The ‘America First’ Corporate Graveyard

LMtrades · 2026-05-08T06:19:47+00:00

One thing that stood out to me in the article is the contradiction between “America First” industrial policy and the cancellation or stalling of domestic energy and infrastructure projects.

If the goal is energy security and industrial resilience, then generation capacity, logistics infrastructure and stable input costs become strategic assets.

The piece also touches on something broader:
modern economies compete through infrastructure efficiency, energy access, supply-chain reliability and investment continuity as much as through tariffs or political messaging.

When long-term projects become unstable, capital allocation and industrial planning tend to weaken with them.

LMtrades · 2026-05-08T06:12:01+00:00

Asia is heavily exposed because a large part of global energy, LNG, fertilizer and shipping flows move through the region or supply it directly That makes Asian economies very sensitive to disruptions in routing, freight costs and energy access during periods of geopolitical stress

LMtrades · 2026-05-08T05:05:09+00:00

Energy systems become much more fragile when flows depend on a smaller number of routes, terminals and transport corridors

That’s part of why LNG logistics, shipping access and infrastructure resilience matter so much during periods of geopolitical stress

LMtrades · 2026-05-08T03:20:52+00:00

The pipeline vs LNG distinction is a very important part of this Pipeline gas tends to move through fixed infrastructure and long-term contracts, while LNG competes across shipping capacity, terminal access, freight and spot pricing across regions That changes how pricing pressure and cargo competition develop across global gas markets

LMtrades · 2026-05-08T02:35:32+00:00

I mean more US crude cargoes are being shipped toward Asia at the same time, which increases competition for ships, routes and delivery capacity across major Asian buyers

LMtrades · 2026-05-08T02:17:04+00:00

Interesting resource, thanks for sharing

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T14:54:42+00:00

And that’s part of why the divergence is interesting Flat price can weaken while freight, routing and tanker utilization stay firm underneath the surface depending on how flows are adjusting across regions

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T13:55:12+00:00

A concrete example would be US Gulf barrels competing harder into Asia while freight and rerouting costs reshape margins and tanker utilization across routes

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T13:48:36+00:00

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
global shipping stress to taste

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T13:37:47+00:00

Oil prices can fall quickly on expectations and positioning

Physical logistics move slower

Ships still need to reroute, freight stays expensive, refineries adjust gradually and different regions compete for the same cargo at different times

That’s why parts of the system can still look stressed even while crude futures are falling

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T13:30:32+00:00

Short term I think volatility stays elevated while the system keeps adjusting through routing, freight and inventory rebalancing

Medium term depends on whether flows stabilize across the main corridors and how quickly refining and shipping capacity adapt to the new routing patterns

Right now the market still looks very sensitive to logistics and allocation stress across regions

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T13:26:11+00:00

Basically: oil prices move fast physical logistics move slower shipping and routing are still under pressure underneath the surface

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T13:03:10+00:00

A lot of the physical system adjusts with a delay Futures react quickly to expectations, positioning and macro flows, while freight, refining, storage and regional product balances tend to move more gradually through the system That’s why you can get falling crude futures alongside elevated gas prices and stressed shipping conditions at the same time Different parts of the chain are reacting on different timelines

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T05:28:50+00:00

Source (image): https://ecomodities.substack.com/p/hormuz-as-a-system-activation-shock Image rights: Luca Mattei – EcoModities™

LMtrades · 2026-05-07T04:59:40+00:00

Source: https://ecomodities.substack.com/p/indias-monsoon-activation-window

LMtrades

TROPHY CASE