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Metals Thoughts: Fed dove edition
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesThe much-anticipated Fed meeting last week was incredibly dovish. We expected a "hold" but a bit of hawkishness from the dot plots, press conference or future implications. Instead, the meeting showed little indication that this committee is in any hurry to get off the zero-rate lower bound and begin rate normalization.
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Solar energy expanding plastic application development
Don Rosato EngineeringFinancial incentives, government renewable energy targets and technology cost reductions remain the three forces driving the adoption of solar power. Photovoltaic (PV) energy devices produce electricity that requires little or no maintenance, causes no pollution and does not deplete natural resources. Let's take a look at a few new solar energy plastic application developments.
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China’s cozy ties with Venezuela complicates US oil picture
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesEarlier this month, a beaming Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced on his weekly television show "En contacto con Maduro" that he had secured a $5 billion loan from the Chinese government. This adds to the estimated $56 billion the country has loaned to Venezuela since 2007 — funds that are designed to reverse the decline in output from Venezuelan oil fields.
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Metals Thoughts: The market waits
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesWith two days until the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) answers the "will they or won't they" question, metals markets have gone quiet. According to Bloomberg, yesterday's aggregate trading volume was the lowest since Dec. 31, largely due to Rosh Hashanah, COMEX Metals Week, FOMC jitters and, of course, fashion week.
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Oil and gas workforce bears the brunt of falling crude prices
Chris Frevert Natural ResourcesSince January, almost half of oilfield service company owners have seen work volumes decrease by more than 25 percent, and nearly 60 percent are bracing for further reductions, according to a new report. We surveyed of owners and C-level executives of privately-held U.S. companies in August. The results show that over 75 percent of respondents have reduced rates by 10 percent or more, and nearly 60 percent anticipate further rate reductions as the industry attempts to counter falling oil prices.
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Solar energy market-ready materials and processing
Don Rosato EngineeringFor polymer-based organic photovoltaic (PV) cells, scientists have long believed the key to high efficiencies rested in the purity of the cell's two domains, namely acceptor and donor. To improve cell efficiency, many researchers have focused on tweaking the backbones of existing donor and acceptor materials or on designing new ones.
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Rockets and feathers: Why prices at the tank fall so slowly
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesWhile crude oil prices have been cut roughly in half since June last year, retail prices for regular and premium gasoline have not fallen by nearly as much, with an average fall of 30 percent and 20 percent in the same period, respectively. Conversely, when crude prices rocketed from 2007 onward, retailers were quick to pass on the price changes.
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Metals Thoughts: Maybe September isn’t dead
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesLast week's combination of an impressive Q2 GDP revision to 3.7 percent (from 2.3 percent) and the Fed's Jackson Hole Symposium was enough to stem the tide of "September is dead" sentiment. The probability of a September rate hike had swung from 55 percent in early August all the way down to 20 percent earlier in the week, before settling around 38 percent currently. Economists in most polls are still calling it just shy of a coin flip.
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Oil slumps below $40 per barrel: The story behind the prolonged pain
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesOn Aug. 24, U.S. benchmark light crude West Texas Intermediate (WTI) closed at $38.24 a barrel — the lowest price level since February 2009. Brent crude was trading only a few dollars higher. Revisiting global oil prices six months on from last time, I find no new narratives rocking the market.
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Solar energy trends pushing renewable energy forward
Don Rosato EngineeringMost people no longer ask whether solar energy/photovoltaics (PV) will be a success, the question is now rather which forms of PV will be successful. PV will become cost competitive with a significant portion of new total electricity generation worldwide by 2020. The total global installed PV capacity is fast approaching 100 gigawatts (GW) — up from 1.5 GW in 2000 to 92 GW at mid-year 2015.
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