In a stark alert to markets, top executives from ExxonMobil and Chevron have highlighted an impending physical oil supply crunch that could drive Dated Brent crude prices sharply higher—potentially to $150–$160 per barrel—within the coming weeks. The warnings center on critically low global inventories of crude and refined products, exacerbated by the ongoing closure of […]
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The Strait of Hormuz remains the world’s most critical — and most contested — energy chokepoint. Roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG trade normally flows through its narrow waters. Yet since the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran began in late February 2026, traffic has collapsed to a fraction of pre-war levels, sending shockwaves through […]
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In a recent appearance on Squawk Box Asia, veteran commodities strategist Jeff Currie (Co-Chairman of Abaxx Markets) delivered a stark warning that resonates deeply with current market dynamics. He described an emerging “rare earth moment” — a qualitative shift where markets have been neglecting the physical world (“atoms”) in favor of financial narratives and tech […]
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In the shadow of ongoing tensions with Iran, threats to the Strait of Hormuz, and high-stakes negotiations, President Donald Trump’s administration is actively pushing to expand the Abraham Accords. Recent statements tie potential deals with Tehran directly to broader normalization between Israel and additional Arab and Muslim-majority countries — including key Gulf states. The strategy […]
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Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has once again sounded alarms about mounting pressures on the US economy. In a recent Bloomberg Television interview and his April 2026 annual letter to shareholders, he highlighted vulnerabilities in leveraged corporate debt, the challenges of refinancing at elevated rates, geopolitical shocks from the Iran conflict, and risks of […]
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Lars Schernikau, Author and prior guest on the Energy News Beat nails it. Europe’s electricity grid may be the most complex machine humanity has ever built. Yet energy debates too often reduce the conversation to installed capacity, solar additions, or wind megawatts. This narrow focus misses the real engineering and economic reality. Europe’s electricity grid […]
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As the conflict between Iran and the U.S.-led coalition intensifies, Tehran is signaling a dangerous new front: the world’s undersea fiber-optic cables. Iranian state-linked media has explicitly warned that the concentration of critical data cables in the Strait of Hormuz creates a “vulnerable point” for the region’s digital economy — and by extension, the global […]
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The warnings are flashing red. On May 18, 2026, HFI Research published a stark analysis titled “(WCTW) The Oil Market Has Reached The Point Of No Return.” It argues that logistical realities, inventory collapses, and geopolitical anchoring have locked the market into deeper pain — far beyond the optimistic assumptions of Wall Street sellside analysts […]
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$6 gas and refinery fears collide with California’s climate ambitions By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters The Chevron refinery in Richmond is located behind a nearby neighborhood on Feb. 21, 2024. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California is considering handing oil refineries and other […]
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Power prices on the largest electric grid in the United States — PJM Interconnection, which serves 13 states and the District of Columbia — jumped a staggering 76% in the first quarter of 2026. Wholesale power averaged $136.53 per megawatt-hour (MWh), up from $77.78/MWh in the same period of 2025, according to the grid’s independent […]
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