Energy Markets

Investors were rushing to lock in record oil prices in January, amid fears about Iranian crude supplies and Venezuelan barrels headed to the U.S. Gulf Coast. By locking in an oil price, hedging can reduce the risk for producers and protect their production from sudden changes in the market. It also gives traders the opportunity to profit during times of market volatility. Investors traded an unprecedented number of WTI contracts at Houston, which is a benchmark price for?exported U.S. Crude, on the Intercontinental Exchange, according to?exchange statistics. 1.9 million WTI contracts were traded last month. On January 30, 2026 traders...

The U.S. Nuclear Power Regulator said on Wednesday that it was undergoing a restructuring in order to meet President Donald Trump's goals of speeding up the licensing of nuclear reactors. In a press release, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it would appoint leaders to oversee the reactor safety program. The staff will also develop a new management plan and organizational chart within 60 days. The NRC stated that it will try to implement the plan by the end of September. Trump is looking to quadruple the U.S. nuclear capacity?to 400 gigawatts?by 2050, as electricity demand increases for the first...

The oil prices rose by about 3% Wednesday after a report in the media suggested that planned talks between?Iran and the United States?on Friday might collapse. Brent futures closed $2.13 higher, or 3.16% more, at $69.46 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however, gained $1.93 or 3.05% to $65.14. Axios, citing Axios on Wednesday, reported that the U.S. had rejected Iran's demand to move the location of Friday's planned talks. The price of both crude benchmarks has been a roller coaster ride this week, as news of the talks between the U.S. If a hot conflict breaks out...

Suncor Energy, a Canadian oil sands company, will present to the market options for long-term supply of bitumen this spring. This was announced by the chief executive on Wednesday. Rich Kruger, speaking to analysts in a conference call, said that the bitumen question would be one of the main themes of the new long-term strategy the company will unveil on March 31. Kruger stated, "We need to make it bold, ambitious, compelling and clear to maintain your interest and support." Suncor, based in Calgary, has spent years researching options to ensure the supply of oil sands to its Base Plant...

Italian nuclear startup newcleo announced on Wednesday that it had raised 75 million euros ($88.60) in a new funding round with contributions from new investors including Italian iron and steel group Danieli and Cementir Holding. The company has raised more than 105 million euro in the last 12 months. Total funding since the?2021 foundation is 645 million euros. This funding will help strengthen our research and technology infrastructure in Europe and accelerate our expansion into the United States, said newcleo CEO Stefano Buono in a press release. Buono said recently that the developer?of small modular reactors? aimed to capitalize on...

India's trade ministry said Wednesday that the country aims to diversify energy sources in light of changing global circumstances. This comes two days after the U.S. Tariffs were lowered on Indian goods as New Delhi agreed to stop buying Russian oil. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, announced on Monday a deal to reduce tariffs from 50% to 18%. He said India will instead purchase oil from the U.S., and possibly Venezuela. In his first speech to the Parliament on the trade agreement, Trade Minister Piyush Ghoyal did not mention specifically that energy purchases would be shifted away from any particular...

By Mike Dolan February 4th - What's important in the U.S. and Global Markets Today By Mike Dolan Editor-at-Large of Finance and Markets AI is not a panacea for all. The rout of Tuesday in shares for software, data analytics, and professional services operations demonstrates how AI can have both positive and negative effects. Microsoft and AMD also saw their shares fall sharply, despite beating forecasts on headline earnings. Walmart, a retailer that was an early adopter and user of AI for its processes, became the first retailer to ever surpass $1 trillion in valuation on Tuesday. The move caps...

In the mid-2000s, Luis Cabana, a professional engineer, could not walk down downtown Calgary without being accosted by someone he knew in Spanish. The office towers in the heart of Canada's oil & gas industry were crowded with Venezuelans, who fled persecution and economic stagnation back home. Canada, with its vastness and cold climate, is far away from the humidity and heat of Venezuela. The oil sands of northern Alberta and Venezuela's Orinoco Belt both produce thick, tar like heavy crude. This fact has led thousands of Venezuelan engineers, geologists and scientists to relocate to cities such as Calgary, Edmonton,...

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba has warned Americans that they are being denied entry to the country because of a recent spike in protests sponsored by the government against Washington. The report also warned that power outages and fuel shortages could cause "significant disruptions" for?American citizens in Cuba. Why it's important Washington has been blocking oil from Venezuela and other allies from reaching Cuba in recent weeks. This is causing food prices to rise and transportation costs to increase. It also causes fuel shortages, which can lead hours of blackouts. KEY QUOTES The U.S. Embassy warned on its website to...

The oil prices increased on Wednesday as they extended the gains of the previous day. This was after the U.S. shot a drone from Iran and armed Iranian boats approached a U.S. flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. This rekindled fears of an escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran. Brent crude futures was?up 65 cents or 1.0% at $67.98 a barrel at 0111 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was $63.90 a barrel, an increase of 69 cents or 1.1%. Both benchmarks rose by nearly 2% Tuesday. U.S. Military said that on Tuesday, an Iranian drone "aggressively approached"...

A U.S. official announced on Tuesday that the United States had returned to Venezuela all $500 million of its initial oil sale, which was part of an 'agreement' reached between Washington and Caracas last month. An anonymous official confirmed that the last $200 million of the sale had been sent to Venezuela. The deal was made after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by a U.S. army operation on January 3, came to be. The official stated that Venezuela has received the full $500 million of the first Venezuelan oil sales. The official added that money will be "disbursed...

Suncor Energy, a Canadian energy company, beat its fourth-quarter profit expectations on Tuesday. Higher production helped to offset the impact of low commodity prices. Suncor and other Canadian oil sands companies have remained resilient despite a 'global oil 'industry decline, due to economic uncertainty caused by the U.S. Tariff Policy, and OPEC+ pumping out more barrels. Years of investment has supported production and kept producers among North America’s lowest-cost operators. Suncor's quarterly upstream?production increased to 909,000 barrels a day from 875,000 barrels a day a year ago. Suncor's refinery output increased by 18,000 barrels per day to 504,000 bpd in...

Nigeria's NNPC, according to its chief executive on Wednesday, is in negotiations with a 'Chinese' company about one of the refineries owned by state-owned oil 'firm. Bayo Ojulari, NNPC's chief executive officer, said that the company is seeking experienced operators to become equity partners in order to revitalize its four refineries following years of underperformance and losses. A review of the refineries carried out soon after he assumed his role in April last year revealed that they were operating at a loss, with high operating costs and large expenditures on contractors. Meanwhile, processing volumes remained low. Ojulari stated that the...

Two factors are largely outside the control of OPEC+, and are likely to influence the price of crude in the next few weeks. First, we need to know if U.S. President Donald Trump decides to launch a shooting conflict with Iran. If he does, will both sides be able keep oil cargoes flowing and production infrastructure intact? Second, China, as the world's largest crude importer, will decide whether to reduce its recent strong imports, in light of January's 16% increase in Brent benchmark futures. It was only logical that the eight members with production quotas of OPEC+, given the uncertainty...

Chinese independent refiners have purchased discounted Iranian heavy oil to replace Venezuelan shipments which were halted after the U.S. Two people familiar with the matter said that last month, the U.S. claimed control over the OPEC producer. They said that the withdrawal of Iranian crude oil from storage makes up for the fall in Venezuelan supplies to the world’s largest crude buyer. Venezuelan shipments into China have dropped sharply since the middle of December after U.S. president Donald Trump imposed an embargo on ships sanctioned, as part of a larger campaign against President Nicolas Maduro that culminated with his capture...

Global shares dropped on Monday as investors rushed to sell precious metals to offset any losses. This was just before a week filled with corporate earnings and central bank meetings, along with major economic data. Silver is on track to suffer its worst two-day loss since the 1980s. It fell another 7%, adding to Friday's 30 percent drop. Dealers say that pressure on several?silver?futures funds from China contributed to the crash late last week. The CME raised margins for a variety of futures contracts including silver and gold on Monday. The oil prices fell by more than 4% after President...

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Metals markets are like a packed theatre where someone is shouting "fire" at the audience. Everyone and their mother was piling in gold and silver, including retail investors, leveraged funds, CTAs, and algos. When silver drops?30% within a single session, everyone is running for the exits. CME responded by increasing margins by 2 to 4 percentage points on certain metals contracts, indicating that some investors have difficulty meeting margin requirements. Dealers say that Chinese investors had trouble in liquidating their positions. The selling spread...

Even though oil prices rose 15% in January on the back of fears that a new U.S. attack on Iran was imminent, they remain in a narrow range. A well-supplied oil market makes it unlikely that either side will be able to push prices higher. It would take a massive, sustained action to make a significant impact on the global supply-demand imbalance. Brent crude futures are at their highest level since July?last year. This puts the global benchmark in line for its largest monthly gain since January 20,22, when Russian troops were preparing to enter Ukraine. A series of major...

U.S. president Donald Trump said that it was dangerous for Britain to get into Business with Beijing On Friday, Prime Minister Keir starmer visited China and lauded its economic benefits. Starmer, the latest Western leader to visit?China as they reel from Trump's unpredictable behavior, is the latest. In a three-hour 'talk' with President Xi Jinping, on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a'more sophisticated relationship, with better market access, lower taxes and investment deals, while also discussing Shakespeare and soccer. Trump responded to questions in Washington about the close ties by saying, "Well it's dangerous for them to...

Tokyo Electric -Power announced on Thursday that its subsidiary TEPCO Power grid will "sell" up to 26 million shares of its Kandenko affiliate as part restructuring efforts to improve the financial health of its company and pursue growth. The sale of shares, which is valued at approximately 150 billion yen (979 million dollars) based on Kandenko’s closing price on Thursday, forms part of Tepco’s plan, announced on Monday, to raise?about?200 billion yen by selling assets over the next three-year period. Tepco stated that the proceeds will be used to?capital invest in order to maintain a stable supply of electricity and...

Analyst and traders say that Russia's naphtha shipments to Asia will fall in January as U.S. sanctions force key buyers such as Taiwan, India, and Venezuela to find new markets. After Washington imposed sanctions against top Russian oil producers the buyers have become more cautious. Sellers are forced to store naphtha in foreign storage or on ships, where it can then be re-exported. Armaan Ashraf is the director of Asia oil and natural gas liquids at FGENexant. He added that this means that premiums for "legitimate barrels" of heavy full range naphtha or?discounts to Russian cargoes would widen. Russia exports...

The dollar took a breather on Wednesday, after a sell-off became a rout. U.S. president?Donald Trump appeared to dismiss recent weakness in the global reserve currency. Meanwhile,?stocks? scaled record highs due to optimism over earnings. The dollar's plunge lifted the euro above $1.20, the highest level since 2021. It also sent the Australian dollar to a 3-year high of 70 cents, lifted gold prices to new heights, and increased commodity prices, which are measured in dollars. The dollar clawed back to 152.76 yen in the Asia session, after which trade settled. Dollar selloffs are the most severe since Trump's tariff...

Stella Qiu gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Donald Trump has done it again. The U.S. president suddenly announced that he would raise tariffs against South Korea from 15% to 25% for failing to implement the trade agreement agreed in July. This?affects? autos, lumber, and pharma. Yet, stocks in South Korea jumped by 2%, to new record highs. South Korea's KOSPI fell over 1% initially, but this only attracted buyers who wanted to gain exposure to Asia’s best-performing markets of 2025. There is a good chance that the tensions will de-escalate, as...

Investors hoped that a barrage?U.S. Mega-cap earnings were a big factor, but uncertainty due to President Donald Trump's tariff moves against South Korea capped broader gains. Trump increased tariffs to 25% on autos, lumber, and pharmaceutical imports to the U.S. from Asia's 4th-largest economy. The Nasdaq Futures rose 0.2%, as investors prepared for the earnings of the Magnificent Seven, including Microsoft, Apple, and Tesla, on Wednesday. Even South Korea's KOSPI reversed earlier losses and was last to gain 0.8%. Silver surged 6.4% to $110.60 per ounce and is not far off the record set just on Monday. Christopher Louney is...