Oil Prices Slide as US Weighs Easing Sanctions on Shadow Fleet: Implications for Tanker Rates, Delivered Crude Costs, and Diesel Crack Spreads

Oil prices fell about 2% on October 15, 2026, after reports that the Trump administration is considering easing sanctions on vessels in the so-called “shadow fleet.” Brent crude futures dropped about $2.28 (2.2%) to around $103.78 a barrel, while WTI fell about $1.34 (1.4%) to roughly $93.75, reversing prior gains. The move reflected hopes that […]

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India Hits Seven-Year High in Venezuelan Crude as Reliance Loads Up Jamnagar

India Hits Seven-Year High in Venezuelan Crude as Reliance Loads Up Jamnagar October flows could top 465,000 b/d—the strongest since 2019—while India’s decade-long import reshuffle and its No. 2 global refined-product export role show how discounted heavy barrels still clear through the world’s most complex refineries. India’s Venezuelan crude imports are on track for a […]

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What is the real story on the Stelco plant idling and job losses in Canada?

  Stelco Holdings, owned by Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs since a $3.4-billion acquisition in late 2024, announced it will indefinitely idle cold-rolled and coated operations at its Hamilton Works plant beginning around October 9. The company says the move is required “to help ensure the survival of Stelco.” About 350 workers at Hamilton are expected to be […]

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U.S. fuel prices have climbed to their highest levels since the Iran war began in late February, with diesel setting fresh all-time records and wholesale costs now exceeding the peaks seen before the first ceasefires.

How high they go from here, and how long they stay elevated, depends less on crude alone than on a global refining system that is already running near its limits. Energy analyst John Kemp noted Wednesday that the combined cost of U.S. crude and refining margins is now higher than in early April. So far […]

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China Crude Buying Jumps, and Fuel Exports Jump 29% – Jeff Curry is Spot On. It’s about the lack of refining capacity.

Chinese refiners are stepping back into the crude market while flooding product markets with extra gasoline and diesel, just as the rest of the world is running short of both barrels and refining capacity. August data show crude imports rising 6.2% from July to 8.93 million barrels per day, while refined product exports jumped 29% […]

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