe heads into winter. 

Listen to discover:

• Why diesel and gasoline markets remain under pressure
• The key supply and demand drivers behind recent price strength
• How changing trade flows are impacting fuel availability across Europe

What the outlook is for road fuels markets in the months ahead

In this episode, Guo Harn Hong (Argus Global Lead for Base Oils) is joined by Chu Ren Tan (Senior Base Oils Analyst), Li Li Chng (Associate Editor, Base Oils), Tara Tang (Associate Editor, Base Oils & Waxes) and Victor Hu (Senior Analyst) to discuss how geopolitical tensions, logistical disruptions and shifting trade flows continue to reshape Asia-Pacific base oils markets. While new capacity additions across the region have eased some supply pressures, the lubricant supply chain remains under strain as refiners optimise output streams and downstream blending economics evolve.

 

The discussion explores the impact of changing crude and base oil trade flows, refinery strategies affecting product availability, and the opportunities emerging for market participants amid ongoing disruption.

 

Key themes:

• Geopolitical tensions and logistical challenges reshaping crude and base oil trade flows
• New Asia-Pacific capacity easing supply constraints, but not fully resolving market disruption
• Refinery optimisation and its impact on base oil production and lubricant supply chains
• Emerging trade opportunities amid shifting regional market dynamics

In this week's Strait Talk, Argus experts examine a series of developments that could reshape energy markets, from reported peace talks between US representatives and Iran to signs that Saudi Arabia may soon restart crude shipments through its critical East-West pipeline.

As compras de fertilizantes para a segunda safra de milho 2026-27 do Brasil se aceleraram, mas preços acima do esperado pelos agricultores e a ampla janela de compras mantêm as importações de nitrogênio abaixo do nível do ano anterior.  Acompanhe a conversa entre Renata Cardarelli e Gisele Augusto, que produzem o relatório Argus Brasil Grãos e Fertilizantes.

 

Os tópicos discutidos neste episódio incluem:

 

• Parcela das necessidades já supridas de fertilizantes para a safrinha 

• Queda de preços cria oportunidade de compra

• Guerra no Oriente Média e restrições da China às exportações 

• Preferência por sulfato de amônio

• El Niño e limitações no crédito agrícola: 

• Perspectiva e reposição de estoques

Purchases of fertilizers for Brazil's 2026-27 second corn crop have accelerated, but prices remain higher than farmers expected and the extended purchasing window is keeping nitrogen imports below last year's levels. Listen to the discussion between Renata Cardarelli and Gisele Augusto, who produce the Argus Brazil Grains and Fertilizersreport.

Topics covered in this episode include:

 

• The share of fertilizer requirements already secured for the second corn crop

• Lower prices creating buying opportunities

• The Middle East conflict and China's export restrictions

• Preference for ammonium sulfate

• El Niño and agricultural credit constraints

• Market outlook and inventory replenishment strategy