Michael Lynch

Massachusetts

The only energy economics comedian. (You have to either laugh or cry.) Also work on upstream markets, energy policy, blog for Forbes.

Featured in: Favicon

forbes.com Favicon

marketwatch.com Favicon

healthaffairs.org Favicon

rigzone.com Favicon

alligator.org Favicon

realclearenergy.org Favicon

beamstart.com Favicon

wiley.com

americanthinker.com Favicon

truckinginfo.com + 2 more

Articles

Mexican Reliance On U.S. Natural Gas Is Due To Policy Missteps

18 hours ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

Fears that the U.S. will use its exports of natural gas to Mexico to pressure them over border security, drug smuggling, and the trade imbalance have led Mexico to target increased domestic production. The new goal is to increase it from just under 4 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) to 5 bcf/d by 2030. While this might appear laudable, the reality is that Mexico could do much more but political constraints have hindered natural gas development for many years.
Don’t Expect A Complete Oil Price Recovery

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

Is the current oil price weakness the beginning of a new price war, and/or heralding a new, lower price level? To summarize, the reasons for past price crashes: 1986, oil price too high; 1998, quota cheating rampant; 2014, shale production soaring; 2020, pandemic, now? The table summarizes the factors leading into the various price drops and shows that pressure on OPEC’s market share and/or quota violations are the primary drivers of price crashes.
Secondary Sanctions On Russian Oil? Trump’s Approach Is Still Unclear

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

The mercurial Trump administration has swung back and forth in its stance on the Russia-Ukrainian War, with the threat of secondary sanctions suggested in recent days, including secondary sanctions on those buying Russian oil. Now a bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to do exactly that. Well, exactly what?
Secondary Sanctions On Russian Oil? Nuclear Option Or Empty Threat?

3 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Michael Lynch

2 hours agoJust keep it simple. It's great advice that applies to many situations throughout life. Today, let's focus on how keeping it simple can lead to excellent investing returns. Here are my two picks for simple exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that anyone can buy and hold forever for only $1,000. Image …
Secondary Sanctions On Russian Oil? Nuclear Option Or Empty Threat?

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

The mercurial Trump administration has swung back and forth in its stance on the Russia-Ukrainian War, with the threat of secondary sanctions suggested in recent days, including secondary sanctions on those buying Russian oil. Now a bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to do exactly that. Well, exactly what?
Consumers Are Not Voting For The Energy Transition

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

Although much of the discussion of the energy transition focuses on government policy and technical innovations, few seem to realize the extent to which consumers will be expected to alter their behavior.
Staycations Could Pressure Summer Oil Prices

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

After the election, the punditosphere was filled with opining about what Trump’s election meant for oil prices, with many noting historical trends suggested Republican presidents were generally bearish for oil, Democrats bullish. But that involves a pretty small sample size, with only prior 11 presidents since 1973, and for the most part, outside factors have been more important than U.S. policy.
Renewable Energy Cannot Provide Surge Capacity For Energy Security

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

Renewables are regularly promoted as providing energy security, no less so than after Europe lost access to most Russian gas following the invasion of Ukraine.
OPEC+’s Relaxed Targets Reflect Bullish View Of Market

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

The surprise decision by OPEC+ to begin unwinding their 2.2 million barrels per day (mb/d) of voluntary cuts from April 1 sent oil prices tumbling and pundits scrambling for an explanation. Many political commentators thought the group was bending to pressure from President Trump, while others postulated that OPEC’s forecasted demand for its oil was optimistic.
Peace In Ukraine Is Unlikely To Result In Large-Scale Oil Investment In Russia

1 month ago | forbes.com | Michael Lynch

Although there are a lot of headlines about the possibility of the U.S. investing in the Ukraine and/or Russia as part of any peace deal, the reality on the ground is much less hopeful. First and foremost, the Ukrainian deal would be of little use, since the country has minimal oil and gas, and the rare earth resource is not very significant.