Viktor Katona is an Group Physical Trader at MOL Group and Expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, currently based in Budapest.
Disclaimer: views set out in Viktor's articles are solely those of the author in his private capacity.
The relationship between Australia and China has been going through a difficult period lately. Altercations surrounding the origins of COVID-19 rage on, all the while…
When writing the article on this year’s Top Oil Wildcats, one of the hottest candidates had to be dropped out of the list. Not because…
It is very hard to give up on one’s own resource bounty and Australia knows it only too well. Endowed with the world’s third-largest coal…
Although it is a very rare occurrence to see Nigerian grades trade at levels stipulated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) every month, the…
The coronavirus pandemic has shortened Europe’s energy transition. What was initially perceived as a gradual movement towards fewer emissions and greener generation has now become…
In the words of prominent Polish politician Piotr Naimski, currently serving as the European country’s plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, Polish national sovereignty is strongly…
Even before the COVID crisis struck South America, the continent’s nations held overwhelmingly negative views about their respective governments’ economic performance. According to the reputable…
Europe’s upstream segment has two main challenges – environment-related long-term objectives that gradually narrow down oil companies’ maneuvering ability in terms of where/what they can…
Mozambique has been rightly considered one of the most promising new frontiers of gas production in the world, the Rovuma Basin that is located along…
As we continue to kick the prospect of global economic recovery down the road of 2021, caution remains the buzzword of the oil markets. The…
Qatar Petroleum found itself in the limelight of the LNG scene in 2021, having clinched two major deals with Pakistan and China. All the while…
It is rather rare to see enthusiasm for completely new exploration projects in Europe. The overwhelming majority of OECD countries are either in terminal decline…
The energy markets have seen several major upsets during the 21st century yet one can state fairly confidently that the market slump of 2020-2021 has…
Ukraine is now Europe’s poorest country (per capita), having overtaken the long-time leader Moldova in 2018. A country whose abundant coal reserves have spurred its…
Having assessed the most promising oil-focused exploration wells of 2021, the time has come to do pinpoint this year’s up-and-coming gas wildcats. It will not…
Kazakhstan meticulously studied the lessons of the 2014/2015 oil slump and has so far survived the last 12 months’ market depression with legislative and executive…
South Korea remains the weakest performer within OECD in terms of renewables’ penetration into the national energy matrix, merely 5% of its electricity generation boils…
Judging by the first 3 months of 2021 it seems that this year has gone off into a wrong start, instead of economic rebounds we…
Russia seems to be going through a tumultuous period. Internally, the Putin Administration has been kept busy with a wave of dissent, externally it is…
It is unlikely that the bullish sentiment currently driving oil markets can be sustained over a prolonged period, but Middle Eastern producers are determined to…