In this episode, we are diving into the Japanese power market, which by virtue of its size, generation mix and recent liberalization, is fast becoming one of the most active power markets in the world, attracting a host of domestic and international energy merchants. What is the regulation that underpins the market? How does it function and who are the participants? Who is, and where do you get, the talent to build such a capability. Our guest is Xavier Veillard, Partner at Mckinsey, heading...

Western Governments have enacted a slew of policies to support energy security and its transition to a greener future. These policies can radically shift the economic landscape for the commodity sector participants. However, the reality of implementing these policies, from the power lines needed to the mines for critical metals, requires navigating byzantine levels of planning and approval. What does this mean for the West’s ability to compete in the energy transition. What does this mean for...

In this special episode, Bill Read, CEO of Enco Insights returns to update us on the key trends the business is seeing in the energy and resources sector and how this business is going as it reaches the six month mark. Enco Insights is a global expert network dedicated to the energy & resource sector, providing clients with access to experts from across the sector for short term engagements. As a sister company of HC Group it leverages 20 years worth of connections and expertise in the...

In this episode, to celebrate 200 episodes and a name change, our host Paul Chapman reflects on the podcast, its goals and development and the back catalogue. A body of work, still highly relevant, that has traced the trends, participants and individual commodities (some old and some new), through one of the most interesting periods in the sector’s long history.

Trade finance is the lifeblood of the commodity sector. Liquidity shrank throughout the last decade in the wake of regulatory changes. Now deglobalization and sanctions, environmental pressures and volatility threaten this key resource. How have the banks responded and what of alternative providers? What does this mean for commodity traders and the markets themselves? Kristofer is the founder of Kimura, an asset management business dedicated to the commodities sector, with a central focus on...

In this episode, we do a deep dive into the dry freight market and how bulk commodities are shipped around the world and by whom. As the commodities markets themselves become more efficient, freight markets are starting to represent one of the biggest sources of risk and opportunity available to traders and charterers. This, in turn, is driving convergence between the traditional separation between ship owners, charterers and the traders. What is the structure of the market for dry freight?...

On April 16th, we hosted a live podcast event in Geneva to celebrate the launch of our office there, sponsored by Artis Works and Allasso to discuss the past, current and future status of Switzerland as a commodities trading hub. Why and how did Switzerland become the key commodities trading hub in Europe? What are the key components of a thriving ecosystem? How have sanctions and the rise of the UAE threatened this? And what does the future hold with the energy transition and digitization....

In this episode, Ariel Perez, Head of Environmental Products at Hartree Partners, returns to update us on the state of the carbon markets over the last two years in a more inflationary and unstable world? Global commodity leaders are calling for a price for carbon – are we any closer? How have compliance markets fared in the energy crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Have compliance markets expanded globally? How have voluntary markets fared? What were the key outcomes from COP28 and...

In this bonus episode, I give my views on the key takeaways from this year's FT Commodities Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland. This annual gathering of the top executives and thinkers in commodities is one of the key opportunities to take the pulse of the sector and hear from its leading thinkers. This is my take on what was top of mind.

In this episode we discuss the impact of AI on the future of commodities trading . What does it mean for forecasting? What does it mean for the commodity trading platform of the future? What are the nascent tools today and how might they develop? What does it mean data, costs and talent? Our guest is Felipe Elink Schuurman, CEO & Founder of Sparta Commodities, an intelligence and forecasting company for the commodities sector.

The US Dollar has been the world’s global reserve currency since the Second World War, underpinning global trade and US dominance. However, as our guest argues, its use as a global policy tool such as in sanctions, increasing geopolitical competition and political instability at home is threatening its status. Various countries and blocs are attempting to circumvent dollar trades. Yet, perhaps, the dollar’s biggest threat comes from blockchain and especially Bitcoin. What does that mean for...

In this bonus episode, Anton Posner, CEO of Mercury Resources joins us to discuss the impact of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse on March 26 on the commodities markets in the domestic US and globally. The Port of Baltimore is a major commodities hub - especially for coal and metal. What does that mean for logistics and markets?

In this episode we address that very special commodity Uranium, crucial to the energy and defense industry alike. Nuclear’s role is the energy transition is increasingly recognized. But where will the needed Uranium come from in a more fragmented world? How is Uranium mined, processed and delivered to the nuclear energy plants. Where is it produced and who controls the supply chain? How is Uranium traded? How has the market fared and what does the future hold. Our guest is John Cash, CEO of...

In this episode, Ilia Bouchouev joins to discuss his new book, ‘Virtual Barrels: Quantitative Trading in the Oil Markets”. What are virtual barrels? How has oil trading been fundamentally changed due to them? What has that meant for flat price, participants and trading strategies? The book is a comprehensive exploration of quantitative trading in the markets and introduces innovative approaches to pricing oil options and advances the theory of storage. Ilia is the Managing Partner at...

At the core of commodity trading is forecasting. The last decade of low prices and low volatility has transformed into a market of high volatility and higher prices. How has that changed the nature of forecasting? What does it mean for tools, models and skillsets. And are markets still forecastable? Our guest is Matteo Mazzoni, Director of Energy Analytics at ICIS, an independent commodity intelligence service that provides data analytics in energy and chemicals.

On Tuesday 27th February, HC Group and bp hosted a breakfast and networking event for women in the trading and origination community. The highlight of the morning was a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring industry leaders Carol Howle, EVP Trading & Shipping at bp and Alice Acuña, EVP Trading at CEPSA. Moderated by Laura Berger, Portfolio Director, Liquid Fuels & Chemicals at HC Group, the panel delved into strategies for fostering greater diversity and inclusion within...

In lieu, of our standard episode being released on Friday for International Women's Day we are rereleasing one of our historical episodes with Daniel Yergin, first aired in May 2021. Hydrocarbons have been a key driver of geopolitics and globalization over the past century. Even in the past decade, we have seen how US shale production and China’s energy security policies have dramatically changed the world. Now, peak demand and the energy transition is set to upend decades of global policy...

Why is it crucial to the energy transition that critical minerals that underpin it develop traded markets? What will it take to get there? And what are the challenges that this future faces - from uncertain policies, to supply chains and geopolitics? On February 22, in London, Benchmark Minerals Intelligence hosted the HC Insider Podcast in front of a live audience to discuss these questions. Our panellists were Guy Winter, Partner at Fasken, Jessica Fung, Head Strategist at Pala Investments,...

Sand has transformed modern civilization. It is the ubiquitous commodity; in our infrastructure, in our industry and even in our personal care products. Yet due to its characteristics, the supply chain is fragmented, disastrous for our environment and often corrupt. And by a tragic quirk of geometry, desert sand is unusable meaning we wreck our riverbeds and oceans to acquire it. In this episode, author and journalist Vince Beiser joins us to discuss sand and its role in the modern world....

CEO of Edge Petrol, Gideon Carroll joins us to discuss the UK's Pumpwatch Scheme proposed by the government. What is in it? And what will the impact be on consumers, fuel retailers and wholesalers?

In this episode, we return to critical metals and how their fortunes are affected by the energy transition, technology and geopolitics. To tell that story we are focusing on three in particular: Neodymium, Gallium & Hafnium. Each has a key role in the modern world with demand set to grow but with challenges markets and policy makers are grappling with. Our guest is Ellie Saklatvala, Head of Non-Ferrous Pricing at Argus Media, the leading independent pricing agency.

The energy transition requires the mobilization of vast amounts of capital. It affords huge opportunity but also risks. The technological pathways, policy support and geopolitics are uncertain and volatile. How can these risks be managed? And opportunities be captured? In this episode, we go into the world of private equity and the thinking and strategies needed to participate in the most profound economic restructuring in modern times. Our guest is John Skrinar, partner at Cresta Fund...

Information has always been the lifeblood of commodities trading. Today, the sources of data that provides the information and insight have grown exponentially - as has its value. So much so that companies are viewing data as a strategic asset, transforming how they value, collect, manage, and protect it. And once that mindset is in place, it can be transformative. To understand more about this key insight and journey, we are joined by Jason Vogt, Managing Director of Cargill Data Asset...

In this episode, Doomberg joins us to discuss their most recent analysis and controversial views of the oil and commodities markets. Why Peak Oil is unlikely to happen and oil will remain cheap and abundant. How US oil production has changed the energy map and the in turn its role in global security – a gap which China is planning to fill. And how China’s grip on critical minerals for the energy transition is tightening at the expense of its environment – “Geopollutical Warfare”. Doomberg...

Singapore has been a leading commodities trading hub for decades. Its strategic location, strong governance and connectivity have spurred the growth of a rich ecosystem of global trading firms in the city-state. How is Singapore navigating the changing world of commodities? Amidst deglobalization, digitalization and the energy transition, how is Singapore staying relevant and keeping ahead of the curve? And how does this impact its long-term strategy and talent development plans? Our guest is...