“Some clients doubt that a price floor at $60 a barrel for Brent crude oil would be enough to induce a supply-and-demand reaction to balance a global liquids market generally seen heading for a surplus,” Citi’s team reported. Others, on the other hand, expect a smoother price correction, pointing to inventory builds in parts of the world but not in the United States.
Record-high domestic coal production and weaker coal-fired power generation in China have resulted in declining demand for thermal coal imports into the world’s biggest coal market, with the trend emerging earlier this year, after imports topped 500 million tons in 2024. The Chinese state central planner, meanwhile, has mandated a 10% increase in coal stockpiles for power generators.