原标题:欧盟发警告 欧洲天然气价格在两天内飙升60%
中国石化新闻网讯 据世界石油10月6日报道,欧洲天然气价格再次飙升,在短短两天内上涨了60%,飙升的能源成本的影响波及了股票和债券市场,欧盟也敲响了警钟。
随着电价不断上涨,荷兰和英国天然气期货价格继续创下新高。飙升的能源价格加剧了通胀压力,并引发了对经济增长将放缓的担忧,导致欧洲股市暴跌。
BCS Global Markets高级分析师Ronald Smith表示,“在我看来,这是典型的轧空。”他预计最新一轮涨势将是短暂的。“我预计,我们将看到一些交易员破产并平仓。”
就在北半球供暖季节开始之际,全球天然气和煤炭市场开始吃紧,有限的供应跟不上复苏的需求。预计下周欧洲将出现更冷的天气,整个大陆的气温将低于正常水平。
包括法国和西班牙在内的几个欧洲国家已经呼吁欧盟采取紧急行动,以缓冲天价天然气价格的冲击。欧盟能源部长Kadri Simson承诺,将在年底前修订市场规则,以防止成本飙升抑制经济复苏。
“这次价格冲击不可低估,”Simson在一次有关危机的辩论中对欧洲议会成员表示,“这损害了我们的公民,尤其是最脆弱的家庭,削弱了竞争力,加大了通胀压力。”
随着天然气危机的日益恶化,一些能源密集型企业已经关闭了业务,因为它们的运营成本变得过于昂贵。由于欧洲的液化天然气库存处于十多年来的最低季节性水平,俄罗斯的供应有限,而全球对液化天然气的竞争也十分激烈,随着冬季的临近,这种短缺只会加剧。
荷兰天然气价格上涨40%,达到创纪录的162.125欧元/兆瓦时,此前一天上涨了20%。截至阿姆斯特丹下午1点01分,欧元兑欧元汇率为131.10欧元。英国等物价上升39%,达到407.82便士的历史最高水平,之后回落至335.81便士。
“这太荒谬了,”ICIS分析师Tom Marzec-Manser说,“几乎不可能证明或限定它是如何以及为什么发展得这么快、这么高的。”
布隆伯格Economics预计,欧元区第四季度的平均通胀率将接近4%,明显高于European Central Bank年初的预测。
欧洲继续与亚洲争夺液化天然气的交付。据新加坡的交易员表示,尽管欧洲天然气价格出现令人瞠目的上涨,但亚洲液化天然气进口商仍愿意向荷兰基准价格支付溢价,以吸引冬季供应。这意味着欧洲仍将难以吸引额外的液化天然气运输,以缓解该地区的压力。
咨询公司Engie EnergyScan的分析师在一份报告中表示:“我们目前生活在特殊环境中。世界天然气市场从未出现过亚洲和欧洲被迫为有限的液化天然气货物展开激烈竞争的情况,因为后者本应受益于舒适的管道供应。”
黎泱 编译自 世界石油
原文如下:
European natural gas prices soar 60% in two days as EU sounds alarm
European gas prices surged again, bringing their gains over just two days to 60%, as the impact of soaring energy costs rippled through equity and bond markets and the European Union sounded the alarm.
Dutch and UK gas futures continue to hit fresh records along with rising power prices. Rocketing energy costs are stoking inflationary pressures and fueling concern that economic growth will slow, prompting a slump in European stocks.
“It looks like a classic short squeeze to me,” said Ronald Smith, a senior analyst at BCS Global Markets, who expects the latest spike to be short-lived. “I expect we’re going to see some traders going bankrupt and liquidating their positions.”
Global gas and coal markets have tightened just as the heating season starts in the northern hemisphere, with limited supply failing to catch up with recovering demand. Colder weather is forecast for Europe next week, with temperatures across the mainland set to drop below normal levels.
Several European countries including France and Spain have called on the EU to take urgent action to cushion the blow of sky-high gas prices. The bloc’s energy chief, Kadri Simson, has pledged a revision to market rules by the end of the year to prevent surging costs from stifling the economic recovery.
“This price shock cannot be underestimated,” Simson told members of the European Parliament during a debate on the crisis. “It is hurting our citizens and in particular the most vulnerable households, weakening competitiveness and adding to inflationary pressure.”
With the gas crisis worsening by the day, some energy-intensive companies have shuttered operations because they’re becoming too expensive to run. With Europe’s stockpiles at their lowest seasonal level in more than a decade, deliveries from Russia limited and global competition for liquefied natural gas intense, the squeeze will only worsen as winter approaches.
Front-month Dutch gas jumped as much as 40% to a record 162.125 euros a megawatt-hour after closing up 20% the day before. It traded at 131.10 euros as of 1:01 p.m. in Amsterdam. The UK equivalent rose as much as 39%, hitting an unprecedented 407.82 pence a therm, before easing back to 335.81 pence.
“This is just ridiculous,” said Tom Marzec-Manser, an analyst at ICIS. “Almost impossible to even justify or qualify how and why it’s moving so fast and so high.”
Bloomberg Economics expects inflation in the euro area to average almost 4% in the fourth quarter, significantly more than forecast by the European Central Bank at the start of the year.
Europe continues to vie with Asia for deliveries of LNG. Despite the eye-watering rally in European gas prices, Asian LNG importers remain willing to pay a premium to the Dutch benchmark to attract supply for the winter, according to traders in Singapore. That means Europe will still struggle to lure extra LNG shipments to provide relief for the region.
“We are currently living exceptional circumstances,” analysts at consultant Engie EnergyScan said in a note. “The world gas market has never been in a situation where Asia and Europe were obliged to compete fiercely for the marginal LNG cargo available -- as the latter was supposed to benefit from comfortable pipeline supply.”