Watch: Market Movers Americas, Aug. 1-5: Heat wave spreading across US boosts power, gas markets

In this week's Market Movers: Warm weather throughout the US poises to lift spot gas prices; power demand in the Northeast is forecast at near peak; and US polyvinyl chloride prices retreat further amid difficult logistics.

Starting with electricity, higher peak power demand is forecast in the US Northeast this week, with temperatures expected to rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Peakloads in New York Independent System Operator and New England Independent System Operator territory are forecast to increase during the week, flirting with projected summer highs by Thursday. New England ISO peakload is expected to reach 24 thousand 3 hundred 30 megawatts on August 4, which is just below the grid operator's typical summer peak demand forecast. New York ISO peakload is expected to reach 30 thousand 7 hundred 82 megawatts, slightly below the baseline summer peakload forecast. Power prices will likely rise along with the climbing power demand levels. This brings us to our social media question of the week: Will the Northern region's power grid see as much strain as Texas has, or is it better prepared to handle higher demand?

Turning to natural gas, the heat wave is expected to lift the power sector's demand for gas beyond the US Northeast from Monday through Thursday, with very hot weather set to envelop the Midwest, Texas, the Rockies, and the Midcontinent. With heightened cooling demand stretched across so many regions, gas supply and demand balances should tighten, triggering higher spot gas prices through at least Thursday. US gas-fired power demand set fresh records in July, with daily power-sector demand surpassing 50 billion cubic feet per day for the first time on July 21.

In petrochemicals news, US export polyvinyl chloride prices are seen dropping further as sellers increasingly lower offers to try to generate deals. However, buyers remain wary because logistics bottlenecks that have stymied US resin exports for months show no signs of easing. Buyers already have export-bound volumes of the construction staple stuck in packaging warehouses awaiting transport to ports, which has siphoned buying interest for new material. Producers have been able to fall back on strong domestic demand, but that cushion was seen eroding as rising US mortgage interest rates and recession fears slow new housing construction. Westlake and Occidental Petroleum were expected to discuss their PVC outlooks during earnings calls this week.

The Platts Atlas of Energy Transition is your map to the sustainable commodity markets of the future. You can explore the Atlas by visiting the address displayed on your screen. Thanks for kicking off your Monday with us and have a great week ahead.