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Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Trump tells Ukraine's Zelenskiy to stop hitting Russian diesel

U.S. President Donald?Trump called on Ukrainian president Volodymyr?Zelenskiy on Sunday to stop attacking Russian diesel infrastructure. He said the attacks are causing a fuel shortage that "hurts the world". In recent months, long-distance Ukrainian?drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have reduced the country's fuel production. This has led to gasoline shortages in all of Russia. Ukraine, which is regularly attacked by Russia on its own energy infrastructure says that refineries are legitimate targets. According to GasBuddy, the U.S. average price of?diesel - used in trucks, trains and ships, as well as farm equipment - rose above $6 per gallon on...

Fossil Fuels

Trump claims that Iran is likely responsible for the attack on Saudi pipeline

U.S. President Donald 'Trump' said on Saturday that Iran is probably responsible for the aerial attack that shut down Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, which was one of the Kingdom's main routes for exporting oil while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. When asked by reporters in Dublin if Iran is?responsible? for the attack on a?vital oil pipeline, Trump replied: "I think that they are. They probably?are." The President of the United States, Donald Trump, also said that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He described him as a "good friend." The?U.S. Trump said that the Iran-aligned Yemeni?Houthis...

Fossil Fuels

Hungary will give subsidies to diesel car owners

The government of Hungary will provide a 'targeted subsidy' to households that use diesel-powered cars as fuel prices have increased. However, the price cap won't be introduced as it could lead to a shortage in supplies. Magyar stated in a post on Facebook that Europe was experiencing a?diesel crisis unprecedented in its history. The global diesel market has tightened dramatically in recent weeks. Industry executives have warned that the supply will remain constrained through 'winter, due to Russia's export embargo, and the approaching peak of 'heating demand. Magyar stated that his government will "provide direct and effective support to the...

Oil & Gas Refining

Eight people are injured in Kyiv by Russian air strikes, while Ozon is hit in Saratov

On Friday morning, Russian air strikes in Kyiv injured eight people and caused a fire at a nine-storey apartment building, according to the city's authorities. This was after Moscow had taken a brief break from its attacks in the Ukrainian capital for the trip of U.S. ambassadors. The footage shows servicemen attempting to extinguish a fire in an apartment building where windows have been blown out. After a short pause during the visit of Donald Trump's negotiators to Moscow and Kyiv, Russia resumed its almost constant air attacks against Kyiv. The Kremlin began the war by invading Ukraine 2022. Roman...

Oil & Gas Refining

Sources say that the Russian oil refinery in Ryazan has ceased operations following a drone attack on Sept. 6,

Two industry sources confirmed to? Two industry sources told? on Thursday. Ukraine continues to attack Russian energy infrastructure in an effort to?undermine the country's economy as?the conflict has been raging for more than four-and-a-half years. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has stated that these attacks are meant to create discord in Russia. Sources said that after the attack, the main unit of the refinery, CDU-6 as well as another primary unit CDU-4 were stopped. CDU-6 is capable of processing 8 million metric tonnes of oil annually, or 160,000 barrels a day. This accounts for almost half of the plant’s capacity....

Oil & Gas

Oil prices rise to $100 due to conflict fears Why isn't the price higher?

Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, hit $100 per barrel Wednesday. This was the first time this has happened since late July. However the price increase is relatively slow despite the escalating conflict in the Middle East that fuels fears of more disruptions to oil shipments. Russell Hardy, CEO Vitol - the world's largest independent oil trader - told the APPEC Conference in Singapore on Tuesday that the Middle East has exported approximately 9 million barrels of crude per day and another 1 million bpd in refined products in recent days. This compares to roughly 20,000,000 barrels of...

Fossil Fuels

UK short-dated bonds yields reach a one-week-high after oil crosses $100 per barrel

The yields on two-year and five year British government bonds rose to a new high of one week after oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel for the first time in six weeks. This sparked fears about inflation, which pushed yields up to their highest levels in decades last weekend. At 0925 GMT the two-year gilt yields - which are sensitive to expectations of interest rates - reached 4,629%, an increase of more than 3 basis point on the day. This is their highest level since September 2, when they reached a five-month high of 4,691%. The five-year yield peaked at...

Oil & Gas

Alberta landowners sue regulator over oil well cleanup

Alberta landowners have filed a lawsuit to argue that the energy regulator of the province has knowingly and chronically underfunded a program designed to protect the public against the costs of cleaning abandoned oil and natural gas wells. The legal action is a culmination of years' simmering tensions between farmers, ranchers, and oil and natural gas producers in Canada’s largest energy-producing province. This province has struggled with thousands of "orphan" or "wild" wells which dot the rural landscape of Alberta. The Alberta Energy Regulator is being questioned about its willingness to enforce environmental rules at a moment when the Canadian...

Fossil Fuels

IFX reports that Kazakhstan has suspended proceedings to recover $5 billion from NCOC Oil Consortium

Interfax reported that Kazakhstan's Ministry of Justice suspended enforcement proceedings against the North Caspian Operating Company, which operates the Kashagan Oil Field. NCOC is a joint-venture between Shell, TotalEnergies,?ExxonMobil, and China's CNPC. It runs Kazakhstan's 'offshore Kashagan' field. It did not respond immediately to a request for comment. NCOC is embroiled in a long-running?legal dispute with the Kazakh Government, who accuses NCOC of?environmental violation related to sulphur storing, and ordered NCOC pay a large penalty. NCOC and its contractors have rejected the fine, as well as the allegations that led to it. The case is now being heard by international...

Fossil Fuels

As US envoys depart, Russian missiles strike Kyiv

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said that Russia resumed its airstrikes early Tuesday morning, shortly after the departure from the United States peace negotiators. The city was attacked with ballistic missiles, and six people were injured. Klitschko, who is a Russian-born boxer, said that after a series of what he called "ballistic missile"?strikes, people were trapped in a residential area and fires were raging across Kyiv. Separately, the Kyiv Military Administration announced on Telegram that a five-storey building and a residential block of three stories were damaged by falling debris. They asked people to seek shelter. According to its...

Oil & Gas Refining

Russia's EV sales are expected to double this summer, as drivers face fuel shortages

Data from the analytical agency Autostat revealed that new electric vehicle sales in Russia have more than doubled during the summer months as shortages caused a result of Ukrainian attacks on refineries, boosted demand for alternatives to cars powered by combustion engines. The data provided showed that sales of new plug-in or electric hybrid passenger cars were mainly manufactured in China. They reached 26,543 units from June to August of this year. This is up from 12,187 units during the same period in 2025. Kyiv's attacks on major Russian refineries intensified in early June. They forced some to stop operations...

Oil & Gas

TotalEnergies nears Papua LNG investment decision after cost cuts, Exxon deal

TotalEnergies announced on Monday that it had cleared a number of?commercial and contractual hurdles in its Papua LNG Project, bringing the project closer to a decision. The French energy giant said that it had completed the tendering process for the engineering, procurement, and construction work of liquefied gas facilities. Contracts are now awaiting approval from its joint-venture partners. TotalEnergies reported that by rebidding?contracts and optimising project design, they have been able to save close to $4 billion in costs since 2024. This has brought down the capital spending?to?around $14 billion. ExxonMobil already operates the nearby PNG LNG plant. The company...

Crude Oil

Crude Oil

As oil prices rise and rate hikes are looming, shares in Asia fall.

On Monday, Asian share markets fell as oil prices spiked again due to supply concerns. Investors were also bracing for interest rate hikes this week in the U.S. and Japan. Brent rose 3% as new strikes against Saudi Arabia and?ships?in the Gulf tested nerves. This was after an attack on Saudi oil pipelines and an advance of Yemen's Houthis, which threatened to worsen wartime disruptions to global energy supply. The meeting between Iran and Gulf Arab States, which was scheduled to take place in Oman on Monday, for the purpose of discussing a deal regarding opening the Strait of Hormuz...

Crude Oil

Oil prices rise by more than $3 following new attacks on Saudi Arabia Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices increased by more than $3 per barrel at Monday's market opening, following new strikes on Saudi Arabia and on ships in the Gulf on Sunday. Brent crude futures increased by $3.62 or 3.46% to $108.23 per barrel as of 2214 GMT on Sunday. WTI futures increased $3.15 or 3.15% to $103.20 a barrel. Saudi Arabian media released footage on Sunday showing damage to homes and mosques from an attack they said was carried out by the Houthis in southern Jazan Province. The Houthis claimed they also attacked a Saudi military base in a neighboring province. The British maritime...

Crude Oil

Weekend Reads: Oil-Patch AI, data-tampering, and critical-minerals risk

Looking for inspiration? Weekend Reads is a weekly roundup of what the Open Interest Team has been reading, watching, and listening to. This week's top picks include?span?data integrity, China’s decarbonisation drive, AI-powered oils fields and more. This weekend we are reading... MIKE DOLAN is a ROI Finance & Markets columnist. This article by Jed Kolko, at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (Washington) examines the corrosive effects of political'meddling' in official government statistics. GAVIN MAGUIRE is the ROI Global Energy Transformation Columnist. The latest analysis by UK think tank Ember tracks China's progress towards reducing its fossil-fuel dependency across all...

Refined Products

Mineral Resources

Mining

Ukraine prepares for harsh winter after Russian attacks on economy

Officials in Ukraine warned that the country is bracing itself for a harsh winter, as Russian attacks on its infrastructure and export industries compound a growing budget crisis. The Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko stated that the damage to Russian infrastructure and fixed assets was estimated to be close to $10 Billion this year. In addition, the wider economic costs and de facto blocking of its ports are seen as about 1.5 percentage points on the gross domestic product. Kravchenko stated that "we anticipate a difficult winter, both in terms critical infrastructure which is destroyed by Russian attacks every day, as...

Mineral Resources

German union demands Volkswagen commit to 2024 Labour Agreement

A leading union representative in Germany said that IG Metall demands Volkswagen honour a landmark labor deal signed in 2024. He cited fears of mass job losses due to a recent turnaround agreement. Thorsten Groeger, a Hanover-based reporter, told reporters that IG Metall members 'decided on Friday to invoke a clause in the agreement signed?in December of 2024. This move is a significant step in the 'fight for Volkswagen's Future', where management has been pitted against state governments and workers over a plan to double layoffs and dramatically cut production. Volkswagen did not immediately comment on the move. Daniela Cavallo...

Mineral Resources

Copper to experience first weekly decline since June due to US tariff concerns

The copper price was headed for its first weekly decline?since June. They also stabilized on Friday after a steep drop in the previous session following reports?that White House had not yet made a decision on imposing tariffs on the metal. The London Metal Exchange's three-month copper was unchanged at $14,230 per metric ton during the official open outcry. It fell 3.6% on Friday after reaching a record high price of $14,875; it is expected to finish the week at a loss of?1.6%. This would put an end to its 10-week winning streak. Alastair Mudro, senior base metals analyst at Marex...

Mineral Resources

Gold drops over 1% after U.S. data on inflation boosts Fed rate hike bets

Gold prices dropped by over 1% on Thursday, after strong U.S. inflation data and higher oil prices increased the odds of a Federal Reserve rate increase next week. Spot gold fell 1%, to $4.358.09 an ounce, by 11:14 am EDT (1514 GMT), whereas U.S. Gold Futures dropped 1.4%, to $4.400.60. According to Kyle Rodda of Capital.com, a senior financial analyst, the Producer Price Index data "sort of shows that there's been a?bit? of a pick-up in underlying inflation" in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Labor Department reported that PPI for final demands rose by 0.4% in...

Mining

Gold drops over 1% after U.S. data on inflation boosts Fed rate hike bets

Gold prices dropped by over 1% after?robust U.S. data on inflation and rising oil costs increased bets that the Federal Reserve will raise rates next week. Spot gold fell by 1.2%, to $4349.32 an ounce, at 9:24 am EDT (1324 GMT), whereas U.S. Gold Futures dropped 1.6%, to $4391.30. The data from the producer price index "sort of tells [us] that there has been an increase in inflation underlying in?the?U.S. The rising cost of energy is a major factor in the economy. U.S. Producer Prices increased in August in line with expectations, despite a rise in the cost of energy....

Mining

The share of Chinese copper in LME stock rose to 44% by August

Data from the London Metal Exchange showed that, in August, 44% of all copper stocks were Chinese origin, up from 42% one month earlier. Overall inventories also increased. Total copper stocks in LME warehouses 0#MCUSTX-LOC> rose to 111.17 metric tons by the end August, up from 101.425 tons in July. Investors rushed to cover their bearish positions, pushing prompt copper prices sharply backwards, which attracted some inflows. The amount of 'Chinese Copper' available has increased from 49,400 to 66,350?tons. In August, 95% of the LME's aluminium was made up by aluminium from Russia, which is unchanged from last month, despite...

Mining

Gold drops as dollar yields increase ahead of inflation data

Gold lost ground on Thursday as it erased earlier gains. This was a result of a stronger dollar and higher bond yields. Investors were also awaiting key U.S. data on inflation to get clues about the Federal Reserve’s interest rate path. Gold futures in the U.S. fell 0.7%, to $4,427.80 per ounce, while spot gold dropped 0.4%, to $4385.40 an ounce, by 1125 GMT. I think that part of the decline in metals prices is due to the U.S. Dollar coming back ahead of inflation data. Fawad Rasaqzada is a Forex.com market analyst. He said that the bond yields are...

Mining

Gold rises on the back of a weaker dollar and US inflation data are on the way

Gold rose on Thursday on a softer dollar, as investors waited for key U.S. data on inflation to get clues about the Federal Reserve's rate hike path. Gold futures in the U.S. fell 0.3%, to $4448.80 per ounce, and spot gold rose 0.1%, to $4405.09 an ounce, by 0824 GMT. Gold is benefiting from a slightly weaker dollar, because the yellow metal has a negative correlation with the greenback most of the time. This, combined with the global debt worries, continue to support the demand, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. As the U.S. Dollar index weakened, greenback priced bullion became...

Mining

GE Aerospace's jet engine supply is dependent on the 'black arts' of castings

GE Aerospace, a leader in the aerospace industry, has acted to reduce shortages of precision parts for jet engines while securing valuable technologies. It did this by purchasing Consolidated Precision Products at a price of $12 billion. The purchase of CPP, the world's third largest manufacturer of metallic components for engine blades, is part and parcel of a long-term effort to improve aerospace supply chains. Larry Culp of GE Aerospace, who announced his largest acquisition after splitting the industrial giant General Electric and turning it around, described this capacity as "mission-critical". The deal shows a shift in focus from winning...

Mining

LME launches steel contract using Shanghai Prices on October 27

The London Metal Exchange will launch a contract for steel on October 27 using prices from its Shanghai counterpart, the 'LME' announced -on Wednesday. This is part of China’s efforts to increase its influence on global commodity pricing. In June, the LME announced an agreement with the Shanghai Futures Exchange for the new contract. At the time, the LME stated that trading would start in October. However, it did not specify a date. The SHFE, one of the most liquid steel contracts in the world, will be mirrored on the LME to increase trading volume and attract new customers. The...

Mineral Resources

Copper nears record highs in spite of Middle East concerns

Copper prices reached record levels on Wednesday due to a shortage of supplies in the United States. As 'hostilities' in the Middle East flared, concerns were raised about global demand and growth. The price of three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange fell 0.5% by 1045 GMT to $14,641 per metric ton after reaching an all-time record high of $14 779 on Tuesday. After the escalation of attacks by Iran and the U.S., oil prices soared above $100 per barrel. This is a six-week high. Ewa Manthey is a commodities?strategist with ING. She said that copper?is easing off record highs,...

Mineral Resources

Volkswagen looks to partner with JSW Group for India's key market

Volkswagen is exploring a partnership with the Indian conglomerate JSW Group in order to increase 'competitiveness' and profitability?in -the?third largest?car market?in the world. A company spokesperson stated on Wednesday that the partnership aims to expand Volkswagen's India portfolio, strengthen local sourcing, and increase manufacturing. The Economic Times newspaper was the first to report on this move. The proposed deal is timely as 'Volkswagen' has been struggling to expand its presence in India. India is a critical?market for the German automaker to?expand outside Europe. It also highlights the challenges that global automakers have to overcome in order to remain competitive on...