The HC Commodities Podcast

The Coming El Niño with Michael Ferrari

The HC Commodities Podcast

Show Notes

Today, we discuss El Niño - the dramatic, periodic, shift in climate patterns, that depending on intensity and duration can have profound impacts on our world, economies, and the commodities sector. And as of right now, we are back in an El Niño and it is expected to be one of the strongest on records. What are the known impacts? And how might the state of the world today, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, exacerbate those impacts? And what could happen if we hit Super El Niño territory? Our guest is Michael Ferrari, head of research at Moby, an AI native investment platform targeted to retail investors. Michael has previously been on the show and has a stellar career at the center of data, analytics, insight, and building platforms to support that in various roles in such companies as Coca-Cola, Syngenta, Engine No. Point72, and latterly at AlphaGeo.

More from The HC Commodities Podcast

Oct 20, 2026

Today, we return to the subject of renewables and the associated electric ecosystem - electrotech - particularly in the developing world. What is the prevalence and relevance of these technologies in power generation and consumption in the world shortly leading the Iran War? And what has that attack itself done to those trend lines? Our guest is Daan Walter, principal and energy strategist at Ember, the global think tank dedicated to the energy transition.

Oct 14, 2026

HC Group's Q3 Market Review is ready for download - talent trends and moves from across the commodities sector.

Oct 13, 2026

Today, we return for part two on the predictability premium - how trading organizations can boost valuations of the asset-backed organizations they're within. One of the major challenges in creating a commercial organization is translating that value to the board and addressing their questions. That's what we're tackling in part two today - how to win the mandate to build a commercial organization and how to maintain it. Our guest is Christian Lins, Partner at Oliver Wyman in their risk and trading practice, which he leads in North America, and Christian's based in Houston.

Oct 6, 2026

For commodity trading professionals, it now seems obvious that large global asset-backed producers, refiners, miners and processors should have some form of trading capability.

Sep 29, 2026

Recorded at the Canadian Crude Oil Conference on September 16 in Lake Louise, Alberta, Paul Chapman interviews Adam Waterous on the state of Canada's oil sector against a backdrop of worsening relations with the US and events in the Middle East. And what will it take to turn its enormous energy advantage into economic value. Adam is the founder, managing partner, and CEO of Watrous Energy Fund. Before founding Watrous Energy Fund in 2017, Adam spent more than two decades advising energy industry through Watrous & Co. and later Scotiabank. After spending much of his career advising others on transactions, Adam became an investor himself. Through Watrous Energy Fund, he and his team have built Strathcona Resources and Greenfire Resources into significant players in the Canadian energy industry. Adam brings a unique perspective to today's conversation: banker, deal maker, investor, and company builder. So what will it take to truly make Canada an energy superpower?

See all episodes →