A transformation is taking place in clean energy and climate investing. The current energy crisis has shifted global energy priorities, with a newfound emphasis on energy security and resilience. As a result, flows of investing dollars are shifting away from new and innovative technologies toward tried and true energy sources and methods that fall under the purview of established and trusted entities. We are also seeing – at long last – a shift toward investing in much-needed energy infrastructure to support the world's fast-growing…

Analysts at Mercuria, the Geneva-based Swiss commodities trading firm, are sounding the alarm on the global aluminum market after severe disruptions in the Gulf region, adding to a growing list of trading desks and research teams warning of a deepening supply shock. “The scale of the supply shock we’re seeing in the aluminum market is probably the largest single supply shock a base metals market has suffered in the post-2000 era,” Mercuria commodities analyst Nick Snowdon told Reuters on the sidelines of the Financial Times Commodities…

A shock oil price spike, after U.S. airstrikes on Iran, which sees Brent trading at over $100 per barrel, is giving hope of a recovery for Colombia’s beleaguered oil patch. Hydrocarbon production in the conflict-riven country is at multi-year lows, with adverse regulatory and tax reforms impacting investment in the economically critical sector. Nonetheless, higher oil prices and the prospect of a business-friendly candidate winning the 2026 presidential election offer a glimpse of hope for Colombia’s beaten-down oil industry. February…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States rose this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, bringing the total rig count in the US to 544,  down 43 from this same time last year. But the number of active oil rigs specifically slipped by 3 to 407 during the latest reporting period, according to the data. This is 68 below this same time last year. The number of gas rigs rose by 4 after falling by 2 in the week prior. Gas rigs now sit at 129, which is 22 more than this time last year.…

Italian energy major Eni reported first quarter adjusted net profit of €1.3 billion, below analyst expectations, as refining and chemicals weakness and heavy downstream maintenance weighed on results despite strong upstream production growth. Reported net income was about $1.5 billion. But the bigger headline was Eni's decision to raise its 2026 share buyback to €2.8 billion and lift cash flow from operations guidance 20% to €13.8 billion. Eni expects E&P production to increase 2-4% in the second quarter and 3-4% for the full…

Italian energy major Eni reported first quarter adjusted net profit of €1.3 billion, below analyst expectations, as refining and chemicals weakness and heavy downstream maintenance weighed on results despite strong upstream production growth. Reported net income was about $1.5 billion. But the bigger headline was Eni's decision to raise its 2026 share buyback to €2.8 billion and lift cash flow from operations guidance 20% to €13.8 billion. Eni expects E&P production to increase 2-4% in the second quarter and 3-4% for the full…

Italian energy major Eni reported first quarter adjusted net profit of €1.3 billion, below analyst expectations, as refining and chemicals weakness and heavy downstream maintenance weighed on results despite strong upstream production growth. Reported net income was about $1.5 billion. But the bigger headline was Eni's decision to raise its 2026 share buyback to €2.8 billion and lift cash flow from operations guidance 20% to €13.8 billion. Eni expects E&P production to increase 2-4% in the second quarter and 3-4% for the full…

Less hydropower and more wind, solar, and nuclear energy are needed in Central Asia to erase an electricity deficit and enable the realization of the region’s economic growth and trade ambitions, according to a report published April 23 by the Washington, DC-based New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy (NLI). The report, titled Powering Growth: Solving Central Asia’s Electricity Challenge and produced under NLI's Silk Seven Plus (S7+) initiative, highlights that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have all recently…

Canada has approved Enbridge's C$4 billion Sunrise Expansion, clearing the way for a major buildout of British Columbia gas infrastructure that will add 300 million cubic feet per day of capacity to the Westcoast pipeline system. Construction is scheduled to begin in July, with the project targeted to enter service in late 2028, Enbridge said in a Friday press release. The expansion includes about 139 kilometers of new pipeline through 11 looping segments, additional compression, and upgrades to existing facilities along the Westcoast system, which…

Oil prices are heading for a sharp weekly gain, with Brent steady at $105, but renewed hopes for U.S.-Iran diplomacy are capping further upside and keeping markets below the $110 threshold. Friday, April 24, 2026 As crude oil prices are set for a hefty $15 per barrel weekly gain, seeing ICE Brent back at $105 per barrel, oil markets are nevertheless closing the week on a hopeful note with Iran’s Foreign Minister believed to travel to Pakistan over the weekend. Even if through indirect talks, the fact that diplomacy is still an option between…

To pressure Iran into a peace deal, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on the Middle Eastern country’s ports and vessels since April 13.While it has intensified pressure on Iran’s already battered economy, the US blockade has yet to force Tehran into making concessions to end the nearly two-month-long war, experts say.Iran has refused to come to the negotiating table unless the United States lifts the blockade, which targets Tehran’s lucrative oil revenue. Washington has insisted that the blockade will only end when…

The White House extended its Jones Act waiver by 90 days, keeping foreign-flagged tankers eligible to move crude, fuels and fertilizer between U.S. ports through mid-August. The waiver was on track to expire on May 17. The waiver still covers 659 product categories, preserving access to foreign shipping at a moment when U.S. coastal transport capacity is tight and roughly 13 million barrels per day of crude and products remain disrupted globally due to the Iran war. Notably, Gulf Coast crude will now clear faster by moving more easily to East Coast…

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict The U.S. naval blockade is clearly hurting Iran, but it has not forced Tehran to bend. Iranian oil exports have fallen sharply, vessel traffic is down, ships have been turned back or seized, and the pressure on Iran’s economy is real. But the blockade is not airtight. Shadow fleet cargoes are still getting through; oil already at sea has given Tehran breathing room. The U.S. pushed through a three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire after White House talks. We saw Trump shift again, talking…

The most powerful leaders inside Iran today arose from the ashes of the Iran-Iraq War, which locked in and solidified the Islamic Republic, whose leadership was built through war, security structures, and internal control. Right now, in the chaos, multiple centers of power are acting at once, and that is necessarily affecting negotiations. Those at the table do not fully control what they are allowed to negotiate, and positions are being set and reset in real time (much like they are in Washington).The key figures to watch: Mojtaba Khamenei, the…

Oil markets didn’t just rally this week; they repriced risk in a way that forced traders to adjust positioning quickly. What began as a recovery from prior weakness turned into a sharp geopolitical premium build, with supply disruption fears taking control of both WTI and Brent. By Thursday night, Weekly June WTI crude is trading $96.91, up $14.32 (+17.34%), a move that reflects more than momentum and signals a structural shift in how the market is pricing near-term supply risk. Geopolitical Premium Drives Breakout in WTI and Brent The early…

India's government has urged local refiners to increase production of liquefied petroleum gas—the country's main cooking fuel, amid the supply crunch resulting from the war in the Middle East. Bloomberg reported today that India's production of LPG since February 28th had gone up by 25% to 46,000 tons per day. Local output is on course to rise further to 50,000 tons daily after Nayara Energy's refinery restarts after seasonal maintenance next month. A separate report, meanwhile, suggested refiners will be losing money on the crank-up of LPG…

India's government has urged local refiners to increase production of liquefied petroleum gas—the country's main cooking fuel, amid the supply crunch resulting from the war in the Middle East. Bloomberg reported today that India's production of LPG since February 28th had gone up by 25% to 46,000 tons per day. Local output is on course to rise further to 50,000 tons daily after Nayara Energy's refinery restarts after seasonal maintenance next month. A separate report, meanwhile, suggested refiners will be losing money on the crank-up of LPG…

Pakistan’s government is looking to buy crude oil from Russia, Venezuela, and Nigeria to replace lost supply from the Middle East, Pakistan Today reports, adding that the government is also seeking LNG cargoes. Pakistan has suffered a substantial hit from the energy price surge following the start of the war between the United States and Israel, and Iran, seeing record-high fuel import price premiums and a gas crunch that has led to blackouts. To address the problem, the government in Islamabad is turning to alternative suppliers of both…

Crude oil prices extended their gaining streak to five days today, with Brent crude trading at $106.30 per barrel at the time of writing and West Texas Intermediate at $96.68 per barrel. Bloomberg attributed the continued price rise to President Trump’s latest social media posts, which suggest the prospect of peace with Iran remains distant. The publication cited two unnamed U.S. government officials as saying that the U.S. president’s recent social media activity and the continuing blockade of Iranian ports have not been conducive…

Investment in new lithium supply is threatening to tip the global market for the battery metal into a deficit, beginning as early as this year. The warning comes from Canaccord, which noted that the supply of lithium has tightened considerably, even as demand for electric vehicles has weakened. What’s more, the deficit may last for quite a while, until 2035. Lithium is a rather abundant element, but deposits are concentrated in a handful of locations, commonly referred to as the Lithium Triangle locked between Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.…