Thursday 6 February 2020

Commodity Chaos Deepens as China LNG Buyer Invokes Force Majeure - Bloomberg

Commodity Chaos Deepens as China LNG Buyer Invokes Force Majeure - Bloomberg:

The turmoil engulfing global commodity markets deepened as China’s biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas told suppliers it won’t honor some contracts because of the coronavirus.

In a dramatic and rare step, China National Offshore Oil Corp. declared what’s known as force majeure, meaning it won’t take delivery of some LNG cargoes, because the virus is constraining its ability to import the fuel. It’s among the first known cases of the legal clause being invoked in commodity contracts as a result of the epidemic.

While global markets bounce back from initial fears over the impact of the virus, CNOOC’s move shows the fallout is only deepening in the world of raw materials, which is dominated by China’s enormous appetite. Beijing’s efforts to contain the disease by shutting down swathes of the country and restricting travel are disrupting supply chains and hammering demand in the world’s biggest consumer.


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