On this week's S&P Global Commodity Insights' Market Movers Asia with Surabhi Sahu, Senior Editor, LNG and Energy Transition:
*COVID-19 controls may weaken China's oil products demand recovery
*Asian LNG markets are witnessing extreme price volatility
*China's thermal coal buying spree likely to continue till autumn
*India resumes sunflower oil purchases from Ukraine after a five-month hiatus
This week, oil markets will be keeping a close eye on China's COVID-19 resurgence.
Tightening COVID-19 controls threaten to weaken China's oil products demand recovery ahead of the 20th Communist Party Congress in October.
Platts Analytics has lowered China's oil demand estimate for September by 200,000 b/d from its previous estimate made a month ago.
Asian LNG markets are seeing extreme price volatility at a time Europe is mulling contingency plans to tide over the absence of Russian gas supplies this winter.
Wildcards like China's economic recovery and winter temperatures will determine if LNG prices rise further.
Firm seaborne demand from China is likely to lend support to Indonesian thermal coal export sentiment. China's buying spree is expected to continue till the onset of autumn.
In agriculture, focus will be on palm oil prices after top producer Indonesia said its export levy will resume from Nov. 1. This ends a tariff waiver implemented in July to encourage exports amid a supply glut.
Vegetable oil markets will be monitoring the resumption of India's sunflower oil buying from Ukraine after a five-month hiatus.
The first sunflower oil shipment to India sailed from Ukraine last week.
I'm Surabhi Sahuand thanks for kicking off your Monday with us at S&P Global Commodity Insights.