Market Overview This weekend coincided with China's Qingming Festival, and while overall news was quieter, international media was flooded with a barrage of unverified rumors. These ranged from President Trump falling suddenly ill to an imminent US-Iran negotiation agreement, and even a US ultimatum demanding Iran reach a deal or face escalated conflict. The strait blockade has persisted for a month, and although a few vessels are passing through, we remain far from a full reopening. Approaching Storage Limits As we enter April, the timeline previously projected by Goldman Sachs for Gulf nations' storage capacities to reach their limits is rapidly approaching. If normal navigation is not restored soon, the chain reaction across financial markets will inevitably intensify. Therefore, until

Gold sold off sharply again this morning, extending the daily chart to nine consecutive down days. Even though oil is still trading below $100, other risk assets are already starting to wobble. Looking at the broader market action, there may still be downside risks that have not been fully priced in. It may not be time to panic yet, but a more defensive stance and readiness to exit are becoming increasingly necessary. It was somewhat surprising to see gold fail to hold its previous major trading range, especially since this latest leg lower came with almost no resistance at all. From a strategy perspective, one short and one long trade still ended up producing a profit overall, but the high-volatility range-trading logic has clearly broken down. The move to fresh lows not only opens up a n

$WTI Crude Oil - main 2604(CLmain)$ posted its biggest single-session move in years. $Brent Last Day Financial - main 2605(BZmain)$ is now near $110/bbl — up over 70% vs Q4 2025 average. Most retail traders rushed into oil ETFs. Goldman Sachs quietly dropped a note this morning suggesting that's the wrong trade. Hormuz Disruption: 17x Larger Than the Russia Shock of 2022 The Strait of Hormuz — carrying roughly 20% of global oil and LNG supply — is effectively shut. Goldman Sachs estimates the total hit to Persian Gulf flows at 17mb/d, a disruption 17 times larger than the peak April 2022 hit to Russian oil production. Pipeline alternatives via Saudi Arabia and UAE can theoretically redirect up to

On local time June 12th, tensions in the Middle East suddenly escalated. Israel launched a military operation against Iran, an action that instantly "set the whole region on edge."Israel has launched strikes on dozens of targets in Iran, including major nuclear enrichment facilities. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed that a military operation codenamed "Operation Rising Lion" was launched against Iran, aimed at paralyzing Tehran's nuclear program.Source: Wall Street JournalIt's important to note that the Middle East is one of the world's most critical crude oil production regions, and the Strait of Hormuz is the "lifeline" for oil transportation. About one-third of the world's seaborne oil passes through here.With the situation now on a hair trigger, the market has panicked. Inves

Based on recent news articles, the sentiment regarding oil prices is mixed. While some articles mention that oil prices have risen due to factors such as wildfires in Canada's oil sands and expectations of a drawdown in US inventories, other articles highlight that oil prices have declined to nine-week lows following disappointing inflation data and unchanged forecasts from OPEC. Overall, the outlook for oil prices remains uncertain and is influenced by various factors such as supply-demand dynamics, global economic indicators, and geopolitical events. Here are some news articles related to oil prices: Oil prices up on wildfires in Canada, US inventories drawdown expectations: This article mentions that oil prices rose due to the threat of wildfires in Canada's oil sands and expectations o

Oil prices are now up over 30% since mid-June. $WTI Crude Oil - main 2311(CLmain)$ reaches $92.43, a record high in 2023.$Brent Last Day Financial - main 2311(BZmain)$ has risen from around $72 to $95.To learn more about oil prices, you can click How to Gain From 25% Upside & 24h Quotes of Oil Futures?But the markets believe the rate hike cycle is over and that Fed will start to cut rates in 2024.data from cmegroupWhy do surging oil prices won’t affect rate hike decision?Oil prices account small part for core CPIMORGAN STANLEY: “.. a 10% increase in oil prices .. adds 35bp to headline CPI for 3 months, but ju

What are the potential impacts? The global crude oil market is experiencing a sustained surge, with prices on track for their third consecutive weekly gain. This bullish momentum is primarily attributed to robust economic data emerging from China, coupled with reports of record-breaking oil consumption. The implications of this upward trend are multifaceted and warrant a closer examination of the factors contributing to it, as well as the potential consequences for various stakeholders. [USD]  Crude Oil Updates China, the world's second-largest crude oil consumer, has emerged as a significant driver behind the recent surge in oil prices. The country's economic indicators, including industrial output and retail sales, have exceeded expectations, indicating a stabilization of the econom

On Monday, driven by expectations of production cuts, $Brent Last Day Financial - main 2311(BZmain)$ surged to $88.90, while $WTI Crude Oil - main 2310(CLmain)$ reached their highest intraday level since November of last year. In August, the International Energy Agency (IEA) had forecasted that this year's global demand would hit a historical high due to robust air travel, power generation needs, and activities in China's petroleum and chemical industry.The reasons for the oil prices increase include:Production Cuts: The OPEC+ alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia has implemented substantial measures to limit crude oil supply to support the market. Supply Constraints: High temperatures and other