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The HC Commodities Podcast
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The HC Commodities Podcast

Author: Paul Chapman, HC Group

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For related content and to find out more about HC Group, a search firm dedicated to the energy & commodities sector, visit https://www.hcgroup.global

Each day, around the world, we have fascinating one-on-one conversations with our connections in the commodities sector. Our collaborators are uniquely informed, creative and inspirational in their fields. We want to provide our community a seat alongside us, listening in to these conversations in that special way podcasting provides as we tackle topical and people related issues with the leaders and leading minds in our sector. Visit www.hcgroup.global more information on us and our services.

To connect with our host Paul Chapman, you can find him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulchapmanhc/
241 Episodes
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In the wake of the energy crisis and the demands of the energy transition, the EU has enacted a series of regulations, and considering more, in the European energy markets. These will bring changes to how power, carbon and gas markets operate and some proposals under consideration could have profound effects. What are these changes? What is the impact on how markets operate and the opportunity for participants?  And are we entering a period of re-regulation and intervention after the steady march of liberalization over the past 25 years? To discuss this and more is our guest Bart Verest, the Lead Partner at E&C Consultants, an international consultancy focused on energy procurement and markets with their headquarters in Belgium. Bart is an expert in energy markets and energy contracts. 
Metals have had an interesting year so far. Prices have been volatile along with sentiment and narratives. Trading Houses have been rapidly expanding metals trading teams and funds have piled in. In this episode, David Wilson, Senior Commodities Desk Strategist at BNP Paribas Markets 360, takes an in depth look at the reality behind these trends across copper, aluminum, nickel, gold and the battery metals in 2024 and what that may presage for 2025.
May you live in interesting times - as the proverb goes. Will those times continue? On October 16th, at the Yale Club in New York City, we held our latest Live Event hosted by ITFA with additional sponsorship from Brown Brothers Harriman, The Mercury Group, Goba Capital and HC Group. The commodities sector has seen unprecedented volatility. What has that meant for the sector’s ecosystem? How has it shaped the opportunities and risks? Is the volatility structural or ephemeral? A group of leaders from across the sector  joined our panel to discuss in front of an audience of 150 industry participants. Rob Walsh, CEO of IMI,  William Tully,Head of Business Development, BBH Commodities & Logistics, Sunil George, Head of Client Financing Solutions for the Americas at Louis Dreyfus Company, Todd Lynady, Regional Head of Financial Solutions @ WTW  and Alexandre Lacreu Chief Underwriting Officer, Coface North America moderated by podcast host Paul Chapman.
In mid -November, in Azerbaijan at COP29, momentous decisions could be made that would advance the carbon markets globally. What are they and what are the chances of that happening and what is the state of the carbon market today? Our guest is Nick Marshall, co -founder of TASC, a project developer focused on channeling funds into carbon reduction projects around the world. 
Commodities sit at the heart of global trade and as such are at the center of the rise of protectionism. After a long period of globalization and ever freer trade, there is a perceptible and growing shift back to mercantilism and protectionism. This is driven by great-power competition with the energy transition being a key driver. Tariffs, sanctions and direct market intervention are ever more commonplace. To discuss this trend, its causes and its impact on our sector is Alex Tuckett, Head of Economics at CRU, the independent commodity analytics, consulting and pricing agency. 
Utility scale batteries are proliferating across Western power grids, particularly in the US. And far more are set to come. These batteries offer the ability to manage grids, especially with the influx of renewables, or make economic returns on trading around them. Yet, their very presence is changing the dynamics of power markets. What are these batteries, where are they placed and who owns them? How and who trades around them and what do they mean for the future of power markets? All this and more is answered by our guest Casey Keller, Head of Assets and Development at Caerus Commodities.    
Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered an avalanche of economics sanctions by the West. What followed was an undeniably world-changing financial experiment that risked throwing the world into a devastating recession, testing the very limits of economic warfare and Western cohesion. Commodities sit at the heart of this story with profound ramifications for the global sector. But is it succeeding? Our guest is Russia expert and veteran Bloomberg investigative journalist Stephanie Baker who’s new book - Punishing Putin: Inside the Global Economic War to Bring Down Russia - explains in fascinating detail how this furious shadow-war unfolded: its causes, how it is being executed, and its ability to affect Russia and the course of history.   
Over the next two years, the US is set to export some 12bcf/d extra of LNG. What does this mean for the US market? Where will it go? And can supply keep up? Will there be sufficient demand in Europe? And what does this mean for traders - is a global footprint now a must?  Are the gas markets entering a new truly globalized era where US supply sets the price? All that and more is discussed in this special live event recording of The HC Commodities Podcast held on September 19th in Houston. The event was hosted by Six One Commodities and co-sponsored by Bridge Alternatives and Phillips66. Our panelists were Harrison DeStefano, CCO of Six One Commodities, Nathan Arentz, MD, Skylar Capital Management, Anne-Sophie Corbeau, Global Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy and Graham Fisher, Head of Natural Gas Trading at P66. To hear about future events, including one in NYC on October 16, sign up to the HC Group Newsletter.
Shale Oil & Gas has turned the US into an energy power house over the last 15 years. Will it disappear as quickly as it arrived or will it set to US apart for years to come? Within its short life, it has evolved quickly and our guest Matthew Bernstein now characterizes it as Shale 4.0. What were the previous iterations in participants, economics and output and what does the future hold? Matthew  Bernstein is the Manager of Shale Analytics at Rystad Energy, the independent energy data and analytics firm.  
A commodity close to many of our hearts, but how does it end up in our mugs? Where is it grown, how is it processed and who trades it? How do the derivative contracts work and what might the future hold as climate, geopolitics and consumer tastes evolve? Our guest is Charlie Stephens, President of Amarella Café, an independent specialty coffee trader in the Americas. Still in his twenties, Charlie also shares his story on how he launched his own trading company. 
Is the commodities world lagging behind in AI adoption? And if so, how should the sector’s leadership think about applications and use? What even is it and how is it being used by other sectors? Our guest is Seth Dobrin, CEO of QuantmA1, an AI consultancy and General Partner at 1Infinity Ventures, a VC fund. Seth was former Global Chief AI Officer at IBM and Head of Digital Strategies at Monsanto. 
As we head toward the end of the year and into 2025 where are oil prices headed? In this episode we recap the major events and decisions since COVID and the key drivers of oil prices. Then we turn to the outlook for the next two years. What is the supply and demand picture? What could OPEC’s upcoming decision mean – could a new price war start? And what are the potential disrupters in a more volatile geopolitical landscape. Returning to the show is Aldo Spanjer, Senior Commodity Strategist at BNP Paribas.To attend our upcoming HC Commodities Podcast Live Event please RSVP here: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/hc-commodities-podcast-houston
Brazil has been steadily deregulating its power market over the last two decades. This combined with one of the largest share of renewables in the generation mix of any advanced economy, alongside hydrocarbon production in the ‘Pre-salt’ off the coast, has made it a hugely dynamic market with lots of opportunity for participants, both domestic and international. What is Brazil’s generation mix and power market structure? How volatile is the market and why? What pressures do participants face? How liberalization survived multiple political changes and what might the future hold? Our guest is Adriana Waltrick, CEO of SPIC, the fifth largest power generation company in the country. To attend our upcoming HC Commodities Podcast Live Event on September 19 in Houston please visit: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/hc-commodities-podcast-houston
Are we seeing a regime change in Europeangas and power markets? Is Europe now entering a period of structurally lower energy prices and economic advantage as its decades long investment in renewables starts to pay off? Will other countries have to go through this journey? What does this mean for power trading opportunities? As we approach winter, is the European Energy Crisis in the rearview mirror? What of natural gas? Huge amounts of LNG are forecasted to arrive on European shores in the coming years. What will this mean for Europe’s gas markets and what’s the impact on the US, the main exporter, as well as other parties along the gas value chain? Our guests are Senior Commodities Strategists, Aldo Spanjer and James Huckstepp from BNP Paribas. To attend our upcoming HC Commodities Podcast Live Event in Houston on September 19 please RSVP here (in person event only):https://www.eventcreate.com/e/hc-commodities-podcast-houston  
The UN predicts global population will peak sometime in 2080s around 10 billion people. Companies, countries (think global social security schemes) and the commodities sector predicates forecasts on these assumptions. Yet, there is a growing body of evidence that these assumptions are far too optimistic and that not only will global population peak earlier but will subsequently decline much more rapidly. Already much of the West and Asia is in decline and replacement rates of falling at an accelerated pace. Is this a long-range risk no board rooms are talking about? Our guest is analyst, futurist and swine consultant Todd Thurman who has become a global authority on the subject on how it will impact the commodities world.  We also have an upcoming HC Commodities Live Event in Houston on September 19th. To RSVP (for free) please click here:https://www.eventcreate.com/e/hc-commodities-podcast-houston
Global regulators are narrowing their focus on the commodities sector and billions of dollars have been paid in fines. The world has become both more transparent and more risky in the wake of deglobalization, sanctions and the energy transition bringing its increased public scrutiny. The risks are enormous both the companies and individuals. And as such, compliance is an ever more important topic. To discuss compliance, enforcement and best practice is Gerben Schreurs, Partner at the Forensic Risk Alliance, or FRA, an independent forensics firm that conducts investigations, monitorships and compliance reviews, as well as Barry Vitou, Partner at HFW, the global law firm, where he is Head of Investigations, White Collar and Compliance. As always, you can really support the show by leaving us a positive review on the platform you're listening on.
show. Jonathan’s new book - Commodity Professionals: The people behind the trade – is a collection of interviews spanning all the professions that create the commodity supply chains. How have these roles evolved in a more volatile world? How are the trading houses fairing since we last caught up with Jonathan?For more on HC Group visit: www.hcgroup.global
The energy transition is complex. That complexity tends to be papered over with simplifications and beliefs, even myths, both within the sector and the broader public on both sides of the debate. Yet, to make the right investments and decisions as companies and societies, it requires careful analysis and ultimately managing the inherent trade-offs. In this episode, we zoom in on the reality of the energy transition, the science required and the competing philosophies. Our guest is Marco Raugei, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Oxford Brooks University. He is an Environmental Scientist with a PhD in Chemical Sciences and lectures on energy systems and Life Cycle Assessments. Marco has spent his career researching the very energy systems, particularly in transportation, that drive our economies today and in those of the future. 
Is the commodity super cycle, long heralded, a mirage? Or, super charged by a capex cycle,  are we just at the start? What is the state of the commodity investment cycle? Why and how has geopolitics and dollar weaponization changed the landscape? If there is a global run up in prices will energy keep pace with metals? What does all this mean for the trading sector and investors? Returning to the HC Commodities Podcast to give his analysis of the commodities markets over the last year, and what the outlook is, is Jeff Currie, now Chief  Strategy Officer of Energy Pathways at The Carlyle Group. He is the former Global Head of Commodities Research in the Global Investment Research Division at Goldman Sachs.For more on HC Group visit www.hcgroup.global
Data is the new the economic engine of the world. Globally, data centers are proliferating bringing their huge demand for energy – especially clean energy delivered reliably. Markets, policy and regulation are still adapting, often too slowly, to the changing energy mix and decarbonization demand. Could data centers be the engines of change to bring our power grids into a renewable ready world? Could this be the energy management opportunity of the decade for power traders? Our guest, Eugene McGrane argues just this. Eugene is an Executive Managing Director at Cushman Wakefield, supporting their power clients across all real estate categories. 
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