This week, the Americas container market could see bullishness heading into the new month, as carriers work toward a General Rate Increase on ex-Asian containers into North and South America. The increase is expected to succeed in South America, but sources doubt that North American container rates will follow, due to tepid demand.

Traders will be watching natural gas flows to Freeport LNG for signs the Texas export facility is coming back on stream after its liquefaction Train 3 tripped offline last week for the second time in two weeks. The Freeport operator is working to complete major work after a January outage, and reduced output has been bullish for global LNG prices but has pressured NYMEX US gas futures.

The ethanol industry is awaiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s update to the GREET model that will give tax credit eligibility for corn ethanol-based sustainable aviation fuel. After delays, the EPA is expected to provide official guidance sometime in May.

Also in agriculture, New York, Colombia and the Dominican Republic have become the first political entities to restrict imports of dairy cattle from US states with confirmed bird flu cases. If other states or countries follow suit this week, US beef supply should start to pile up, leading to steeply discounted prices.

Twenty-four power companies across North America plan to release first-quarter earnings this week, with a milder to normal first quarter expected. Companies may report hedging positions for the coming summer season, forecast to be one of the 10 hottest on record.

I’m George Grandi. Thanks for kicking off your Monday with S&P Global Commodity Insights.