Rich Asplund on 04/13/2026

Crude Oil Rallies as US Blockade of Strait of Hormuz Begins

May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) on Monday closed up +2.51 (+2.60%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) closed up +0.0787 (+2.59%). Crude oil and gasoline prices settled sharply higher on Monday after peace talks between the US and Iran broke down over the weekend and President Trump imposed a...Strait of Ho

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/13/2026

Nat-Gas Prices Retreat on Above-Normal US Temps

May Nymex natural gas (NGK26 ) on Monday closed down -0.021 (-0.79%). Nat-gas prices retreated on Monday, sinking to a 17-month low. Forecasts for above-normal temperatures that reduce nat-gas heating demand and expand US gas storage levels are weighing on prices. The Commodity Weather Group said

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/13/2026

Crude Prices Jump as US Blockade of Strait of Hormuz Takes Hold

May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) today is up +5.91 (+6.12%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) is up +0.1254 (+4.13%). Crude oil and gasoline prices are sharply higher today after peace talks between the US and Iran broke down over the weekend and President Trump imposed a blockade in...A sunset over a fuel

R Rich Asplund
Neha Panjwani on 04/13/2026

First Solar's Q1 2026 Earnings: What to Expect

First Solar will release its first-quarter earnings soon, and analysts anticipate a double-digit bottom-line growth.First Solar Inc name on building-by Around the World Photos via Shutterstock

N Neha Panjwani
Darren Carlat on 04/11/2026

A Practical Framework for Filtering and Selecting Seasonal Spreads

The edge in seasonal spreads doesn’t come from finding more trades—it comes from filtering out the wrong ones. This article outlines a practical framework using objective metrics to identify stable, consistent opportunities.2 pumpjacks at sunset by vadimrysev via iStock

D Darren Carlat
Rich Asplund on 04/10/2026

Crude Prices Fall on Long Liquidation Ahead of US-Iran Peace Talks

May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) on Friday closed down -1.30 (-1.33%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) closed up +0.0366 (+1.22%). Crude oil and gasoline prices settled mixed on Friday. Crude prices gave up an early advance on Friday and retreated amid heavy liquidation in crude oil futures ahead...A su

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/10/2026

Mild US Weather Weighs on Nat-Gas Prices

May Nymex natural gas (NGK26 ) on Friday closed down -0.022 (-0.82%). Nat-gas prices tumbled to a fresh 7.5-month nearest-futures low on Friday and settled lower. Forecasts for mild US spring weather that could potentially reduce nat-gas heating demand are weighing on prices. On Friday, the Commod

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/10/2026

Crude Prices Supported Ahead of Saturday’s US-Iran Peace Talks

May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) today is up +1.05 (+1.07%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) is up +0.0366 (+1.22%). Crude oil and gasoline prices are moving higher today amid a weaker dollar. Also, the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, curtailing crude oil flows from the Gulf and curbing...Satellite vi

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/09/2026

Crude Prices Gain as Closure of Strait of Hormuz Curbs Oil Supplies

May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) on Thursday closed up +3.46 (+3.66%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) closed down -0.0052 (-0.17%). Crude oil and gasoline prices settled mixed on Thursday. Crude prices rallied sharply but fell from their best level on Thursday, and gasoline slid into negative territory

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/09/2026

Nat-Gas Prices Retreat on Abundant US Supplies

May Nymex natural gas (NGK26 ) on Thursday closed down -0.054 (-1.98%). Nat-gas prices added to this week's losses on Thursday, falling to a 7.5-month nearest-futures low. A larger-than-expected build in weekly nat-gas storage levels weighed on prices on Thursday. The EIA reported that nat-gas inv

R Rich Asplund
Mikhail Fedorov on 04/09/2026

The Middle East Paradox: How Global Energy Shocks Actually Benefit the U.S. Economy

While a protracted Middle East conflict threatens Eurasia with severe energy deficits, the U.S. economy stands to benefit. Backed by domestic energy self-sufficiency, America is positioned to attract a massive inflow of global capital and industrial relocation, turning a global crisis into a profoun

M Mikhail Fedorov
Rich Asplund on 04/08/2026

Crude Prices Fall Sharply as Geopolitical Risks Ease

May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) on Wednesday closed down -18.54 (-16.41%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) closed down -0.2993 (-9.06%). Crude oil and gasoline prices plummeted on Wednesday, with crude posting a 1.5-week low and gasoline posting a 2-week low. Crude prices plunged on Wednesday after the

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/08/2026

Warm US Temps and Sinking Crude Prices Weigh on Nat-Gas Prices

May Nymex natural gas (NGK26 ) on Wednesday closed down -0.146 (-5.09%). Nat-gas prices tumbled to a 7.5-month nearest-futures low on Wednesday and settled sharply lower. Above-normal US weather forecasts that reduce nat-gas heating demand are weighing on nat-gas prices. The Commodity Weather Grou

R Rich Asplund
Rich Asplund on 04/08/2026

Crude Prices Plummet on US-Iran Ceasefire Agreement

May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) today is down -17.10 (-15.14%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) is down -0.3070 (-9.29%). Crude oil and gasoline prices are falling sharply today, with crude sliding to a 1.5-week low and gasoline falling to a 2-week low. Crude prices plunged today after the...Satellite

R Rich Asplund
Darin Newsom on 04/08/2026

Did Watson Blow a Fuse With the Latest TACO Tuesday Trade?

After bouncing back and forth all day Tuesday, algorithms got the headline Tuesday night that the US president had backed off his threat to end Iran's civilization forever. Markets responded accordingly.Chicken outside multicolored by Christel via Pixabay

D Darin Newsom