Lillian Lee Lei Lian

This study explores the primary causes of wholesale electricity price fluctuations in the United Kingdom (UK). Using the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model that identifies both supply-side and demand-side shocks, and monthly data for the period from January 1996 to May 2022, the findings show that the impact of electricity price increases on the real electricity price is dependent on the underlying cause of the price increase. Electricity price movements in the most recent period of global hardships from 2020-2022, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are further examined, which were widely discussed to have affected the global energy segment. The findings show that although shocks to natural gas had a part to play in the recent price increase of electricity, some major contributing factors remain unique to the UK. Finally, the findings put into perspective and question the effectiveness of the energy cap considering the large contribution of renewable power generation.

This study explores the impact of the Paris Agreement on the determinants of firm-level capital structure decisions of listed contractor-owned Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) companies in the oil and gas (O&G) industry from 2000-2019. The study identified various financing structures between contractor-owned FPSO companies due to their individual and institutional characteristics. Tangibility, profitability, market-to-book (growth), size and effective tax rates are critical determinants of capital structure. Overall, the results support applying the pecking-order theory (PoT) from a firm-level and macro-economic context. The 2015 Paris Agreement ratification significantly impacted the capital structure determinants; the dynamic association has changed in the post-Paris period. Besides, the impact of the global financial crisis on leverage ratios was potentially mitigated by the upward trend in Brent crude oil price between 2007-2013. Keywords: Capital structure, climate change, financial crisis, floating production storage and offloading, FPSO, oil & gas