The global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market is locked in an intensifying bidding contest between Asia and Europe, driven by severe disruptions to Qatari supplies through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran conflict that began in late February 2026. Spot prices have more than doubled—surging roughly 150% from pre-conflict levels near $10.40 per million […]
Continue Reading
Europe’s remaining coal plants are generating unexpected profits while Asia burns more coal to fill an LNG gap created by Middle East disruptions. Global demand is heading for a record high in 2026. The rebound is real but uneven, largely temporary in the West, and more structural in Asia—until nuclear and cleaner alternatives scale meaningfully. […]
Continue Reading
Chinese refiners are set to slow the pace of inventory drawdowns this month as crude imports recover, according to Energy Aspects. More overseas crude is expected to arrive from November, allowing China to preserve its substantial stockpile buffer against further supply disruptions. Analyst Jianan Sun of Energy Aspects noted that recent purchases of Iraqi and […]
Continue Reading
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Monday, October 12–13, 2026, that it struck a third “violating” or “offending” supertanker in the Strait of Hormuz within roughly 48 hours, sparking an onboard fire. The IRGC stated the vessel had switched off its navigation systems, ignored warnings, and attempted to exit via an unauthorized […]
Continue Reading
Supertankers are racing into the Persian Gulf for record fees, and that single migration is redrawing how crude moves. More than 40 percent of the world’s roughly 850 very large crude carriers are now inside the Gulf or within a couple of days’ sail of it, according to Signal Ocean data cited by Bloomberg. Empty […]
Continue Reading
Crude dipped below $98 Tuesday on recovering Middle East exports and a G7 stockpile release, then climbed back to $100. Gasoline is still $4.37 and diesel $6.32. Nearly 20 ship attacks in a month, “scarily thin” inventories and an SPR at a 44-year low say the relief is fragile. On paper, Tuesday looked like relief. […]
Continue Reading
Record VLCC rates now equal about $33 a barrel — 27 percent of delivered crude — and history shows that energy shocks plus Fed tightening are how demand destruction turns into recession. Especially after the Fed raises rates during an energy crisis, recessions follow. Patterns in finance matter, just like physics matters to the grid. […]
Continue Reading
President Trump’s Midterm Diesel Probability Forecasting Tool ties record distillate prices directly to Senate control odds less than five weeks before the November 3 vote. Retail on-highway diesel sat at $6.382 per gallon for the week of September 28 (EIA), down only modestly from the $6.529 record the prior week and more than $2.60 above […]
Continue Reading
Tankers are burning in the Strait of Hormuz, visible traffic through the waterway has collapsed to a fraction of normal levels, and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says he is “highly confident” Europe will draw down emergency diesel stocks to ease a global shortage. The combination is keeping a firm geopolitical premium in crude while […]
Continue Reading
WTI is hovering near $89 after a sharp September unwind from above $100. Brent is still the more stubborn benchmark, recently trading in the mid-to-high $90s after spending stretches of the month above $100. The market is no longer pricing a clean “Hormuz victory.” It is pricing a split world: more crude is moving again, […]
Continue Reading