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Europe stands on the brink of a structural shift in its energy landscape. In the first nine months of 2026, electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 24.2% of all new car sales across the continent, marking a 41.9% surge compared to 2025. In September 2026, that market share climbed as high as 30.5%. This momentum is no passing anomaly; it is the direct result of targeted policy interventions, technological advances, and evolving consumer behavior. The electrification of passenger road transport is striking at the very core of the oil sector. Globally, EVs now displace 1.2 million barrels of oil per day—a...

Conservatives and leftists alike have quickly embraced the notion that America’s perception of President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, and of its being a never-ending war, would keep the price of gas and diesel high. This, they believed, is the reason for inflation in the full range of goods and services. On its surface, the logic is sound and true. But were these specific economic pressures enough to cause the level of political devastation to Republicans we just saw? The experts are telling us that Republicans not named Donald Trump, at the federal, state, and even...

In addition to what we previously outlined in the post midterm prediction two months ago, the price of gasoline and diesel fuel has begun dropping quickly. {GO DEEP} This downward price pressure will continue through January, eventually highlighting just how much financial manipulation via speculative trading was behind the price. You can actually watch/see the prices dropping via GAS BUDDY Here. Most of the price increase was driven by market manipulation designed to influence the U.S. political outcome. The western market ‘justification’ per se’ was the Iran war and the oil disruption from the Strait of Hormuz, but that’s not...

U.S. Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart is sounding the alarm over the potential fallout if the Lone Star State were to adopt California-style energy policies. Stewart stressed that "the absolute worst thing that could happen to the United States economy would be to have California-style energy policy implemented in Texas." During an appearance on "Big Money in the Morning," Thursday, Stewart explained how Texas adopting energy policies similar to those in California or Colorado could deal an economic blow to the state and the U.S. economy overall. "When we saw that clean sweep of Democratic elections take place...

(Nov. 5, 2026 / JNS) Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon pushed back on Wednesday against attempts to blame the Jewish state for the Iran war and rising oil prices. His remarks, made in an interview with i24News, came after U.S. Vice President JD Vance cited the conflict and U.S.-Israel relations in explaining Republican losses in the midterm elections. “I think it’s unfortunate that many made the link between rising prices, mainly oil prices, and the situation here in Israel,” Danon said. “The decision to attack Iran was the decision of the United States. It wasn’t our decision,”...

The start of the Middle East conflict in early 2026 caused an unprecedented drop in global petroleum supply. In response, oil prices jumped—but not to unprecedentedly high levels. The U.S. oil sector was a key factor in moderating the shock. For one, its steady increases in drilling helped create a large oversupply in the global market before the conflict, making it less of a challenge to offset the drop in Middle East oil output. In addition, U.S. commercial and government inventories were rapidly drawn down, filling half the gap between global supply and demand in the second quarter by some...

One day after the midterm election, two economic-related things are happening. First, the stock market is having a really good day. Democrats and their media allies would like everybody to believe it's because that party will be taking control of the House and Senate, but the actual reason might be a bit different: The stock market is soaring today because the truth is most business people would rather politicians do nothing and with gridlock guaranteed for the next two years they will get their wish. — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 4, 2026 Gridlock makes for a couple of years worth...

Dec WTI crude oil prices fell on Thursday as the market assesses mediation efforts to avert a possible US military attack on Iran after this Tuesday’s US mid-term elections. The Wall Street Journal reported that US Vice President Vance sent a letter to hardliner Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran’s top security body, to see if a framework for negotiations exists. Iran said it has not yet replied to the letter. Axios reported Wednesday that Qatar is leading behind-the-scenes mediation efforts, supported by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Türkiye. The news of negotiations followed the Wall Street Journal’s report Tuesday that...

In my part of Texas, oil, gas, and timber drives the economy. I made an observation in a family meeting yesterday that it's really starting to break loose here. The local RV parks that are usually empty during the week, are filling up with oilfield workers. The oil and gas personnel that I know who are involved in site prep are working overtime. My son-in-law is one, and he is now working 36 hour shifts. I've been holding off doing a thinning cutting on one of my timber tracts because the price has been so low. But, last week my...

Brent crude oil rose to a six-month high on Friday, as investors increasingly expect the U.S. to resume strikes on Iran in the coming weeks. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. was not negotiating with Iran and something would happen “fairly soon.” His cryptic remarks came as U.S. officials told The New York Times that the U.S. and Israel have plans for fresh strikes on Iran after the midterm elections.

Oil flows out of the Persian Gulf in October nearly returned to levels seen before the start of the Iran war, but traders remain wary about a fragile recovery. Total crude exports in the region, or flows coming out of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, recently recovered to within 10% of their previous levels in January and February, according to data compiled by TankerTrackers.com, a maritime intelligence firm tracking crude oil shipments (see chart below).

Ukrainian attacks set an oil export terminal ablaze in St. Petersburg on Sunday, as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones across Russia in one of its largest ever aerial bombardments. The attack comes amid deepening tensions between Ukraine and Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump criticizing Kyiv for its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. One person was killed and five more were wounded in the attack, which sparked fires at both the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the city’s Ruchi oil depot, said local Gov. Alexander Beglov. A logistics center belonging to Russian retailer Ozon and a data center for local...

An international oil benchmark hit $110 per barrel on Friday, as the industry faces persistent shocks from the U.S.-Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars. The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, hit $110 during Friday trading. That marked the first time it has reached that high since May 20, less than three months after the U.S. and Israel launched the Iran conflict. The commodity was trading at roughly $109.75 as of late Friday afternoon. Brent crude prices peaked in late April, when the benchmark topped $120 per barrel. Oil prices shot up during the early months of the conflict with...

Newly declassified State Department emails and documents show former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch received frequent briefings from top aides on Burisma and Hunter Biden, conflicting with her congressional impeachment testimony. Internal emails also show her deputy in Kyiv believed the Burisma/Biden relationship was adversely affecting U.S. policy. ======================================================================= Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, one of the Democrats’ star witnesses in their first impeachment of Donald Trump, received repeated briefings, emails and memos related to the Ukrainian energy company that employed Hunter Biden, according to declassified documents that directly conflict with her and other witnesses’ testimony in the failed...

Former Vice President Mike Pence called on President Donald Trump to “rescind” his agreement to lift sanctions on Russian diesel fuel and stand up to “Russian aggression,” as Pence believes he did in his first term. “For our National Security, for the security of our Allies in Europe including Ukraine, President Trump should rescind this deal immediately and return to the strong policies of our four years in the White House; impose harsh sanctions on any nation purchasing Russian energy and work with our allies to ensure Ukraine has the military support it needs to repel and defeat this Russian...

Gasoline-only cars fell below 50% of global new vehicle sales for the first time, as the Hormuz crisis and record fuel prices accelerated the shift toward EVs. EV sales surged across major markets, with European BEV sales jumping 52% year-over-year in August and second-quarter global EV sales rising 35% from Q1. High oil and fuel prices could permanently accelerate EV adoption, although charging infrastructure and critical-mineral supply remain major constraints. The share of gasoline cars in global vehicle sales fell below 50% for the first time ever as the Hormuz shock and the resulting record-high fuel prices accelerated the previously...

Yemen-based Ansar Allah, widely known as the Houthis, continues to have a profound impact on global security. The group’s ongoing operations in the Red Sea affected an estimated US $1 trillion worth of maritime cargo between October 2023 and May 2024, and despite periodic kinetic attacks, its operations show no signs of abating. Moreover, evidence suggests the Houthis enjoy the financial and military backing of Russia and China, in addition to their established ties with Iran. This Insight explores the Houthis’ financing mechanisms, including leveraging technology to evade sanctions and the involvement of foreign facilitators with demonstrable and plausible ties...

The Trump administration argues that its proposed multibillion-dollar Russian oil deal would advance American foreign policy interests and lower energy prices. But most of the ownership in the deal would go to a group of Middle Eastern investors, including some with business ties to key U.S. officials involved in the negotiations, according to people familiar with the talks. The deal, for a worldwide portfolio of oil fields, refineries and gas stations now owned by the sanctioned Russian energy giant Lukoil, has become intertwined with the U.S. talks with Russia over ending the war in Ukraine. The United States government, through...

"Half of Russia’s six largest diesel-producing refineries were forced to cut or halt output in September after strikes, according to a Reuters tally. ... Other forces have tightened diesel. Gulf refineries were damaged after the Iran war widened in February."

Venezuela’s Cardón refinery — the country’s second-largest plant — was fully halted on Tuesday after a gas-line fire and explosions at its diesel hydrotreater. The blaze was brought under control in under an hour with no reported injuries, but PDVSA has not issued a damage assessment or restart timeline. The outage hits an already fragile domestic fuel system far more than U.S. supply. Cardón (sometimes rendered Cardon; the query’s “Ardon” matches this plant, not neighboring Amuay) sits at Punto Fijo in Falcón state and is half of the Paraguaná Refining Center. A social-media video posted by OSINTtechnical showed a large...