I feel for Truss. Crappy situation. She is using a sensible approach. Taking the correct steps if they actually take them. The freezing of the consumers heating bill, that's the goofy one. Their gas and electricity suppliers for the country have no cap, someone will pay the difference. That someone will be the citizens in higher taxes or printing of money to cause inflation or both. That's why in my last post I stated they'll be paying for this over the next 10 years. You can cap a price to everybody; however, when the rest of the market has no cap, the difference will get paid at some point.
Monday it appears there was over 1.5 Trillion in margin calls due from EU energy companies that supply power to people. EU focus is an emergency package to keep these companies in business and not filing bankruptcy.
The French should make it through this winter pretty well because they didnt decommission the nuclear power plants but the French are operating them at under capacity and cant seem to get their act together heading to winter.
Germany, this is such a sad laugh. They are screwed unless russia extends an act of mercy. Cold showers, line dried clothes, no hot water in public settings sans schools and hospitals and the list goes on. Russia supplied Germany NatGas to a point where electricity was costing them $0.04/kwh and it's now $1.00/kWh. German manufacturing can not compete now and manufacturing companies are shutting, steel, fertilizer, etc. Autos appear next in line. Nat Gas storage is somewhere between 60 to 80 percent filled. At 85% they think they can get 2.5 months use. The G7 said no Russian price caps until Dec 5th. Add 2.5 months to Dec 5th and that gets you through most of winter. That assumes the Russians are sending gas in the pipe from Sep 8th to Dec 4th...and they're not. This one is a complete disaster. Putin is going to turn the valve off sooner than later.
The European Union may become the European Separatist.
Crude....EIA report comes out today (typically Wed, but delayed due to Holiday). API yesterday showed a build. Analysts expected a draw. But, as I have been preaching, subtract the SPR release and it's a draw. Again SPR releases stop in Oct. The manipulators can trash crude all they want but come October theres no where to hide. By then I'm sure the media will explain the S&D and how the SPR releases weren't sustainable. Brandon's Administration will see that America gets it's fair share of energy crisis. WTI:XOM spread is usually +/- $2 to $3, yesterday it widened to $14. Cvx:XOM spread is approx $66. Yesterday $60. All bodes well for XOM and shows a disconnection because it's a stronger play. Dems appear set to suppress crude to the elections and gas price at the pumps will be cheap. November forward gasoline prices should rise based on crude and no SPR releases to artificially keep a lid on prices. Nat Gas supplies here in US are adequate, about 10% less than a year ago at this time. Freeport being down is backing up supply. Analysts state Freeport to be at 100% export capacity by end of Nov. NatGas coming down in price only because we cant get it out of this country and ship to EU.