With the Israel-Iran conflict escalating and expanding into Qatar earlier this week, we wanted to briefly update our thoughts on the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market and how it could affect global natural gas prices.

As of 2024, Qatar was the world’s third-largest LNG producer by capacity, behind only the US and Australia. Currently, its annual production capacity hovers near 77 mn tonnes/annum (mtpa), but is set to grow to 110 mtpa due to various expansion projects in its northern gas field. Most of its LNG shipments go to Asia, having set many long-term offtake agreements with top importers in the region. (LiveSquawk – Continue Reading)

The US-led military alliance is scaling up defences on its eastern flank, top leadership announced on Friday, after allied planes shot down an unprecedented incursion of Russian drones in Polish airspace earlier in the week.

Regarding the size and scope of the deployment, Eastern Sentry “is going to cover the entire eastern flank of the alliance, from the high north to the Mediterranean Sea,” said Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Alexus G. Grynkewich, who is in charge of organising the defence of the Alliance.

The “order to start went down as this press conference began” at 17:00 on Friday (CEST), Grynkewich said. Deployment will start in “the coming days”, Rutte said. (Euractiv - Continue Reading)

BlackRock Inc. executive Rick Rieder is rising up the list of contenders to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve after Jerome Powell’s term expires in May, according to an administration official.

In a wide-ranging interview that lasted for two hours on Friday in New York, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rieder discussed monetary policy, the Fed’s organizational structure and regulatory policy, the person said, who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. (Bloomberg – Continue Reading)

Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank expect the U.S. Federal Reserve to deliver interest rate cuts at all its three meetings this year, following data this week showing more modest inflation pressures.

The two brokerages in separate notes said on Friday they now expect the Fed to cut rates by 25 basis points at each of its remaining meetings in September, October and December.

The firms previously forecast one 25-basis-point cut each in September and December. (Reuters – Continue Reading)

An appeals court asked for written arguments over the weekend in President Donald Trump’s effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook before the Fed’s upcoming vote on interest rates, suggesting a decision as soon as Sunday evening.

The Justice Department asked a three-judge panel in Washington on Thursday to grant a so-called stay order that would allow Trump’s firing of Cook to take effect while the case proceeds. (Bloomberg – Continue Reading)

The Congressional Budget Office now expects higher inflation and unemployment this year and slower economic growth, after taking into account President Donald Trump’s tax law, tariffs and lower net immigration.

The nonpartisan CBO’s economic projections released Friday showed the economy will expand 1.4% in 2025, down from a January estimate of 1.9%. Inflation will pick up to 3.1%, nearly a full percentage point higher than the prior estimate, based on the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge. (Bloomberg – Continue Reading)