HOUSTON, May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Platts, the leading global energy information provider and division of McGraw Hill Financial, yesterday introduced the first in a series of daily price assessments designed to help companies - from producers to end users such as petrochemicals manufacturers - to better understand price differentials and profitability factors in the U.S. shale natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) markets.

"Our new Shale Value Chain series seeks to quantify the close relationship between natural gas and NGL prices, put it into context and provide that value to market players striving to make business and trading decisions around that relationship," said Samantha Santa Maria, Platts managing editor of North American natural gas. "Our new assessments, for example, enable gas producers to optimize margins, originators to determine which supply basin provides the most competitively priced raw products, and end-users to compare competing supply and fractionation sources."

Platts' Shale Value Chain consists initially of six daily price assessments, which were priced as noted at market close on May 19, 2014:

    --  Gulf Coast Ethane Fractionation Spread:  The price differential between
        Mont Belvieu ethane and Platts' benchmark Houston Ship Channel gas
        price.  (-0.993 cents/gallon)
    --  Gulf Coast E/P Mix Fractionation Spread: The price differential between
        Mont Belvieu ethane/propane mix and the benchmark Houston Ship Channel
        gas price. (0.007 cents/gallon)
    --  E/P Mix Midcontinent to Rockies Fractionation Spread: The price
        differential between Conway ethane/propane and Platts' Colorado
        Interstate gas price in the Rockies. (-0.481 cents/gallon)
    --  E/P Mix Midcontinent Fractionation Spread: The price differential
        between Conway ethane/propane and Platts' benchmark Natural Gas Pipeline
        Co. of America, Midcontinent zone, gas price. (-1.345 cents/gallon)
    --  National Raw NGL Basket Price: The Raw NGL basket price is a national
        valuation of the total components of the NGL barrel. (90.680
        cents/gallon)
    --  National Composite Fractionation Spread:  The price differential between
        the National Raw NGL Basket price and the benchmark Houston Ship Channel
        gas price. (61.187 cents/gallon)

"Even while tightening today, the fractionation spreads clearly show that overall NGL recovery economics remain strong," said Patrick Badgley, Platts associate editor of natural gas. "It is clear why producers continue to show interest in drilling in plays with a significant NGL presence."

All six assessments are available as Platts' new Shale Value Chain market data package, which contains historical data going back to January 1, 2011. They are also now available on Platts Gas Alert, a real time service, and in two Platts' publications, Gas Daily and Oilgram Price Report.

By year-end, Platts expects to launch six additional Shale Value Chain assessments related to production from the Eagle Ford, Marcellus and Bakken shale plays.

To learn more about Platts' new Shale Value Chain assessments and their market relevance, tune into a Platts.com podcast starting on May 21. Look for it in the Energy Spotlight Podcast Archives in the News & Analysis section of Platts.com - http://www.platts.com/podcasts-archive/spotlight/archiveindex.

About Platts: Founded in 1909, Platts is a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture information and a premier source of benchmark prices for the physical and futures markets. Platts' news, pricing, analytics, commentary and conferences help customers make better-informed trading and business decisions and help the markets operate with greater transparency and efficiency. Customers in more than 150 countries benefit from Platts' coverage of the biofuels, carbon emissions, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, metals, nuclear power, petrochemical, shipping and sugar markets. A division of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), Platts is based in London with approximately 900 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.platts.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial: McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), a financial intelligence company, is a leader in credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. Iconic brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power and McGraw Hill Construction. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 29 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts