Energy Update

Spot seaborne iron ore prices were unchanged February 23 amid thin trading as Chinese buyers were away for Lunar New Year holiday. Some sources see little chance for a sustained recovery after the festival given weak steel prices and an ongoing supply glut.

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets traded stronger on Tuesday, although gains were capped as investors looked to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's statement later in the day for signs of when the U.S. central bank would raise interest rates. The Thai SET index was up 0.5 percent by midday, led by a 1.8 percent gain in the country's top oil firm, PTT . Indonesia and Philippines hovered near their record highs. Yellen will deliver the central bank's semi-annual Monetary P

Huge inventory losses due to the oil price plunge in 2014 prompt Japanese refiners to switch away from Middle East crude imports in favor of spot barrels from Russia and Mexico.

(Tue, 24 Feb 2015) U.S. coal production during third quarter 2014 totaled 255.3 million short tons. This was 3.9% higher than the previous quarter and 0.9% lower than third quarter 2013. Third quarter 2014 U.S. coal exports (22.7 million short tons) dropped 7.5% from second quarter 2014 and dropped 20.6% from third quarter 2013. U.S. coal imports in third quarter 2014 decreased to 3.2 million short tons from 3.5 million short tons in second quarter 2014.