Phase 1 Trade Deal Won’t Spark An Oil Export Boom

What happens to world markets when China buys an additional $50 billion-plus in U.S. energy products over the next two years? For some analysts, as spectacular as this may sound to fossil fuel bulls, at best, it’s unrealistic. After months of negotiations, the United States and China have finally agreed to and signed a phase-one trade agreement between the world’s two largest economies. The agreement would see China purchase billions of dollars’ worth of oil, coal, and LNG, to the tune of $52 billion—a scenario that if fulfilled,…