India has maintained its position as the world's largest producer of direct-reduced iron (DRI) for several years. As the global race to accelerate energy transition efforts intensifies, DRI has gained prominence due to its potential for reducing carbon emissions in energy-intensive sectors like steel. Recognized as a key pathway to 'green steel,' D…

Need help with market expansion, product market fit, growth, or fundraising? Reach out!https://forms.gle/PkKjvfqCUjq4MgGk6Support the pod!https://buymeacoffee.com/lowlevelbarbariansLets Connect!* https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderle/* https://www.linkedin.com/in/jianggan/* https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidqchang/In this episode, the hosts dive i…

Need help with market expansion, product market fit, growth, or fundraising? Reach out!https://forms.gle/PkKjvfqCUjq4MgGk6Support the pod!https://buymeacoffee.com/lowlevelbarbariansLets Connect!* https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderle/* https://www.linkedin.com/in/jianggan/* https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidqchang/In this episode, we dive into why…

The LLBs delve into a wide range of topics including carbon capture technology, tech investment trends in Southeast Asia, updates from the Tech In Asia Malaysia 2024 event, the innovative business model of Temu, and insights on the upcoming US elections. Our hosts Dave, Jianggan, and Alexander share their thoughts and engage in lively discussions a…

In the global wheat markets, recent concerns over a major production cut in Russia, a key exporter, have sparked attention on the supply and demand dynamics. Neighbouring European producers are also facing similar concerns. Meanwhile, in Canada and Australia, weather developments in recent months have played a significant role in shaping production…

With high temperatures moving through the US, multiple regions are preparing for gas and power price volatility. Gas supply constraints or cooling demand could result in power demand spikes. Data centers have been increasing power and gas requirements in some areas, power generators have been competing for gas supplies with LNG terminals along the …

Global container markets have endured a year of volatility not experienced since the global pandemic in 2020-2021, anchored by the complexity for supply chains as carriers loop around the Cape of Good Hope. Now that demand is ushering back into markets in a period of restocking, rates have surged upwards for North and South American import markets …

Meat consumption is soaring globally, driven by population growth, rising incomes, and dietary preferences. As emerging markets embrace protein-rich diets, demand for feed grains intensifies, and the weather, government policy, animal disease and other factors can have major impact on both industries. For the second installment of this two-part ser…

Grilling season is underway in the US -- the world's largest producer and consumer of beef. Even so, per capita consumption of beef in the US has halved over the last 50 years. The US can now produce more beef with fewer head of cattle, but it has become reliant on imported beef. And Brazil has a herd of some 235 million head and now supplies the w…

As election fever grips the UK, this Commodities Focus podcast looks at the country’s oil refineries as they grapple with the fast-changing process of energy transition, including shifting government targets, shrinking diesel demand, the rise of sustainable aviation fuel, and unrelenting competitive pressure from giant refiners around the world. In…

Mak Choong Moon is an expert business coach who coaches over 40 CEOs a month as a Vistage chair here in Malaysia. His career spans IT services, manufacturing, insurance, gaming, and property development. His family has a long rich history of doing business in Malaysia since post World War II. In this episode we cover his main job these days in coac…

This week's podcast was a bit of an unplanned episode. Alex and Jianggan catch up and discuss the many nuances and blurred lines of a countries economic power/growth and how soft power relates. Updates not included; Dave make's his annual migration to US for a longer period of time so we are missing him and Joon has joined the Antler program in sea…

Jianggan's finished his immersion tripe to Shenzhen and is now back in Beijing again! Alex is just back from his US trip. In this episode we explore the value of Cross-border learning between China and Southeast Asia. Jianggan shares insights in the difference of business cultures between SEA and China. What do Chinese companies want to learn from …

Taylor Swift Eras tour finally winds down. Jianggan and Alex discuss the Swifty movement. Is it a cult or the greatest business empire ever? Is Taylor Swift the ultimate manifestation of capitalism or is her character genuinely representative for millions around the world? Stay tuned towards the end for business ecosystem updates from Jianggan's tr…

This episode is a cut from E:31 pre-show talk. Are you curious about licensing I.P. from a big name like Hasbro? Look no further Joon dives into of aspect of the family business that focuses on building an events business while licensing big names like My Little Pony, Transformers, Monopoly, and much more. Take a peek of what it is like building an…

In this episode, we catch up with Jianggan during his Chinese New Year celebrations in Jiangsu, China. Offering a personal and reflective update, he shares insights from his recent travels and conversations with friends involved in the Chinese business landscape. From observing the impact of e-commerce on local retail to discussing the anxieties su…

Will SORA kill your AI startup ambitions? Are we on the cusp of AGI? We discuss these topics and much more. Along with updates on SORA and Gemini 1.5, we'll explore which types of companies and industries are vulnerable and which are more defensible. Our second major topic revolves around Temu and their Super Bowl ads. We'll take a deeper look at t…

All things come back to land. What are the fundamental underpinnings of what is driving land value in the US? How does the evolution of e-commerce affect land. US commercial real estate land fundamentals vs Southeast Asia land fundamentals. Other interesting topics include, the right way to Live Sell, Myth of Palm Oil margins, effects of climate ch…

This episode covers three main topics. Trump, The Future of Vietnam and The Food Delivery Ecosystem in Southeast Asia 2024. E:33 a comprehensive discussion revolving around Donald Trump's possible re-election and what it may mean for Vietnam. The results of the upcoming U.S. election could affect various aspects of the global economy, specifically …

E:32 takes a deep dive into the dynamic world of venture capital in Southeast Asia, examining the future of billion-dollar industries including digital banking and the rapidly growing electric vehicle market. We also explore the intricacies of the US industrial real estate sector and speculate on where the next 100 billion dollars will be invested …

LLB this week discusses diverse topics surrounding key global issues. Starting off with sweeping views on China market trends and the population decline, Alex, Jianggan and Joon provide a comprehensive discussion on the potential implication. They also explore the controversial topic of a possible China war over Taiwan. The conversation further dig…

Bestie Barby, Joon Chan Join E:30 this week. The future of e-commerce and global politics. The discussions navigate through live selling on platforms like TikTok, exploring the revolution it brings to user shopping experience and the opportunities it presents to entrepreneurs. It delves into the political dynamics between China, Taiwan, and the U.S…

This is the last recorded episode of 2023. A retrospective as we move forward into 2024. Jianggan was late to the party so Dave generously updated us on the state of commercial and industrial real estate in the US. It was clear that there was lots of risk off in 2023 and raising capital was much harder to raise. Jianggan joins the conversations abo…

The expansion in the Indian steel manufacturing capacity comes at an opportune moment for the industry as the country has witnessed massive infrastructure projects like construction of national highways over the past few years. Now, with the general elections underway in the country and if the incumbent government comes back to power, the thrust on…

First episode of 2024. After a long hiatus Alex and Jianggan catch up. We have a short personal updated followed by the state of Chinese Tourism, the general economic outlook for 2024 and the nature of looming uncertainties. Towards the end we dig deep into the state of E-commerce and what is going on behind the Lazada layoffs. Tune in to hear it a…

E27: A rare appearance from the Master Debater himself. This episode is cut from a longer episode posted from EOA (to be released soon). Andrew is deeply concerned about where AI is heading. Andrew covers some broad topics of where we are in AI from the development of transformer architecture, the development of neural networks and the implications…

The rice markets in Asia have seen new trends emerging with Indonesia importing rice, and India putting restrictions on their rice exports. Ripple effects have been felt in other major growing rice growing countries such as Pakistan and Thailand. In this Commodities Focus episode, Elizabeth Thang, Managing Editor for Food and Agriculture is joined …

As a UK general election looms, energy security and the transition to net-zero are high on the agenda. In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, our experts sift through the policy options, from windfall taxes to licensing bans, and discuss why they matter, not just for the UK, but for Europe and beyond. Nick Coleman, senior editor for oil …

Pressured by sub-$2/MMBtu prices, many US producers have decided to cut spending on gas-directed drilling and completion activity and to scale back production in 2024. But there are signs of price improvement along the futures curve in late 2024 and thereafter, due in part to the arrival of new LNG facilities, giving operators reason for optimism. …

Red sea crisis has forced carriers and shippers alike to adjust strategies. Container freight rates not only reached yearly high after receding throughout 2023 but carriers also seized a profit making opportunity they were looking for after the post pandemic lull. The change in this dynamic has forced shippers to again look for alternatives in the …

Lithium producers are pushing timelines out for project development in North America as global lithium prices sit near a three-year low after plunging from record levels in 2022. The change in sentiment has cooled off a red-hot market and cast doubt on the future of domestic lithium supply for North America’s electric vehicles and other energy tran…

Wheat prices have been on a largely downward trend since the start of 2024 despite lower production in key exporters, Canada and Australia, and continued logistics concerns due to the wars in the Black Sea and the Red Sea. Does this imply the weight of a larger global supply in the year ahead and that the markets have adapted to a new normal amidst…

The Asian copper market saw CIF China copper concentrate TC/RC fall by 65% in just three months’ time, while smelters were still not able to find enough feedstocks to meet their production needs. As copper concentrate market changed from surplus to deficit and copper price is still hovering at $8100-$8500/mt level, our experts discuss what happened…

Following on from heavy winter storms in recent years that disrupted power supply across US regions, power markets managed a mid-January 2024 winter storm with elevated prices and a few demand records, but no large-scale power outages. S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters Mark Watson, Jared Anderson, Kassia Micek and Tom Tiernan discuss how grid…

Over the past 20 years, Brazil’s growth in the production of feedstuffs like soybeans and corn has been remarkable. In the process, it has become a powerhouse exporter. To accomplish this, it took the convergence of Brazil modernizing its agricultural production and transportation systems along with the equally meteoric demand growth of a willing b…

Asian aluminum markets continue to see lackluster demand and ample stocks pressuring premiums, though the sporadic reopening of the Chinese import arbitrage window is providing support across the region. Further upstream in the alumina markets, flat demand remains a drag on prices globally, but cost pressures and output curtailments are keeping sig…

Chinese copper markets are showing signs of recovering from the slump that hit the industry in the second quarter pf this year. The clean concentrate spot TCs are declining on increased demand for cargoes and cathode import interest are improving on tighter spot supplies. As the market heads into negotiation season, YuenCheng Mok, Senior Managing E…

With bearish fundamentals characterizing the global LNG market, what role will US exporters play for Europe this winter? Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and subsequent decoupling between LNG and natural gas in Europe, the US has played an even larger role in the region’s energy security. Global LNG markets have changed drama…

High density polyethylene product consumption and market behavior are key indicators for consumer spending. The US and major export outlet Asia are climbing out of a price slump created by HDPE oversupply, attractive cost margins and slow-to-recover demand. With about 1.5 million mt/year of North American ethane-advantaged capacity starting between…

Draft reduction at the Neopanamax locks and limitations on daily transits at the Panamax lock system have resulted in longer wait times to transit the Panama Canal. Shipowners have been raising freight costs to seek reimbursement for higher transit and demurrage fees; lightering ships by offloading cargo before crossing; or rerouting ships via alte…

A sluggish start to the peak summer demand season has disrupted the global recycled PET markets, with subpar demand from beverage bottling in North America, squeezed margins, stiff competition from virgin resin and pessimism running rampant. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Heng Hui, global market lead for sustainable chemicals, Lee Joon lei, associa…

US Henry Hub natural gas prices have averaged just $2.43/MMBtu this year, pushing many producers close to, or even below, their breakeven price. Mild weather and weak gas demand this past winter were largely to blame, triggering a selloff that dropped gas prices from historic highs. US gas producers were slow to respond to the selloff, however, and…

It's been a rough couple of years for US corn and soybeans. 2022 brought drought, record-low Mississippi River water levels, and ultimately sky-high grains and oilseeds prices. The 2023 planting season was initially met with dry weather, causing concern of low yields come harvest time, but have conditions turned around since then and if not, what w…

A year after a historic short squeeze sent LME nickel metal prices soaring above $100,000/mt, industry players remain divided over their pricing preferences in the nickel market with some still referencing the LME, while Chinese market participants have largely moved to other alternatives such as sulfate-basis pricing and SHFE nickel. Following the…

Up to two-thirds of North America is at an elevated risk of electricity shortfalls this summer in extreme conditions with a high load and high outages, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Conventional plants are retiring faster than the needed transmission and generation can be built, and there are questions about whet…

China was among the last to lift COVID restrictions at the close of 2022, but its polymer exports remain elevated amid continued sluggish domestic demand, creating more global competition for limited pockets of demand. India has been a bright spot in the region given its demand, but not enough to fill the gap left by China. Those global flows conti…

Australia, one of the world's leading wheat exporters, has produced three bumper wheat harvests in a row, and with the prospect of an extension of the Black Sea grain corridor deal fading by the day, the country is emerging as a reliable wheat supplier to Asian markets. In this episode of the Commodities Focus podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights…

E26: Another test run for the new studio. Joon Chan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joonchan/), has been living a quieter life since his venture building days. He stopped by the studio and shared his thoughts on Geopolitics in the context of countries aligning East vs West and the impacts on Southeast Asia. Joon also briefly gives some insights into G…

Chong Siong, Principal, from Team Rocket Research happened to be in my neck of the woods. I used him as a guinea pig for testing the new studio equipment. This episode was completely unscripted and off the cuff. It was a good learning experience to improve the format in the future. Team Rocket Research (TRR) is a research outfit specializing in DeF…

From a dramatic shift in oil trade flows to a series of clean fuel policy reforms, India's energy sector has been in the spotlight recently. With the country poised for massive growth in energy consumption, lawmakers and corporates are preparing for an energy future that will aim to strike a balance between traditional oil and gas businesses, while…