International Market Analysis

 

Category Archives: United States

Renewable Energy Investors Receive Mixed Signals In The U.S.

The Trump Administration’s energy policies are shifting the investment priorities in American renewable energy, and not to its benefit. But the jury is still out whether the green transition can be stopped or reversed.  In the first quarter of 2025, approximately $8 billion in clean energy investments and 16 large-scale projects were cancelled – the highest

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Trump’s Tariff Pressure Can Stimulate U.S.–Asia Energy Cooperation

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Energy Dominance Council plans to host a liquified natural gas summit in Alaska on June 2, where it hopes to announce that Japan and South Korea have committed to the long-pursued Alaska LNG project to ease American gas shipments to Asia.  Since his return to the Oval Office, Trump has positioned hydrocarbons as

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Gloomy Days For Global Solar Power

The tariffs announced by the Trump Administration at the beginning of April have cast a shadow across international energy supply chains. The new policies were delayed for ninety days less than a week later, and the much-feared shortages and price hikes haven’t yet materialized. Nevertheless, the mood in the industry remains pessimistic. In May, the U.S.

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The Ukraine Mineral Deal Might Help The U.S. Break China’s Monopoly

The United States and Ukraine signed a long-awaited deal on April 30 to give the U.S. priority access to Ukrainian critical minerals and other natural resources. After months of acrimonious disputes and negotiations over a ceasefire/peace between Russia and Ukraine, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is now touting the agreement as a signal to Russia that “the

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White House Cuts Red Tape For U.S. Critical Minerals

The Trump Administration used the Defense Production Act as the basis for an executive order issued March 20, 2025 to sharply increase U.S. critical minerals production. Government agencies were given their marching orders, including directives to: Screen applications for critical mineral mining and refining projects, looking for those that can be given immediate approval and

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The Venezuela Oil Tariff Tests Trump Policies

Today, disparate Trump policies —more muscular American diplomacy, less soft power, higher tariffs, and the quest for cheap energy — are being tested together in Venezuela. The pro-Russia, pro-China, and pro-Iran far left Maduro regime in Caracas has long been a thorn in the side of the United States in the often-neglected  Latin American theater. 

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The U.S. Needs To Drill Smarter, Not Harder

The Trump Administration is escalating military operations against the Houthi pirates and terrorists and focusing on the future of the Iranian nuclear program. If hostilities in the Middle East are affecting oil production and transportation, especially in the Persian Gulf, and specifically in the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices may be affected.  Simultaneously, the White

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Putin’s Trolling: A Strategic Minerals Offer For Trump

Just as President Volodymyr Zelensky was preparing to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Friday, February 28th, to sign an unprecedented US-Ukraine agreement on strategic minerals, Vladimir Putin came up with a proposal of his own, involving joint development with the U.S. of rare earth metals, aluminum, and hydropower in Russia. It’s trolling of the 99th

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