Phibro
Phibro LLC is a global physical commodities trading firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, specializing in the merchant investment and optimization of energy, metals, and agricultural products, with a contemporary emphasis on low-carbon and renewable assets such as used cooking oil recycling and recovered carbon black from tires.[1][2] Originally founded in 1901 as Philipp Brothers by Julius Philipp in Hamburg, Germany, the company expanded internationally with offices in London (1909) and New York (1915), initially focusing on metals and chemicals trading before evolving into a pioneer of modern oil markets during the 1970s energy crises, where it generated substantial profits amid volatile crude prices.[2][3] Key milestones include its 1981 acquisition of Salomon Brothers investment bank for $550 million, forming Phibro-Salomon Inc., and subsequent mergers with Engelhard Minerals and Chemicals in 1967 and integration into Citigroup via the 1998 Travelers merger, followed by sale to Occidental Petroleum in 2009 and privatization in 2016 under Energy Arbitrage Partners led by former Morgan Stanley executive Simon Greenshields.[2][4] Phibro's defining characteristics encompass entrepreneurial risk-taking in physical trading, contributions to global price transparency and liquidity, and a legacy of high-stakes operations that included becoming the largest independent U.S. oil refiner by 1988, though it faced challenges such as the 2014 closure of its U.S. trading unit amid regulatory scrutiny over executive compensation.[2][5]