Rise In Nationalism Could Set Oil Industry Up For A Surprise | OilPrice.com

15.2.17

Rise In Nationalism Could Set Oil Industry Up For A Surprise | OilPrice.com: But nationalism is also impacting energy and mining. A year ago, no one predicted the Philippines would install a staunch environmentalist as head of mining -- the way President Rodrigo Duterte did almost immediately after his election.

A big motivation for Duterte is showing outside interests who's boss inside Philippines borders. The president has little love for foreign mining companies, which are some of the biggest international investors in the Philippines.

That's turned into a major x-factor for global metals markets. No one foresaw half of Philippines nickel supply suddenly disappearing this year -- and yet, that's where we're at.

Unexpected events like this are a big challenge for resource players. Predicting the future is an important part of the business, with most operations requiring some educated guesses about future prices and trade flows. If you're deciding on a new nickel mine, you want to know how much supply is out there, and what that means for prices the next few years.