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Bullish As of Aug 14, 2026 17:00 ET Download PDF

Daily Energy & Shipping Briefing — Aug 14, 2026

Global crude oil prices rallied on Friday, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East following new tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, despite a significant build in US crude inventories. Meanwhile, major equity markets experienced a slight downturn as investors reacted to weaker-than-expected retail sales data, while natural gas and carbon markets saw minor fluctuations.

Energy Prices

Crude

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
Brent ICE $/bbl 88.52 +1.45
WTI NYMEX $/bbl 82.40 +1.15

Products

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline NYMEX c/gal 318.41 +5.61
ULSD NYMEX c/gal 428.29 +3.23

Natural Gas

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Henry Hub NYMEX $/MMBtu 2.73 +0.01

Natural Gas Liquids

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Mont Belvieu Propane NYMEX $/mt 379.00 +0.86

Price Spreads

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline/Brent Crack Spread $/bbl 23.25 +0.05

Shipping Rates & Bunkers

Dirty Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
VLCC, 270 AG-FE 41,000 39,800
Suezmax, 130 WAF-UKC 28,500 27,900
Aframax, 80 Caribs-USG 22,000 21,500

Clean Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
LR2, 75 AG-FE 21,000 26,500
LR1, 55 AG-FE 18,500 22,000
MR, 37 TC2 19,000 19,800

Time Charter & Asset Values

Vessel 1yr ($/day) Newbuild ($M) 5yr ($M)
VLCC, 200+ 49,500 127.5 112.5
Suezmax, 130 32,000 88.0 75.0

LNG Vessels ($/day)

Type Spot Sentiment 52wk Avg
160M3 Tri-fuel diesel electric (East) 13,500 Firm 30,300
174M3 TFDE (Atlantic) 15,000 Stable 35,000

Bunkers ($/mt)

Port VLSFO HSFO MGO
Singapore 510.0 427.0 587.0
Rotterdam 525.0 435.0 600.0

LPG (Spot TCE, $/day)

VLGC, 44 (AG-Japan) 35,000
VLGC, 44 (USG-Japan) 48,000

Carbon Markets

Instrument Unit Bid Offer
European Union Allowances (Spot) EUR/ton 81.95 82.01

Equities & Currencies

Index Region Last Δ Day
S&P 500 United States 7,785.76 -13.24
Dow Jones Industrial Average United States 53,732.41 -107.39
Pair Region Last Δ Day
EUR/$ European Union 1.16 +0.00
USD/JPY Japan 159.30 -0.18

Developments

  • Oil Prices Surge as Tanker Attacks Escalate in Strait of Hormuz

    Crude oil futures climbed over $1 a barrel on Friday, with Brent settling at $88.52 and WTI at $82.40, following new attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and stalled peace talks between the US and Iran.

    Reuters · Aug 14, 2026

  • US Crude Inventories See Largest Weekly Build in Over Three Years

    Despite rising oil prices, US commercial crude inventories increased by 17.4 million barrels in the week ending August 7, 2026, reaching 424.4 million barrels. This marks the largest weekly increase in over three and a half years.

    Crux Investor · Aug 14, 2026

  • S&P 500 Dips from Record High on Weak Retail Sales and Tech Sell-off

    The S&P 500 closed lower on Friday, falling 0.17% to 7,785.76, as investors reacted to weaker-than-expected retail sales data and a sell-off in chipmakers, including Applied Materials.

    Investing.com · Aug 14, 2026

  • EU Carbon Allowances Decline Amidst Market Lull and ETS Reform Discussions

    EU Carbon Permits fell to 82.01 EUR on Friday, down 0.85% from the previous day, as the market experienced thin trading volumes during the summer holiday period and analysts lowered 2026/2027 forecasts due to proposed ETS reforms.

    Trading Economics · Aug 14, 2026

  • Barclays Maintains $96/bbl Brent Forecast for 2026 Despite Recent Inventory Gains

    Barclays reiterated its Brent crude oil price forecast of $96 per barrel for 2026, anticipating that recent inventory gains will likely reverse as a slowdown in energy flows from the Middle East impacts onshore stockpiles.

    TradingView · Aug 14, 2026