Qatar’s state-owned QatarEnergy has bought on the spot market as many as 33 cargoes from the United States so far this year to ship them to customers in Asia to reduce the impact of its own stranded supply due to the Iran war, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting industry and trade sources. The buying spree on the spot market so far in 2026 vastly exceeds the only four U.S. cargoes QatarEnergy bought last year. The acquisition of the nearly three dozen U.S. spot cargoes, reportedly directly from U.S. producer and exporter Venture Global,…

The Pentagon’s investment in MP Materials marked the biggest U.S. intervention in the rare earth industry in decades. The deal established a domestic champion for one of the world’s most strategically important supply chains and demonstrated that Washington is prepared to commit federal financial resources to critical mineral production. Mountain Pass is the only large-scale rare earth mine operating in the United States and one of the world’s largest producers of light rare earths. Its ore is rich in neodymium and praseodymium…

The Trump administration has opened another front in the global rare earths race, backing a new project in Madagascar as Washington accelerates efforts to break China’s grip on the critical minerals that power everything from advanced weapons and AI infrastructure to oil refining and electric vehicles. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has committed up to $4.84 million to Harena Rare Earths’ (OTCQB: CRMNF) Ampasindava project in northern Madagascar. The funding will support pilot plant operations, metallurgical…

Tightening global supply of oil and gas is putting Europe on course for a difficult winter this year due to the continent’s significant dependence on energy imports, despite energy transition ambitions. Gas in storage is much lower than it should be, and a diesel crunch is threatening fuel oil supply security for the heating season. It could turn into a perfect storm. The first warning signs emerged as early as March, as the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran crippled Qatar’s LNG export infrastructure, forcing the Gulf state to declare…

Air conditioning has become a hot-button geopolitical issue as rising temperatures create dangerous conditions around the globe. Air-conditioning units are increasingly being considered as “essential infrastructure” as summer heat waves turn into a deadly and increasingly regular occurrence. But while air conditioning inarguably saves lives, in the short term, they are simultaneously contributing to global warming and distracting from other, more important approaches to managing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.…

The U.S. Department of Energy has picked five states led by Republican governors to potentially host nuclear fuel waste in exchange for billions of dollars of support to advance manufacturing in the full nuclear fuel cycle. These so-called Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses are an ambitious project by the Trump Administration to store and repurpose spent nuclear fuel, support advanced reactor deployment, expand domestic manufacturing, and potentially co-host data centers. The campuses have the potential to attract up to $50 billion in capital…

BMW shares in Germany are down 36% so far this year, as the automaker's latest forecast downgrade was described by JPMorgan analyst Jose Asumendi as a "wake-up call for the auto industry." The outlook for BMW continues to deteriorate, with Bloomberg reporting that the automaker will begin a sweeping workforce restructuring in Germany this fall. Voluntary departures in Germany are expected to account for most of the roughly 8,000 positions BMW plans to eliminate globally, equivalent to about 5% of its workforce. The restructuring…

Ukraine’s attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea marks the first direct link between the wars in Ukraine and Iran. While details of the July 25 incident are murky, Ukraine’s intelligence agency the SBU said its drones hit an oil platform in the Caspian Sea along with a Russian missile boat and “cargo ships that are under international sanctions.” President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday announced that Ukrainian forces had achieved “very good results” in long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea,…

In a surprise development, the tiny South American nation of Guyana recently emerged as a major oil exporter. In a mere four years, the former British colony of one million went from first discovery to first oil. Guyana has cemented its place among South America’s leading oil producers, pumping nearly one million barrels per day, making it the continent’s third-largest oil producer. The rapid expansion of Guyana’s offshore oil industry will enhance energy security in the Americas at a crucial time, with heightened Middle East…

Commodity producing and trading giant Glencore expects to post a profit of $3.3 billion in its marketing division for the first half of the year, as extreme market volatility during the Iran war generated windfall earnings for the energy commodity traders. Glencore expects to report next week a strong half-year marketing adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of about $3.3 billion in its Marketing segment, which includes oil trading, the company said on Wednesday in its half-year production report. The trading giant didn't specify how…

Commodity producing and trading giant Glencore expects to post a profit of $3.3 billion in its marketing division for the first half of the year, as extreme market volatility during the Iran war generated windfall earnings for the energy commodity traders. Glencore expects to report next week a strong half-year marketing adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of about $3.3 billion in its Marketing segment, which includes oil trading, the company said on Wednesday in its half-year production report. The trading giant didn't specify how…

Commodity producing and trading giant Glencore expects to post a profit of $3.3 billion in its marketing division for the first half of the year, as extreme market volatility during the Iran war generated windfall earnings for the energy commodity traders. Glencore expects to report next week a strong half-year marketing adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of about $3.3 billion in its Marketing segment, which includes oil trading, the company said on Wednesday in its half-year production report. The trading giant didn't specify how…

Rio Tinto and Glencore have posted near-record updates thanks to this year’s sky-high commodity prices and the uncertainty wrought by the Middle East conflict. Mining juggernaut Rio Tinto notched a 43 per cent jump in profit over the first six months of the year, pointing to persistently elevated metals prices and the ambitious efficiency programme it launched in 2025. Glencore – the world’s largest miner that also boasts an enormous commodity trading arm – said its trading division made $2.9bn (£2.4bn) between January…

Indian Oil Corp. is seeking 50% ownership stakes in very large gas carriers, a first for an Indian refiner, as the company prepares to transport higher volumes of U.S. liquefied petroleum gas under India’s plan to source up to one-quarter of its LPG imports from the United States in 2027 and reduce its exposure to charter-market freight rates, the Business Standard reported on Wednesday. Indian Oil is accepting bids for ships with carrying capacity between 80,000 and 93,500 cubic meters. Eligible vessels must be no more than 12 years old.…

Indian Oil Corp. is seeking 50% ownership stakes in very large gas carriers, a first for an Indian refiner, as the company prepares to transport higher volumes of U.S. liquefied petroleum gas under India’s plan to source up to one-quarter of its LPG imports from the United States in 2027 and reduce its exposure to charter-market freight rates, the Business Standard reported on Wednesday. Indian Oil is accepting bids for ships with carrying capacity between 80,000 and 93,500 cubic meters. Eligible vessels must be no more than 12 years old.…

Crude oil inventories in the United States saw a decrease of 7.2 million barrels during the week ending July 24, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. The decrease brings commercial stockpiles to 404.5 million barrels, according to government data, which are now 7% below the five-year average for this time of year. The EIA’s data release follows API’s figures that were released a day earlier, which reported that crude oil inventories had fallen by 3.296 million barrels in…

Taiwan has suspended approximately 500,000 metric tons of liquefied natural gas purchases from Papua New Guinea every six months, removing roughly $800 million of spot-market demand after Port Moresby ordered the closure of Taipei’s representative office. The decision leaves Taiwan’s long-term LNG supply contract untouched. Taipei will continue importing 1.2 million metric tons of PNG LNG annually through 2030, preserving a supply agreement that accounts for roughly one-third of Papua New Guinea’s LNG exports. Papua New Guinea…

Taiwan has suspended approximately 500,000 metric tons of liquefied natural gas purchases from Papua New Guinea every six months, removing roughly $800 million of spot-market demand after Port Moresby ordered the closure of Taipei’s representative office. The decision leaves Taiwan’s long-term LNG supply contract untouched. Taipei will continue importing 1.2 million metric tons of PNG LNG annually through 2030, preserving a supply agreement that accounts for roughly one-third of Papua New Guinea’s LNG exports. Papua New Guinea…

The US Senate delivered one of its strongest bipartisan endorsements of Ukraine since President Donald Trump returned to office, voting 86-12 on July 28 to advance sweeping legislation aimed at tightening economic pressure on Russia and Iran. The procedural vote, held just hours after the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the bill's chief architect, came immediately after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a personal appeal to senators behind closed doors before watching the vote from the Senate chamber. The legislation,…

Oil prices surged more than 7% on Wednesday as renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities and fresh threats to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb pushed WTI above $84 and Brent toward $90, confronting the Federal Reserve with another inflation shock just hours before one of its most uncertain interest-rate decisions in years. The rally accelerated after President Donald Trump vaguely told Fox News that the United States would “hit Iran hard” following an attack on a U.S. base in Jordan, while Iran-backed Houthis weighed imposing fees on commercial…