Last week, President Trump, announced the COVID-19 treatments and vaccines are on a “fast track” for development. But what does that mean? What is a typical timeline for development and what are the steps that needs followed in order to produce a successful vaccination or treatment?
On Tuesday, December 3rd, Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project began at Acheson, Alberta. The controversial expansion started two weeks before a federal court of appeal is set to hold hearings on challenges to the project. The expansion would more than double the oil flow from oil-rich Alberta to British Columbia, and potentially from there to export markets in Asia. But British Columbia’s government has been a vocal opponent of the pipeline in bitter disputes with neighboring Alberta. One of those issues being, overall emissions in Alberta rose by 23% between 2005 to 2017 while the emissions per barrel of oil fell by 28% between 2000 and 2017. While there is more oil production than 20 years ago, Alberta’s economy has reliance on the oil industry.
Big Corn and Big Oil have been dueling over the future of the Renewable Fuels Standard, which requires oil refiners to mix biofuels like corn-heavy ethanol into their fuel. The Renewable Fuel Standard requires refineries to blend increasing volumes of biofuels into their fuel each year. The proposed plan would include an increase to biofuels requirements for 2020 of 1 billion gallons (3.8 billion liters) and the agricultural industry wants the administration to force larger refineries to make up for the exempted gallons through reallocation. The proposed plan, discusses 500 million gallons for conventional biofuels and 500 million gallons for advanced biofuels (like biodiesel). 
Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday after a key U.S. manufacturing report dimmed the outlook on the manufacturing industry and invoked lingering fears of a global recession.
What Happened
Oil markets have been trading lower all day today even after yesterday’s sell off on continued fears of a global economic slowdown exasperated by the trade war and unrest in Hong Kong.
According to reports, Iran is quickly going to breach the Uranium-stockpile limit set by the current nuclear deal. President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has already warned that a new deal needed to be in action by Sunday June 7, 2019 or the Islamic Republic will increase enrichment of Uranium. Globally, there is much concern with the growth rate of Iran’s uranium cache, because they are just a step away from weapon-grade levels of uranium.
Although prices are well off their highs, the complex trades higher today after OPEC+ looks to extend production cuts, the U.S. and Chinese declare a truce on the trade war, and Iran reported having higher levels of uranium than the 2015 signed nuclear deal allows.
It has been a wild Monday for traders after President Trump tweeted yesterday that the United States will increase tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports, which, is casting doubt on the likelihood of a successful U.S. and Chinese trade deal.
