European gas markets were rocked by extreme winter weather in late February, as some hubs saw prices driven to record-high levels by arctic temperatures. Coming at the tail end of a winter already characterized by robust demand, we have seen storage stocks approach record lows. This has left European hubs highly volatile; prices surging once again with a colder outlook for the second half of March.
In spite of its bullish fundamentals, the market at the end of February and early March still balanced, highlighting its access to flexibility of supplies and demand. However, the price spike also highlighted the region’s exposure to dynamics in the LNG market.