In the first quarter of 2026, the global energy storage market is no longer a playground for visionaries... it is a graveyard for the undercapitalized. The data is rough. As of March 2025, QuantumScape (NYSE: QS) sat on $860 million in cash against a trailing twelve-month burn rate of $331 million. This 2.6-year window is the "valley of death" made manifest in a ledger.  While the early 2020s were fueled by the speculative highs of SPAC mergers and theoretical energy density, the 2026 market has pivoted to "Balance Sheet Engineering." Success…

The Azerbaijani state energy company SOCAR has announced it is selling natural gas to Austria and Germany. But it remains an open question whether Baku can hit its promised target of delivering 20 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to the European Union in the near future. Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev, speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, said the new export arrangements bring to 16 the number of countries Azerbaijan supplies with gas, 10 of which are EU members. Yet the announcement sheds little…

Nine northwest European countries are set to commit to speeding up the deployment of offshore wind capacity on Monday, days after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized “money-losing windmills”, which, he said, were partly to blame for Europe’s economic decline. The UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway will pledge on Monday at the international North Sea Summit in Hamburg, Germany, to accelerate offshore wind power via large-scale cross-border projects, according to a draft declaration…

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States rose by 1 this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, bringing the total rig count in the US  to 544 this week, down 32 from this same time last year. The number of active oil rigs rose by 1 for the second week in a row during the latest reporting period, according to the data. Oil rigs are now at 411, which is 61 below this same time last year. The number of gas rigs stayed the same at 122, which is 23 more than this time last year. The…

“AGI is here, now.” That’s Sequoia Capital this week, one of Silicon Valley’s most legendary venture firms and a major OpenAI investor, declaring we’ve crossed the threshold into artificial general intelligence. Their post also proclaims, in big bold letters, that they are “Blissfully Unencumbered by the Details”. When Sequoia speaks, the tech world listens. This post has dominated conversations across the AI builder community for days. As a builder, venture investor, and AI scientist myself, I find their…

The acquisition of ChampionX helped the world’s biggest oilfield services provider, SLB (NYSE: SLB), raise its North America revenue by 15% in the fourth quarter versus Q3 despite the softer market in the U.S. shale industry. SLB, which completed the acquisition of chemicals and engineering oilfield services provider ChampionX in the third quarter, saw its North America revenue surge by 26% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, the company said in its Q4 results release on Friday. SLB reported $0.78 earnings per share for the fourth quarter,…

The acquisition of ChampionX helped the world’s biggest oilfield services provider, SLB (NYSE: SLB), raise its North America revenue by 15% in the fourth quarter versus Q3 despite the softer market in the U.S. shale industry. SLB, which completed the acquisition of chemicals and engineering oilfield services provider ChampionX in the third quarter, saw its North America revenue surge by 26% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, the company said in its Q4 results release on Friday. SLB reported $0.78 earnings per share for the fourth quarter,…

Oil prices climbed after President Trump’s Iran rhetoric revived geopolitical risk, pushing Brent above $66 despite limited supply disruption impact.   Friday, January 23, 2026 Kazakhstan’s incessant supply disruptions have been the main talking point this week, however up until Friday there’s been little impact on pricing. No sooner had US President Trump declared the reallocation of naval assets to Iranian shores, warning of an ‘armada’ ready to attack, than ICE Brent futures were storming $66 per barrel again.…

Below-average winter temperatures are driving the fastest pace of withdrawals from natural gas storage in Europe in five years, as heating demand is rising. EU gas storage sites were only 47% full as of January 21, according to the latest data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.   That’s well below the average for the past few years, signaling that Europe will have to import more gas in the summer to replenish storage supplies. Gas withdrawals have accelerated this month amid colder-than-normal temperatures in most of Europe, and the pace…

The European Union has proposed sanctions against Iran's interior minister and 14 other senior officials for their role in a violent crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted in late December, documents obtained by RFE/RL show. Protests erupted on December 28 over economic woes, including currency collapse, but morphed into anti-regime demonstrations that were met with lethal force. The bloc's foreign ministers could adopt the measures, which include asset freezes and visa bans, when they meet in Brussels on January 29. All member states must…

India’s state-owned refiner Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is set to sign next week an oil supply deal with Brazilian state giant Petrobras for the delivery of 12 million barrels of crude, valued at about $780 million. The signing of the agreement is expected to take place during the India Energy Week 2026 forum, which will be held between January 27 and January 30 in Goa, the Indian government said in a statement on Friday carried by Reuters.   Indian refiners, including BPCL, are looking to diversify their crude supply…

From Monday, January 19, through Thursday, January 22, 2026, WTI crude oil moved on geopolitical noise, U.S. inventory surprises, and shifting demand assumptions. The early week brought geopolitical headlines that traders briefly entertained, but by mid-week, the story was all about supply-side pressure - specifically, those U.S. inventory numbers that just wouldn't quit. The week became an exercise in risk recalibration as headline risks failed to deliver actual supply disruptions. Late Thursday, Light Crude Oil Futures are trading $59.60, up…

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Markets are not reacting to where U.S. policy is headed; rather, they are reacting to how quickly U.S. policy positions are adopted, amplified, and then walked back, or even abandoned. With the Trump administration, the distance between escalation and reversal has shortened to a single news cycle, turning geopolitics into a source of short-term volatility where it would normally be a longer-term indication of direction. This week’s Greenland episode captured that dynamic in real time. Tariff threats surfaced,…

I rarely recommend shorting a stock, here or elsewhere, for a few reasons. First, short selling doesn’t fit my personality. I like to think of myself as a positive person, and many years ago, I vowed that I would not let any part of my life, personal or professional, be ruled by fear.  Shorting is a negative thing by its very nature and is often based on fear, so it is just not something with which I am comfortable. More important than its effect on my fragile feelings, though, selling a stock short always comes with significant risk.…

On the Sudan civil war front, the government is trying to draw a hard boundary around a shrinking but still critical part of the oil system. As fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, continues across much of the country, Khartoum is insisting that the Heglig oil field remains operational and under state control, even as regional actors tighten scrutiny on the RSF’s external supply lines. Heglig’s importance is often overstated in volume terms. Most of the crude that matters economically…

India’s state-owned refiner Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is set to sign next week an oil supply deal with Brazilian state giant Petrobras for the delivery of 12 million barrels of crude, valued at about $780 million. The signing of the agreement is expected to take place during the India Energy Week 2026 forum, which will be held between January 27 and January 30 in Goa, the Indian government said in a statement on Friday carried by Reuters.   Indian refiners, including BPCL, are looking to diversify their crude supply…

Europe is expected to import a record-high volume of liquefied natural gas this year as stronger demand for replenishing storage sites, the phase-out of Russian supply, and continued pipeline exports to Ukraine will drive increased demand, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday. After setting a record in 2025, European LNG imports are poised to reach a new all-time high of over 185 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2026, the agency said in its Gas Market Report Q1 2026. Europe’s LNG imports hit an all-time high of over 175 bcm in…

China plans to launch LNG futures in yuan as it aims to hedge against volatile prices and have more power over global LNG pricing. The futures could be launched on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) as soon as February, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting sources familiar with the plans. The Shanghai Futures Exchange has sought for years to launch yuan-denominated futures of key commodities, including LNG and nickel, to seek a role for China in the global pricing of the major Chinese commodity imports. The biggest global LNG markets are linked…

Shell plans to invest $20 billion in the Bonga South West deepwater project offshore Nigeria, the special adviser to Nigeria’s president said after the government approved investment-linked incentives for the project. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the adoption of targeted, investment-linked incentives to support the proposed Bonga South West deepwater offshore oil project by Shell and its partners, the office of the president said after Tinubu met with the supermajor’s chief executive, Wael Sawan.   Shell has…

The U.S. stock market has pared back heavy losses it posted earlier in the week after U.S. President Donald Trump relented on his threat to slap European and NATO nations with tariffs for opposing his push to acquire Greenland. Trump also ruled out the use of military force to take over the semi-autonomous Danish territory, but said the U.S. will still pursue ownership of the country. In contrast, oil prices have reversed course, slipping nearly 2% after Trump softened threats against Greenland and Iran. While President Trump dominated headlines…