S&P 500 5,235.18 +1.02%EUR/USD 1.0840 +0.21%GBP/USD 1.2710 +0.14%USD/JPY 149.50 −0.18%BRENT $82.40 −0.81%BTC $67,800 −0.21%GOLD $2,341 +0.55%NASDAQ 16,420.55 +0.74%S&P 500 5,235.18 +1.02%EUR/USD 1.0840 +0.21%GBP/USD 1.2710 +0.14%USD/JPY 149.50 −0.18%BRENT $82.40 −0.81%BTC $67,800 −0.21%GOLD $2,341 +0.55%NASDAQ 16,420.55 +0.74%
A daily business newspaper · Founded in 2026

Money Talk

Finance and markets: business, quotes, gold, energy and releases.

Section

Energy

Found 1191 articles

Energy

Shell Divests Half of Na Kika Platform for $1.7 Billion

A $1.7 billion deal sees Shell offloading its 50% stake in the Na Kika oil platform and the Coulomb tieback to Talos Energy and Ridgewood Energy. This strategic move reshapes the supermajor’s Gulf of Mexico portfolio while raising questions about how the company intends to address its tightening reserve life.

Energy

Oil Markets Ignore Reality as Strait of Hormuz Stagnates

Crude oil prices closed the second quarter with their sharpest decline since 2020, as traders bet heavily on a diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran. Yet, while Brent crude sits at $73.17 per barrel, physical indicators in the Strait of Hormuz suggest that the market’s optimism remains disconnected from the ground.

Energy

Australia Pivots to Domestic Drilling Amid Energy Supply Crunch

Seventy-eight percent of Australians now favor ramping up domestic oil production, marking a sharp policy shift as the nation contends with persistent fuel supply instability. Triggered by international conflict and domestic refinery closures, this resurgence in exploration aims to secure the country’s energy future against global market volatility.

Energy

The Scarcest Resource in the AI Revolution Is Electricity

Artificial intelligence is hitting a physical wall. While developers race to build massive computing campuses, the industry is discovering that chips and software are secondary to the most volatile bottleneck of all: the electrical grid. Trillions of dollars in infrastructure are now tethered to the hunt for reliable power.

Energy

Beaver Island Turns to Lake Michigan Waves for Energy Independence

Thirty miles of underwater cable currently tether Beaver Island to the mainland, leaving the community vulnerable to frequent power outages. Now, researchers are testing hydrokinetic technology along the Lake Michigan shoreline, aiming to harness wave energy to provide a reliable, localized power source for the island’s 600 permanent residents.

Energy

ESG Platform World Wide Generation Enters Administration

Once valued at over £90 million, the London-based ESG reporting firm World Wide Generation has been put up for sale after appointing joint administrators. The insolvency marks a sharp reversal for the company, which previously counted corporate giants like HSBC and Unilever among its primary customers for sustainability tracking tools.

Energy

The Looming Global Rush to Replenish Strategic Oil Reserves

A billion barrels of supply have evaporated since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, forcing nations to confront a fragile energy reality. While China’s massive stockpiles previously acted as a global shock absorber, the race is now on for other importers to build their own strategic buffers against future volatility.

Energy

China’s Dual-Track Energy Strategy

China is doubling down on a contradictory energy strategy: aggressively scaling the world's largest renewable network while simultaneously cementing its reliance on coal. Beijing’s latest five-year plan confirms that the country will continue to bank on this hybrid model to secure its industrial future and guarantee absolute domestic energy independence.

Energy

US Crude Reserves Hit Four-Decade Low Amid Market Volatility

With commercial inventories dropping by 6.072 million barrels for the week ending June 26, the American Petroleum Institute reports a sustained drain on US reserves. This rapid depletion persists even as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve falls to its lowest level in over forty years, leaving capacity significantly underutilized.

Energy

The Vanishing Barrel Behind the World’s Oil Benchmark

For the first time in history, no Brent crude cargoes are scheduled to load in August. While the benchmark remains the global standard for pricing over 60% of internationally traded crude, the original North Sea oil field that gave the marker its name is effectively drying up.

Energy

US Oil Output Hits Historic Peak Amid Strait of Hormuz Volatility

Driven by a frantic market response to the Iran conflict, American crude production surged to an unprecedented 13.934 million barrels per day in April. The record-breaking figures emerged as producers scrambled to capitalize on a brief price spike that saw crude flirting with $120 per barrel.

Energy

Kremlin Admits Fuel Crisis as Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hit Refineries

After weeks of dismissing reports of supply disruptions, the Kremlin has officially acknowledged that Russia faces a mounting fuel crisis. President Vladimir Putin convened an emergency meeting with top energy executives and government officials this weekend to address widespread shortages that have now reached Moscow and threaten critical agricultural harvests.

Energy

Oil Prices Crater as Strait of Hormuz Tension Eases

Global oil markets are poised for a 30% quarterly plunge, marking the sharpest decline since the 2020 pandemic crash. Brent Crude prices have tumbled back to February levels, driven by investor optimism following a preliminary memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at stabilizing transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Energy

Thailand Pursues U.S. LNG Stakes to Bypass Middle East Supply Risks

The state-owned energy giant PTT is currently negotiating equity stakes in U.S. export facilities to lock in long-term shipments. By pivoting toward American gas, Thailand aims to insulate its domestic market from the volatility of Middle Eastern transit routes and the unpredictable costs of spot market procurement.

Energy

Shell Projects 65 Percent Surge in Global LNG Demand by 2050

A 65 percent spike in global LNG demand is expected by 2050, driven by rapid industrial expansion across South and Southeast Asia. Despite this long-term growth trajectory, Shell’s latest outlook warns that immediate market momentum is currently stalled by persistent instability and shipping disruptions within the Strait of Hormuz.

Energy

Asian Crude Imports Lag Despite Market Recovery

With June crude imports estimated at 20.71 million barrels per day, Asia remains significantly below the pre-conflict average of 26.79 million bpd. Despite a marginal uptick from May’s 20.39 million bpd, high freight costs and ongoing concerns regarding the Strait of Hormuz continue to suppress regional demand.

Energy

Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Slash Brent Price Forecasts

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is triggering a shift in global energy markets, as major investment banks revise their price outlooks downward. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs now anticipate a new supply glut, signaling that crude markets are returning to a surplus as Middle Eastern exports resume.

Energy

Asian Refiners Pivot Middle East Crude to U.S. West Coast

A shifting supply landscape has prompted Asian refiners to redirect surplus Middle Eastern crude toward California and Hawaii, reversing a trade pattern that saw them scouring the globe for alternatives just months ago. This move follows a tentative recovery in Strait of Hormuz shipping volumes and easing regional tensions.

Energy

Strait of Hormuz Tanker Traffic Shows Tentative Signs of Recovery

Twenty-four commodity vessels navigated the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, marking the first uptick in activity since a series of attacks on commercial shipping stalled transit late last week. While the flow remains 90% below pre-war levels, the movement of supertankers into the Persian Gulf signals a cautious return to operations.

Energy

Pakistan Pays Steep Premium to Secure Urgent LNG Supplies

Facing a deepening energy crisis and prolonged supply disruptions from the Persian Gulf, Pakistan has secured a prompt liquefied natural gas cargo at a premium of roughly $1 per million British thermal units above prevailing Asian spot market rates, underscoring the severe fiscal pressure currently crippling the nation's energy sector.

Energy

US Coal Resurgence Drives Global Emissions Spike in 2025

A 10% surge in American coal power generation fueled a significant reversal in global environmental trends this year. According to a joint report from the Energy Institute, Ember, Kearney, and KPMG, the United States accounted for roughly 30% of the worldwide increase in carbon dioxide emissions, breaking a decade-long pattern of annual declines.

Energy

Trump Demands Immediate Pump Price Cuts Amid Crude Slide

With global oil prices hovering near $68 a barrel, Donald Trump has issued a blunt ultimatum to American fuel retailers: slash prices immediately or face unspecified consequences. The president’s demand seeks to align retail costs with falling crude benchmarks, specifically targeting a national average of $2.50 per gallon.

Energy

The Nuance of China’s Carbon Footprint

A viral social media post recently claimed China is unfairly blamed for rising CO2 emissions, citing its massive renewable energy buildout and lower per-capita footprint. While these points are accurate, they obscure a critical reality: China remains the primary driver of the global increase in annual carbon emissions this century.

Energy

The Power Grid Bottleneck: Why AI’s Future Rests on Pre-Crisis Assets

As the White House warns that a $1.4 trillion infrastructure deficit could drive electricity prices up by 58% by 2030, the frantic race to fuel the AI and Bitcoin booms has hit a wall. With grid connections facing multi-year delays, the industry's most valuable asset is no longer software, but access to power.

Energy

Energy Stocks Tread Water as Hormuz Peace Remains Fragile

Brent crude has retreated to $72 a barrel, yet the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains a tentative, stuttering affair. Despite an interim memorandum between the U.S. and Iran, the chokepoint continues to operate under a restrictive quota system, leaving energy markets caught between recovery hopes and the reality of lingering geopolitical risk.

Energy

Hormuz Crisis Sparks a Solar Shift in Southeast Asia

When the Strait of Hormuz closed following the February military campaign, Southeast Asian nations faced an immediate energy emergency. With oil and gas flows halted, countries from the Philippines to Indonesia were forced into rationing, triggering a rapid pivot toward solar power as a necessity for national security.

Energy

Canada Capitalizes on Beijing’s Trade Restrictions Against Japan

As Beijing expanded its export blacklist to include Mitsubishi Electric and Komatsu this week, Ottawa moved to fill the void. Following a record-breaking trade mission to Tokyo, Canadian officials are positioning their critical minerals sector as a direct strategic alternative to Japan’s increasingly volatile supply chains in China.

Energy

The Utility Industry Faces a New Challenge to Private Equity

Following the electoral success of democratic socialist candidates in New York City, the utility sector faces a renewed debate over its financial structure. Critics are increasingly questioning why low-risk, essential electricity monopolies rely on high-cost equity financing, potentially signaling a shift toward public ownership or stricter regulation.

Energy

ADNOC and Eni Secure Stakes in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta Gas Fields

Abu Dhabi’s XRG and Italy’s Eni have finalized agreements to acquire 32% stakes each in three upstream gas blocks within Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale basin. The deal, which leaves state-owned YPF with a 36% share, serves as a cornerstone for the nation’s ambitious plan to become a major global LNG exporter.

Energy

Russia Expands Dark Fleet as Arctic LNG 2 Output Climbs

The Arctic Express, a 19-year-old tanker recently re-flagged to Russia, has begun transporting liquefied natural gas from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project. This transfer underscores Moscow’s aggressive move to bypass Western restrictions by assembling a shadow fleet capable of maintaining export flows ahead of looming European Union import bans.