Taiwan








Energy Markets

Oil & Gas

Natural Gas

Taiwan has received assurances from a'major country' about LNG supplies

Taiwan's economy minister announced on Saturday that the energy minister of a "major country" producing liquefied gas had given Taiwan assurances about supply. He was speaking in relation to the?impact of the Iran War on Middle East energy imports. Taiwan, which is a major producer of semiconductors, relied on Qatar to supply around a third its LNG prior to the conflict. It has now said that it has secured alternative supplies from countries such as Australia and the United States for the months ahead. Kung Ming Hsin, Taiwan's Economy Minister, told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan enjoys good relations with...

Oil & Gas

Oil prices jump after Russian sanctions; stocks and US yields inch up

The oil prices rose by about 5% after Washington imposed new sanctions against major Russian companies for the war in Ukraine. Major stock indexes also edged up as gains from U.S. energy stocks and European energy shares offset some disappointing earnings reports. The sanctions were announced late on Wednesday and targeted major Russian suppliers Rosneft, Lukoil. The U.S. announced it was ready to take additional action, as it urged Moscow to immediately agree to a ceasefire. Energy was the leading sector to gain on Wall Street, according to the S&P 500 index. Energy was the last sector to gain 1.2%....

Oil & Gas

Asian markets fall on possible new US trade restrictions against China

On Thursday, Asian stocks fell a second time as Wall Street was stung by disappointing earnings reports for tech giants. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions on Russia and China rekindled geopolitical fears. Oil prices surged. The broadest MSCI index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan fell 0.3% last week, while Japan’s Nikkei225 dropped 1.5%. Chinese stocks fell 0.4% in Hong Kong following reports that the White House was considering a plan aimed at curbing a range of software-powered products exported to China as retaliation against Beijing's recent round of export restrictions on rare earths. Charu Chanana is the chief investment strategist for Saxo...

Oil & Gas

Sources say that the Saudi oil exports to China will fall by about 40 million barrels to China in November.

Sources with knowledge of this matter stated on Friday that Saudi Arabia's crude exports to China will fall to 40 million barrels in November as refiners switch to cheaper spot supplies from other Middle East producers. This would be a drop from the 51 million barrels expected to be exported by the top oil exporter in October. Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company, left its official November price for its flagship Arab Light crude in Asia unchanged, despite market expectations that it would increase. This was a day after OPEC+ had agreed to a modest rise in oil production. Data...

Oil & Gas Refining

Sources say that the price of Saudi crude oil to China will fall in March, after prices reached a two-year high.

Trade sources reported on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia's crude supply to China will decline in March compared to the previous month after the kingdom raised its prices to their highest level in over two years. A tally of Saudi Aramco's allocations to Chinese refiners revealed that the company will ship around 41 million barrels in March. This is down from 43.5 million barrels in February. This is the second consecutive month that Aramco has seen its allocation to China drop. The sources stated that Sinopec, a joint venture between Aramco and the Chinese state-owned company, and Aramco’s joint venture Fujian...

Oil & Gas Exploration

Woodside Energy CEO backs $1.2 bln Tellurian deal after Q2 revenue rise

Woodside Energy CEO Meg O'Neill said issues about the success of its Driftwood melted gas (LNG) project are misplaced, as the energy company flagged higher expenses at its Scarborough project throughout second quarter results on Tuesday. A day earlier, Australia's biggest independent energy firm signed a $1.2 billion deal to purchase LNG developer Tellurian and its U.S. Gulf Coast Driftwood job in a relocate to become a worldwide LNG powerhouse. Woodside shares fell 2.1% after the news and experts from Citi and UBS questioned whether the infrastructure-like project could create returns above Woodside's 12% financial investment hurdle. O'Neill stated the...

Oil & Gas Exploration

Asia spot rates get on hot weather, Australia facility failure

Asian spot melted gas (LNG) prices increased to a sixmonth high this week on the back of cooling demand in India, greater projection temperature levels in northeast Asia and suspended production at an Australian gas center. The typical LNG rate for July shipment into north-east Asia was at $12.60 per million British thermal units ( mmBtu), its highest level because Dec. 15, market sources estimated. The August delivery cost was estimated at $12.70/ mmBtu. The strength of demand in Asia has provided some support to rates and differentials, said Lucas Schmitt, research study director on short-term LNG at Wood Mackenzie....

Natural Gas Utilities

QatarEnergy indications LNG supply deal with Taiwan's CPC

QatarEnergy signed a deal on Wednesday to provide Taiwan's stateowned oil company CPC with liquefied gas (LNG) for 27 years and giving it a stake in the Gulf state's gas growth project. The state-owned Qatari company said that it will supply CPC with 4 million tons per year (mtpa) of LNG from the North Field East, the eastern growth of the job. CPC will likewise take an equity stake because part of the job, QatarEnergy's declaration stated. The stake is the equivalent of 5% of one LNG train with capability of 8 million metric loads a year. This transfer will...

Oil & Gas Exploration

Solomon Islands chooses China-friendly Manele as new prime minister

Solomon Islands lawmakers chosen Jeremiah Manele as their new prime minister on Thursday, raising the previous foreign minister who has pledged to continue the Pacific Island country's worldwide policy that drew it closer to China. Manele won 31 votes to Opposition leader Matthew Wales' 18 votes in the 50-seat parliament, Guv General Sir David Vunagi announced outside parliament house. A nationwide election last month saw incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's federal government lose half of its seats but failed to provide a bulk to any political celebration. The federal government and opposition celebrations lobbied intensively for weeks to win assistance...

Oil & Gas

Is China stockpiling oil and other resources in case of future war?: Peter Apps

In the eastern Chinese port of Dongying, the start of 2024 has actually typically seen a number of tankers docked all at once discharging Russian crude oil into a new 31.5 million barrel storage facility finished late last year. It is, traders say, all part of a concerted and intentional Chinese effort to build up strategic stockpiles for a possibly unpredictable future. Estimates of China's total strategic energy reserve differ from 280 to 400 million barrels, the upper quantity exceeding the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve at roughly 364 million. China takes in some 14 million barrels a day of oil...

Oil & Gas

Taiwan's FPCC resumes Mailiao refinery port, restarts a crude system after quake

Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical (FPCC) has actually restarted operations at the port at its Mailiao oil refinery after closing it as a. precautionary step following an effective earthquake, a business. representative stated on Wednesday. FPCC has likewise restarted operations at an unrefined distillation. system (CDU) at Mailiao, business representative K.Y. Lin stated. There was no major influence on the refinery. One CDU tripped,. and currently resumed operation this afternoon, said Lin. The port was closed as a preventive step, and it. resumed at twelve noon, Lin added, stating that there will not be any. delivering delay due to the earthquake that...

Oil & Gas

ASML Q1 bookings miss projection, but China sales hold up

ASML, the largest supplier of devices to computer system chip makers, reported weaker than anticipated firstquarter brand-new bookings on Wednesday, Sales to China held up despite U.S.led limitations. Shares in Europe's greatest tech company, which had actually increased 34%. this year, were down 4.5% to 872.50 euros at 1240 GMT. The Dutch group is seeing a lull in demand for its the majority of. sophisticated machines, however preparing for a strong 2025 due to. need for AI and memory chips, consisting of from top consumer TSMC. of Taiwan, which makes chips for Nvidia and Apple. ASML controls the marketplace for...

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Russia searches for new markets to buy naphtha as major buyers pullback

Analyst and traders say that Russia's naphtha shipments to Asia will fall in January as U.S. sanctions force key buyers such as Taiwan, India, and Venezuela to find new markets. After Washington imposed sanctions against top Russian oil producers the buyers have become more cautious. Sellers are forced to store naphtha in foreign storage or on ships, where it can then be re-exported. Armaan Ashraf is the director of Asia oil and natural gas liquids at FGENexant. He added that this means that premiums for "legitimate barrels" of heavy full range naphtha or?discounts to Russian cargoes would widen. Russia exports...

Fossil Fuels

Asian stocks continue record rally as oil and dollar drift

The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a new high on Tuesday as oil companies and financials gained. The U.S. oil industry got a boost after the military raid that took place in the U.S. over the weekend, which captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Crude oil fell back $1 per barrel after it rose overnight as traders assessed possible impacts on crude oil flows from Venezuela. Venezuela is home to the largest oil reserves in the world. The events have had a limited impact on the risk sentiment. Equities are driven by momentum, while currencies are based on macroeconomic data. The...

Fossil Fuels

How Trump's Venezuela embargo could put Taiwan at risk

Donald Trump's decision imposing a partial Venezuelan blockade marks a dramatic increase in U.S. political pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. But it could also undermine a key U.S. goal: deterring an eventual Chinese naval encirclement. The U.S. President on Tuesday ordered a "total and complete blockade" against all sanctioned oil tanks entering or leaving Venezuela. This was a move to choke off the main source of revenue for the Maduro regime. The action immediately raised questions about its legal status under international law. Military planners in the Indo-Pacific have feared for years that China could use a blockade of...

Crude Oil

Refined Products

Refined Products

Andy Home: The drop in copper imports from China marks a change in the market's power.

The two-week Iranian ceasefire has helped to dispel some of the macroeconomic doom that had been engulfing the copper markets. But there could be an even greater problem for the copper bulls. China, which is the largest consumer of metals, has shown that it will not pay the high prices of January when the London Metal Exchange's three-month copper reached a nominal record of $14,527.50 a metric ton. According to the World Bureau of Metal Statistics which compiles trade data from customs statistics, the country's net imported of refined copper fell to 125 350 tons in February. This is the...

Refined Products

Taiwan will continue to cooperate in further restrictions on Russian Energy Imports

Taiwan's government announced on Thursday it would cooperate if "international allies", imposed further restrictions on Russian imports of energy, following criticism from a group non-governmental organizations about the island's business relationship with Russia. Taiwan, along with the United States, major Western allies, and other countries, put broad sanctions against Russia in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine, but it did not ban explicitly imports, which are a major source of hard currency for Russia. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry responded to criticism on Tuesday from a group NGOs, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, about Taiwan's continued use...

Refined Products

Sony Financial shares soar 40% on their debut market

Sony Financial shares jumped up to 40% on their Tokyo debut after being spun off from the entertainment and technology conglomerate Sony. Sony, which focuses on entertainment, distributed shares of its finance division, including banking and insurance, through dividends-in-kind to shareholders. This is the first partial spinoff in Japan to take advantage of the 2023 tax changes and the first direct listing for more than two decades. After trading for the first hour and thirteen minutes in Tokyo at 10:13 am, the shares reached 210 yen before trading at 201.6 at 10:30 am. The reference price is 150 yen. Direct...

Refined Products

Taiwan offers another $10 billion in aid to help deal with US tariffs

Taiwan's Premier proposed on Thursday another $10 billion as a budget special to help the economy cope with the impact U.S. Tariffs. Taiwan was due to receive 32% U.S. Tariffs in two weeks, but President Donald Trump suspended his "reciprocal Tariffs" for 90-days. At a press conference held in Taipei on Tuesday, Premier Cho Jung Tai said that the initial T$88.9 billion ($2.71billion) aid package will be increased up to T$410.9 billion ($12.61billion), which includes financing assistance for businesses, measures to stabilize the job market, and subsidies for electric. The special budget must be approved by the parliament. Opposition parties,...

Refined Products

South Korea hosts Alaska Governor and energy team amid talks of gas pipeline

Alaskan state officials, including the governor and energy officials, visited South Korea to discuss energy collaboration on Tuesday. This was in response to President Donald Trump's call for U.S. ally countries to join an stalled pipeline project. The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea said that the Governor Mike Dunleavy delegation included officials from the Glanfarne Group, which is a partner in a project to transport natural gas from Alaska's remote northern region via a $44-billion pipeline, and the state agency for gas. Dunleavy and South Korean Industry Minister Ahn duk-geun discussed energy issues including the Alaska LNG project and...

Refined Products

Sources say that Taiwan's CPC Corp. offers March jet fuel as a rare offer.

Three trade sources on Tuesday said that Taiwan's CPC Corp. is looking to export jet fuel in March. This would be the first time in almost three years that it has made such an offer. They added that the state-owned oil company issued a tender for a combined cargo of 150,000 to 150,000 bbls. of jetfuel or 150,000 bbls. of jetfuel and 150,000 bers. of gasoil with 10ppm of sulphur. A document that was reviewed by on Wednesday showed the cargo would be loaded between March 6-22. Sources said Tuesday that the tender will close on February 19, but it...

Refined Products

China enforces provisionary tasks on US, EU, Japan, Taiwan commercial plastics

China stated on Thursday it would use provisional responsibilities on imports of industrial plastics from the United States, European Union, Japan and Taiwan after a. monthslong antidumping investigation. The provisional anti-dumping levies on polyacetal copolymers. range from 3.8% to 74.9% depending upon the nation and business. and will commence from January 24, the Commerce Ministry stated in. a declaration. China launched the examination in May, the same week that. U.S. treked tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and the European. Union introduced a trade examination into certain Chinese steel. imports. The nine-month investigation revealed its findings days. before Donald Trump is...

Oil Refineries

Asia spot diesel discounts narrow in the middle of tightened up supply

Northeast Asian refiners sold Novemberloading ultra lowsulphur diesel at the narrowest discounts considering that the start of the year as supply has tightened due to lower regional output, trade sources said on Friday. Deals for primarily first-half November-loading 10ppm sulphur gasoil have mainly been sealed at discounts of 30-70 cents a. barrel to Singapore quotes, the narrowest given that January,. according to traders and Reuters data. Discounts for October supplies were primarily broader than $1 a. barrel. Area price have improved on the back of several. unexpected blackouts in southeast Asia given that end-September,. following the shutdown of northeast Asia...

Refined Products

Asia refining margins at lowest seasonal levels since 2020 as products grow

Asian refiners' margins plunged to their least expensive seasonal levels given that 2020 this week as materials of diesel and gas rose after peak summer season travel demand ended, market officials and experts said on Friday. Consistent weak margins might prompt refiners to trim their output, curbing crude demand in Asia, the region that contributes most to international oil need development. Asia has actually been cutting runs considering that May, 400,000-500,000. barrels per day, including China, stated Amrita Sen, founder and. director of Research study at consultancy Energy Aspects. We've already consisted of 300,000 bpd of run cuts for Q4....

Oil & Gas Refining

Worldwide gas refining margins downturn on slow summertime driving season

Oil refiners are making less money selling their fuel as demand during the peak summer season driving season has actually disappointed what they expected when much of them enhanced production. Softness in fuel markets have actually overthrown years of record revenues on selling transport fuels. In the U.S., the world's largest gas market, refiners increase sharply, expecting demand that never materialized. U.S. gasoline need was 9 million barrels daily (bpd) in the very first week of June, 1.7% below in 2015 and seasonally the lowest considering that 2021, government data showed. In Asia, weakness in the gas market has actually...

Refined Products

Taiwan's Formosa plans June run cuts owing to weak refining margins

Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical Corp, one of Asia's biggest fine-tuned items exporters, plans to cut run rates at its crude distillation units by 40,000 barrels each day (bpd) to 440,000 bpd in June, the business's spokesperson said on Wednesday. Due to weak margins, not only for gasoline however likewise for gasoil, we have to cut runs, stated spokesperson K.Y. Lin. Formosa had originally planned to process 480,000 bpd of crude this month, he stated. Last month 440,000 bpd of petroleum was processed, compared to the initial plan of 470,000 bpd, he added. The refiner has actually kept among its three naphtha...

Environment

Asian area LNG edges up as heat spurs demand

Asian area melted gas (LNG) prices increased this week to its greatest levels given that January, as heat throughout the region spurred more demand for the superchilled fuel, and as it tracked gains in European gas costs on the back of maintenance outages and lower wind output. The average LNG cost for July delivery into north-east Asia rose to $10.90 per million British thermal systems ( mmBtu), up from $10.50/ mmBtu in the previous week and its strongest levels considering that Jan. 5, market sources estimated. Asian provided rates have actually edged higher in the previous few days ... as...