Crude Oil

What's important in U.S. and Global Markets Today By Mike Dolan, Editor at Large, Finance and Markets Brent crude traded at almost $90 per barrel on Tuesday, after a 5% increase yesterday. The U.S.'s and Iran's hard-line positions on any potential deal have shattered hopes that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen. Below, I will go into more detail. Check out my column about Trump's latest attack on the independence of the Federal Reserve - and how it comes at a nervous time for bond markets. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast where we talk about Nvidia's $500 Billion AI...

The oil prices increased on Tuesday, as the negotiations between the United States and Iran on a peace agreement and the reopening of Strait of Hormuz reached an impasse. Meanwhile, Asian shares fell on the back of persistent uncertainty about the outlook for global inflation. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, responded on Monday with his own conditions to?Iran?s terms for a deal. He demanded that Iran pay compensation to those who died in wars and attacks, as well as protests. This rhetorical escalation is likely to complicate attempts to reopen this vital waterway. Brent crude futures climbed to $88.09 a...

Rae Wee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. The oil prices rose again on Tuesday, reaching their highest level this month as Washington and Tehran continue to 'trade' demands for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump's response to Iran’s demands for a deal on peace was to demand that Iran pay compensation to those killed in wars and attacks, as well as protests. This dimmed the prospects of an imminent agreement to reopen this key waterway. Trump has repeatedly vacillated between threatening escalation or claiming that...

Saudi Aramco has ?postponed the restart of its ?400,000-barrel-per-day ?Jazan refinery to August 30 after two Houthi attacks since late July, according to an alert from industry monitor IIR seen by . The extended outage may further disrupt global fuel markets, already affected by the Iranian war and refinery failures in the Middle East. Ukrainian attacks against Russian refineries could also boost refining margins. Yemen's Houthi fighters claimed on Sunday that they had attacked the refinery. The refinery has been closed since July 27, following an earlier Houthi attack, according to previous IIR alerts seen by. The previously planned restart...

China is doing all the heavy lifting to reduce crude oil demand in?Asia as a way to compensate for the reduced shipments of Middle East oil due the the Iran?war. The world's largest oil importer reported arriving 8.41 million barrels a day (bpd), up from a near decade-low of 7.12 mln in June, but still 24.3% less than July last year. When June and July imports combined, this gives a?average of 7.78 million bpd over the last two months. The average for the three-month period ending in February was 11,99 million bpd. This is 4,21 million bpd less. The United...

Investor optimism about robust earnings growth and excitement over AI helped offset concerns over another flare-up of Middle East tensions, which boosted oil prices. MSCI's All-World Index?has?risen?2.3% this week. It is the highest in three months. On Friday, it was stable. Shares in drugmakers?and technology companies?lifted Europe's STOXX600 by 0.2% for the day, and 1.6% over the course of the week. Investors are now focused on the U.S. Payrolls Report due later that day. This could be crucial for interest rate outlook. Forecasts predict a gain of 80,000 jobs in July, following a gain of 57,000 in June. The unemployment...

What's important in the U.S. and international markets today by Mike Dolan Editor-at-Large of?Finance and Markets The markets remained in a holding pattern over the weekend as all eyes were on the July U.S. Employment Report and the latest agreement to end the Iran conflict. Below, I'll go into more detail. Check out my column about why the absence of full G7 firepower during the joint U.S. and Japanese currency intervention is important. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast where we talk about the latest Iran deal, and gold's largest one-day gain since six months. Subscribe to the Morning Bid...

The major stock indexes were mixed on Wednesday. SpaceX shares and Advanced Micro Devices declined, and U.S. oil prices eased as signs of progress towards a peace agreement with Iran emerged. Two?regional? officials and a senior Iranian source said that a proposed agreement between Iran, Oman and the United States to end the five-month war between Iran and America would give Tehran control of ships entering the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz. This is one of the largest concessions to Iran yet. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Futures dropped 55 cents or 0.73% to $75.22 per barrel. Brent crude futures...

Enverus, an analytics firm, said that the volatility of oil prices has tempered investor confidence and led to a four-fold decline in dealmaking in the U.S. Upstream Oil and Gas Sector in the second quarter this year. "Crude price volatility linked to the Iran conflict, and a softer gas outlook, likely widened bid-ask and complicated valuations. This pushed the announced?value down to its lowest quarterly total in years," Andrew Dittmar said, principal analyst at Enverus Intelligence. The Bureau of Land Management, in a record-breaking lease sale in May, made the most money, earning around $4 billion from the sale of...

India's Oil and Natural Gas 'Corp (ONGC) hopes to sign agreements soon with Venezuela 'to operate two oil 'blocks under the South 'American nation's 'new petroleum 'law', its finance chief'said 'on Wednesday. ONGC Videsh (ONGC Videsh is the overseas investment arm of the state-run ONGC) holds a stake of 40% in the San Cristobal oil field, and along with other Indian firms, a stake 18% in the Carabobo-1 Project. "Now, we are able to work freely on Venezuelan projects." We had restricted our operations in Venezuela because of sanctions-related risks," said finance director Anupam agarwal on a?analyst's call following the...

What is important in the U.S. and international markets today by Mike Dolan Editor-at-Large of Finance and Markets After all the 'doubts and hand-wringing the S&P 500 & Dow Jones have returned to record highs. They surged on Tuesday amid the falling oil prices & bumper earnings season. SpaceX's shares dropped despite exceeding?revenue estimates in its first quarterly earnings report. Below, I'll delve deeper into that. Check out my midweek column where I discuss the possibility of an AI "jobsmageddon", and more. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast where we talk about yesterday's outstanding earnings reports. Subscribe to the Morning...

Investors waited to see whether the U.S. - Iran war was ending and if the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened. Brent crude futures rose?26 cents or 0.33% to $79.62 per barrel at 0110 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Futures rose by 0.16% or 12 cents to $75.90 per barrel. Qatar announced on Tuesday that mediators are making progress to end the conflict, which is driving down oil prices. However, Tehran has denied U.S. president Donald Trump's claim that talks have already begun. Brent closed below $80 per barrel on Tuesday for the first time since last July 13. The...

The oil prices rose and global stocks were up on Tuesday as traders focused on the negotiations between the United States and Iran on a peace agreement and the reopening of Strait of Hormuz. Gains were tempered by uncertainty over the?global inflation forecast. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Pakistan's defence minister stated that the U.S. is close to a "sort of arrangement" between Iran and Pakistan. The MSCI index of world stocks rose 0.10% to 1,154.40. The escalating tensions between the two countries have been a focus of attention. Oil prices jumped 5% Monday as a result. Donald Trump,...

The oil prices increased on Tuesday as the United States and Iran negotiations over a deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz reached a stalemate. Meanwhile, uncertainty about the outlook for global inflation dampened global stock markets. U.S. president Donald Trump responded on Monday with his own 'demands' to Tehran’s conditions for a deal. He called for Iran to compensate those who died in wars and attacks, as well as protests. This could complicate efforts to reopen this crucial waterway. Brent crude futures rose 5% over the past two days and last traded at $88 per...

Asian share markets followed Wall Street's lead on Monday, after a weak U.S. employment report reduced the risk of an increase in borrowing costs near-term. However, a lackluster progress in Gulf peace negotiations saw oil prices rise. Iran said?on Sunday? that an agreement with Oman to define new shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz is in its final stages. However, it reiterated that this waterway will only be reopened once the United States meets other conditions. Brent crude increased 0.6% to $84.04 per barrel, as the shipping volume through this vital waterway was minimal. U.S. crude climbed 0.5% to...

The Asian share market matched Wall Street's gains on Monday, after a weak U.S. employment report reduced the risk of an increase in borrowing costs near-term. However, a lack progress?in Gulf Peace talks led to oil prices?creeping?higher. Iran announced on Sunday that it was nearing the final stages of a deal that would define new shipping lanes for the Strait of Hormuz. However, the Iranian government reiterated that this waterway will only be reopened once the United States meets other conditions. Brent crude increased by 0.9% to $84.32 per barrel, as the shipping volume through this vital waterway was minimal....

The Asian stock market waited with bated breath for the U.S. employment data, which could be pivotal in determining if Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month. Meanwhile, rising oil prices reminded investors that Middle East tensions are far from being resolved. The broadest MSCI index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan was flat for the week and down by 0.4%. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.9%, despite being set to rise by 1.2% on a weekly basis. South Korea's KOSPI fell 0.5%, and was down by 5.0% for the entire week. This is the seventh consecutive week that KOSPI has declined....

According to multiple trade sources and ship tracking information, China's state owned?Sinopec Corp., the world's largest refiner, increased purchases of Far East Russian Oil to compensate for Middle East oil supplies that were reduced by the Iran War. Sinopec has been able to maintain a relatively stable output and export fuel surpluses on a strong margin due to its purchases of Russian oil, which is cheaper than competing grades from Brazil and West Africa. This was despite China's decision in March of limiting the overseas sale of fuel products, as a way of protecting domestic supply during trade disruptions caused...

The Asian stock market soared?on a Wednesday, as Wall Street reached record highs on the back of robust earnings and a renewed interest in tech. Meanwhile, hopes of progress regarding?opening of the Strait of Hormuz drove down oil prices and bonds yields. South Korea's Nikkei added 4.1% to its wild swings. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan rose by 2.4% while Chinese blue chip stocks gained 0.7%. The rally in tech came despite AMD's setback. AMD fell 8.8% following hours, as its earnings exceeded Street expectations but fell short of the sky-high investor expectations. SpaceX, a satellite company and...

The Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday, as Wall Street reached record highs on the back of strong earnings and a renewed demand for technology. Meanwhile, hopes of progress in opening the Strait of Hormuz had a negative impact on oil prices and bond yields. South Korea's Nikkei added 3.4% to its wild swings, while Japan's Nikkei gained 3.0%. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan rose by 1.5%. Some tech companies have benefited more than others. Even though AMD's results exceeded expectations, investors appeared to be taking profits. After the bell, shares of the chipmaker fell 9%. SpaceX, a...

Asian markets were volatile on Tuesday as investors assessed whether the strong earnings of U.S. corporations would help AI-related stocks to rise in the region. Oil prices also rose after the attacks on shipping along the Strait of Hormuz. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell 0.1% as volatile South Korean stocks fluctuated between gains and losses. The last gain was 1.2%. Japan's Nikkei225 slid 0.2% higher, while S&P500 e-minis futures were up 0.3%. Societe Generale's analysts stated in a report that "the AI trade has matured". Investors are increasingly focused on?the sustainability? of margins after 2026, they stated....

On Monday, oil prices fell and stocks wobbled as hopes for peace in the Middle East increased. Meanwhile, the yen suddenly jumped after the U.S. confirmed a joint intervention by Japan and the U.S. to support the fragile currency. Brent crude futures fell more than 6%, to $82.41, after U.S. president Donald Trump announced that talks with Iran would take place on Monday. He had previously called off an imminent strike on Iran in order to reach a agreement to reopen Strait of Hormuz and resolve the impasse regarding Tehran's nuke capabilities. S&P futures increased by 0.4%, while Nasdaq's futures...

Abu Dhabi National Oil 'Co announced?on Friday that it will change its benchmark for monthly official sales prices for all of its crude grades from Murban crude to Platts Dubai pricing for the month-to-month from November 1. In a press release, ADNOC said that the change will align ADNOC’s OSPs with the month in which cargoes are loaded. This applies to Abu Dhabi crude grades onshore and off-shore, including Murban Das, Umm Lulu, and Upper Zakum. ADNOC will announce differentials for grades to Dubai prices in the month prior to cargo loading. ADNOC stated that the new pricing mechanism "reinforces...

India is emerging as a haven for those who are escaping the wreckage of Asia's AI stock boom. Indian stocks' lack of direct AI exposure, whether to creators or large language models or semiconductors and chip manufacturers, dampened foreign investors enthusiasm for the country's shares for most of 2025 and 2026. Instead, money flooded into South Korea's and Taiwan's tech saturated markets. This summer, the trend has changed. Since mid-June equities have fallen in South Korea and Taiwan, reflecting growing concerns about the durability and profitability of massive AI capital investments. India's benchmark index is up 5%, as investors have...