Oil Markets

Energy markets are once again being tested by geopolitics. With fragile shipping routes and shifting trade patterns, energy security has returned to the top of the agenda. As the industry prepares for APPEC 2026, hosted by S&P Global Energy, the focus is no longer just on market access but on securing reliable, long-term energy supplies. Asia remains the center of gravity for global energy demand, yet the region's priorities are evolving. The industry's biggest questions are: Where will reliable energy come from? How will trade flows shift? And how can the region balance growth with decarbonization?
In this episode of the Platts Oil Markets Podcast, Asia energy editor Sambit Mohanty is joined by Vera Blei, head of Platts; Debangsu Ray, cluster president and head of Reliance's Jamnagar refinery; and Calvin Lee, head of Asia content. They discuss the key themes that will be in focus at the conference, scheduled to take place in Singapore from Sept. 7–10.

As summer driving reaches its seasonal peak, European gasoline production faces challenging chokepoints amid broader macro trends reshaping supply and demand fundamentals. In this episode, S&P Global Energy's Emma Kettley is joined by Friedrich Gutsche and Rebeka Foley to discuss how restrictive domestic flows have weighed on gasoline blending economics, adding pressure on the regional supply balance, amid historically low Rhine water levels. Tune in to find out how these trends will play out ahead of the market's transition from summer to winter, and uncover how global dynamics are shaping regional consumer demand.

North American oil companies delivered a striking second-quarter earnings season. Upstream producers raised output guidance while maintaining capital discipline, arguing that efficiency gains, not higher spending, are driving growth. Meanwhile, refiners benefited from some of the strongest margins since 2022, fueled by robust diesel and jet fuel demand, lower Chinese exports, refinery outages in Russia, and Middle East-related disruptions. Jeff Mower is joined by Janet McGurty and Ashok Dutta to unpack the key earnings themes shaping oil markets.

The Rhine River is one of Europe's most important trade arteries, carrying diesel, gasoil, and other refined products from the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub to consumers across Germany, Switzerland, and beyond. As water levels fall toward historic lows, barges are carrying reduced loads, freight costs are surging, and supply chains are coming under increasing pressure. With Rhine water levels approaching record lows, Europe's energy industry faces mounting logistical challenges that threaten to disrupt the inland movement of fuel. In this episode, Emma Kettley, price reporting associate director, EMEA crude and fuel oil, joins Middle Distillate Price Reporters David Neef and Sophia Aung to explore how declining water levels are driving up freight costs, tightening supply chains, and adding fresh pressure to an already constrained diesel market.

Diesel prices have soared, driven by supply constraints through the Strait of Hormuz and by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine has been able to knock out a sizable percentage of Russia's refining capacity, shrinking global supplies.
Where does that leave Brazil, which has been dependent on diesel imports from Russia? How do Brazil's price subsidies impact diesel supplies? What role could India play in supplying diesel fuel? What policy options, if any, does the Trump administration have to solve the supply problem? Join Jeff Mower, S&P Global Energy's director of Americas oil news, as he dissects these topics with Aaron Tucker, managing editor of Americas middle distillates, and Renato Rostas, Brazil oil price manager.