Power Up: Trump Take Two
Power Up is published on Mondays and Thursdays. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also subscribe here.
Nov 7 -By Clyde Russell
Asia Commodities and Energy Columnist
Welcome to Power Up! Donald Trump’s return to the White House is certain to shake up the world of energy and commodities. His victory in Tuesday’s U.S. presidential race will usher in a range of policies, which will impact areas such as renewable energy, climate change and oil and gas production. The price response of commodities to Trump’s triumph was generally downbeat, especially for industrial metals exposed to the threat of a global tariff war. More on the implications of Trump’s second term below…
Trump To Slow Energy Transition
It’s no secret that Trump is a fan of fossil fuels, dismissive of climate change and sceptical of the energy transition. The question is what will he do after he is sworn in as U.S. president for a second term in January next year.
There is little doubt that he will put a focus on easing regulations for the oil and gas sector, with the aim of maximising output. Whether U.S. energy companies will play ball and lift volumes in order to weaken prices remains to be seen, especially since the world’s top oil producer is already pumping at record volumes.
Of more interest is the Republican’s policies towards renewable energy and climate change. Investor fears of a shift away from the energy transition sent clean-energy stocks tumbling on Wednesday, but there may be reasons to think Trump’s influence will be more limited.
A Biden-era law providing a decade of lucrative subsidies for new solar, wind and other clean-energy projects would be near-impossible to repeal, however, thanks to support from Republican states, while other levers available to the next president would only have marginal impact, analysts say.
"I don't think a Trump president can slow the transition," said Ed Hirs, energy fellow at the University of Houston. "This is well under way."
Perhaps of more concern is the potential impact on commodities if Trump follows through on his plan to impose tariffs of 10-20% on all imports into the United States, and up to 60% on those from China. This would likely have a chilling effect on global trade, cutting world economic growth and raising inflation. It would also disrupt trade flows and likely result in tit-for-tat retaliations. It is therefore little surprise that the initial reaction of commodities to Trump’s victory was downcast, in stark contrast to the rally to record highs in U.S. equities, with investors there focused on the potential positive impact of lower taxes.
Essential Reading
Brazil is set to import nearly 900,000 metric tons of thermal coal this month, the highest monthly tally on record and three times the monthly average for 2024 so far. The coal binge comes as an enduring drought slashes hydropower output to three-year lows just as the country heads into the hottest months of the year when electricity demand peaks.
The European Union's likely new energy commissioner, Dan Jorgensen, wants to accelerate the end of the bloc's dependence on Russian fossil fuels, he told a parliamentary hearing. EuropeanCommission President Ursula von der Leyen wants Jorgensen to lower energy prices to try to restore Europe's industrial competitiveness, decarbonise the economy and end the bloc's remaining Russian energy imports.
China will continue to have an important role in global oil demand because of its focus on petrochemicals even as fuel consumption in its road transportation sector peaks amid the energy transition, according to Vitol's global head of research.
Exxon Mobil now expects a final investment decision for its Rovuma liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique in 2026, the company said on Wednesday, pushing back the financial go-ahead by roughly a quarter. The company said it was making progress on the project, despite the ongoing force majeure and expects first LNG by 2030.
The Japanese and Polish governments will on Thursday sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in nuclear energy, Poland's industry ministry said. The deal includes using technologies from Japanese companies such as Hitachi and IHI for building the first nuclear power plant in Poland.
We hope you're enjoying the Power Up newsletter. We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. You can reach us at powerup@thomsonreuters.com
Editing by Marguerita Choy
Berita Terbaru
Pengungkapan: Entitas XM Group menyediakan layanan khusus eksekusi dan akses ke Fasilitas Trading Online kami, yang memungkinkan Anda untuk melihat dan/atau menggunakan konten yang tersedia pada atau melalui situs, yang tidak untuk mengubah atau memperluas, serta tidak mengubah atau memperluas hal tersebut. Akses dan penggunaan ini selalu sesuai dengan: (i) Syarat dan Ketentuan; (ii) Peringatan Risiko; dan (iii) Pengungkapan Penuh. Oleh karena itu, konten disediakan hanya sebagai informasi umum. Anda juga harus ketahui bahwa konten Fasilitas Trading Online kami bukan sebagai ajakan atau tawaran untuk untuk melakukan transaksi apa pun di pasar finansial. Trading di pasar finansial mana pun melibatkan tingkat risiko yang signifikan pada modal Anda.
Semua materi yang diterbitkan di Fasilitas Trading Online kami hanya untuk tujuan edukasi/informasi dan tidak boleh mengandung nasihat dan rekomendasi finansial, pajak investasi atau trading, catatan harga trading kami, penawaran, permintaan, transaksi dalam instrumen finansial apa pun atau promo finansial untuk Anda yang tidak diminta.
Konten pihak ketiga apa pun, serta konten yang disiapkan oleh XM, seperti opini, berita, riset, analisis, harga, informasi lain atau link ke situs pihak ketiga yang tersedia "sebagaimana adanya", sebagai komentar pasar umum dan bukan menjadi nasihat investasi. Sejauh konten apa pun ditafsirkan sebagai penelitian investasi, Anda harus memperhatikan dan menerima bahwa konten tersebut tidak dimaksudkan dan belum disiapkan sesuai dengan persyaratan hukum yang dirancang untuk mempromosikan kemandirian riset investasi dan dengan demikian akan dianggap sebagai komunikasi pemasaran di bawah hukum dan peraturan yang relevan. Mohon dipastikan bahwa Anda telah membaca dan memahami Notifikasi pada Riset Investasi Non-Independen dan Peringatan Risiko kami mengenai informasi di atas, yang dapat diakses disini.
