Crude oil's safety buffer is draining at a record pace, so the next supply shock will hit a market with far less protection. The Iran war and near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz have removed over 1 billion barrels of supply, and Morgan Stanley estimates stockpiles fell about 4.8 million barrels a day from March 1 to April 25, a record. A record 400 million barrels of emergency reserves have been pledged, and inventories are near 2018 lows. Even if Hormuz reopens, restocking will add demand. … Show more

Fears of US strikes on Iran could send crude oil to $200 quickly. FinanceLancelot reports that the USS Theodore Roosevelt is heading to the Middle East and says the move has revived concern that Trump will follow through on threats to hit Iran after the midterm elections. x.com 

Crude oil was never headed to $200 because Trump and Treasury Secretary Bessent will do whatever it takes to contain it, though their main tool is running low. Markets rank AI and the Fed above the Iran conflict, which would only hurt them through sustained oil above $100-$110 or new highs. Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases have engineered calm, but the SPR is getting dangerously low and the buffer shrinks each week the Strait of Hormuz stays closed. x.com  x.com 

Crude oil could climb past $150 because the Strait of Hormuz closure is blocking 20 million barrels a day and Iran is more determined than Trump assumes. Oil has already gone from $70 to $120 in three weeks, gasoline is up $1 a gallon in four weeks, and fertilizer is up 43%. The Fed cannot cut and might even hike, and Goldman puts recession odds at 25% and climbing. x.com 

An imminent Israeli strike on Iran puts Gulf oil infrastructure at unusually high risk over the next three months, supporting a near-term rise in crude oil. Large trades are betting on oil reaching $115 again. x.com 

Crude oil looks headed lower as tanker traffic through the strait nears pre-war levels and Trump makes cheaper oil a priority. Per CNN via @Osint613, the U.S. moved 40 tankers carrying about 18 million barrels through the strait on Tuesday, a daily record since the war began and only slightly below the pre-war 20 million. Once the Iran saga is over, oil will probably be cheaper than before the war. x.com  x.com 

Crude oil faces a supply loss no policy tool can offset if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed. The supply destruction is about twice the ~8 mbpd demand drop at peak COVID lockdowns, the largest demand destruction event in history, so even a COVID-style lockdown would not balance the market. The announced 400 MB US SPR release won't be enough either, because what matters is how fast reserves can be drained, about 2 mbpd. x.com 

Oil faces an explosive move up, likely into the midterms, as the supports holding prices down run out. Satellite images do not show the ships Axios's Barak Ravid claims are transiting Hormuz, and false reports of barrels have kept prices down so far. Most strategic reserve releases by the US and other countries are done and cannot be extended at current levels; when they run out, a big reason prices are contained goes with them. x.com 

Crude oil looks set to fall as Persian Gulf exports recover. Per The Kobeissi Letter, Gulf crude exports topped 14 million barrels per day last week for the first time since the Iran War began on February 28, up over 210% from the March low and back to about 80% of pre-war levels, as the US military secures the Strait of Hormuz with a shipping corridor along Oman. If that holds true, the bearish oil view pays off. x.com 

Crude oil's last cushion is gone as recovering demand squeezes constrained Middle East supply. Barclays puts China imports near pre-war levels at 10.5m b/d, India up 600,000 b/d year on year and Middle East flows at 84% of pre-war levels; US demand is recovering. After more than 500m barrels of inventory were drawn down, buyers are paying a $13/bbl premium for next-week cargoes over the front-month contract, versus under $4 a week into the war. x.com