OPIS Talks

OPIS TALKS RENEWABLES:

California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard is entering a period of adjustment: the program’s credit bank has declined for four consecutive quarters, while renewable-fuel flows and credit values increasingly reflect competition among West Coast clean-fuel markets. With California’s vegetable-oil cap scheduled to take effect in 2028, questions about credit supply, investment signals, consumer affordability and cross-market dynamics are becoming more pressing.

Philip Sheehy, Senior Director of Global Carbon Advisory at the BGC Group, speaks with Jordan Godwin, Director of Renewable Fuels Pricing and News at Dow Jones Energy, about the LCFS credit bank, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel trends, and the policy factors shaping the market outlook.

Tune in for Sheehy’s analysis of how California’s program is evolving, what the vegetable-oil cap could mean for credit markets, and why fuel-market participants need to watch the growing connections among state programs.

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OPIS TALKS CHEMICALS:

Driven by prolonged durable goods weakness, inflexible cracker economics, and shifting interregional trade flows, the global butadiene market faces mounting structural imbalances that are pushing recovery expectations out to 2028.

In this episode of the C4 Olefins series on OPIS Talks, Mariana Santos Moreira, Thought Leadership Director, and Bill Hyde, Head of Olefins at Dow Jones Energy, explore three critical dynamics: how high vehicle financing rates and geopolitical headwinds continue to delay an automotive-led demand rebound, why US ethane crackers must aggressively discount surplus crude C4 exports to Asia to protect primary ethylene production, and how potential alternative outlets like selective hydrogenation into high-value alkylate remain stalled by corporate capital discipline.

Together, they analyze the transition of both the US and mainland China into net exporters, the resulting rationalization pressures across Northeast Asia, and what these evolving dynamics mean for petrochemical producers heading into 2027 and beyond.

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OPIS TALKS REFINED FUELS:

Buckeye Partners’ Laurel Pipeline Bidirectional Expansion is enabling refined products to move east from the U.S. Midwest to New York Harbor and other East Coast markets for the first time. With the Northeast reliant on imports and facing potential disruption from Middle East conflicts, the service could alter regional supply patterns, reduce demand for Gulf Coast and overseas barrels, and give Midwest refiners another outlet—particularly for gasoline during the winter months.

In the latest episode of ​OPIS Talks, hosted by Reagan Pritchard, lead editor for the U.S. Gulf Coast Distillates Market at Dow Jones Energy and a contributor to the Worldwide Jet Fuel Report, Frank Tang, a reporter with the Dow Jones Energy news team, discusses his interview with Buckeye’s Chief Commercial Officer Corey Leonard.

Tune in to learn more about the project, who’s using this service, and how it may affect East Coast demand for Gulf Coast products and feedstock movements.

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OPIS TALKS LPG:

El mercado de GLP en América Latina está entrando en una nueva etapa. Geopolítica, volatilidad, infraestructura y nuevas fuentes de suministro están redefiniendo cómo la región compra, transporta y consume GLP. Pero ¿qué factores realmente están moviendo el mercado y cuáles son simplemente ruido?

En este episodio de GLP en Conexión, Adrian Calcaneo, Vicepresidente de Energía y Materias Primas en OPIS, conversa con Fabricio Duarte, Director Ejecutivo de la AIGLP, para analizar las fuerzas que están transformando el mercado regional y, sobre todo, qué significan para las empresas que deben tomar decisiones de suministro, inversión y gestión de riesgo.

En este episodio analizamos:

- Geopolítica vs. fundamentos: ¿por qué Mont Belvieu se mantuvo relativamente estable incluso ante las tensiones en el estrecho de Ormuz? ¿Qué nos dice esto sobre los verdaderos fundamentos del mercado?

- Spot vs. contratos de largo plazo: el costo —y el riesgo— de depender del mercado spot y las lecciones que dejan mercados como Colombia y Perú.

- Un nuevo mapa de suministro: cómo Vaca Muerta y Guyana podrían cambiar los flujos regionales, diversificar el abastecimiento y reducir la dependencia del Golfo de Estados Unidos.

- Infraestructura y seguridad energética: el creciente papel del GLP en la generación eléctrica, la industria y las estrategias de seguridad energética de América Latina.

- Lo que viene: las señales que compradores, distribuidores, productores e inversionistas deberían observar durante los próximos meses.

Más que explicar lo que ya ocurrió, este episodio busca entender qué viene después.

Escuche GLP en Conexión para obtener una perspectiva estratégica sobre los cambios que están redefiniendo el mercado latinoamericano de GLP y las oportunidades y riesgos que podrían marcar el próximo trimestre.

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OPIS TALKS COAL, METALS & MINING:

The latest Tariff Talk episode of OPIS Talks examines how prolonged disruption in the Middle East is reaching far beyond crude and refined products, affecting the flow of helium, aluminum, sulfur, fertilizers, methanol and LNG—and raising wider questions about food costs, industrial supply chains, European power prices and the global economy. The conversation also explores the potential consequences of U.S. diesel-export restrictions, including possible effects on refining operations, trade flows, the dollar and Treasury yields, as well as the policy and regulatory uncertainty surrounding the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

Hosted by James Stevenson, the episode features Charles Dayton in a wide-ranging discussion of the commodity, financial-market and geopolitical risks that could shape the months ahead.

Tune in for an analysis of how energy-market disruption can cascade across commodities, economies and policy—and the signals market participants should be watching next.

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OPIS TALKS CHEMICALS:

Driven by geopolitical shifts, persistent energy volatility, and massive capacity additions, global acrylonitrile (ACN) markets are rapidly decoupling into isolated regional hubs.

In this episode of OPIS Talks, Mariana Santos Moreira, Thought Leadership Director, and Kevin Longworth, Executive Director for Acrylonitrile at Dow Jones Energy, explore three key dynamics: how mainland China’s rapid capacity growth has pushed Asia into severe oversupply, how US producers are navigating tariffs and domestic consolidation, and how Europe’s elevated cost structures are exposing the region to competitive downstream imports.

Together, they analyze the end of large-scale international ACN trade and what these shifting dynamics mean for producers heading into 2027 and beyond.

Have questions or feedback? Please drop us a line at [email protected].

Please help us spread the word by sharing OPIS Talks. Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

OPIS TALKS CHEMICALS:

Geopolitical instability and supply chain disruptions are accelerating structural changes in global engineering plastics, while mainland China’s aggressive coal-to-plastics push and shifting trade routes are altering resin flows worldwide. In this episode, Paula Sans Quiros, Executive Director of Engineering and Specialty Plastics, breaks down what these market dynamics mean for regional producers, trade flows, and global competitiveness.

Learn how China’s transition from top importer to net exporter is driving a bipolar market structure, why the US maintains a strong feedstock cost advantage in the Americas, and how Europe’s upcoming requirement for 25% recycled content in automotive plastics by 2032 will reshape supply chains. You’ll also find out how $3 trillion in US data center investments for AI infrastructure and the growth of hybrid vehicles are unlocking major growth opportunities for high-performance polymers.

Don't miss the opportunity to continue the conversation in person. Paula Sans Quiros will be presenting at the Global Plastic Summit in Houston, November 2–4. Register at chemicalmarketanalytics.com/gps and use promo code TPOD15 for an additional 15% discount.

Have questions or feedback? Please drop us a line at [email protected].

Please help us spread the word by sharing OPIS Talks. Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

OPIS TALKS COAL, METALS & MINING:

In this edition of Tariff Talk, James Stevenson and Charles Dayton examine the market implications of a stronger yen and a potential unwinding of the carry trade, including what changing Japanese currency dynamics could mean for commodity demand. They also assess the US government-backed oil deal in Venezuela, question the scale and recoverability of the country’s stated reserves, and consider whether Venezuela could eventually add thermal coal and high-grade iron ore supply to global markets.

The conversation then turns to record diesel prices, the challenge of passing higher transport costs through to consumers, and the risks building across European gas and winter energy markets. Tune in for a focused outlook on the financial, geopolitical and operational forces shaping commodities in the months ahead.

Have questions or feedback? Please drop us a line at [email protected].

Please help us spread the word by sharing OPIS Talks. Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

OPIS TALKS CHEMICALS:

Geopolitical instability and structural changes are driving greater volatility in the global PET market, while limited new virgin capacity and the contraction of legacy operations in North America are increasing supply chain risk. In this episode, Roberto Ribeiro, Vice President, Ethylene Oxide and Derivatives & PET, breaks down what these changes mean for regional buyers and global PET trade flows.

Learn how trade barriers and anti-dumping duties are forcing exporters to reroute supply, why companies are reassessing procurement and de-risking strategies, and how recycled materials are becoming increasingly important. You’ll also find out how emerging regulations could affect global competitiveness and what producers and buyers should expect as supply risks persist.

Don't miss the opportunity to continue the conversation in person. Roberto Ribeiro will be presenting at the Global Plastic Summit in Houston, November 2–4. Register at chemicalmarketanalytics.com/gps and use promo code TPOD15 for an additional 15% discount.

Have questions or feedback? Please drop us a line at [email protected].

Please help us spread the word by sharing OPIS Talks. Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

OPIS TALKS REFINED FUELS:

Europe entered the summer facing fears of a jet fuel shortage, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatened a major source of supply just as air travel demand was reaching its seasonal peak. But the market found a way to close the gap: European refiners increased jet fuel yields, while additional volumes from the US and Nigeria helped offset disrupted Middle East flows. The latest episode of OPIS Talks examines what this response reveals about the resilience—and continuing tightness—of Europe’s refined products market.

Reagan Pritchard, OPIS lead editor for the U.S. Gulf Coast Distillates Market, speaks with Jaime Llinares, managing editor for Europe Refined Products and editor of the Europe Jet, Diesel & Gasoil Report. They discuss the outlook for imports as the market moves into the lower-demand winter season, how European airlines’ fuel hedging strategies have limited the impact on fares and capacity, and why rising sustainable aviation fuel mandates will become increasingly important despite SAF’s current cost premium. Tune in for an expert view of the supply, pricing, airline and policy dynamics shaping European jet fuel.

Have questions or feedback? Please drop us a line at [email protected].

Please help us spread the word by sharing OPIS Talks. Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.