Crude Oil

Investors were hopeful of a "near-term" resolution to the Middle East war. Oil prices were also pinned at below $100 per barrel. Investors are quick to see the positive side of any sign of a denouement in this month's Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of world oil and gas is typically transported. The ceasefire that has been in place between Israel and Lebanon for the past 10 days came into effect Thursday. President Donald Trump also said that the next meeting of the U.S. with Iran could take place this weekend when the current ceasefire expires. Brent...

The global stock market rose to a new record high on Thursday, as the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel & Lebanon lifted sentiment. However, oil prices also increased as the global supply buffers continue dwindling with the Strait of Hormuz still being blocked. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day truce. He also said the next U.S.-Iran meeting could take place this weekend. Two Iranian sources said that the negotiations have scaled down their goals for the talks because the U.S. Navy has also stopped Iranian vessels from crossing the Strait....

Oil prices rose on Thursday due to concerns about a possible deal to ease the grip of Middle Eastern energy supply. U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day truce and that the next meeting between Iran and the United States could take place this weekend. Israel is waging an parallel campaign in Lebanon against the militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. In a Thursday post on Truth Social, U.S. president Donald Trump stated that Israeli and Lebanese officials had agreed to?start a 10-day truce at 5 pm EST (2200...

Washington's top derivatives regulator assured lawmakers on Thursday that the United States would punish a?fraud, as concerns mount on Capitol Hill about oil, stock, and prediction market participants?trading illicitly on insider information derived from the White House. According to prepared remarks viewed by, Michael Selig's first congressional testimony comes a day following media reports that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating a number of oil futures transactions executed just before President Donald Trump made major policy changes. These remarks also refer to the sudden attention that the relatively low-profile agency, which has only one member in place, Selig,...

The world stock market rose for the 10th consecutive day on Thursday to reach?new records highs. This marked the end of a six-week journey that began with the massive selloffs caused by Israel and the United States' attacks on Iran. The optimism over a possible 'deal to end war' continues to grow. MSCI 47-country world stock index rose 0.25%, with oil at $95 a barrel now far below the $120 highs of March. Wall Street hoped to see more gains in the future. The S&P 500 reached a new high on Wednesday after rising tech stocks and positive global bank...

Washington's top regulator of derivatives is expected to assure lawmakers on Thursday that the United States will punish fraudulent activity as concerns?mount on Capitol Hill about oil, stock, and prediction market participants trading illicitly based on insider information from a?White House. According to prepared remarks viewed by, Michael Selig's first congressional testimony comes a day following media reports that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating a number of oil futures transactions executed just before President Donald Trump made major policy changes. These remarks also serve as a "nod" to the sudden attention that the relatively low-profile agency, which...

China built the largest crude oil stockpile in the world during March, even as the rest of the world began to use up its inventories to make up for the millions of barrels lost due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. According to calculations based off official data, China, the largest crude importer in the world, had a surplus of 1,74 million barrels a day (bpd). China's excess crude for the first quarter was 1,41 million bpd. This is down from the?record-high of 2.67 millions bpd set in December, but it is up from the 2025 average of...

Gregor Stuart Hunter gives a look at what the European and global market will be like today. Global equities are setting new records, and the dollar has been falling for a ninth day in a row to its lowest levels since the Iran War began. Traders have increased their bets that the conflict in the Middle East may end soon. In a post posted on Truth Social, U.S. president Donald Trump added to the optimism by saying that direct talks between Israel & Lebanon "will take place tomorrow". The MSCI All-Country World Index rose 0.3%, reaching a new record. Meanwhile,...

On Thursday, oil?prices remained unchanged, reversing previous declines. This was due to skepticism about the peace talks between?the U.S. Brent crude futures rose 9 cents at 0427 GMT to $95.02 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures rose 44 cents to $91.73 per barrel. Both benchmarks traded with a wide range on Wednesday, but settled little-changed. U.S. and Israeli war with Iran resulted in the biggest ever disruption of oil and gas supply due to Iran's blocking of traffic through the 'Strait of Hormuz', which typically carries around 20% of world oil and liquefied gas flows. Toshitaka Takawa, an...

Stocks rose in Asian trading Thursday, as traders digested economic data and crucial earnings reports. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside of Japan rose 0.9%. The benchmark is on track to gain for the third day in a row. Japan's Nikkei gained 2.2%, setting a new record. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%. Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a report that they "remain constructive" about emerging market stocks, as the "underlying profit growth will likely be strong". The region's earnings will be driven by AI-related demands, which are relatively protected from the direct effects of the oil crisis. The S&P 500...

Investors assessed the prospects of renewed U.S. Iran talks, and the potential of releasing supply from the Middle East where exports are still restricted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures rose 43 cents or 0.5% to $95.22 per barrel at 821 GMT after dropping 4.6% the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was down 17 cents or 0.2% to $91.11. The contract fell 7.9% in the previous session. The war has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz. This is a major waterway that allows crude oil and refined products to flow out of the...

The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Tuesday and other Wall Street indices also advanced, as prospects for new talks between the United States of America and Iran also dragged down oil prices and U.S. dollars. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that talks in Pakistan could resume over the next two days after they had broken down over weekend. Pakistani and Iranian officials said that talks could resume, with Iran's nuclear activities and international sanctions on the agenda. The S&P 500 ended the day at 6,966.78 after gaining 1.17% according to preliminary data. The S&P 500 closed...

Early Friday morning, oil prices dropped on the optimism that the Middle East conflict could be coming to an end. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect after the inauguration of the ceasefire. Moreover, 'President Donald Trump' said the U.S. may hold talks with Iran over the weekend. Brent crude futures fell $1.34 or 1.35% to $98.05 per barrel at 0021 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures declined $1.65 or 1.74% to $93.40 per barrel, reducing gains from the previous day. Trump addressed a major sticking point in talks to end the Iran War, which has...

Per Jansson, Riksbank's deputy governor, said that the central bank of Sweden must be alert to the potential effects on inflation caused by the war in the Middle East, particularly the rising energy prices. Jansson stated that the war caused considerable uncertainty but that it was very different than the situation in 2022 when inflation started to soar. He cited lower inflationary pressures and weaker demand, as well as a stronger Swedish krona. Jansson summarized a speech by saying, "This means that the risk is spillover effects are lower now than they were?then." He said that the impact of higher...

Last week, the U.S. almost became a net oil exporter for the first since World War Two. Shipments surged to near-record highs to meet the demand of Asian and European buyers scrambling in order to replace Middle East supply?cut off by the Iran War. The U.S.-Israeli war against?Iran has caused the biggest ever disruption in the global energy markets. Iranian threats have stopped a fifth of oil and gas from the world transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. Refiners who depend on these supplies in Asia and Europe have purchased alternative cargoes wherever possible, thereby boosting the demand for oil...

In its Fiscal Monitor report, released on Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund stated that the war in the Middle East had intensified the strains already present in an already fragile fiscal situation. Higher interest rates and rising energy prices have already fueled calls for assistance from developing countries and emerging markets. Rodrigo Valdes is the new head of fiscal affairs at the IMF. He said that countries should avoid fuel subsidies in order to help their citizens cope with an oil shortage and a corresponding rise in energy prices. He said that targeted, temporary cash transfers would be the better...

Financial markets are diverging as the conflict in the Middle East enters its eighth week. The U.S. stock market has?wiped out the losses since the beginning of the war. But oil prices remain punishingly high and are dragging down both government bonds as well as gold. Also, there are dramatic differences in emerging markets. Brazilian markets have risen and China has seen healthy inflows. However, smaller, energy-dependent economies are struggling. Markus Hansen said that the U.S. could manage an oil price shock this long, but Asia was more vulnerable. Hansen said that he used the drop in prices to buy...

South Korea has purchased 273 million barrels of crude oil from the Middle East and Kazakhstan by the end of this year. Supplies are being routed outside of the Strait of Hormuz. Kang, who was visiting as a presidential special envoy in Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia over the last week, said that Asia's fourth largest economy had also acquired 2.1 million tons of naphtha during the same time period. Kang stated that "in particular, the crude and naphtha obtained this time would be sourced via alternative supply routes, unrelated to the closure of the Strait?Hormuz. This will make a...

Sinopec, the state-owned oil company of China, has purchased Russian crude oil in order to replace Middle Eastern oil after a temporary suspension of sanctions by the United States to ease global supply shortages. Sinopec purchased between 8 and 10 cargoes a year of ESPO blend oil from the eastern port Kozmino. Another source estimated that Sinopec bought about 10 cargoes a year of ESPO. Each ESPO shipment is 740,000 barrels. Sinopec purchased the cargoes for a premium of between $8 and $10 per barrel over ICE Brent. Before the Iran conflict, Russian crude was traded at a discount ranging...

Two administration officials said on Tuesday that the Trump administration would allow a waiver of 30 days on sanctions against Iranian oil on sea to expire this week. The U.S. has imposed a blockade for shipments coming from Iranian ports. One official said that the move was a sign of "Treasury going full force on Economic Fury" against Iran. This is an apparent reference Operation Epic Fury - the U.S. led military campaign against Iran. Trump has said for years that it will apply "maximum" pressure on Iran regarding its nuclear program and its support of militants in the Middle...

Two administration officials said on Tuesday that the Trump administration would allow a 30-day waiver on sanctions against Iranian oil at sea to expire later this week. The U.S. has imposed a blockade of shipments from Iranian port. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month that the waiver issued by the Treasury Department on March 20 allowed 140 million barrels to reach the global market and relieved pressure on energy supply during the Iran war. The waiver will expire on April 19. After lawmakers of both parties criticised the administration's decision to temporarily relax sanctions on Moscow and Tehran, while...

The rejection by Hungary of Viktor Orban, a right-wing nationalist after 16 years at the helm?is a shot in arm for its internal markets. It should also lift EU Assets more broadly, removing an ongoing roadblock for a now-alone bloc. Budapest was hit by a series vetoes and the freezing of 18 billion euros in EU funds as a result of the outgoing PM's "illiberal" democracy. Orban's open embrace of Moscow in issues ranging from Ukraine, energy and foreign policies complicated the EU’s rapid rearmament program to counter the Russian threat to its east since the Ukraine invasion 2022. His...

The International Monetary Fund, World Bank and International Energy Agency urged on Monday that countries should not hoard energy supplies or impose export controls which could worsen 'the biggest shock to the global market ever. After a meeting between IMF and World Bank officials, IEA 'chief?Fatih Birol' told reporters that several countries held onto stock and imposed export restrictions. He appealed to countries to allow energy stocks to flow into the markets. He did not mention the countries. Kristalina Georgieva (Managing Director of the IMF) said "Do not harm" when she met with countries in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South...

Shipping data revealed that two Iranian-linked oil tankers left the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, as other vessels avoided the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. announced it would 'blockade Iranian ports' later in the day. This caused the shipping markets to be uneasy at a crucial energy chokepoint. After the weekend talks between Washington, D.C. and Tehran collapsed, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U.S. Navy will enforce a naval blockade against vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports. Washington, however, stressed that it would not limit transit through the Strait. Trump's announcement slowed down oil tanker movement...