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Bearish As of Jun 18, 2026 17:00 ET Download PDF

Daily Energy & Shipping Briefing — Jun 18, 2026

Global energy markets reacted sharply to the signing of a US-Iran peace deal, leading to a significant drop in crude oil prices and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite a hawkish Federal Reserve stance, US equities rebounded, driven by strong performance in the technology sector.

Energy Prices

Crude

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
Brent ICE $/bbl 79.35 -0.98

Products

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline NYMEX c/gal 296.00 +7.30

Natural Gas

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Henry Hub NYMEX $/MMBtu 3.08 -0.17

Natural Gas Liquids

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Mont Belvieu Propane NYMEX $/mt 375.35 -1.57

Price Spreads

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline/Brent Crack Spread $/bbl 44.97 +4.05

Shipping Rates & Bunkers

Dirty Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
VLCC, 270 AG-FE 38,000 39,700
Suezmax, 130 WAF-UKC 28,500 29,100
Aframax, 80 Carib-USGC 22,000 23,500

Clean Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
LR2, 75 AG-FE 19,500 26,400
LR1, 55 AG-FE 17,000 21,000
MR, 37 TC2 (UKC-USAC) 15,000 18,500

Time Charter & Asset Values

Vessel 1yr ($/day) Newbuild ($M) 5yr ($M)
VLCC, 200+ 48,000 126.0 111.0
Suezmax, 130 32,000 85.0 75.0

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 28,000

Bunkers ($/mt)

Port VLSFO HSFO MGO
Singapore 618.0 455.0 575.0
Rotterdam 605.0 440.0 560.0

LPG (Spot TCE, $/day)

VLGC, 44 (AG-Japan) 33,000
VLGC, 44 (USGC-Japan) 45,000

Carbon Markets

Instrument Unit Bid Offer
European Union Allowances (Spot) EUR/ton 80.50 80.55

Equities & Currencies

Index Region Last Δ Day
S&P 500 United States 7,500.58 +80.48
Nasdaq Composite United States 26,517.93 +496.28
Dow Jones Industrial Average United States 51,564.70 +72.15
Pair Region Last Δ Day
EUR/$ European Union 1.15 -0.01

Developments

  • US and Iran Sign Peace Deal, Strait of Hormuz Reopens

    President Donald Trump confirmed the signing of a US-Iran agreement in France, leading to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a significant drop in crude oil prices as geopolitical risk premiums unwound.

    Reuters/TheStreet · Jun 18, 2026

  • Fed Adopts Hawkish Stance Under New Chair Kevin Warsh

    The Federal Reserve, in its first meeting under Chairman Kevin Warsh, maintained benchmark rates but issued a hawkish dot plot, raising year-end interest rate estimates and signaling a focus on inflation over growth.

    Edward Jones/Yahoo Finance · Jun 18, 2026

  • S&P 500 Rebounds as Tech Stocks Surge on Apple-Intel Deal

    Despite earlier market jitters from the Fed, the S&P 500 closed higher, led by a strong rally in technology stocks. Intel surged over 10% after President Trump confirmed a chip design and build deal with Apple.

    Meta Trading Club/AP News · Jun 18, 2026

  • Gasoline Prices Fall Below $4/Gallon for First Time Since March

    Consumers received some relief as national average gasoline prices dropped below $4 per gallon for the first time since March, driven by falling crude oil prices following the US-Iran peace deal.

    TheStreet · Jun 18, 2026

  • IEA Forecasts Oil Oversupply by 2027 Amid Rising Global Supply

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) projected a significant increase in global oil supply by 2027, outpacing demand growth and raising concerns about a potential oversupply in the medium term.

    RoboForex · Jun 18, 2026