Iran has launched a massive retaliatory campaign following joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, sending an unprecedented barrage of more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones across targets in Israel and several Gulf states. A drone strike on a command center killed six U.S. service members in Kuwait while several missiles were intercepted near Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. base in the region. Commodity analysts at Standard Chartered have hiked their oil price forecasts, noting that unlike last year’s largely symbolic response,…

Tanker rates are through the roof, movement through the Strait of Hormuz is severely reduced because of war cover cancellations by insurers, and the combination of these developments has sent oil prices flying. Now, there’s a third factor that would likely aggravate the situation further: there are not enough supertankers. Bloomberg reported the news this week, saying there were between six and a dozen supertankers that were available for booking in the Persian Gulf, if, of course, the potential client was willing to pay the record daily…

Just a month ago, Europe was attracting most LNG spot cargoes as solid demand and fast-depleting gas inventories fetched higher prices than in Asia, where demand was lackluster. A month is a long time in today’s geopolitical order and this week the global gas market was jolted into a massive shock that upended supply and demand trends. Qatar’s halt of LNG production and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz roiled Asian and European gas markets with reminders of the 2022 crisis. While Asia receives the overwhelming majority of…

The race is on to achieve commercial nuclear fusion. While the technology was first conceptualized a full century ago, the ambition to replicate the process that powers our sun here on Earth has only recently exited the realm of sci-fi ambitions into reality. Fueled in part by the accelerating need for energy thanks to the AI boom, nuclear fusion is receiving more attention and investment dollars than ever before, and breakthroughs are starting to pile up. While China and the United States are leading the charge in a high-stakes battle for commercial…

Military strikes in the Middle East and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered one of the sharpest moves in European gas markets over the past year, with the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark surging on disrupted liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows. The shock is transmitting directly into European power markets, with price reactions varying according to national gas exposure. Beyond the immediate volatility, the market reaction underscores the structural linkage between global LNG supply, European electricity pricing and…

Largely overlooked because of the burgeoning conflict in the Middle East, “open war” has erupted between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership. The fighting all along its southern rim represents a major setback for Central Asia’s global trade agenda. The Pakistani-Afghan conflict shows no signs of easing after almost a week of fighting. On March 2, Pakistan conducted air strikes on a key military site near Kabul, Bagram Air Base, which served as the hub for US military operations during the 20-year American presence…

Nowhere To Run There don't appear to be many safe havens as the situation in Middle East continues to evolve. Not in markets, and not in the region either. At the time of writing, Israel has launched a new strike on Iran. And the US is considering arming Kurdish forces, trying to convince them to take part in a ground offensive against the regime. Iran, meanwhile, has retaliated not only against the US and Israel, but against various countries in the region and against both military and civilian targets. Maybe this is simply an attempt to…

Bloomberg News headlines indicate that Iraq has begun shutting down oil output at Rumaila, the world's largest "supergiant" oil field, while other Gulf states have idled some of the world's largest refineries and major energy hubs following Iranian drone strikes. This signals that a massive energy disruption is set to hit global energy markets as the Strait of Hormuz remains paralyzed. Goldman analysts led by Duffy Fischer have released a note assessing whether U.S. chemical manufacturers have exposure to Middle East energy disruptions. They find…

The U.S. government will exempt the German units of Russian oil major Rosneft PJSC from sanctions indefinitely, Reuters reported on Wednesday, noting that the exemption applies to Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing, both of which have been under German federal trusteeship since 2022. According to Germany's Economy Minister Katherina Reiche, the U.S. issued a "Letter of Comfort" on Tuesday, acknowledging that the two businesses had been fully separated from their parent company in Russia. The indefinite status succeeds a previous…

The U.S. government will exempt the German units of Russian oil major Rosneft PJSC from sanctions indefinitely, Reuters reported on Wednesday, noting that the exemption applies to Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing, both of which have been under German federal trusteeship since 2022. According to Germany's Economy Minister Katherina Reiche, the U.S. issued a "Letter of Comfort" on Tuesday, acknowledging that the two businesses had been fully separated from their parent company in Russia. The indefinite status succeeds a previous…

Ever since Donald Trump slapped tariffs on Canadian goods on Feb. 1, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney has been encouraging trade with nations other than the United States. The former central banker turned politician wants to double non-US exports over the next decade. Towards that goal, Carney met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday as part of a four-day trip to deepen trade and diplomatic ties. The centerpiece was a deal between the Indian government and Saskatchewan-based uranium producer Cameco (TSX:CCO) to supply nearly…

The United States and Japan have been considering the inclusion of a nuclear power project involving Westinghouse in the $550-billion package of investment that Japan has pledged in the U.S. under the bilateral trade deal, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.   Last year, as part of the U.S.-Japan trade agreement, Japan pledged to buy $8 billion worth of American products per year. The Government of Japan has also agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States, the White House said. At the time, U.S. Secretary…

The United States and Japan have been considering the inclusion of a nuclear power project involving Westinghouse in the $550-billion package of investment that Japan has pledged in the U.S. under the bilateral trade deal, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.   Last year, as part of the U.S.-Japan trade agreement, Japan pledged to buy $8 billion worth of American products per year. The Government of Japan has also agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States, the White House said. At the time, U.S. Secretary…

The United States and Japan have been considering the inclusion of a nuclear power project involving Westinghouse in the $550-billion package of investment that Japan has pledged in the U.S. under the bilateral trade deal, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.   Last year, as part of the U.S.-Japan trade agreement, Japan pledged to buy $8 billion worth of American products per year. The Government of Japan has also agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States, the White House said. At the time, U.S. Secretary…

The United States and Japan have been considering the inclusion of a nuclear power project involving Westinghouse in the $550-billion package of investment that Japan has pledged in the U.S. under the bilateral trade deal, sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.   Last year, as part of the U.S.-Japan trade agreement, Japan pledged to buy $8 billion worth of American products per year. The Government of Japan has also agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States, the White House said. At the time, U.S. Secretary…

Crude oil inventories in the United States increased by 3.5 million barrels during the week ending February 27, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. The increase brings commercial stockpiles to 439.3 million barrels according to government data, which is still 3% 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 rose by 5.6 million barrels in the period.…

QatarEnergy has declared force majeure on liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies after suspending production at key export facilities, sending fresh shockwaves through global energy markets already rattled by the escalating conflict involving Iran, the company posted on X.  In a notice to buyers, the state energy giant said the declaration follows its decision to halt LNG and associated production after Iranian strikes targeted facilities linked to Ras Laffan and Mesaieed Industrial City. The shutdown affects LNG output as well as downstream…

Donald Trump calls for a US-backed insurance following news that most of the world’s largest maritime insurance firms are set to cease covering war risks for ships entering the Persian Gulf.  On 5 March, various members of the London-based International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs will automatically terminate war-risk cover if vessels enter the Persian Gulf. Those include Gard AS, NorthStandard, Steamship Mutual Underwriting Association, Assuranceforeningen Skuld, American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity…

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared it has “complete control” of the strategic waterway, with fresh attacks on commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz overnight intensifying fears that the escalating U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could further disrupt one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, Al-Jazeera reported.  Iranian state media carried comments from an IRGC naval official on Wednesday asserting that the Islamic Republic now controls the strait, a narrow shipping lane between Iran…

Indian state-run refiner Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) has declared force majeure on all planned gasoline export cargoes for March and April as the Middle East war is halting crude supply out of the Gulf, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing traders.    MRPL operates a refinery with a capacity of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the state of Karnataka in southern India and exports about 40% of all fuel produced at the site.     The refiner has already awarded through tenders up to three…