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Bearish As of Jun 23, 2026 17:00 ET Download PDF

Daily Energy & Shipping Briefing — Jun 23, 2026

Global energy markets faced downward pressure on June 23, 2026, as crude oil prices continued to fall amid progress in US-Iran peace talks and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, easing supply concerns. Natural gas futures also declined due to high domestic inventories, while major equity indices experienced a tech-led sell-off. Container shipping, however, saw tighter conditions and rising spot rates driven by peak season demand and holiday pressures.

Energy Prices

Crude

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
Brent ICE $/bbl 76.80 -0.69
WTI NYMEX $/bbl 73.08 -3.45

Products

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline NYMEX c/gal 212.50 -1.00

Natural Gas

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Henry Hub NYMEX $/MMBtu 3.55 -0.10

Natural Gas Liquids

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
US Mont Belvieu Propane NYMEX $/mt 364.25 -6.22

Price Spreads

Instrument Unit Last Δ Day
RBOB Gasoline/Brent Crack Spread $/bbl 23.50 +0.30

Shipping Rates & Bunkers

Dirty Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
VLCC, 270 AG-FE 38,500 39,500

Clean Tanker (Spot TCE, $/day)

Vessel Route Spot TCE Avg YTD
LR2, 75 AG-FE 19,800 26,000

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) 12,500 Flat 30,000

Bunkers ($/mt)

Port VLSFO HSFO MGO
Singapore 699.0 430.0 590.0

LPG (Spot TCE, $/day)

VLGC, 44 (AG-Japan) 34,000

Carbon Markets

Instrument Unit Bid Offer
European Union Allowances (Spot) EUR/ton 80.00 80.20

Equities & Currencies

Index Region Last Δ Day
S&P 500 United States 7,365.46 -107.33
Pair Region Last Δ Day
EUR/$ European Union 1.14 0.00

Developments

  • Brent Crude Oil Price Falls as US-Iran Peace Roadmap Accelerates Hormuz Supply Recovery

    Brent crude oil prices continued their decline, trading near $78.16/bbl on June 23, as progress in US-Iran negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz eased supply concerns and authorized Iranian crude sales for 60 days.

    Vantage Markets / VESYL · Jun 23, 2026

  • S&P 500 and Nasdaq Drop as Big Tech Companies Lead Wall Street Sell-off

    Major US stock indexes, including the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite, fell sharply on Tuesday, June 23, driven by pullbacks in AI-related technology companies and growing concerns over potential interest rate hikes.

    LA Times / WDRB · Jun 23, 2026

  • High Inventories Push Natural Gas Futures Down Despite Rising Temperatures

    LNG futures fell 2.28% on Tuesday as domestic inventories remained approximately 5.8% above average, ensuring ample supply despite forecasts for higher temperatures expected to increase demand.

    FX Leaders · Jun 23, 2026

  • Container Freight Market Tightens Ahead of Quarter-End and Holiday

    Shippers faced a tighter freight market during the week of June 22-26, with elevated truckload rates and rising spot freight rates on Trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe routes due to end-of-month/quarter volumes and the upcoming July 4 holiday.

    Transportation Insight / Shippio Trade News · Jun 22, 2026

  • European Union Auctions Spot Carbon Permits at 80.1 EUR/tonne

    The European Union sold 2.818 million spot EU carbon permits on the EEX at 80.1 euros per tonne each on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, as the market continued to react to broader energy developments.

    TradingView (Reuters) · Jun 23, 2026

  • Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG Complex Experiences Internal Explosion

    Qatar's interior ministry reported an 'internal' explosion at the giant Ras Laffan LNG complex on Sunday, June 21, caused by a technical malfunction, though QatarEnergy stated LNG facilities were not affected.

    LNG Prime · Jun 28, 2026