(By Oil & Gas 360) – This week reinforced a familiar reality: energy markets are increasingly being shaped by the intersection of geopolitics, infrastructure, and capital allocation. Escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman pushed oil above $100 per barrel and tightened physical crude markets, while natural gas prices climbed as LNG demand strengthened and
(By Oil & Gas 360) – For decades, the United States measured energy security by asking whether America could produce enough oil. The shale revolution largely answered that question. The United States became the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, reducing import dependence and reshaping global energy markets. But production is only one part of the system. Crude
(By Oil & Gas 360) – Energy markets spent another week caught between tightening fundamentals and volatile geopolitics. Oil briefly climbed to a one-month high as attacks intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, only to retreat as traders questioned whether the disruption would materially reduce global supply. Meanwhile, natural gas, LNG, AI-driven power demand, and long-term infrastructure investment continued to
(By Oil & Gas 360) – For much of the past decade, oil markets were defined by abundance. The U.S. shale revolution, ample OPEC+ spare capacity, and slowing demand growth encouraged investors to focus on production, inventories, and macroeconomic trends. Geopolitical events still generated headlines, but price spikes were often short-lived as markets assumed disrupted supplies could be replaced and trade
(By Oil & Gas 360) – This week was a reminder that today’s energy market can change direction in a matter of hours. Escalating military action between the U.S. and Iran briefly sent crude prices sharply higher before economic concerns pulled them back lower. While oil remained volatile, the week’s bigger story centered on the industry’s continued investment in long-term
(By Oil & Gas 360) Month Ending: June 2026 – June marked a turning point for global energy markets; the month began with fears of war-driven supply disruptions and a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz. By month’s end, markets had largely shifted toward pricing the reopening of shipping lanes and the return of supply. Yet beneath the falling
(By Oil & Gas 360) – Energy markets continued shifting from crisis pricing toward normalization this week, but the transition remains uneven. Oil prices weakened as Hormuz flows improved and Saudi Arabia prepared to cut prices, yet shipping uncertainty, strategic reserve building, and new attacks kept risk alive. The market is no longer pricing full disruption, but it is not
(By Oil & Gas 360) – For much of the modern energy era, executives, investors, and policymakers operated under a shared assumption that periods of disruption would eventually give way to a familiar pattern. Prices would rise, capital would flow into the sector, production would increase, and supply growth would ultimately restore balance. Markets might experience volatility along the way, but
(Oil & Gas 360) – This week marked a notable shift in market sentiment. For months, energy markets were focused on disruption, conflict, and supply risk. Now, attention is turning toward reopening trade routes, restoring production, and assessing whether the world is moving from a supply crisis toward a period of greater abundance. Prices moved lower, but capital continued flowing
(Oil & Gas360) By Greg Barnett, MBA – If Matt Simmons helped explain the growing engineering complexity beneath the world’s oil reservoirs, Thomas A. Petrie spent decades explaining something equally important above ground: oil is never just a commodity. It is capital, power, diplomacy, security, industrialization, and national survival operating simultaneously. In Following Oil, Petrie chronicled how energy systems reorganize
(By Oil & Gas 360) – The proposed sixty-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran with Pakistan as mediator has been greeted by energy markets with a sense of relief. Oil prices retreated from crisis levels, shipping companies began preparing for a gradual return to normal operations, and insurers started reassessing the elevated war-risk premiums that had accompanied weeks
(By Oil & Gas 360) – The oil market has spent the past several weeks trading optimism. Prices have retreated from their crisis highs as investors bet that diplomacy, ceasefire extensions, and negotiations between Washington and Tehran will eventually restore flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet a growing number of traders, analysts, and industry executives are warning that markets may
