IMO Chief: Convoys Unsustainable for Reopening Strait of Hormuz
[MUST READ] IMO chief says convoys are not a long-term or sustainable solution to re-open Strait of Hormuz: https://t.co/5RH72OviGI
Hedge Funds Boost Nat‑Gas Futures, Yet Still Below Historic Peaks
HEDGE FUNDS and other money managers purchased the equivalent of 159 billion cubic feet (bcf) in the two major futures and options contracts based on prices at Henry Hub in Louisiana over the seven days ending on March 10. Fund...
US Says Oil Prices Will Rise Until Hormuz Reopens
U.S. government acknowledges oil prices will likely continue to rise until Strait of Hormuz is re.-opened: https://t.co/3Db7xAQBDO
Oil Market Bets on Short US‑Iran Conflict, Quick Hormuz Re‑opening
Oil prices still anticipate short war or early re-opening of the Strait Oil traders are still betting war between the United States and Iran will end relatively quickly - or that the United States will soon be in a position to...
Brent up 66% YTD, Still Near Century Average
BRENT crude prices have risen by more than two-thirds since the start of the year but in real terms they remain moderate at only a little over the average since the start of the century: https://t.co/MsEc6Lww8F
US‑Iran Conflict Raises Oil Prices, Not Yet a Shock
U.S./Iran war is not (yet) an oil shock Oil futures prices have increased by more than a third since Israel and the United States attacked Iran and almost two-thirds since the start of the year but the increase is not yet...
Mansion House Station Named After Unbuilt Location
Ever wondered why “Mansion House” underground station on the District Line is not in fact at the Mansion House but a considerable walk away? Well the station was planned to be there, but the location was changed when the necessary...
Brent's Record Volatility Mirrors War Uncertainty
Brent becomes extremely volatile amid confusion about war’s duration Brent futures traded in a record daily range of more than $35 per barrel on March 9, as traders reacted to conflicting signals about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz...
Hedge Funds Keep US Gas Bets Low After Iran Attack
HEDGE FUNDS and other money managers had cut bullish positions in U.S. natural gas to the lowest for more than 18 months before the United States and Israel attacked Iran. Even after the attack and the closure of the Strait...
Hedge Funds Cash In on Oil Spike, Keep Bullish Bet
Hedge funds realise some profits as oil prices climb Hedge funds and other money managers sold Brent futures and options last week to realise some of their profits on former bullish positions as prices surged after the United States and Israel...
Reopening Hormuz Strait Essential to Curb Oil Price Surge
STRAIT OF HORMUZ re-opening is central to any effort to prevent another spike in oil prices: https://t.co/hWRuSylzaC
Independent Energy Research: Affordable, High‑Quality, Unbiased Insights
Twelve months ago, I re-launched my newsletter as a subscription service to provide high-quality, affordable and objective research focused on energy issues. I have always been convinced high-quality research and analysis are essential for effective decision-making. The past year has confirmed...
Brent Backwardation Hits 98th Percentile Amid Hormuz Closure
BRENT futures have surged into a severe backwardation as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to create an acute shortage of barrels. The six-month calendar spread has soared into a backwardation of almost $11 per barrel from less...
Fund Managers Slightly Boost Dutch Gas Positions Pre‑crisis
INVESTMENT MANAGERS purchased the equivalent of 12 terawatt-hours (TWh) of futures and options in the European benchmark Dutch TTF contract over the seven days ending on February 27. Nearly all the buying came from repurchases of previous bearish short positions....
China Seeks New Oil Sources as Middle East Supply Wanes
CHINA’s options to deal with loss of oil supply from Iran and the Middle East: https://t.co/pf8gYZWvxE
Europe's Gas Reserves Plunge, Refilling Hinges on Middle East Routes
EUROPE has depleted its gas inventories faster than average this winter in the expectation there would plenty of LNG to refill them over the coming summer. EU storage sites are on average just 30% full down from more than 82%...
Iran Conflict Will Expose Oil Market Fragility
IRAN WAR will test the vulnerability of oil markets - I got to write some thoughts in the Financial Times: https://t.co/L7TKTXxT7U
Hedge Funds Maxed Bullish Brent Bets Ahead of Iran Attack
Bullish Brent positions at nearly two-year high prior to attack on Iran Before the United States and Israel attacked Iran, hedge funds and other money managers amassed the largest bullish position in Brent crude futures and options for almost two years,...
Lower 48 Oil Output Flat, Barely up 90k B/D
U.S. CRUDE and condensate production from the Lower 48 states excluding federal waters in the Gulf of America/Mexico has flattened in response to the downturn in prices and drilling. Lower 48 onshore production was up by just 90,000 b/d in...
US Gas Stocks Near Seasonal Norm, Prices Dip Below $3
U.S. GAS inventories depleted much more slowly than normal for the time of year in the middle part of February, largely erasing the previous storage deficit and causing futures prices to slip below $3 per million British thermal units to...
Data Centers Push Power Use, Threaten Residential Rate Backlash
U.S. data centres seek to avert power price battle with voters After stagnating for more than a decade, U.S. electricity consumption has surged to a record high, driven primarily by growing demand from data centres handling artificial intelligence and other applications. But...
US Crude Stocks Surge 16M Barrels, Gulf Coast Leads
U.S. CRUDE OILinventories surged by 16 million barrels over the seven days ending on February 20, the largest one-week increase for three years. The increase was concentrated at refineries and tank farms along the Gulf Coast where stocks rose by...
US Electricity Hits Record, Solar Leads Non‑fossil Surge
U.S. ELECTRICITY net generation at utility-scale facilities climbed to a record 4,430 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh or TWh) in 2025 up from 4,309 billion kWh in 2024. Nearly four-fifths of the increase came from non-fossil generators (+94 billion kWh) led by...
Tanker Rates Hit Three-Year High Amid US‑Iran Tensions
TANKER RATES for chartering vessels to carry crude (or other dirty products such as fuel oil) have surged to the highest for more than three years as the United States and Iran edge towards war. The Baltic Exchange dirty tanker...
U.S. Gas Exports Surpass Domestic Use in 2025
UNITED STATES exported an average of 14.8 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) by tanker and other 9.4 bcf/d by pipeline during the first eleven months of 2025. Total exports exceeded the combined consumption by households (12.0 bcf/d) and offices,...
War Risk Premium Adds Only $10 to Oil Prices
U.S./Iran: Oil Prices and the War Risk Premium Oil traders currently assign a low probability to a war between the United States and Iran that results in significant and sustained disruption to exports from Iran and other countries in the Persian...
US Gas Dips Below $3 as Supplies Stay Ample
U.S. gas prices retreat on comfortable stocks Front-month U.S. gas futures prices have slipped below $3 per million British thermal units for the first time in four months as traders become convinced gas will remain plentiful despite record exports. So far, this...
US EV Charging Ports Jump 10%, Fast Chargers Rise 25%
U.S. ELECTRIC VEHICLE charging ports increased by more than 24,000 (10%) in 2025. More than half of the new ports were direct current fast-charging ports, which increased by more than 13,000 (25%): https://t.co/zEkOinhmj8
EU Gas Storage at 32%—Second Lowest Since 2011
EU GAS STORAGE facilities are now less than one-third full, with more than a month of the winter heating season probably still ahead. Storage facilities were on average 32.5% full on February 17, the second lowest seasonal fill in records...
U.S. Solar Power Hits Record 304 TWh, Ten‑Fold Growth
U.S. SOLAR GENERATION increased to a record 304 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) or 304 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024. Solar generation had increased ten-fold over the previous ten years from 29 billion kWh in 2014. Data prepared by the U.S. Energy Information...
U.S. Oil Production Holds Steady Despite Falling Prices
U.S. OIL PRODUCTION has defied expectations for a rapid and significant slowdown in response to lower prices: https://t.co/fMfoyip69Z
Investors Bet on Oil Amid Growing Supply Threats
Oil investors bullish on proliferating supply threats Investors are increasingly bullish about the outlook for oil prices as potential risks to production and tanker traffic multiply - including threats of U.S. military action against Iran and stricter sanctions enforcement. Hedge funds and...
U.S. Gas Futures Hit Four‑month Low at $3/MMBtu
U.S. GAS futures prices have retreated to the lowest for almost four months after spiking during Winter Storm Fern. Front-month futures have fallen back to just $3 per million British thermal units (the lowest since mid-October). The front month has...
US Gasoline Inventories Hit Near-Record, Squeezing Margins
U.S. GASOLINE STOCKS are well above normal for the time of year, weighing on refining margins. Inventories totalled 259 million barrels on February 6, the second highest on record for the time of year, exceeded only before the pandemic in...
China’s Urban Gas Network Reaches 484 Million Residents
China’s residential gas revolution China has connected more than 300 million people living in urban households to the natural gas network since 2010, according to data published late last year by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The number of urban...
Investors Dump TTF Gas Futures as Prices Slip
INVESTMENT MANAGERS sold futures and options on the Dutch TTF European gas benchmark for the first time in eight weeks as prices retreated despite inventories well below average for the time of year. Funds sold the equivalent of 15 terawatt-hours...
Mild Chinese Winter Cuts Heating Demand by up to 6%
CHINA’s winter has been relatively mild so far, limiting gas consumption and imports. Heating demand in the North China metro-region including Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei (home to 109 million people and accounting for 9% of GDP) has been about 2%...