Oil prices were higher in mid-day trading today, with the WTI up 3.1% at $41.37/bbl and Brent up 2.8% at $43.99/bbl. Natural gas was 8.1% lower at $2.75/MMBtu.
Oklahoma City-based Gulfport Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being hit especially hard by the collapse in oil demand after a series of acquisitions.
The International Energy Agency lowered its forecast for crude demand in the coming months, citing rebounding Libyan supply and a return to normal production for Gulf Coast producers slowed by a series of hurricanes in October.
The price for acreage in the Permian Basin has declined by two-thirds since 2018, exacerbated by the pandemic.
Increased prices and a lack of supply of glass for solar panels are challenging China’s plans to accelerate a shift to clean power.
Iota, the 30th named storm of the season, strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane this morning as it headed for Central America.
Titus MRF Services is shuttering its 1,200-ton-per-year secondary materials recovery facility in Los Angeles because of low commodity prices and reduced volumes from Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) that have been impacted by the pandemic.
Walmart is expecting 30% of its holiday volume to be shipped from 42 new “pop-up” locations, which section off portions of existing distribution centers for individual, e-commerce SKU fulfillment.
Walmart in recent weeks has announced the divestment of retail operations in Argentina, Brazil, Japan and the U.K. as it shifts to a focus on e-commerce.
DHL announced plans to increase its parcel rates across the board, breaking with an earlier strategy of relying on surcharges. The company also said airfreight rates will remain high with a surge in e-commerce and strains on capacity.
For the first time in 15 years, insurance premiums have emerged as a top-10 cost for trucking companies, a result of higher volumes of vehicles on the road and increased insurance costs on newer vehicle models.
American agricultural exporters report getting locked out of foreign markets, as a surge in demand for Chinese goods creates a shortage of available containers.
With tight freight capacity nationwide and supply constraints with many plastic resins, clients are advised to provide expanded lead times on orders to help assure delivery dates.
The U.S. surpassed 11 million cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, with a rolling seven-day average of more than 144,000 cases per day.
The country hit an all-time high for daily cases on Friday, reporting 177,224, a 10% increase from the day before. More than 1 million new cases were recorded in just six days.
Hospitalizations in the U.S. also set a record over the weekend of 69,455, of which 13,341 are ICU admissions.
More than 2,200 fatalities were reported in the U.S. on Friday, a record number, in large part driven by the Midwest and select hotspots including El Paso.
Data shows an increase of 300,000 U.S. deaths in 2020 compared to a normal year, suggesting that the pandemic could have caused more fatalities than official numbers suggest.
Illinois became the state recordholder for new infections in a 24-hour period, reporting 15,415 on Friday.
Michigan’s governor imposed a partial three-week shutdown on Sunday, including closing in-person dining, limiting gatherings and requiring online learning for high schools.
Oregon and New Mexico issued partial lockdowns in the face of spiking COVID-19 infections.
New Jersey reported record high daily infections of 4,395 on Saturday.
California is experiencing the fastest growth rate in new cases, with a 47.1% increase in the seven-day case count since the beginning of November.
Florida reported its highest daily case number since the middle of summer.
The state of Washington imposed new curbs, including a ban on indoor dining and limits on grocer capacities.
The governor of Puerto Rico has activated the National Guard to help enforce restrictions aimed at containing spread of the coronavirus, including curfews, beach closures and capacity limits at restaurants, casinos, gyms and churches. The U.S. territory has recorded more than 75,000 cases along with almost 1,000 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.
With virus cases rising in 49 states last week, hospitals are poised to start taking unorthodox measures to accommodate patients, including using hallways or improvised spaces for ICUs and making triage decisions about who can be saved.
Moderna reported that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was 94.5% effective in recent trials.
Johnson & Johnson received a further $1 billion in aid to develop its Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, and is set to begin final stage trials of the vaccine in Britain.
COVID-19 is upending the traditional assumption that people hit hardest by the disease are the most likely to have long-lasting symptoms. In many cases, virus patients with mild initial symptoms have a chance of becoming “long-haulers.”
An estimated 16,000 medical practices have permanently closed this year as the difficulties of practicing during the pandemic prompt doctors to retire early or change career direction.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are extending by one month several measures created during the pandemic to make it easier to receive mortgage loans, the organizations said Saturday.
The pandemic is changing the way grocers, food makers and consumers approach Thanksgiving this year, where hefty side dishes could make up for smaller turkeys, and gatherings could be limited to just a few people.
American consumers are flush with cash, helped by stimulus money, low interest rates and lower spending during the pandemic.
Two Congressional programs to help citizens manage the financial impacts of the pandemic are set to end January 1, potentially leaving many of the unemployed unable to pay mortgage or auto loans.
An array of gadgets, webcams and apps can bolster the quality and ease-of-use of video calling, an increasingly critical factor for professionals and businesses.
The U.S. birth rate is expected to fall by up to 500,000 next year due to the pandemic and economic uncertainties, casting a cloud on makers of baby products.
Homebuilders are beginning to design more houses with multigenerational living in mind, a worrying trend for senior housing and nursing homes but a boon for backyard housing and mass builders.
Tyson Foods is emblematic of the extent to which some companies are going to protect employees from widespread outbreaks at manufacturing plants and other facilities, using advancing virus tracking algorithms along with redesigning with a social distancing focus.
Coca-Cola is ending its agreement to receive PET plastic from Loop Industries’ yet unfinished joint-venture facility in South Carolina. Loop retains agreements to sell PET to PepsiCo and cosmetics maker L’Oreal.
International
Only nine nations have reported no COVID-19 infections:
Mexico became the 11th nation with more than 1 million cases of COVID-19.
Partial lockdown measures in Germany will likely last for many more months, a German minster said.
Russia reported record daily infections over the weekend as the country’s capital faced new restrictions, including overnight bans on restaurants and bars.
Shutdowns in Istanbul will likely be imposed soon, as the capital city accounts for more than 50% of virus cases in all of Turkey.
The World Health Organization has raised $2 billion to buy and distribute COVID-19 shots to poorer countries.
The British economy is set to be the weakest performer among European peers, as the country faces trade hurdles in its impending break with the European Union. The U.K. prime minister is in isolation after contacting someone infected with COVID-19, hampering his ability to deal with the nation’s multiple crises.
Fifteen Asia Pacific nations, including China, Japan and South Korea, signed the world’s largest new free-trade agreement. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership includes almost a third of the world’s population and GDP.
Asian economies are poised to become the fastest to recover from the pandemic, aided by increased demand from Western consumers along with successful measures to contain the virus’ spread.
Industrial output in China rose a higher-than-expected 6.9% in October.
Japan emerged from recession, reporting that GDP grew 5% in the third quarter.
GDP in Israel jumped a better-than-expected 37.9% in the third quarter after suffering a historic drop in the second quarter.
Peru’s new president resigned after just six days amid demonstrations and threats of violence. His predecessor was impeached in part for his response to the pandemic.
Our Operations
Craig Shell from our Wire & Cable team delivered a product presentation on cable tapes and gels at the recent the IWCS International Cable & Connectivity Symposium. Click here to access this talk.
Greg Watkins, senior manager of talent acquisition and development at M. Holland, spoke at the recent MAPP Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference on recruiting the next generation of talent in a post-pandemic world. Click here to view this presentation.
Market Expertise: M. Holland offers a host of resources to clients, prospects and suppliers across nine strategic markets. To arrange a videoconference or meeting with any of our Market Managers, please visit our website.
To access 3D Printing training, order parts and seek technical assistance, visit our online resource.
Thank you,
M. Holland Company
We will provide further COVID-19 bulletins as circumstances dictate. For all COVID-19 updates and notices, please refer to the M. Holland website.
We and selected third-parties use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL third-party cookies. For more details about cookies and how we use them, read the full Data Privacy Policy.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. For more details about cookies and how we use them, read the full Data Privacy Policy.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement
1 year
Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__cf_bm
30 minutes
This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
bcookie
1 year
LinkedIn sets this cookie from LinkedIn share buttons and ad tags to recognize browser ID.
bscookie
1 year
LinkedIn sets this cookie to store performed actions on the website.
lang
session
LinkedIn sets this cookie to remember a user's language setting.
lidc
1 day
LinkedIn sets the lidc cookie to facilitate data center selection.
UserMatchHistory
1 month
LinkedIn sets this cookie for LinkedIn Ads ID syncing.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_ga
2 years
The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_S6SF7JZ2WY
2 years
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gat_UA-7828007-1
1 minute
A variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to.
_gcl_au
3 months
Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services.
_gid
1 day
Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT
2 years
YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
vuid
2 years
Vimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_fbp
3 months
This cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
fr
3 months
Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE
1 year 24 days
Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
personalization_id
2 years
Twitter sets this cookie to integrate and share features for social media and also store information about how the user uses the website, for tracking and targeting.
test_cookie
15 minutes
The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
5 months 27 days
A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSC
session
YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devices
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-id
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt.innertube::nextId
never
This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requests
never
This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.