Refined Products








Asia

North America

Power Markets

Mexico is looking for a way to send fuel without US tariffs to Cuba, according to sources

Sources familiar with the situation said that Mexican officials are looking at ways to ship fuel to Cuba in order to meet the island's "basic needs" such as transportation and electricity, without provoking Washington. Washington has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that supply fuel to Cuba. Sources said that high-level Mexican officials had been in contact with their counterparts in the United States to clarify the extent of the tariff threat described by President Donald Trump through an executive order, and to see if there was a possible way to get the fuel they desperately needed. Mexico's ability to...

Refined Products

Mexico is looking for a way to send fuel without US tariffs to Cuba, according to sources

Sources familiar with the situation said that Mexican officials are looking at ways to ship fuel to Cuba in order to meet basic needs, such as electricity and transportation, without provoking Washington's retaliation. Washington has threatened to impose tariffs on countries supplying fuel to the Caribbean Island. Sources said that high-level Mexican officials had been in contact with their counterparts in the United States to clarify the extent of the tariff threat described by President Donald Trump through an executive order, and to see if there was a possible way to get the fuel they desperately needed. Mexico's ability to...

Energy Markets

Chevron namess new heads of strategy and trading as well as business development

Chevron Corp announced Thursday that it will be making senior leadership changes in 2026. Several long-serving executives are retiring and internal candidates will step into key roles across strategy, business development, and trading. The U.S. major oil company continues to integrate Hess' assets as it navigates a volatile market characterized by?fluctuating oil prices?, increasing capital discipline?and increased investor focus?on returns?. Frank Mount, the president of corporate business development at Chevron, will retire after 33 years in November. Jake Spiering will succeed him in August 1. He is currently the director of investor relations. Jeanine Wai has been appointed director of...

Mineral Resources

Copper, precious metals and oil are down as global tensions decrease;

The prices of commodities such as crude oil, silver, and gold, all fell on Thursday after the leaders of China, the United States, and Iran spoke by phone. Investors reduced their positions due to a stronger dollar in which commodities are priced. Silver fell almost 15%, while gold, crude and copper dropped about 2%. Tony Sycamore is an analyst at broker IG. He said, "We have seen extreme volatility this week in precious metals, other commodities, and we are now experiencing some aftershocks." He added that "talks between Iran and United States seem to be on track again, which has...

Crude Oil

Fears of an escalation in tensions in the Middle East have boosted oil prices.

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"...

Fossil Fuels

Suncor Energy exceeds its quarterly profit expectations on the basis of higher production

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...

Oil & Gas

Marathon Petroleum buys Venezuelan crude for US refineries

Marathon Petroleum bought two cargoes Venezuelan crude oil at the end of January, and executives expect their refineries to process more heavy grades. Refiners in the United States are expected to gain from President Donald Trump’s efforts to increase output in Venezuela, and to rebuild the country's deteriorating oil sector after the capture of Nicolas Maduro last month. Since Washington and Caracas met, Venezuelan crude oil exports have risen. Deal worth $2 Billion Last month, U.S. Gulf Coast Complex Refineries The U.S. produces heavy sour oil, but Venezuela's is more suitable for processing. Maryann Mannen, CEO of Marathon Oil, said:...

Fossil Fuels

Marathon Petroleum profits beat Wall Street expectations on strong refining and utilization margins

Marathon Petroleum announced a fourth-quarter profit that was above Wall Street expectations?on Tuesday?, as a 44% increase in refining profits underscored a stronger operational performance. On Tuesday, shares of the top refiner in the country were up 2.6% to $181.56. Fuel manufacturers made unexpected profits in 2018 as margins rebounded after a multi-year low in 2024, when earnings were at their lowest since the pandemic. BOOST STRONG REFINING MARKES Maria Khoury said, "We took advantage of a favorable refining environment, while executing our turnarounds on schedule and safely," during a conference call on Tuesday. The quarter's refining margin reached $18.65...

Crude Oil

Dollar firm as oil falls amid possible US-Iran deescalation

The oil prices dropped on Tuesday for the second consecutive day as market participants assessed the likelihood of a deescalation of tensions between Iran and the United States. A stronger dollar also added to downward pressure. Brent crude futures fell 39 cents, or 0.5%, at $65.91 per barrel at 0330 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was down 31 cents or 0.5% at $61.83 a barrel. The oil prices dropped more than 4% after U.S. president Donald Trump announced that Iran is "seriously speaking" with Washington. This signaled a de-escalation in tensions? with the OPEC country. Officials from both sides...

Refined Products

Dollar firm as oil prices remain steady, markets considering possible deescalation between the U.S. and Iran

The oil prices remained stable on Tuesday, as participants in the market weighed the likelihood of a deescalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran. A stronger dollar limited the potential for price increases. Brent crude futures?were?up six cents or 0.1% at $66.36 a barrel?at 0102 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was up 0.2% at $62.24 a barrel. Oil prices dropped more than 4% Monday, after U.S. president Donald Trump stated that Iran is "seriously speaking" with Washington. This signaled a deescalation in tensions between the OPEC country and Washington. Officials from both sides said on Monday that Iran...

Oil & Gas Refining

Sources say that the Union has not accepted or rejected Marathon's latest offer regarding US refinery deal.

People familiar with the discussions said that the United Steelworkers union, or USW, has neither accepted nor rejected Marathon Petroleum's last offer for a four-year labor contract for U.S. chemical and refineries plants. Sources said that the offer made on Sunday would provide 30,000 USW workers with a 15% increase in pay over the duration of the contract. Marathon is the lead negotiator of 26 companies, including Exxon Mobil and Valero Energy. Marathon is the biggest refiner in the U.S. Marathon is the largest refiner in the U.S. USW-represented employees operate sites that represent nearly two thirds of the U.S....

Refined Products

Sources say that the US is pitching Venezuelan crude oil to India, as Russia's oil imports are slowing.

Three sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed that the United States has informed Delhi that it can resume these 'purchases' soon to help replace Russian oil imports. India promised to cut its Russian crude oil purchases following Washington's tariff hikes on this activity. India is also on track to reduce its Russian oil imports in the coming months by several hundred thousands barrels per day, according to sources who declined to identify themselves. In March 2025, President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on countries that bought Venezuelan oil. His administration also intensified its campaign against Venezuelan president...

Europe

Fuel Oil

Repsol fined $24 Million for Abuse of Subsidies

Spain's Competition Watchdog announced on Tuesday that it would impose fines of 20.5 million euro ($24.2million) on three companies within the Repsol group for what it called a "abusive margin-squeeze" strategy which harmed low-cost and independent fuel stations. The CNMC stated that Repsol had a dominant position on the wholesale market in Spain for automotive fuels sold to service stations. This has a duty to not restrict competition. The'regulator' found that Repsol increased wholesale prices to rival stations from?April until December 2022 while simultaneously reducing effective retail prices for its own network of stations - mainly truckers. Repsol said that...

Refined Products

Sources say that the talks between Indian Oil and Vitol have hit a snag due to some terms.

Two sources said that a deal between Indian Oil Corp. and global trader Vitol, to form a joint venture for equal trading, has been delayed because of differences regarding certain clauses in the contract. Sources said that these?included the volume of IOC crude purchases that would come under joint venture control and the timing for an exit clause for a trader. IOC hoped to seal the deal with Vitol during the India Energy Week conference held last week. The country's largest refiner wanted the traders'?expertise and their global network in order to expand its presence on the international crude and...

Refined Products

LyondellBasell targets $1.3 Billion in cost savings following surprise quarterly loss

LyondellBasell, a petrochemicals manufacturer, announced a surprising loss for its fourth quarter on Friday. It said it would save $1.3 billion before the end of 2026 as it continued to 'keep costs under control' despite volatility in energy and feedstock prices. LyondellBasell shares rose by 1.5% during premarket trading, as the company stated that it expected to generate an additional $500 million in cash flow this fiscal year. Chemicals firms have struggled due to a weaker demand in key markets like Europe and the rising costs of raw materials. The strict regulatory environment in Europe has forced businesses to reassess...

Western Europe

Middle East

Energy Markets

The third day of rising oil prices is due to increased concerns about an attack by Iran

The oil prices increased for the third consecutive day on Thursday, as the U.S.?may launch a military strike against a key Middle Eastern producer?Iran which could disrupt the supply of the region. Brent crude 'futures' rose 50 cents or 0.73% to $68.9 a bar by 0216 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude climbed 58 Cents or 0.92% to $63.79 a bar. Both contracts are up about 5% since January 26. They have reached their highest level since September 29. As a result of President Donald Trump's increased pressure to stop Iran's nuclear program, including threats of military strikes, and the...

Oil & Gas

Supply concerns in the US temper winter production disruptions

Prices of oil were not much different on Monday, after rising more than 2% the previous session. Supply concerns held back benchmarks despite disruptions to production in major U.S. oil-producing regions. Brent crude futures dropped 7 cents or 0.1% to $65.81 per barrel at 0221 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was $61.01 per barrel, down by 6 cents or 0.1%. Both benchmarks closed Friday at their highest levels since January 14, with weekly gains of 2.7%. In the next few days, a U.S. aircraft carrier strike force and other assets will arrive in the Middle East. "Oil prices have...

Refined Products

S-Oil, South Korea's oil company, reports a Q4 profit surge and says that Q1 refining profits will remain robust

S-Oil, a South Korean oil company, announced on Monday that it had recorded a 91% increase in its fourth-quarter operating profits. It expects the first-quarter refinery margins to be robust due to the steady demand and disruptions of supply as well as a planned U.S. refining plant closure. According to market expectations, the refinery, which is owned 63% by Saudi Aramco reported an operating profit for the quarter of 424 billion won ($293 millions). The operating profit of its refining division increased by 55%, to 225.3 billion won. It said that the refining margin of gasoline from Dubai crude had...

Energy Markets

Oil gains hold as Iran puts investors on edge

Oil prices continued to rise on Monday, after gaining more than 2% the previous session. Tensions between the U.S. Brent crude futures increased 12 cents or 0.18% to $66 per barrel at 0127 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was $61.21 per barrel, up $14 cents or 0.23%. Both benchmarks closed?on?Friday at their highest levels since January 14. In the coming days, a U.S. aircraft carrier and?strike force are expected to arrive at the Middle East. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said on Thursday that the U.S. has an "armada," heading towards Iran, but he hoped not to have to...

Refined Products

The Kazakh power outage and Trump's 'armada' remarks about Iran are driving up oil prices.

Prices of oil?recovered?on Friday, after U.S. president Donald Trump renewed his threats against Iran. This sparked fears that military action could disrupt crude supply while outages are occurring in Kazakhstan. Brent crude futures rose by 76 cents or 1.2% to $64.82 per barrel at 1026 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude?was up $75 cents or 1.3% at $60.11. Both benchmarks were set at weekly gains of around 1.1%. Prices rose earlier in the week due to U.S. president Donald?Trump’s actions on Greenland, but fell by about 2% on Thursday after he backtracked on tariff threats and ruled out a military...

Refined Products

Oil prices are boosted by a weaker dollar, while investors look to Greenland for developments

The price of oil?increased on Tuesday due to a weaker US dollar. Meanwhile, the markets were watching President Donald Trump threaten higher U.S. Tariffs against European nations because he wants to buy Greenland. Brent futures were up 15 cents or 0.2% to $64.09 per barrel at 0430 GMT. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate contract for February that expires Tuesday was up by 14 cents or 0.2% to $59.58. WTI March gained?6 Cents or 0.1% to $59.40. WTI contracts were not settled on Monday because of the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was observed in the...

Crude Oil

Oil prices stable as Iranian protests diminish, lowering the chance of US attack

The oil prices were unchanged on Monday after rising the previous session. Iran's crackdown on protests has quelled the civil unrest, and reduced the chances of an attack by the U.S. on the Middle Eastern major producer, which could disrupt the?supplies. Brent crude was trading at $64.18 per barrel as of 0158 GMT. This is a 5 cents, or 0.08% increase. U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 8 cents or 0.13% to $59.52 per barrel in February. The contract expires Tuesday, and the March contract, which is more active, was $59.36 up 2 cents or 0.13%. The unrest was quelled by...

Fossil Fuels

OPEC projects continued oil demand growth in 2027.

OPEC said on Wednesday that world oil demand will rise at a comparable pace in 2027 to this year. They also published data showing a close balance between supply and consumption in 2026. This is in contrast with other forecasts which predicted a glut. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) believes that the oil demand in 2027 will increase at a robust rate and that the transition to cleaner fuels is likely to be slower than other predictions. OPEC said that it expects the oil demand to increase by 1,34 million barrels a day in '2027. This is...

Oil & Gas

Oil prices pause gains as Venezuela shipments resume but Iran concerns loom

The market is apprehensive about the possibility of Iranian supply disruptions after deadly unrest in this major Middle Eastern producer. Brent futures traded 9 cents lower or 0.14% at $65.38 per barrel at 0207 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was down 12 Cents, or 0.2%, at $61.03 per barrel. Brent futures ended 2.5% higher Tuesday, while WTI rose 2.8%. Prices for both contracts have risen 9.2% in the last four trading sessions due to the?increasing protests against the fourth largest OPEC producer. U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday urged Iranians to continue protesting, and that help would soon be...

Fossil Fuels

Kpler: Iran's oil on water reaches a new record.

Kpler, a shipping data intelligence company, said that Iran has a record of oil in the water, which is equivalent to 50 days' worth of production. This is because China has purchased less oil?because of the sanctions, and Tehran wants to protect its supply from the threat of U.S. attacks. According to Kpler's data, the amount of Iranian crude oil and condensate on tankers or floating storage vessels reached a record 166 million barrels during the week ending January 11. This is according to data that dates back as far as 2016. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has warned of...

Oil & Gas

Galp and Moeve are in merger talks to combine their fuel retailing and refining businesses into a European giant

Portuguese energy company Galp is in talks with private equity-backed Moeve to merge their refining and?chemicals businesses as well as fuel retail businesses. They announced the deal on Thursday. According to their non-binding contract,?Galp, Spain's Moeve and the United Arab Emirates state-owned investment firm Mubadala, as well as U.S. investment firm Carlyle Group plan to form two new companies. One would run 3,500 retail fuel stations, primarily in Spain and Portugal. It would sell more than 6 million metric tonnes of refined products per year. The other would run Moeve’s Huelva, Algeciras and Galp’s Sines oil refineries. Three facilities with...

Oil Storage

Venezuela and oil prices are in focus after US inventory withdrawal

After two days of declining prices, oil prices increased on Thursday as the?U.S. Investors were encouraged to purchase futures as they watched Venezuela's developments. Brent crude futures rose 24 cents or 0.40% to $60.20 per barrel at 0343 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude crude was up 22 cents or 0.39%. The benchmarks for both oil and gas fell by more than 1% on Wednesday, with the market expecting plenty of supply in 2019. Morgan Stanley analysts, for example, estimate that there will be a surplus as high as 3,000,000 barrels a day during the first half 2026. Mitsuru Muraishi...