Energy Intelligence
MARKET CONTEXT FOR DEAL-MAKERS
Educational commentary on how petroleum markets are structured and what that means when you evaluate an offer. This is not price quotation, trading advice or a representation of available supply.
Briefings
HOW THE MARKET SHAPES YOUR DEAL
WHY YOUR OFFER PRICE SHOULD REFERENCE A BENCHMARK
Physical petroleum is usually priced at a differential to a recognized benchmark such as Brent, WTI or a published product assessment. An offer quoted as a flat 'discount below market' with no benchmark reference is not a price - it is a marketing line.
INCOTERM CHOICE MOVES REAL MONEY
The gap between FOB and CIF is freight, insurance and risk. When a counterparty is indifferent to which one is used, it often means they have not costed the voyage at all.
CRACK SPREADS EXPLAIN PRODUCT AVAILABILITY
Refining margins determine what refiners actually want to produce. When distillate margins are strong, deep-discount diesel offers become even less plausible, not more.
TIMELINES ARE A DUE-DILIGENCE SIGNAL
Physical cargoes move on laycans, inspections and banking timelines. Pressure to complete in days is far more often a fraud pattern than a commercial opportunity.
VERIFY AT THE SOURCE, NOT IN THE PDF
Tank receipts, allocation letters and proof-of-product documents should be confirmed directly with the named facility or issuer. Document forgery is inexpensive; direct confirmation is not.
CHAIN LENGTH CORRELATES WITH FAILURE
Each additional unnamed intermediary reduces information quality and increases the chance that no one in the chain has ever spoken to a principal.
Educational content only. Nothing here is a price quotation, an offer, trading advice, or a representation that any product is available. Market conditions change constantly and independent verification is required for any commercial decision.