Oil prices today were buffeted by concerns about a slowing global economic recovery contrasting with the threat of a potential hurricane striking the Gulf Coast.
Crude prices were modestly lower in early trading, with the WTI at $37.21/bbl and Brent at $39.77/bbl.
The natural gas price was up more than 5% at $2.39/MMBtu.
OPEC meets virtually on Thursday as it confronts weak demand, growing crude inventories and member countries pressing to increase production quotas.
The United Arab Emirates, OPEC’s third largest producing member, exceeded the consortium’s production quota in August.
BP became the first oil major to proclaim that “peak oil” has arrived, predicting that oil consumption could fall 50% by 2050. BP is among several oil giants pivoting toward alternative energy production.
Exxon, which has doubled down on crude exploration and production, has lost its place as the world’s most valuable company and a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Supply Chain
Wildfires continue to rage in Western states, causing at least 33 fatalities and hazardous air conditions in many areas. High winds and dry conditions are expected to aggravate the crisis in coming days.
Tropical Storm Sally is expected to become a hurricane before striking the Gulf Coast near New Orleans late today or early Tuesday.
The Coast Guard is closing the Port of New Orleans today at 6:00 p.m. CDT due to the approaching storm.
Fidelity International is warning of a potential supply chain crisis due to a shortage of seafarers as hundreds of thousands of sailors remain stranded at sea facing high COVID-19 infection risk and clamoring for relief.
Trucking capacity remains tight throughout the U.S., and spot pricing remains elevated.
Clients are advised to provide expanded lead times on orders to help ensure delivery dates will be met.
Markets
U.S. COVID-19 cases topped 6.5 million and deaths climbed above 194,000 over the weekend.
COVID-19 cases were growing in 11 states as of yesterday — Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects a deadly December, with a possible doubling of COVID-19 fatalities by January.
Pfizer’s CEO expressed optimism that its COVID-19 vaccine could be available for distribution by year end if current human testing is successful.
Oxford University and AstraZeneca have resumed human testing of their COVID-19 vaccine, paused last week after test subjects suffered apparent adverse reactions.
Spikes in Google search results related to gut symptoms and loss of smell and taste can predict COVID-19 hotspots weeks in advance, according to Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.
A new study indicates COVID-19 can invade brain cells to replicate itself, causing headaches, confusion and delirium.
Doctors at The Ohio State University are urging cardiac screening for athletes who have been infected by COVID-19, including asymptomatic victims, after a study found 1 in 7 suffer from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that can be deadly.
The CDC warned about a new and potentially deadly syndrome associated with COVID-19 — multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) — that affects children and strikes several weeks after exposure to the virus.
Research suggests Vitamin D may mitigate the risk and consequences of COVID-19.
Northeast retailer Century 21, which filed to liquidate under bankruptcy protection last week after 60 years in business, cited the denial of its business interruption insurance claim as a reason for its failure, echoing a dilemma of thousands of businesses facing claim denials.
The pandemic and Sino-American trade tensions have frustrated Volvo’s global expansion plans as the company refocuses its Charleston, South Carolina, plant from exports to the U.S. market.
Wood Mackenzie expects electric vehicle sales to comprise 40% of passenger car sales by 2030, creating expanding needs for batteries and the raw materials to build them.
Toyota, Continental, Aisin, Navistar and Tesla have all announced automotive projects in Texas, making the state a hotbed of automotive investment.
Recycling as a solid waste solution has fallen short of the industry’s early projections, according to a recent Frontline investigation.
As companies rethink their office spaces during the pandemic, the “open office” concept is being replaced by “dynamic workplace,” with varied work spaces designed for collaboration among rotating employees with flexible schedules.
International
New COVID-19 cases globally set a daily record yesterday — 307,930 — with 58 countries experiencing rising infections rates, according to the World Health Organization.
India recorded more than 92,000 new cases Sunday as total cases in the country approach 5 million, the second highest globally behind the U.S.
Brazil, with the second highest COVID-19 fatality rate behind the U.S., recorded 415 deaths on Sunday and 814 on Saturday.
COVID-19 infections are spiking in Eastern Europe, with Hungary and the Czech Republic reporting daily infection records.
The U.K. experienced more than 10,000 new COVID-19 infections over the weekend, as new restrictions took effect today banning indoor and outdoor gatherings of more than six people.
Israel, which experienced over 4,000 new infections in a single day last week, will reinstate a three-week national lockdown starting Friday, closing schools, malls and hotels.
France issued a more optimistic outlook for its economy after reporting economic activity in August was down 5% from pre-pandemic levels, somewhat better than expected. Unemployment is not expected to improve below 10% until 2022.
To access 3D Printing training, order parts and seek technical assistance, visit our new online resource.
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.
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.