It’s no surprise to anyone that COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, has roiled the energy markets and the economy worldwide. With general economic activity and consumption going down, there have been many who pessimistically view the energy market as another victim of this global downturn and urge consumers, business leaders, and others to hoard cash and not take any steps until there is absolutely 100% certainty about the future. While this advice may hold true for some markets, it certainly does not hold true for energy markets. Below, you’ll see why now is an ideal time to help secure cost savings in the face of declining revenue for some and new opportunities for others.
What is COVID-19 and how has it impacted the global economy?
COVID-19 is a viral disease which is transmitted through person to person contact which causes severe symptoms in those it impacts, in particular the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Most anyone can be impacted and be a carrier, even if there are only mild symptoms, a person who carries the disease may have a disproportionate impact on the health of others. Given the amount of commerce that is conducted in person from meetings to individuals patronizing restaurants, gyms, spas, and other establishments to the drop in travel, COVID-19 has hit almost every sector of the economy. This has had the ripple effect of causing layoffs, making businesses and consumers slash their spending, and resulting in a general downturn of economic activity no matter the kind of business to the point that governments around the world have had to bailout or provide certain monetary support to individual businesses or sectors of the economy.
What does COVID-19 and the economic downturn mean for the energy sector in particular?
During this time of economic uncertainty, demand has dropped for a wide variety of services. For better or worse, this includes the price of energy that both businesses and consumers will pay. Energy prices are now at their lowest level in more than 15 years due to the lack of demand from those who use energy on a daily and reliable basis. Additionally, the increase in production from key energy suppliers overseas has led to a large surplus related to normal demand and an even larger surplus of oil related to the current global demand. As energy is produced from a variety of sources, including oil, when there is a glut of supply in the market then overall energy prices go down.
What does this mean for those who are watching energy prices?
For those who are watching energy prices and the energy market, the low prices continue to be a boon for consumers who may be suffering operational losses elsewhere or may need to save money. Locking in a lower rate today is the first step to helping those who need to cut costs identify a center of cost savings. With the uncertain economic climate, any place that can help lower total expenditures should be under serious consideration.