ENERGY

Oil prices fell to fresh four-year lows early on Wednesday on expectations economies will slump as China, Canada and the European Union push back against tariffs imposed by Trump, but…

Crude prices continue to tread water above $70 (WTI) this morning (holding Monday's gains on potential sanctions on Russian oil), drifting modestly lower aftr API reported a large crude build overnight ahead of new supply coming this month as OPEC+ begins to unwind 2.2-million barrels per day of production cuts.

However the new supply is being offset with tightened U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, while Trump this week threatened to impose secondary tariffs on U.S. imports (more…)

In Europe, the lure of a return to cheap energy is ever-present, and that conversation is becoming easier as the Trump administration in Washington pushes hard for ceasefire negotiations with Moscow.

Senior German politicians are already calling for a resumption of ties with Russia. For example Michael Kretschmer, a senior member of Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Christian Democrats, is now arguing that EU sanctions on Russia are "completely out of date" as they (more…)