A recent JPMorgan report titled “Food Security is National Security: A Compounding Storm,” led by senior global economist Nora Szentivanyi, has sounded the alarm on rising risks of elevated global food inflation into 2027. The bank projects food inflation accelerating from about 2.8% in the first half of 2026 to around 5% annualized in the […]
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Diesel refining margins—known as crack spreads—have exploded to extreme levels across the three major refining hubs, signaling a tightening global middle distillate market that is only in its early stages. As of late August 2026, the US Gulf Coast ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) crack versus WTI stood near $93–94 per barrel (after briefly topping a […]
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Saudi Arabia is offering to sell crude oil cargoes on a ship-to-ship basis from locations off the coast of Oman, including near Sohar in the Gulf of Oman. This move signals that the kingdom may be ramping up the practice of shuttling barrels through the Strait of Hormuz—often with transponders switched off—mirroring tactics already used […]
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This is rolling out on the ENB Podcast and the Energy Impacts Podcast with David Blackmon Welcome to Rate Payers First, where we cut through the noise on America’s energy crisis. Join host David Blackmon, Stu Turley, and Frm Representative Jason Isaac as we expose the policies destroying your wallet, threatening national security, and crippling […]
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As the Iran-U.S. conflict grinds toward the six-month mark in mid-August 2026, Tehran continues to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz—the critical chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG once flowed—while the United States maintains a naval blockade on Iranian ports and escalates economic pressure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has signaled […]
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President Donald Trump stated on August 14, 2026, that he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States once the ongoing conflict with Iran concludes. Speaking at the Nassau County Police Academy (also referenced as the David S. Mack Center) in Garden City, New York, Trump said: “After we finish […]
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Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO has confirmed that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is among the buyers of its crude, with cargoes exiting via the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing regional conflict and severe disruptions to normal shipping. Ali Nizar, director-general of SOMO, stated in a text message that “Adnoc is one of the […]
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Geopolitical risks are colliding across multiple theaters in early August 2026, creating a perfect storm for energy markets. The Strait of Hormuz is flaring again, with Iranian loadings collapsing toward zero. Saudi Arabia’s Jazan refinery has been hit by Houthi drones for the second time in weeks. Ukraine continues deep strikes on Russian refining infrastructure, […]
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Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed a drone strike on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan (also spelled Jizan) refinery on Sunday, August 9, 2026, just two days after the kingdom signed a major trilateral defense pact. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry reported a fire at a facility within the complex that was extinguished with no injuries. This marks the latest […]
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Citigroup has raised its third-quarter 2026 Brent crude forecast to $80 per barrel from $75, citing the prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict and continued constraints on oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The bank left its fourth-quarter 2026 forecast unchanged at $70 per barrel and continues to project an average of $65 per barrel for full-year […]
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