The oil majors have been piling into bets on natural gas in recent years, viewing gas as a more durable source of demand growth than oil for the long haul. Some of those bets could pay off, but there are also plenty of risks. Presently, there is a glut of natural gas in the U.S., dragging down prices and spreading financial distress throughout the shale industry. The glut is a global phenomenon. Coal is getting killed in Europe because natural gas prices have crashed there as well. As Bloomberg reported , coal stockpiles are surging as utilities switch to gas, taking advantage of rock-bottom prices. Germany, the UK and Spain collectively burned 70 percent less coal in August compared to the same month in 2018. A surplus of gas means that LNG prices in various markets are languishing at their lowest levels in a decade. Spot prices in Asia […]