
Columbia Energy Exchange Javier Blas on CERAWeek and the Energy Market's Reckoning
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Mar 27, 2026 Javier Blas, Bloomberg opinion columnist and former Financial Times commodities editor, offers a sharp take on CERAWeek's tense mood. He walks through disrupted oil flows, how traders arbitrage displaced barrels, and why paper markets can mask physical shortages. He also covers LNG shocks, coal and renewables shifts, and the risks of wider Gulf escalation.
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Shortages Spread East To West Creating Lagged Impacts
- Physical shortages will propagate east-to-west: Asia faces immediate pain and will transmit pressure to Europe then the Americas.
- Blas predicted Europe tightening in early April and the Americas by mid-to-late April if disruptions continue.
Poor Importers Face Acute Fuel Shortages First
- Low-income, import-dependent countries will suffer severe fuel shortages and rationing first.
- Blas cited Pakistan and Bangladesh already facing shortages while wealthier nations can price out supplies for now.
Gas Markets Split US Cheap Versus Overseas Pinch
- Natural gas prices diverge sharply: U.S. gas near $3/MMBtu while Europe/Asia face $18–$19/MMBtu due to lost Qatari LNG and constrained global flows.
- Blas noted even negative hub prices in Waha, West Texas, amid local oversupply.





