Daily Oil Fundamentals

Another Friday in a Year-Long List of Being None-the-Wiser

19 Dec 2025

Another Friday in a Year-Long List of Being None-the-Wiser

Numerically, the amount of central bank decisions over the last couple of days might be considered a bout, but by no means have they caused anything like a rout. The only colour came from the Bank of England which cut by 25-basis points and only by a hair’s breadth margin of a 5 to 4 vote. Norway and Sweden along with the ECB left well enough alone and all have made clear on the need for caution in the face of difficulties ahead. Even the Bank of Japan’s increase of a quarter of a point this morning gets more press due to rates not being as high since 1999 than any great shift in the economic outlook.

Daily Oil Fundamentals

Sanctions are Different for Friends and Foes

18 Dec 2025

Sanctions are Different for Friends and Foes

Sometimes it is finger-drummingly infuriating to keep up with the double standards and contradictory decisions or intentions of this present form of American government. This morning, Reuters reports on how the US has allowed a waiver on oil sales out of the Sakhalin-II project.

Daily Oil Fundamentals

Sanction Bingo

17 Dec 2025

Sanction Bingo

There is quite a head-turning draw in Crude stocks in the private American Petroleum Institute’s inventory report. The decline of 9.3mb is something the oil market will need confirming from the EIA data later, particularly as a Reuters poll indicated an expectation of a draw of only 1.1mb.