OIL Supply

Crude oil prices are poised for another volatile week, with supply worries in West Asia keeping markets on edge and stalled US-Iran talks adding to fears of fresh disruptions, even as efforts to ease shortages offer some relief, analysts said. Investors will track weekly crude stocks data from the American Petroleum Institute (API), Cushing inventories, overall US oil stocks and crude imports for signals on the supply-demand balance. The Strait of Hormuz remains a key source of uncertainty, with any disruption to shipments through the critical waterway threatening to further tighten global supplies. The domestic commodities market will remain closed during the morning session on Tuesday due to Dussehra. "Our outlook remains cautiously bullish, with price movements likely to be driven primarily by geopolitical developments and actual supply disruptions rather than headlines alone," said Ajit Mishra, SVP of Research at Religare Broking. Recent declines in US crude inventories have .

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India has navigated the crisis so far, but closure of key chokepoints could create supply challenges if the conflict escalates

Saudi Arabia has enough oil stocks at key ports to sustain exports for only a few days, raising the risk of a major supply loss if its East-West Pipeline does not restart soon

IEA said oil supply has fallen well below demand due to the Strait of Hormuz shutdown, the US blockade of Iranian exports, attacks within the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and reduced Kazakh CPC Blend exports

International Energy Agency says Gulf conflict and restrictions through the Strait of Hormuz have triggered unprecedented oil supply losses and tightened global markets

Traffic in the strait has all but halted as Iran renews its attacks, striking two vessels on Wednesday; more than 300 ships linked to Iran have passed through the strait since the war began

A sharp disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has forced India to redraw its energy map. Russian crude imports have surged, Gulf supplies have dropped, and gas shipments have taken a hit,...

Indian refiners find the Iran oil supply chain difficult to navigate, especially within the limited waiver window set by Washington for the oil to be delivered and paid for

The effect of the current disruptions is equivalent to the two major oil crises in the 1970s and the 2022 natural gas crisis after Russia invaded Ukraine 'all put together,' IEA director Birol said

The conflict in West Asia is no longer a distant geopolitical story. It is beginning to affect daily life in India. LPG supplies are being rationed, businesses are feeling the squeeze,

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Parliament on Thursday that India is not facing any shortage of crude oil or LPG, even as tensions in West Asia

The crude is being carried on 25 vessels, with grades such as Sokol on ships near China. There's also a number of tankers in the Arabian Sea that are mainly loaded with the medium-sour Urals blend

Government engages Tehran to ensure safe transit for Indian-flagged vessels amid West Asia conflict as concerns mount over oil, gas and fertiliser supplies

Iran's strikes continued even after its President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed the military not to attack any nation that isn't striking the Islamic Republic

A prolonged conflict could ripple broadly across the global economy, threatening the energy supplies of countries halfway around the world and stoking inflation

India is expected to face oil price volatility and broader macroeconomic effects from the escalating Iran crisis, analysts said, adding the country's oil supply chain does not yet face structural insecurity. Rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz - through which a significant share of India's crude and LNG imports transit - have already pushed Brent crude prices toward a seven-month high of USD 73 per barrel, adding a geopolitical risk premium to global energy markets and heightening inflation and current account pressures, even as physical supply disruption remains unlikely in the near term. "In the current escalation scenario, the initial impact is likely to be price-driven rather than volume-driven. A geopolitical risk premium would lift Brent prices, alongside increases in freight rates and war-risk insurance costs," said Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst, Refining and Modelling at commodity market analytic firm Kpler. Even in the absence of physical shortages, landed ..

OPEC+ is expected to extend its pause on oil production increases in March, even as geopolitical tensions and Iran-related risks push crude prices higher

Global inventories are expected to build by an average of 2.8 mbpd through the first half of the year, marking the largest surplus in recent memory

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE flared last month over a decade-long conflict in Yemen, when a UAE-aligned group seized territory from the Saudi-backed government

Forecasts from major energy bodies suggest a trend toward inventory builds and moderated prices, contingent on geopolitical stability and production policies