WTI Crude--
Brent Crude--
Natural Gas--
ND Rig Count--
WTI Crude--
Brent Crude--
Natural Gas--
ND Rig Count--
The Afternoon Take - Energy Market Briefing
Global Markets

Energy Market Briefing

Bakken Wire Staff·🌅Afternoon Wire·
Listen
0:00 / 5:24

Energy Market Briefing Monday, August 31, 2026

1. Headlines

Oil prices surged today, with WTI crude gaining $2.90 to settle at $86.30 and Brent rising $2.37 to $88.49. According to Rigzone, the immediate bullish force is renewed geopolitical risk, specifically the first direct U.S.-Iran strikes in a month. American forces hit Iranian rocket launchers positioned near the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran responded by firing missiles toward Jordan. Market analyst Naeem Aslam cited "supply-security uncertainty" as the key driver.

Create a free account to continue reading

Sign up for free to get full access to Bakken Wire's daily energy market analysis, audio briefings, and more.

Create Free Account

Already have an account? Sign in

Share this article

Related Articles

The Afternoon Take - Energy Market Briefing
Global Markets

Energy Market Briefing

Energy Market Briefing Thursday, October 15, 2026 1. Headlines Oil markets are mixed today with WTI crude rising sharply to $96.18, a gain of $2.28 or 2.43%. In contrast, Brent crude saw a slight decline, falling $0.27 to $105.79. Natural gas posted a minor increase of $0.03 to $3.23. The Bakken differential to WTI stands at -$3.42. The primary driver of today's price action is a return to geopolitical risk premium. According to OilPrice.com, Ukrainian drone strikes have resumed, hitting the major Rosneft-owned Ryazan refinery in Russia. This attack ends a brief, three-day pause following a ceasefire announcement promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump. Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed a fire at the facility, which accounts for nearly 5% of Russia's refinery throughput. Concurrently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced it will accelerate its emergency stockpile releases, moving forward with more than 20 million barrels of diesel "as soon as possible."...

🌅Afternoon Wire·Oct 15
Global Markets

Ukraine Resumes Refinery Strikes, Hitting Key Russian Plant

Ukrainian drone strikes hit a major Russian oil refinery on Thursday, ending a three-day pause in attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure and raising concerns about tightening global diesel markets. According to a report from OilPrice.com, the strike targeted the Rosneft-owned Ryazan refinery, located approximately 300 kilometers southeast of Moscow, which accounts for nearly 5% of Russia's total refinery throughput. The attack follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's declaration that restrictions on refinery strikes were over. "The block is out. We're done," Zelenskyy told the Financial Times on Thursday, as reported by OilPrice.com. This ends a brief ceasefire period promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had pressured Kyiv to halt attacks amid tightening global diesel supplies and U.S. diesel prices remaining above $6 per gallon. For Bakken operators and North Dakota's oil industry, the resumption of attacks is a significant development with direct implications for fuel markets. The Bakken formation is...

🌅Afternoon Wire·Oct 15
The Midday Take - Energy Market Briefing
Global Markets

Energy Market Briefing

DAILY ENERGY BRIEFING Thursday, October 15, 2026 1. Headlines Oil prices are mixed today, with WTI crude showing significant strength. As of midday, WTI is trading at $96.3, up $2.4 (+2.56%). In contrast, Brent crude is essentially flat at $105.98, down a marginal $0.08. The primary catalyst for WTI’s rise is a substantial drawdown in U.S. crude inventories reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA data shows commercial stockpiles fell by 8.6 million barrels last week, bringing total inventories to 415.6 million barrels (OilPrice.com). This follows an even larger reported draw of 11.12 million barrels from the API a day earlier. Geopolitical and supply concerns continue to dominate the narrative. In Europe, natural gas prices at the Dutch TTF hub remain near their highest levels since December 2022, trading around $96.56 (86.03 euros) per MWh (OilPrice.com). Analysts cite severely limited LNG flows from the Persian Gulf, which...

🔆Midday Wire·Oct 15