In 1992, China’s political leader Deng Xiaoping made a comparison that should’ve set off alarms across the West: “There is oil in the Middle East; there is rare earth in China.” Instead, for the next 30 years, Western governments largely treated rare earth processing as low-value work — something they could hand off to whoever would do it cheapest. But then REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY) came along with partners and started building domestic processing capability while most of the industry was still looking the other way.…

The message given by Ursula von der Leyen to electrify the European economy is strategically coherent, politically appealing, and, on the surface, even unavoidable. It will be the real deal to decarbonize industry and power transport, reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, and anchor Europe’s competitiveness. The latter is especially valid in an increasingly fragmented geopolitical order. Electrification is presented as the backbone of Europe’s future prosperity and security. However, beneath this clear vision lies a far more uncomfortable…

Nuclear energy is poised for a major comeback in the United States. Donald Trump has made the revitalization of the domestic nuclear power sector a major aim of his administration, with the stated goal to reestablish the United States as the global leader in nuclear energy. The idea is that updating and expanding the United States' aging nuclear fleet will give the country a major leg up in terms of energy independence and autonomy. However, the U.S. nuclear energy sector – like the vast majority of the global nuclear sector – is extremely…

The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States rose 6.10 million barrels in the week ending April 10. In the week prior, US crude oil inventories rose by 3.719 million barrels. Analysts had expected a 1.3 million barrel draw. Inventories in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) continue to draw down to alleviate the pressure on prices. For the week ending April 10, 4.1 million barrels left the SPR, bringing the new total to 409.2 million barrels. This is 316.3 million barrels shy of maximum capacity.…

The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States rose 6.10 million barrels in the week ending April 10. In the week prior, US crude oil inventories rose by 3.719 million barrels. Analysts had expected a 1.3 million barrel draw. Inventories in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) continue to draw down to alleviate the pressure on prices. For the week ending April 10, 4.1 million barrels left the SPR, bringing the new total to 409.2 million barrels. This is 316.3 million barrels shy of maximum capacity.…

France is shifting its response to rising fuel costs away from short-term relief and toward long-term electrification, according to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Instead of expanding fuel subsidies after oil prices spiked due to the Iran conflict, the government plans to redirect funding into helping households and businesses transition to electric energy, according to Bloomberg. Under the plan, annual support for electrification will nearly double to €10 billion by 2030, up from €5.5 billion today. The increase will come from…

Just as oil prices on the futures market slip again on hopes for a quick end to the war in the Middle East, the head of the International Energy Agency issued a warning: prices are going to go higher yet. “Prices are already high, but they are not reflecting the severity of the problem — I agree there is a disconnect,” Fatih Birol said at an event this week, as quoted by Bloomberg. “But I think soon we will see they will converge, which is an extremely sensitive issue for the global economy.” The war has so far cost…

Anticipating that US attention could be focused on Iran and the Persian Gulf for a long time, Armenia is seeking to attract additional investors in TRIPP, the planned trade corridor that Yerevan foresees as a cornerstone of its economic future. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan have indicated in recent days that the bilateral agreement between the US and Armenia on building TRIPP, or the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, is moving forward. But both leaders now indicate that Armenia wants to attract…

Extreme volatility in crude futures prices has eased in recent days, although the market reacted with an 8% jump early Monday to the news of failed U.S.-Iran talks and the beginning of a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.  Traders continue to react to any signal of how the worst-ever disruption energy market would unfold, but with uncertainty still very high, oil market participants bet on and try to predict movements. The worst of the volatility may have passed, as investors and speculators appear to have exhausted their capacity to respond…

Equinor is dialling back its exposure to renewables, offloading a significant stake in Scatec ASA in a move that underscores a sharper focus on capital discipline and shareholder returns amid heightened energy market volatility. In an announcement early Tuesday, Equinor said it sold 8.07% of Scatec ASA at NOK 125 per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately NOK 1.6 billion ($150 million). Following the transaction, Equinor retains an 8.05% stake and has agreed to a 90-day lock-up on its remaining shares. Scatec confirmed the transaction…

Equinor is dialling back its exposure to renewables, offloading a significant stake in Scatec ASA in a move that underscores a sharper focus on capital discipline and shareholder returns amid heightened energy market volatility. In an announcement early Tuesday, Equinor said it sold 8.07% of Scatec ASA at NOK 125 per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately NOK 1.6 billion ($150 million). Following the transaction, Equinor retains an 8.05% stake and has agreed to a 90-day lock-up on its remaining shares. Scatec confirmed the transaction…

British voters want Rachel Reeves to cut taxes and reduce energy costs in order to focus on growth, as a majority of people felt the UK economy was “poor”, new research has shown. Polling by Freshwater Strategy for the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a free market think tank, suggested that the vast majority of Brits wanted the Labour government to focus on economic growth more than it currently does.  The findings back up the Labour government’s primary mission, which is to grow the UK economy.  But respondents…

China saw its lithium battery exports jump by 50% in the first quarter from a year earlier as global demand for green technologies surged amid the worst disruption to oil and gas supply due to the war in the Middle East. Exports of all green technologies manufactured in China surged in March and in the first quarter, making Chinese clean energy manufacturers winners in the war-induced oil shock. China’s exports of lithium batteries soared by 50.4% between January and March, compared to the same quarter of 2025, Wang Jun, deputy director of…

China saw its lithium battery exports jump by 50% in the first quarter from a year earlier as global demand for green technologies surged amid the worst disruption to oil and gas supply due to the war in the Middle East. Exports of all green technologies manufactured in China surged in March and in the first quarter, making Chinese clean energy manufacturers winners in the war-induced oil shock. China’s exports of lithium batteries soared by 50.4% between January and March, compared to the same quarter of 2025, Wang Jun, deputy director of…

Oil prices have dipped below $100 as weaker demand outlooks and a pause in U.S.–Iran tensions shift market focus to upcoming diplomatic talks and potential escalation risks. Calm Seas, High Stakes: Hormuz Traffic Crawls as Gulf Freight Costs Surge - The first days of the US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports have so far been largely uneventful as several Iran-linked tankers managed to sail through the Strait of Hormuz without any interference. - At the same time, most of tankers were moving into the Persian Gulf and so far only…

The Philippines, one of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy which is grappling with an energy crisis due to the Middle East supply shock, has asked the United States to extend the one-month waiver on purchases of Russian oil on tankers that expired on April 11.  “We are awaiting their response, but we are very positive on getting this other window,” the Philippines Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said on Tuesday, as quoted by Reuters. Last month, when oil prices hit a four-year high of $118 per barrel, the Trump Administration…

A US naval blockade on ships entering Iranian ports and coastal areas has come into effect, following failed peace talks between US and Iranian negotiators over the weekend. And it already poses a dilemma: risk attack from Iranian assets near the Strait of Hormuz or hold back and hope to catch vessels breaking out into the open seas. The move is the latest attempt by US President Donald Trump to force Iran into making concessions, including a commitment not to seek a nuclear weapon or the means to build one. It follows more than a month of air…

Iran may halt its own oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz for several days. Tehran is weighing a short-term pause to avoid testing the U.S. naval blockade just days before another round of ceasefire talks. The objective is to get through the next week without a maritime incident that derails negotiations before they start. Iran has been one of the only countries still moving crude through Hormuz during the conflict. Most non-Iranian shipping has already pulled back, with U.S. naval enforcement tightening the choke point. That leaves a thin…

Iran may halt its own oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz for several days. Tehran is weighing a short-term pause to avoid testing the U.S. naval blockade just days before another round of ceasefire talks. The objective is to get through the next week without a maritime incident that derails negotiations before they start. Iran has been one of the only countries still moving crude through Hormuz during the conflict. Most non-Iranian shipping has already pulled back, with U.S. naval enforcement tightening the choke point. That leaves a thin…

Iran may halt its own oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz for several days. Tehran is weighing a short-term pause to avoid testing the U.S. naval blockade just days before another round of ceasefire talks. The objective is to get through the next week without a maritime incident that derails negotiations before they start. Iran has been one of the only countries still moving crude through Hormuz during the conflict. Most non-Iranian shipping has already pulled back, with U.S. naval enforcement tightening the choke point. That leaves a thin…