Natural Gas Prices Weekly Update – JKM, TTF and Henry Hub (18 May 2026)
Natural gas prices rose across the three major benchmarks in the week of May 11‑15, 2026. The Asian JKM index climbed to the mid‑$18/MMBtu range, driven by heightened spot demand and supply worries at Freeport LNG and Ichthys. Europe’s TTF jumped to $17.1/MMBtu as cold weather, low wind output and Norwegian maintenance tightened supplies. In the United States, Henry Hub edged up to $2.96/MMBtu amid weaker storage injections and forecasts of hotter weather later in May.
Is Another Oil Spike Ahead?
The analysis highlights that both WTI and Brent crude have formed triangle patterns that could precede a bullish breakout, especially if prices close above the $112‑$120 resistance zone. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency warns that global commercial oil inventories are...
Spring Revision to 2026 Illinois Crop Budgets
The University of Illinois released a spring revision to its 2026 Illinois crop budgets, raising projected corn prices to $4.50 per bushel and soybean prices to $11.50. While input costs—especially fuel and fertilizer—have risen due to the Iran conflict, per‑acre...
Lingering Volatility in Energy Markets
The World Bank’s Commodity Markets Outlook warns that energy markets will stay volatile as the Iran‑Israel conflict and ongoing threats in the Strait of Hormuz tighten supply. Brent crude is forecast to climb from about $80.7 a barrel in 2024...
EMERGING THESIS CONNECTING OIL, EQUITIES, & PRECIOUS METALS: 230% Buffett Indicator, Oil Inventories Racing Toward Operational Floor, & Why This...
An emerging macro thesis links a looming oil supply crunch—driven by the Iran‑Israel conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz—to a historic equity overvaluation, as the Buffett Indicator spikes to 229.9% of U.S. GDP. Global visible oil inventories...
Sugar: India’s Export Ban Reshapes the Supply Balance
ICE Sugar August 2026 futures rose 1.5% to $438.5 per tonne, breaking above both the 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages. India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade imposed an immediate export ban through 30 September 2026, stranding about 1.45 million tonnes of...
THE GOLD BULL MARKET IS UNBROKEN: Q1 Central Bank Buying Hits 244 Tons, Mine Supply Continues to Flatline for 15...
Gold’s secular bull market remains intact as central banks purchased a net 244 tons in Q1, a 3% year‑over‑year rise. Mine output has been flat for 15 years, capping new supply despite rising demand. Geopolitical tension in the Middle East...
Daily Energy Report
U.S. jet fuel exports surged to a record weekly level in early May 2026, according to the latest weekly export chart. The data, spanning from the start of 2024, shows a pronounced concentration of shipments to South America, which continues...
Consus Ag Consulting AM Market Brief
Overnight U.S. ag markets rallied after U.S. Trade Representative Greer signaled that China plans to purchase billions of dollars in agricultural products, not limited to soybeans. He projected double‑digit‑billion‑dollar deals over the next three years, reviving momentum that had stalled...
Jeff Currie Turns Near-Term Bearish on Gold, but Sees Massive Commodity Upside – by Neils Christensen (Kitco News – May...
Jeff Currie, executive co‑chairman of Abaxx Markets and former Goldman Sachs commodity chief, warned that gold is likely to underperform in the near term. He attributes the bearish view to rising global inflation and the ongoing Iran conflict, which strain...
What Will Happen To Gasoline Prices When the Iran War Ends?
President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised that gasoline prices will tumble quickly once the war with Iran ends. Energy experts, however, caution that while prices are likely to start falling after hostilities cease, the national average may need several months...
Oil & Iran War Context Weekly (W20)
Brent crude closed just under $110 a barrel, gaining about $8 on the week as optimism over a diplomatic breakthrough faded. US‑Iran nuclear talks stalled, and President Trump’s China visit produced no tangible progress on Hormuz tensions. Calendar spreads bottomed...
Russia's Underwhelming Oil Revenue Windfall
Brent crude surged to about $103 per barrel in March, up from $66 in the October‑February window, while Russian Urals prices rose to roughly $55 after limited sanctions were eased to ease Strait of Hormuz disruptions. Six weeks earlier analysts...
Exclusive: EP3 Launch Fert Tracker
Australian market‑intelligence firm EP3 has launched a prototype real‑time vessel tracking tool that monitors nitrogen fertiliser imports into Australia. The system aggregates commercial and public maritime data, assigning confidence scores to each vessel to identify likely fertiliser cargoes. As of...
Daily Energy Report
Saudi Arabia’s western ports are now exporting an average of 4 million barrels per day (mb/d) of crude, a level that has steadied after recent fluctuations. The crude is moved from eastern fields through the East‑West pipeline, which can handle up...