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Neutral As of Aug 7, 2026 16:30 ET Download PDF

Daily Energy & Shipping Briefing — Aug 09, 2026

Energy markets saw a mixed close on Friday, August 7, 2026, with crude oil prices rising amidst geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, while natural gas continued its decline due to robust production and softer LNG demand. Equity markets rallied on hopes of potential interest rate cuts following a weaker-than-expected jobs report. Carbon markets remained active, influenced by ongoing discussions around EU ETS reforms.

Energy Prices

Crude

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
Brent ICE $/bbl 83.55 +1.07
WTI NYMEX $/bbl 78.18 +0.89

Products

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline NYMEX c/gal 298.53 +4.68
Heating Oil NYMEX c/gal 390.00 +2.10

Natural Gas

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Henry Hub NYMEX $/MMBtu 2.66 +0.02

Natural Gas Liquids

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Mont Belvieu Propane NYMEX $/mt 356.94 +0.74

Price Spreads

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline/Brent Crack Spread $/bbl 41.83 +0.89

Shipping Rates & Bunkers

Dirty Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
VLCC, 270 AG-FE 40,500 39,700
Suezmax, 130 WAF-UKC 30,000 29,500
Aframax, 80 Carib-USGC 25,000 24,000

Clean Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
LR2, 75 AG-FE 20,700 26,400
MR, 37 TC2 (UKC-USAC) 18,000 17,500

Time Charter & Asset Values

Vessel 1yr ($/day) Newbuild ($M) 5yr ($M)
VLCC, 200+ 49,000 127.0 112.0

LNG Vessels ($/day)

Type Spot Sentiment 52wk Avg
160M3 Tri-fuel diesel electric (East) 13,000 Flat 30,231
160M3 Tri-fuel diesel electric (West) 12,500 Flat 29,000

Bunkers ($/mt)

Port VLSFO HSFO MGO
Singapore 821.5 588.5 1,139.5

LPG (Spot TCE, $/day)

VLGC, 44 (AG-Japan) 34,643

Carbon Markets

Instrument Unit Bid Offer
European Union Allowances (Spot) EUR/ton 83.35 83.40

Equities & Currencies

Index Region Last Δ Day
S&P 500 United States 7,757.64 +47.68
Dow Jones Industrial Average United States 54,036.93 +162.11
Pair Region Last Δ Day
EUR/$ European Union 1.16 +0.00

Developments

  • Crude Oil Prices Rise Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions

    Brent crude oil rose above $83 per barrel on Friday, sensitive to developments surrounding a potential Iran-Oman agreement to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which could impact global oil flows. Uncertainty persisted with reports of attacks on vessels transiting the strait.

    Trading Economics / Dow Jones Newswires · Aug 7, 2026

  • Natural Gas Prices Decline on Record Production and Softer LNG Demand

    US Henry Hub natural gas prices continued their downward trend in July and early August, driven by record domestic production and a softening in LNG feedgas demand. Futures prices fell significantly over the past month.

    Rystad Energy / Argus Media · Aug 7, 2026

  • S&P 500 Rallies as Weak Jobs Report Fuels Rate Cut Hopes

    US equity markets, including the S&P 500, closed higher on Friday after a government report indicated an unexpected cut of 23,000 jobs last month. This weaker signal on the job market raised investor hopes that the Federal Reserve might delay further interest rate hikes.

    24/7 Wall St. / The Associated Press · Aug 7, 2026

  • Analysts Adjust EU Carbon Allowance Forecasts Following ETS Reforms

    Analysts have revised their near-term forecasts for EU Allowances upwards, while cutting longer-term outlooks, after the European Commission's proposed overhaul of the EU ETS proved less immediately damaging to the market's supply than initially feared.

    Carbon Pulse · Aug 7, 2026

  • Budapest Experiences Power Crunch Amid Drought

    Budapest faced power outages on August 7, 2026, as a drought-driven power crunch impacted the region. This highlights the growing vulnerability of energy systems to climate-related events.

    Reuters · Aug 7, 2026

  • Solar Tariffs Debate: US Allies vs. China

    A Bloomberg report on August 7, 2026, discussed how new solar tariffs imposed by the US are expected to negatively impact America's allies rather than effectively targeting China, raising concerns about global trade relations and renewable energy supply chains.

    Bloomberg · Aug 7, 2026