CRUDE IN SIGHT

Crude ticks up as Iran says in talks with Oman but not US - Aug. 4, 2026

  • Iran says no talks with US on Hormuz Strait, discussions with Oman ongoing
  • Trump claims Iran talks underway, warns Tehran of “last chance” for a deal
  • Iraq’s SOMO offers deep discounts for crude loading inside Hormuz

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OIL VIEWSLETTER

Crude holds modest risk premium despite mounting supply threats - July 31, 2026

 

Despite simultaneous disruptions to three major oil supply routes, crude has remained remarkably restrained. Our latest Viewsletter examines why the market continues to assign only a modest geopolitical risk premium —and what could finally trigger a sharp repricing. 

  • Disruptions in oil flows through the Bab el-Mandeb and Kazakh crude loadings from the Black Sea have added to a continuing effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Yet Brent has remained in the $84-90/barrel range. Why?
  • US-Iran talks remain deadlocked as Tehran insists on controlling commercial transit through Hormuz. The gulf is so wide, that even Oman’s best mediation efforts may not be enough. 
  • Saudi Arabia has begun bypassing both Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb by rerouting some exports via Egypt's Mediterranean coast. Could even that route be under threat now?
  • Commercial traffic continues to trickle through Hormuz, suggesting Iran is enforcing a selective rather than absolute blockade. Could this evolve into a new normal in transits?
  • Strategic and commercial inventories continue to cushion the market — but those buffers are steadily eroding.

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BULLS & BEARS

Mar 2026: Mildly bullish near-term, neutral first-half Mar - Feb. 20, 2026

After weighing the balance of Iran risks, our latest Bulls & Bears report concludes:

  • A Mildly Bullish near-term bias
  • Neutral stance for the first half of March

 

 

 

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EXECUTIVE BRIEFING NOTES

Exit of stranded Gulf barrels tilts prompt market into surplus (26 June 2026) - June 26, 2026

In our latest Executive Briefing Note: 

  • Stranded Persian Gulf crude is pushing the prompt market into surplus as Brent, Dubai, Oman and Murban flip into front-end contango.

  • Hormuz is reopening, but drone attacks, mine clearance and competing Iranian-Omani transit rules continue to cloud the outlook.

  • We estimate 250-300 million barrels of Gulf crude could hit the market over the coming weeks. But this should not be mistaken for the new normal. The real test will come when empty tankers can re-enter the Gulf, load, and exit the Strait at full capacity without disruption.

  • Record Russian crude flows to India and weak Chinese buying are amplifying prompt bearishness.

  • Diesel markets remain tight, suggesting the weakness is confined to crude rather than broader oil fundamentals.

  • Plus: Iraq's OPEC warning, the UAE's post-OPEC strategy, and why Hormuz governance could become the next geopolitical flashpoint.

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OIL RADAR

OIL IN 2026: Surplus on paper, wildcards in the real world - Dec. 29, 2025

Here we are at the end of 2025, a year of softer fundamentals punctuated by sharp, geopolitically driven lurches.

2026 is shaping up as a “surplus year” -- but not a sleepy one. The balance sheet looks loose; the risk map doesn’t.

Our special report sets out why we see Brent averaging $60-64/barrel, and where the real wildcards sit: Ukraine’s endgame (and what any sanctions unwind would actuallychange), a US-Venezuela standoff that could still escalate, and a Middle East where flashpoints are shifting rather than fading.

We also focus on market plumbing that can move prices even when fundamentals say “rangebound”:

  • Unusually high oil-on-water and record oil in transit -- a sanctions-era dislocation, not a Covid-style contango replay
  • Rare net-short speculative positioning, pointing to a more two-sided, tactical market -- prone to both air-pockets and squeezes
  • Atlantic refining margins converging while Asia stays squeezed, implying tougher Asian competition and continued pull for Atlantic exports

If you’re tracking what could break the range -- up or down -- this is the framework we’re using.