Venezuela has entered the most consequential reset of its modern history. The removal of Nicolás Maduro on 3 January has abruptly reopened a petro-state that sits atop the world’s largest proven oil reserves yet produces barely a sliver of its potential. After two decades of mismanagement, sanctions, and collapsing infrastructure hollowed out Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and drove output to historic lows, Washington is now betting that a rapid, U.S.-directed revival can turn the country from a stranded giant into a strategic…

Oil and gas stocks have kicked off the new year on a bright note, with the S&P 500 Energy Sector notching a 6.8% gain in the year-to-date, the third-best sector performance behind only Industrials (7.6%) and Materials (7.2%). The strong start comes despite the sector facing pressure from ample supply, but getting a boost from ongoing geopolitical pressures. Brent prices have increased from $59.96 per barrel two weeks ago to $64.15 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday as Iran tensions increase market jitters. U.S. President Donald Trump has…

After a record year for liquefied gas trade in 2025, most forecasts for the new year were upbeat, save for a worry about a possible glut. Two weeks into 2026, however, and one of the biggest markets for liquefied gas is in a geopolitical dispute with its biggest supplier and has put a major energy trade deal on hold. This year is early on turning out to be an anything-can-happen one. The European Union this week put its trade deal with the Trump administration on hold, stopping short of triggering what it calls the “bazooka” of a mechanism…

The Trump Administration last week gave the latest and clearest signal yet that it prefers natural gas, coal, and nuclear power to provide the bulk of new generation supporting the data center build-out. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and the bipartisan group of governors of all 13 states served by PJM Interconnection issued a so-called Statement of Principles urging the biggest U.S. power grid operator to hold a capacity auction, in which leading technology companies have committed to funding this new generation…

On 12 January 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced, “Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America.” Trump’s announcement aims to weaken the government of the Islamic Republic in the wake of weeks of protests against the government, sparked by a weak economy. Trump told the protesters to keep fighting their government and that “help is on the way.” Who is “doing business”…

President Trump’s latest tariff package could plunge the UK economy into a recession, top economists have warned, upping the stakes for Keir Starmer as he responds to threats against Greenland.  The US president warned leading European nations, including the UK, he would slap additional 10 per cent tariffs on goods imports if a deal for Greenland’s annexation was not agreed.  Analysts at Capital Economics have warned that the new tariffs could trigger a recession for the UK economy if the impact is felt “all at once”. …

A three-day strike at Peru’s state oil company began Monday as workers protested government plans to open the company to private investment, a move that comes as Petroperu also weighs bringing in outside management for its debt-laden Talara refinery. Workers at state-owned Petroperu launched the strike in opposition to what unions describe as a creeping privatization agenda, Reuters reported. The walkout targets administrative and operational functions and adds pressure to a company that has relied heavily on state support to stay afloat.…

A three-day strike at Peru’s state oil company began Monday as workers protested government plans to open the company to private investment, a move that comes as Petroperu also weighs bringing in outside management for its debt-laden Talara refinery. Workers at state-owned Petroperu launched the strike in opposition to what unions describe as a creeping privatization agenda, Reuters reported. The walkout targets administrative and operational functions and adds pressure to a company that has relied heavily on state support to stay afloat.…

In the wake of the Trump administration's prosecution of a war and blockade against Venezuela and the administration's promise to vastly increase oil production in the country, it's worth knowing why claims about Venezuela's oil "reserves" being the largest in the world are problematic. It's also important to understand what this implies for the future of oil production in Venezuela. Consider the following: 1. Official oil reserves are just that. They are numbers reported by official government sources. Where these numbers come from large state-owned…

Gold and silver surged to all-time highs as markets reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European countries in a bid to force a deal allowing the United States to buy Greenland, accelerating a broad move into safe-haven assets. Gold jumped 2% on Sunday to a record $4,688 per ounce and was trading around $4,664 early Monday, while silver spiked 4% to an all-time high of $94.02 per ounce before easing to roughly $93. The rally reflected a rapid repricing of geopolitical and policy risk rather than changes in…

Gold and silver surged to all-time highs as markets reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European countries in a bid to force a deal allowing the United States to buy Greenland, accelerating a broad move into safe-haven assets. Gold jumped 2% on Sunday to a record $4,688 per ounce and was trading around $4,664 early Monday, while silver spiked 4% to an all-time high of $94.02 per ounce before easing to roughly $93. The rally reflected a rapid repricing of geopolitical and policy risk rather than changes in…

The latest news from the past few days indicates that Abu Dhabi entities have set their sights on Venezuela’s hydrocarbon sector. Reuters and Bloomberg indicated that ADNOC, via its investment arm XRG, could be entering the Latin American country. Details are still unclear, but it's worthwhile to address them already. At present, the situation in Venezuela is still rife with uncertainty, instability, and sanctions. For most interested parties, especially investors, Venezuela remains shorthand for everything that can go wrong in an oil state.…

Kazakhstan’s largest oilfield has been forced into a temporary shutdown after fires damaged a critical power generation and distribution facility at the Chevron-operated Tengiz oilfield, extending a run of supply interruptions in Kazakhstan. Production and exports were halted following damage to site power systems serving the field and the adjacent Korolev oilfield, media cited Kazakh officials as stating on Monday.  The shutdown was confirmed by Upstream Online and Energy Intelligence, both citing official statements from operator Tengizchevroil…

Kazakhstan’s largest oilfield has been forced into a temporary shutdown after fires damaged a critical power generation and distribution facility at the Chevron-operated Tengiz oilfield, extending a run of supply interruptions in Kazakhstan. Production and exports were halted following damage to site power systems serving the field and the adjacent Korolev oilfield, media cited Kazakh officials as stating on Monday.  The shutdown was confirmed by Upstream Online and Energy Intelligence, both citing official statements from operator Tengizchevroil…

Kazakhstan’s largest oilfield has been forced into a temporary shutdown after fires damaged a critical power generation and distribution facility at the Chevron-operated Tengiz oilfield, extending a run of supply interruptions in Kazakhstan. Production and exports were halted following damage to site power systems serving the field and the adjacent Korolev oilfield, media cited Kazakh officials as stating on Monday.  The shutdown was confirmed by Upstream Online and Energy Intelligence, both citing official statements from operator Tengizchevroil…

The S&P 500 closed out 2025 with a total return of 16.4%, marking its third consecutive year of double-digit gains. Despite a choppy finish, it was a strong year for equities, with every sector ending the year in positive territory. Growth-oriented sectors led the way, supported by a consumer that proved far more resilient than many expected. (All returns discussed are total returns and include dividends). Technology once again topped the leaderboard, delivering a 24.6% return as investment in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and cloud…

Kurdish forces have withdrawn from the largest oilfield in Syria as the Syrian government announced a ceasefire deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that could lead to normalization in the Middle Eastern country torn apart by more than a decade of civil war.  Following days of intense fighting as Syrian government forces advanced to the northeast and captured key oilfields, Syria on Sunday announced an immediate ceasefire with the U.S.-backed SDF.   As part of the comprehensive ceasefire agreement, the SDF will…

Oil prices fell early on Monday as concerns about a potential disruption to Iran’s oil supply in case of U.S. strikes subsided, while traders began to assess the next geopolitical flashpoint U.S. President Donald Trump has created—Greenland.   As of 9:53 a.m. ET on Monday, the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, had returned to below $60 per barrel, trading at $59.16, down by 0.27% on the day. The price of the U.S. oil has stayed for months very close to the breakeven prices for profitably drilling a new well at many U.S. independent…

On a mild and cloudy evening in Izmit, western Turkey, a Panamanian-flagged tanker called the Bela 6 dropped anchor and began pumping nearly 100,000 tons of Russian oil. The January 6 delivery was an outlier for the refinery’s owner, Tupras, which cut Russian crude imports by 69 percent the previous month, ahead of an EU sanction taking effect on January 21, according to data from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The new measure bans imports into the European Union of products derived from Russian crude oil and is the…

Bolivia’s new leadership has pledged it would keep its existing lithium and oil and gas contracts, even those awarded to Russia and China under the previous leftist ruling, as La Paz looks to reassure investors that the signed deals would be respected.  “Our contracts will be respected,” Bolivian Energy Minister Mauricio Medinaceli told Reuters, including deals signed by the previous government with Russia and China.  Bolivia is estimated to hold more than a fifth of global lithium reserves.  This pledge is a “first…