Archive for April, 2022

Russia’s Resource Grab in Ukraine

Via Foreign Policy, a report on how Ukraine’s extraordinary riches in energy, minerals, and agriculture are a prize for the Kremlin: Russia’s motives for invading Ukraine vary from security fears to revisionist historical claims that a Ukrainian national identity does not exist. Energy security also looms large—in particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s determination to ensure the […]

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Asia’s Bet on Gas Looks Increasingly Risky

Via China Dialogue, commentary on Asia’s gas fueled future: Across Asia, there are plans for more than 285 gigawatts of new gas-fired power plants, an expansion that would nearly double the region’s gas power capacity, according to Global Energy Monitor.  Southeast Asian countries are planning about half of the additional capacity in response to an expected […]

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Bad Business Climate in Russia a Boon for Kazakhstan

Via The Diplomat, a report on how Kazakhstan stands to benefit as Russian companies look to move out of Russia in order to trade globally again: The COVID-19 pandemic broke supply chains and mangled logistics the world over. The war in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and rising anti-Russian sentiments have added a new layer of […]

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Enemies With Benefits: Venezuela, Oil, and U.S.

Via The Economist, commentary on the potential role that Venezuela could play to help the West wean itself off Russian oil: n april 22nd a ban on Russian oil imports will come into effect in the United States. One of the countries that could benefit is Venezuela. According to Credit Suisse, a bank, its economy is expected […]

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Marathon Petroleum Snaps Up Ecuador’s Oil After Russian Sanctions

Via Boomberg, a report on Marathon’s purchase of Ecuadorian oil to make up for Russian crude: Marathon Petroleum Corp., previously the largest U.S. buyer of Russian oil, just beefed up supplies of Ecuadorian crude after sanctions cut off its supplies from Moscow.  The Findlay, Ohio-based fuelmaker offered a 75-cent premium over the price marker for […]

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Middle Corridor: Potential Alternative to Russian Railways?

Via Jamestown Foundation, an article on the Middle Corridor as a potential alternative to Russian transit: The Russo-Ukrainian war has cast doubt on the sustainability of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) “Northern Corridor” because of mounting Western sanctions on this overland route’s key links—Russia and Belarus (see EDM, April 8, 18). The growing vulnerability of […]

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WILDCATS AND BLACK SHEEP
Wildcats & Black Sheep is a personal interest blog dedicated to the identification and evaluation of maverick investment opportunities arising in frontier - and, what some may consider to be, “rogue” or “black sheep” - markets around the world.

Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.