Energy Markets

U.S. consumer confidence increased to a?high of five months in July. However, the 'improvement' is only temporary because the renewed conflict in?the Middle East has raised gasoline prices. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers reported on Friday that its Consumer Sentiment Index had risen to 54.4 in this month. This is the highest reading since last February. It was 49.5 at the end of June. The economists surveyed by? The economists polled by? The survey was conducted between June 23 and July 13 with over?70% completed interviews before the collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire last week which drove oil...

U.S. refining margins reached a new record on Thursday for the third straight session, as falling stockpiles and worsening Middle East tensions threaten to cause a potential shortage of fuel in the world's biggest consumer nation. U.S. refining companies have been the most benefited by the Iran War as foreign buyers have clamoured for their products, pushing the nation's fuel exports to new records. Fuel prices have risen sharply as a result of the 'domestic' fuel stockpiles being reduced. This has impacted consumer budgets during the summer driving season, and could pose a problem for Midwest farmers. The 3-2-1 crack...

Standard Nuclear's shares dropped 10% in their New York Stock Exchange debut on Thursday after the company reduced its?offering?size, as investors remain cautious about valuations. The Oak Ridge, Tennessee-based company opened its shares at $13.50 each, below the $15 offered price. This gives the nuclear fuel firm a value of $2.17 Billion. The market debut shows that investors are still cautious despite a renewed interest in nuclear power. This is fueled by the surge in electricity demand for artificial intelligence data centres and U.S. policies supporting it. Nuclear energy is gaining in popularity as technology giants and utilities seek carbon-free...

Chevron is set to sign memorandums with the Iraqi Government on Friday to help advance the?U.S. According to a senior Chevron executive, the oil giant could enter West Qurna 2 oilfields and Nassiriya. The executive stated that the company was also in talks with Iraq about producing technical studies and evaluating potential pipeline routes for transporting crude oil out of the country, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. The oilfield agreement and pipeline studies are part a larger push by Iraq's?government to strengthen energy ties with America. The U.S. and Israel war with Iran has made it more urgent to find...

Retail sales in the U.S. increased slightly in June, as lower gasoline prices lowered receipts at service station. However, households increased their purchases of motor vehicles, and they spent more online, confirming economists' view that consumer spending "accelerated" in the second quarter. Other data released on Thursday showed that the labor market was stable, and that first-time claims for unemployment benefits?dropped to a 2-month low. The data had no impact on the near-term outlook for monetary policy. Economists expect that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates at their current level later this month. Ellen Zentner is the chief economist...

Retail sales in the United States increased slightly in June, as lower gas prices affected receipts at service stations. However, bargain-hunting shoppers continued to drive spending. The Commerce Department's?Census Bureau reported on Thursday that retail sales increased?0.2% in June after an upwardly-revised 1.0% increase in May. The economists who were surveyed predicted that retail sales - which are mainly goods and not adjusted for inflation - would rise by 0.2% in June after an earlier reported 0.9% increase. Estimates ranged between a 0.4% decline and a 1.0% rise. The average gasoline price dropped to $4.18 per gallon from $4.61 a...

The Syrian authorities announced on Thursday that they had foiled a smuggling attempt of advanced weapons and missiles from Iraq across the border. According to an Interior Ministry official quoted by the state news agency SANA, the shipment seemed to be destined for the militant group Hezbollah. General Authority of Ports and Customs in Syria said that the shipment of drones and rockets was hidden inside one of the oil tanker trucks heading to Baniyas. The shipment was discovered during routine inspections at the al-Tanf crossing between Syria, Iraq and Syria. Customs officers then conducted a thorough search of the...

The operator of Kazakhstan's Kashagan Oilfield announced?on Thursday? that an international arbitral tribunal has issued a restraining order prohibiting Kazakhstan from enforcing an environmental fine. The Kazakh Justice Ministry announced on Tuesday that Kashagan's operator must pay a fine of $4.90 billion ($2.3 trillion tenge) by July 20, 2012. The country is involved in arbitration with oil companies that work on its oilfields. It accuses them of environmental violations and corrupt practices. The North Caspian Operating Company, Kashagan’s operator, stated in a statement: "The Arbitral Tribunal has issued a Restraining Order which prohibits the Republic to take any measures to...

Standard Nuclear announced on Wednesday that it has raised $150m in its U.S. initial public offering, after cutting its offer size by more than half. Investors remained cautious over 'valuations. The Oak Ridge, Tennessee nuclear fuel company, which sold 10,000,000 shares at $15 per share, valued it at about $2.41 Billion. The shares will begin trading at the New York Stock Exchange under "STDN" on July 16. Originally, the company had planned to sell 18.25 million shares between $18 and $21 per share. The IPO market is gaining momentum despite the geopolitical uncertainties, as the resilient equity markets are encouraging...

The US?government announced sanctions against individuals and entities that it claimed were a part of a network that helped Iran acquire weapons. In a statement, the U.S. Treasury Department stated that sanctions would be imposed on Iranians and Russians as well as entities with bases in Iran, Russia,?and Nigeria. The move coincides with heightened tensions, including hostilities between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz. Treasury released a statement saying that Wednesday's targets "exemplify Iran’s use of foreign aviation, transport, and financial conduits as well as travel coordinators in order to conceal the IRGC’s role 'in illicit procurement' and...

Standard Nuclear has reduced the size of its proposed U.S. Initial Public Offering by more than 50 percent on Wednesday. It joins a'string' of companies who have lowered their valuation targets to match cautious investor sentiment this year. The company plans to sell 10,000,000 shares for $15 each. It originally intended to sell 18.25 million of its shares between $18-$21 each. Standard Nuclear's valuation would be $2.4 billion at $15, as opposed to its previous target of $3.55billion. Analysts claim that despite the strong resurgence of the U.S. IPO Market this year, investors remain cautious about valuations and prefer to...

Gold prices fell on Wednesday as escalating tensions continued in the Middle East to fuel inflation concerns, thereby reinforcing expectations for higher U.S. rates. Spot gold dropped 0.7%, to $4.027.49 an ounce at 0843 GMT. Prices rose by over 2% on Tuesday to a high of $4100.19 an ounce, after weak U.S. inflation figures. U.S. gold futures for August delivered?slid by 0.9% to $4.035.00. After Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, and after the U.S. imposed a naval ban on Iranian ports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran threatened to shut all export corridors that would benefit Washington. After...

Want some inspiration? Weekend Reads is a weekly roundup of what the Open Interest team has read, watched and listened to. This week, the Open?Interest team has chosen to focus on the 'race to reinvent critical mineral resources,'?oil benchmarks that are under pressure and great-power geopolitics. This weekend, we are reading... MIKE DOLAN is a columnist for ROI Finance & Markets. The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Survey found that China was viewed as more favorable than the United States in 36 countries. The U.S. Department of Energy released this release by ROI Metals columnist ANDY HOME. It details five...

Equities around the globe fell Thursday, as investors sold off heavy-weight chips stocks. Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar and Treasury yields increased after the latest economic releases as well as as the Middle East war intensified. Chip stocks fell from Asia to the U.S., as ?higher-than-expected 77% ?earnings growth from Taiwanese chip manufacturing giant TSMC was not enough to impress investors who have heavily leaned into technology stocks related to artificial intelligence. According to LSEG, the U.S. reporting season for the second quarter started well. Analyst expectations for quarterly earnings increased to 24,8% on Wednesday, from 23,7% last week. Tony Welch...

Investors sold off chip stocks on Thursday, while oil futures lost earlier gains as U.S. and Iranian attacks intensified. Chip stocks?fell - from Asia to the U.S. - as investors who had heavily invested in technology stocks related artificial intelligence were not impressed by TSMC's 77% higher than expected earnings growth. This tells you that the AI trade no longer is priced on growth. The price is based on perfection. Gene Goldman is the chief investment officer of Cetera, a California-based company. "Any earnings report that is merely good, rather than flawless, will be sold," he said. Retail sales in...

?Asian stocks fell on Thursday, as a selloff in chipmakers obscured stellar earnings by industry leader TSMC. Meanwhile,?bonds benefited again from a benign reading of?U.S. Inflation that reduced the likelihood of a rate hike. As the U.S. finished its latest attacks on Iran, oil prices dropped. In recent days, the Middle East has been rife with hostilities. Washington launched attacks against Iran while Tehran targeted U.S. bases located in Kuwait and Jordan. Brent crude futures last fell 0.5% to $84.5 per barrel, but rose 11% in the past week. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), world's biggest contract manufacturer of advanced...

Officials at the company said that 'Sinopec' is undertaking a major restructuring within its own organization, establishing new business units, and moving hundreds of staff in order to re-establish profits amid a slumping Chinese demand for oil, petrochemicals, and other products. Sinopec, a state-owned company, has lagged behind its peers PetroChina Ltd and CNOOC Ltd in recent years. These companies benefit from a greater focus on oil production. Sinopec's reorganisation, which began in early this year, is aimed at focusing more on the needs of customers and efficiency. Chairman Hou Qijun was a geologist, and former general director at Chinese...

Two sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed on Wednesday that China's Zhenhua Oil had booked to load 2 million barrels in Saudi crude for August. This is a sign that a new?joint venture? refinery between China and Saudi Arabia will soon begin operations. The crude will be supplied to the newly built 300,000-barrel-per-day Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Co (HAPCO) refinery in northeastern China's Liaoning province, the sources said. HAPCO was formed by Saudi Aramco, Norinco Group (a Chinese state-owned conglomerate) and Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group. HAPCO has delayed its start-up to September or even October due to disruptions in Middle...

The shares were modestly up on Tuesday, after U.S. inflation figures that were weaker than expected and strong earnings for the second quarter from major banks. Oil prices also rose as the U.S. fought Iran 'for control' of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Consumer Price Index rose by less than expected 3,5% over the past 12 months, after a 4.2% increase in May. Analysts had expected a month-over-month drop of 0.1%. This is mainly due to the drop in gasoline prices last month from their multi-year highs, as a fragile U.S. Iran ceasefire was implemented last month. On Tuesday,...

The dramatic reduction in China's crude oil imports is credited with preventing prices from rising during the Iran conflict. The question now is whether the world’s largest oil importer will be able to do the same for markets that are increasingly stressed. In June, China's imports of crude oils by sea fell to their lowest level in over a decade. According to commodity analysts?Kpler, arrivals were 5.96 million barrels a day. This was down from an average of 10,66 million bpd during the three months prior to the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, which began a conflict which resulted in a...

Oil hit a new one-month high on Tuesday in Asian trading after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would reintroduce its blockade of Iranian ships and collect a?20%?fee for cargo crossing the Strait of Hormuz. After a volatile session MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan gained 0.2% as gains in Taiwan were offset by gains for South Korean stocks. S&P 500 futures e-mini edged up 0.1%. The CSI 300, which tracks Chinese stocks, rose 2% as export and import figures for June were released on Tuesday. These data exceeded economists' predictions. ING analysts reported in a research note...

China's imports of iron ore in June increased by 15% compared to the previous month, reaching a six-month record. This was due to miners increasing shipments to meet quarterly targets and lower prices encouraging more buyers among steelmakers and traders. Data from China's General Administration of Customs revealed that the world's largest iron ore importer imported 112,69?million tons of the key ingredient in steelmaking last month. This was up 6.4% on the previous year and the highest amount since December. Analyst Qingwei Xie at Shanghai Metals Market said that "shipments increased last months as some miners increased efforts to meet...

Investors continued to be enthused about AI and shrugged off the dispute between the U.S. The three major U.S. All three major?U.S. MSCI's global stock index rose 0.4% last week. The renewed attacks on the U.S. and Iran have further undermined the fragile three week old ceasefire. However, the markets have taken the developments in the Middle East with ease. SK HYNIX’S U.S. DEBUT South Korean semiconductor maker SK Hynix made a big splash in U.S. stock markets on Friday. Its?U.S. listed shares jumped 14 percent after raising $26.5 billion. This indicates that investors are eager to get exposure to...

Wall Street was moderately high, and oil prices fell a bit as investors remained enthusiastic about AI and ignored the ongoing dispute between the U.S. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.32% in'midday trading on Friday. S&P 500 rose 0.34% and Nasdaq Composite gained 0.27%. MSCI's global stock index rose 0.37% last. The renewed attacks on the U.S. and Iran have further undermined the fragile ceasefire that has been in place for three weeks. However, the markets have mostly accepted the developments in the Middle East. Investors continue to focus on oil prices and inflation. SK HYNIX’S U.S. DEBUT South...