Oil prices edged lower on the first trading day of 2026 after posting their biggest annual decline since 2020 in 2025, Reuters reports.
Investors weighed concerns about oversupply against geopolitical risks, including the war in Ukraine and exports from Venezuela.
Brent crude futures fell by 51 cents to $60.34 a barrel on Friday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 52 cents to $56.90.
Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in an effort to cut off Moscow’s sources of funding for its military campaign in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, imposing sanctions on Wednesday on four companies and related oil tankers that it said operate in Venezuela’s oil sector.
However, analysts note that global crude inventories remain high and that the market will be well supplied regardless of geopolitical risks.
In the Middle East, tensions have escalated between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over Yemen following the temporary closure of Aden airport. This comes ahead of a virtual OPEC+ meeting scheduled for January 4. Analysts expect OPEC+ to keep production levels unchanged in the first quarter of 2026.
For 2025 as a whole, Brent and WTI posted annual declines of nearly 20%—the steepest since 2020. For Brent, this marked a third consecutive year of losses, the longest such streak on record.
Analysts say the muted price action reflects a tug of war between short-term geopolitical risks and market fundamentals pointing to excess supply.
The global oil market has lost more than $50 billion due to reduced production since the start of the war in Iran, which has been ongoing for nearly 50 days. This is based on calculations by Reuters and estimates from analysts. During this period, more than 500 million barrels of crude oil and condensate have […]
Tim Cook is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer of Apple after 15 years in the role. The company announced that John Ternus will succeed him, officially assuming the position on September 1, 2026. Cook will transition to the role of Executive Chairman. Ternus currently serves as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. The company […]
Russian oil companies are reducing oil production due to drone attacks on oil ports and refineries, as well as following the halt of supplies via the Druzhba pipeline. This was reported by Reuters, citing five industry sources. In April, Russia’s oil production is expected to fall by 300,000–400,000 barrels per day compared to March, marking […]
Germany’s Deutsche Bank has informed the country’s financial regulators that it identified breaches of EU sanctions rules related to restrictions on Russian clients. This was reported by the British newspaper Financial Times, citing a source familiar with the matter. EU sanctions prohibit banks from accepting deposits exceeding €100,000 from Russian citizens, residents, and entities registered […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin has tasked his ruling regime with increasing the cadastral value of all land and real estate in Russia to more than one quadrillion rubles by 2030. This was stated by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, according to the pro-government Russian outlet Kommersant. “This is a huge mechanism that allows the […]
U.S. automaker Ford is recalling about 1.4 million F-150 pickup trucks in the United States following an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into sudden downshifting issues, Reuters reports. The NHTSA stated that Ford is aware of two “potentially related injuries and one crash,” and that dealers will update the module software […]
Apple has faced unexpectedly high demand for its new MacBook Neo — all April inventory of the device sold out in just over half a month. According to 9to5Mac, the next deliveries of the budget laptop are now scheduled for May. The launch of the MacBook Neo has resembled a flagship iPhone release more than […]
The Polish company Green Factory is interested in renting 500 hectares for growing vegetables in the Zakarpatsky region. The company plans to create its own raw material base in Ukraine. This is said in the statement of the Zakarpatsky regional administration. “The Representatives of the Polish company Green Factory Holding, Rytel Arthur and Martin Kusmerovsky […]
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Rising fuel prices amid developments in the Middle East could add between 0.5 and 1 percentage point to inflation in Ukraine in 2026, while secondary effects may increase this impact by an additional 1–2 percentage points. This was stated by Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Volodymyr Lepushynskyi, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. […]
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In the US, customers in Starbucks stores will be told the code of the drink, with which they can get information about where the grain of their choice was delivered, in what conditions it was grown and fried. Farmers who cooperate with the network, also can track their products. “We’ve been able to keep track […]
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The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) carried out investigative actions targeting the Head of Security of the Naftogaz gas supply company. This was reported in a statement published by the bureau on Telegram. “In response to media inquiries, we inform you that NABU detectives, under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office […]
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Ukraine has received $3.35 billion into its state budget under the first Jobs and Private Sector Growth Development Policy Program, implemented jointly with the World Bank. The announcement was made by Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The funding will be used to support the country’s macro-financial stability and finance priority state budget expenditures during the […]
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Goldman Sachs launches Marcus Invest asset management service for investors with small capital, according to Reuters. The service will automatically invest clients’ funds in exchange-traded funds (etf) on stocks and bonds and rebalance portfolios based on models that develop the bank’s investment strategy. Historically, Goldman Sachs has offered asset management services to clients with capital […]
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Startup company in the brokerage industry of the Robinhood on Monday for the first time published their monthly trade data platform. Robinhood Markets is a discount brokerage company that has become popular with novice investors, which offers commission-free trading through its website and mobile app. One of the key indicators which used in the brokerage […]
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Last year, Ukraine’s economy shrank by 4%, while the Cabinet of Ministers expected a decline of 4.8%. Data from the State Statistics Service show this. According to the Ministry of Economy, Ukraine’s GDP decreased by 4.2% in 2020. The fall in GDP last year was the first in five years. According to the State Statistics […]
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A serious scandal, which erupted in the Ternopil region, and subsequently has covered the whole territory of Ukraine, continues to grow. In the night of 2 to 3 July 2016, on the motor company which is owned LLC GLOBAL FID, attacked by a group of armed young people, in an amount of about 50 people, […]
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During the week, foreigners bought Ukrainian government bonds by UAH 2.844 billion, increasing the share of non-residents to UAH 102.864 billion, which is 10% of the total volume of IGLBs. The press service of the Ministry of Finance reports. Ukrainian banks remain the largest owners of IGLBs with a total share of 51.17%. During the […]
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The territory of the People’s Republic of China occupies the third place by area (after Russia and Canada, then the USA follows the PRC). However, it is in the first place in terms of population of more than 1.404 billion, leaving behind India (more than 1.377 billion) and the USA (more than 331 million). There […]
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Business activity growth in the United States slowed to an eleven-month low in March, as companies faced increased uncertainty and rising living costs linked to the ongoing war in Iran, which has been underway for nearly a month, according to S&P Global. The preliminary S&P Global U.S. Composite PMI fell to 51.4 this month, down […]
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India is preparing to introduce a new high-ethanol fuel blend to the market as part of its ongoing efforts to diversify energy supplies and reduce dependence on imported oil, Bloomberg reports. The new fuel will be officially launched at a fuel station operated by Indian Oil Corporation in New Delhi, after which it will become […]
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On Wednesday, Boeing announced the financial results of the 2nd quarter, which ended on June 30. Boeing Management noted that the company makes “tough, but necessary steps to adapt for a new realities of market.” Aviation giant is experiencing perhaps the most difficult times in its history, faced with a double crisis. On the one […]
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Ukraine places eight-year Eurobonds for 1.25 billion dollars at 6.875%. The demand is more than $ 3.3 billion. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine, citing its own source. Initially, the benchmark profitability of the issue was 7-7.25%. Demand for Ukraine’s debt at the final rate exceeded $ 3.3 billion. According to the publication, Deutsche Bank, BNP […]
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Boeing has recommended suspending flights of 777 aircraft after the incident in the American city of Broomfield, where large wreckage of the aircraft engine during the flight covered the streets. You can read it in a statement published on the company’s website. This applies to aircraft with Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 engines. The company said […]
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