Crude

• Indiase aandelenindices stegen scherp op 6 mei 2026, waarbij de Sensex met 940,73 punten (1,22%) steeg om te sluiten op 77.958,52 en de Nifty met 298,15 punten (1,24%) steeg naar 24.330,95, gedreven door optimisme over potentiële vredesonderhandelingen tussen de VS en Iran en dalende prijzen voor ruwe olie. • Bankenaandelen leidden het rally nadat het Union Cabinet goedkeuring verleende aan een noodprogramma voor kredietgaranties ter waarde van Rs 15.800 crore om bedrijven met liquiditeitsproblemen te ondersteunen, terwijl Hero MotoCorp met 2,6% steeg en Mahindra & Mahindra met 3,1% vooruitging dankzij sterke kwartaalcijfers. • Bredere marktindices wonnen ook aan terrein, waarbij de Nifty smallcap100 en midcap100 respectievelijk 0,9% en 1,1% stegen, hoewel FMCG-aandelen daalden door afnemende geopolitieke spanningen in West-Azië die eerder de Brent-olie naar $115 per vat hadden gestuwd.

• Brent crude oil settled 4.7% higher at $99.39 per barrel on April 16 amid caution over Iran war. • Prices have risen from $70 pre-war to peaks near $119 due to Strait of Hormuz disruptions. • The climb tempers market optimism, highlighting persistent energy supply risks.

• Crude oil futures surged above $85 per barrel Thursday, driven by ongoing supply constraints from geopolitical tensions and maintenance shutdowns at major U.S. refineries affecting production capacity. • Energy stocks in the S&P 500 gained 2.1% on the session, with exploration and production companies outperforming as rising commodity prices improve profit margins and cash flow forecasts. • Analysts noted that refinery capacity utilization fell to 87% this week, the lowest level since January, suggesting tighter margins ahead for integrated energy companies dependent on downstream operations.

• The U.S. Energy Department announced plans Wednesday to loan an additional 10 million barrels of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of a 172 million-barrel drawdown. • West Texas Intermediate crude prices exceeded $112 per barrel due to ongoing Iran conflict disruptions, prompting the reserve release to curb domestic fuel costs. • Critics warn the extensive SPR drawdown heightens U.S. energy vulnerabilities during prolonged geopolitical tensions and supply chain risks through key chokepoints.

The factories, which buy cheap crude and turn it into fuel, are struggling as higher oil prices threaten their razor-sharp margins The towns that are the bulwark of China’s energy security can, at a moment of global crisis, appear deceptively quiet. Trucks carrying oil trundle along wide-open highways that have little traffic, while a few boarded-up shops in crumbling low-rise buildings hint at a long-forgotten local buzz.A ramshackle noodle shop serving hand-pulled ribbons of dough was empty at lunchtime, save for a few construction workers and a teacher watching videos on Douyin, the social media platform, with his meal. Continue reading...

Crude oil benchmarks hover near $100 per barrel, up 70% since early January, with forecasts of $150 highs if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. U.S. fuel prices have risen nearly 35% from January lows, though domestic supplies prevent shortages. Energy producers like Exxon Mobil and Chevron hit record highs, while the Dow Jones fell 6% in a month amid stagflation concerns. Prolonged conflict could reverse Fed rate cuts and pressure consumer sectors further.