(Investing) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic signed a memorandum of understanding for a partnership on producing and securing critical minerals. The U.S. has been working to gain access to critical mineral reserves, particularly rare earth supply chains currently dominated by Chinese players. Rubio did not mention China in his remarks, but
(Investing) – The U.S. extension of the ceasefire with Iran has done little to restore oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, with Barclays warning that the scale of disruption remains significantly underpriced in both oil futures and energy equities. Analyst Lydia Rainforth stated in a note to clients that the Strait has now been closed to oil and
(Oil Price) – China is on track to import record-high volumes of ethane from the United States this month as Chinese and other Asian petrochemicals producers rush to secure replacement feedstock amid plunging naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply from the Middle East. China is expected to import as many as 800,000 tons of U.S. ethane in April, which
(Oil & Gas 360) By Greg Barnett, MBA – As the United States leverages its LNG and crude oil exports amid geopolitical turmoil, its economic relationship with Asia is coming sharply into focus. Tightening trade balances, tariff dynamics, and energy diplomacy are reshaping ties with China, Japan, South Korea, and India , each driven by their own urgency to diversify
(Oil Price) – Empty supertankers have left Asia en route to the U.S. via the Cape of Good Hope in one of the biggest queue of vessels ever seen at sea, as Asian buyers rush to load U.S. crude to replace part of the supply lost in the Middle East. “Tankers are forming what looks like a fleet, an unbroken line
(Investing) – WASHINGTON – Washington’s top derivatives regulator on Thursday reassured lawmakers that the United States will punish fraud as concern mounts on Capitol Hill that oil, stock and prediction market players are illicitly trading on inside information from the White House, according to prepared remarks seen by Reuters. The first congressional testimony by the current chair of the U.S. Commodity
(Oil Price) – Just over a month since President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, taken in the shadow of his military intervention in Venezuela, the contrast between the two is hard to ignore. One intervention is drifting into uncertainty, while the other is settling into something easily described as a success. As the world’s attention remains fixed
(Oil Price) – Hungary is expected on Tuesday to agree a $500-million oil supply deal with the United States during the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Budapest, a source with knowledge of the plan told Bloomberg. Vance arrived in Hungary’s capital city earlier on Tuesday, just days ahead of the general election in the country on April 12, in which Hungarian
(World Oil) – The U.S. carried out strikes near Iran’s Kharg Island early Tuesday, targeting military sites while avoiding key oil export infrastructure, as tensions in the region continue to inject volatility into global energy markets. U.S. forces hit bunkers, radar systems and ammunition storage facilities on the island, according to reports, in a renewed round of attacks similar to
(By Oil & Gas 360)- Global oil markets are no longer reacting to supply and demand; they are reacting to deadlines. With President Donald Trump declaring a final Tuesday deadline for Iran to strike a deal, tensions have entered a more binary phase: agreement or escalation. The ultimatum has raised the stakes not just diplomatically, but economically, as markets weigh
(Oil Price) – Asian nations that are the most exposed to the fallout of the Hormuz crisis have sealed energy deals worth $56 billion with American companies, helping advance President Trump’s energy dominance agenda. Whether this is an actual pivot from the Middle East to the U.S. is yet to be seen. The news about the financial commitments was announced by Interior Secretary
(Oil & Gas 360) By Greg Barnett, MBA Introduction Global refining has entered a new configuration. Once anchored in Europe and parts of Asia, the world’s refining center of gravity now rests firmly on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Scale, technology, logistics and feedstock flexibility have converged to make the United States the world’s most reliable source of gasoline, diesel and
