Category Archives: Energy markets

Trade War Just Crashed Crude. Demand Might Be Next

Are the tariffs more likely to change patterns in the global oil market than really kill oil demand?

Europe Scrambles To Revive Metals Industry

The dire state of Europe’s metals industry is another example of the damage done by the loss of cheap Russian energy.

The Little-Known ‘Supreme Court Justices’ Who Decide Your Electricity Rates

A few people in each state oversee where and how we get electricity. They’re called public utility commissioners.

Is the Endgame with Iran About to Begin?

An update on US escalatory noises about Iran.

Charting the Uncharted: The (Un)intended Consequences of Oil Sanctions and Dark Shipping

An estimate of the magnitude of dark-shipped oil suggests that removing sanctions would raise, not lower, oil prices.

Coffee Break: Across the Pond

Our first UK/Europe-focused Coffee Break, which examines Europe’s self-inflected energy cost uncompetitiveness

Charlie Krauss: What the Enron Egg Says About AI’s Nuclear Courtship

How nuclear small modular reactors (SMR) hype, with a boost from AI, has reached absurd, as in satire-suitable, levels.

Demand for Electricity Takes Off. US Power Generation by Source in 2024: Natural Gas, Coal, Nuclear, Wind, Hydro, Solar, Geothermal, Biomass, Petroleum

Quelle surprise! Power demand surges thanks to data centers (AI, cloud, crypto) and increasing share of EVs.

Can Europe Resist Concessions to Russia in Trump’s Ukraine Agreement?

An uber neocon contends that Europe has found substitutes for Russian energy and so can and will increase sanctions on Russia.

Minority Reports: How Endowment Effect Would Make Ukraine Mineral Deal as a Tar Baby; Brian Berletic on US Preserving USAID Regime Change Capabilities; John Helmer on Shambolic US Conduct of Ukraine Negotiations

Challenging mainstream and prevailing independent media views on Trump’s plans for Russia and Ukraine and the US role in the world.

The Recent Weakness in the German Manufacturing Sector

A look at the fallen state of German manufacturing seems to understate the implications of the conditions it describes.

Blackouts Are Becoming the Norm—Can the U.S. Power Grid Be Saved?

The US future of more erratic power supplies comes nearer as officials dither over what to do about a creaky grid.

Trump’s No-Prisoners Approach to Iran-China Oil Crackdown

The US plans further sanctions on intermediaries like tankers and broker that facilitate Iran oil sales to China. Will they work?

James K. Galbraith Discusses His New Book, Entropy Economics, Plus DOGE, Bitcoin and Tariffs

A wide-ranging talk with Jamie Galbraith on his book, Entropy Economics, which focuses on the neglect of real resources, and recent events.