The paradox gripping global energy markets in mid-June 2026 is stark. Brent crude futures — the benchmark “paper” oil traded on exchanges — have hovered around $90–$98 per barrel despite more than 100 days of war involving Iran that has severely disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly 20% of the […]
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The Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and significant LNG volumes flow — has remained effectively closed since early March 2026 following the escalation of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. Iran has suspended talks and signaled the blockade could become permanent absent major concessions. In a wide-ranging interview with […]
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The global energy markets are in the midst of a historic shock. As the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis—triggered by the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran—enters its fourth month, roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil and 20% of LNG flows have been disrupted. Prices spiked above $100 per barrel (peaking near $126), with Brent briefly […]
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its latest Weekly Petroleum Status Report on June 3, 2026, covering data for the week ending May 29, 2026. The report reveals a significant tightening in U.S. petroleum inventories, with a massive combined draw in commercial crude oil and Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) stocks. Analyst Ole S. Hansen […]
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Even the most optimistic reopening of the Strait of Hormuz won’t deliver a quick fix. Physical barrels tell a far harsher story than paper futures. Art Berman (@aeberman12) nailed it in his May 25, 2026, post: There is no clean, modelable “successful reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz. Even in the wildly optimistic scenario, the […]
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Vietnam’s largest refinery, the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC (NSRP), has confirmed it will maintain stable operations through the end of June 2026. According to a company statement reported by Bloomberg, the facility is actively diversifying its crude oil supply by strengthening cooperation with both domestic and international suppliers across multiple regions. The 200,000 […]
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Eleven weeks into the Middle East conflict that has effectively shuttered the Strait of Hormuz and sent energy prices soaring, the correlation between the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index and Brent crude futures has hit its highest level on record. This marks the strongest daily tandem movement between the greenback and oil in more than two […]
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Oil markets are set for continued wild swings in the coming weeks as investors grapple with uncertainty over a potential U.S.-Iran deal to end the ongoing conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Citigroup’s global head of commodities research, Max Layton, captured the mood perfectly in a May 7 Bloomberg Television interview: “It’s very difficult […]
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In a sobering Bloomberg TV interview highlighted in a widely shared X post today, Eric Nuttall — Partner and Senior Portfolio Manager at Ninepoint Partners — warned that the world is experiencing the biggest energy crisis any living person has ever seen. With Middle East oil production slashed by approximately 14 million barrels per day […]
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The 2026 Iran war has triggered what the International Energy Agency (IEA) calls the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.” Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and significant LNG volumes flow—has upended global energy supplies. Over 50 countries have implemented emergency […]
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