China’s secret weapon in the global race to lead AI innovation is its enormous electricity resources. While China quietly plugs away at ramping up its development and integration of large language models, Western countries are facing increasing energy security tradeoffs to keep data centers running. The increased energy demand and grid capacity required to run AI’s ever-expanding computational load are putting enormous strain on power grids in Western countries. Power grids were already in a precarious position in the United States…

Stronger refining margins and higher throughput volumes helped U.S. refining giant Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) beat analyst estimates of fourth-quarter earnings. Valero on Thursday kicked off the earnings season for the U.S. refiners by reporting an adjusted net income attributable to Valero stockholders of $1.2 billion, or $3.82 per share, for the fourth quarter. This easily beat the analyst consensus estimate of $3.27 earnings per share in The Wall Street Journal. Strong refining margins boosted the net income, as the refining margin…

India’s largest private refiner, Reliance Industries, will import about 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-sanctioned Russian crude from February, as it limits intake from Russia and complies with the U.S. sanctions, a source with knowledge of the procurement plans told Bloomberg on Thursday.   Before the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s top producers Rosneft and Lukoil, Reliance Industries of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani was the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil, importing more than 500,000 bpd thanks to a long-term deal…

India’s largest private refiner, Reliance Industries, will import about 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-sanctioned Russian crude from February, as it limits intake from Russia and complies with the U.S. sanctions, a source with knowledge of the procurement plans told Bloomberg on Thursday.   Before the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s top producers Rosneft and Lukoil, Reliance Industries of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani was the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil, importing more than 500,000 bpd thanks to a long-term deal…

Citgo Petroleum, the U.S.-based refiner formerly owned by Venezuela’s state oil firm PDVSA, has bought its first Venezuelan crude under U.S. control, anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation have told Reuters. Citgo, which is the seventh-largest refiner in the United States with a total capacity topping 800,000 barrels per day (bpd), is in the process of being acquired by an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management in a court-ordered auction to pay off PDVSA’s debt to creditors.   Citgo was one of Venezuela’s top…

Citgo Petroleum, the U.S.-based refiner formerly owned by Venezuela’s state oil firm PDVSA, has bought its first Venezuelan crude under U.S. control, anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation have told Reuters. Citgo, which is the seventh-largest refiner in the United States with a total capacity topping 800,000 barrels per day (bpd), is in the process of being acquired by an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management in a court-ordered auction to pay off PDVSA’s debt to creditors.   Citgo was one of Venezuela’s top…

Brent Crude prices topped $70 per barrel early on Thursday for the first time since August, as U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that a “massive armada” of U.S. Navy ships is headed to the Persian Gulf.  At the time of writing, Brent Crude prices had jumped by 4.71% at $71.62. This was the highest in more than five months and the first time the international benchmark has topped $70 per barrel since early August. The U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, was also trading higher, up by 4.79% to $66.24. WTI topped $65 per barrel for the…

Venezuela is edging toward what could become the most consequential energy shift in a generation. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez reportedly met with senior international oil executives this week at a PDVSA facility, as the government opens consultations on a partial reform of the country’s Organic Hydrocarbons Law. The proposed changes, now moving through Venezuela’s National Assembly, would fundamentally reshape the fiscal and contractual rules governing the country’s oil and gas sectors.  While the state would retain…

Last year, the energy sector emerged as one of the notable laggards in an otherwise red-hot U.S. stock market. The sector notched a respectable, but below-market, return of 7.9%, falling to match the 16.4% gain by the S&P 500 in large part due to a big pullback in oil prices in the second half of 2025. Thankfully, oil and gas stocks are looking to flip the script in the early innings of the new year, with the energy sector up 11.2% in the year-to-date, the best sector performance so far in the year and incomparable to a 1.9% gain by the broad-market…

Following the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s Lukoil, which operated one of Iraq’s largest oilfields, Baghdad temporarily took control over the West Qurna 2 project, which accounts for 10% of all Iraqi oil production and 0.5% of global crude supply. Lukoil had a 75% equity stake in West Qurna 2, which produces more than 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil. The U.S. sanctions made it impossible for Lukoil to continue operating the huge field. Following the U.S. sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft, “as a result of Russia’s…

Europe has been trying to reduce its reliance on imported energy for four years now. It has had partial success, notably through demand destruction resulting from excessive prices. This month, part of Europe doubled down on that plan just as the United States grid presented an object lesson in the importance of reliable energy from all the sources that Europe wants to get rid of, and soon. Earlier this week, nine European countries announced they would build 100 GW of offshore wind power capacity as they seek to source more of their electricity…

Iran is bracing for a potential attack as the United States deploys key military assets, including an air carrier and additional bombers, to the Middle East. US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters. If Trump authorizes military action, Tehran would be virtually powerless to stop an aerial attack, experts say. But that does not mean Iran cannot retaliate against US military and commercial assets in the region, experts say, citing Tehran's formidable arsenal of…

Kuwait is preparing to move forward with a major midstream expansion as it opens a $7-billion pipeline project to foreign capital, part of a broader push to fund critical oil infrastructure outside the state budget. State-owned Kuwait Oil Company is readying a pipeline deal valued at roughly $7 billion that would involve international partners, according to Reuters. The project is part of a broader effort by Kuwait to upgrade transport capacity linking upstream production to export and processing hubs, while easing the financial burden on the state.…

In its first monetary policy decision of 2026, the Federal Reserve elected to hold the federal funds rate steady at 3.50%–3.75%, pausing further cuts after three reductions late last year. The decision, made at the January 27–28 Federal Open Market Committee meeting, reflects a cautious stance amid mixed economic signals and persistent inflation above target. The FOMC statement shows that while economic activity “has been expanding at a solid moderate pace,” job gains have slowed and the unemployment rate has only “shown…

In its first monetary policy decision of 2026, the Federal Reserve elected to hold the federal funds rate steady at 3.50%–3.75%, pausing further cuts after three reductions late last year. The decision, made at the January 27–28 Federal Open Market Committee meeting, reflects a cautious stance amid mixed economic signals and persistent inflation above target. The FOMC statement shows that while economic activity “has been expanding at a solid moderate pace,” job gains have slowed and the unemployment rate has only “shown…

Africa’s trade finance lender has unveiled a major new funding line for Angola’s national oil company, as the country seeks to stabilize crude trading and maintain output in a basin facing structural decline and renewed scrutiny from international producers. The African Export-Import Bank has announced a $17.5 billion financing facility for Sonangol, according to a statement cited by Reuters on Wednesday. Afreximbank said the facility is designed to support Sonangol’s oil trading operations and general corporate funding needs,…

Africa’s trade finance lender has unveiled a major new funding line for Angola’s national oil company, as the country seeks to stabilize crude trading and maintain output in a basin facing structural decline and renewed scrutiny from international producers. The African Export-Import Bank has announced a $17.5 billion financing facility for Sonangol, according to a statement cited by Reuters on Wednesday. Afreximbank said the facility is designed to support Sonangol’s oil trading operations and general corporate funding needs,…

Africa’s trade finance lender has unveiled a major new funding line for Angola’s national oil company, as the country seeks to stabilize crude trading and maintain output in a basin facing structural decline and renewed scrutiny from international producers. The African Export-Import Bank has announced a $17.5 billion financing facility for Sonangol, according to a statement cited by Reuters on Wednesday. Afreximbank said the facility is designed to support Sonangol’s oil trading operations and general corporate funding needs,…

The Illusion of Randomness in Oil Markets Anyone who trades crude oil futures has seen it happen. Price sells off hard into a round number, stalls, and then snaps violently higher. Or oil grinds higher all morning, only to reverse sharply mid-session with no headline, no inventory release, no obvious catalyst. This can be especially confusing for fundamental traders and analysts who try to explain price action solely through data and headlines. To many, these moves appear random. In reality, they aren’t random at all. Many of these moves…

Next month, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is slated to overhaul the level of radiation that Americans can legally be exposed to in response to an executive order issued by Donald Trump in May of 2025. The Trump administration is seeking to loosen regulations related to the nuclear energy industry in the United States in order to jumpstart the struggling sector.  The United States generates more nuclear energy than any other country, but it won’t hold that distinction for long if current domestic and global trends…