Crude market wrestles with supply-demand disconnect
Near-term economic concerns and relative supply strength postpone oil’s recovery narrative
The message from major forecasters is clear: global oil demand is set to expand faster than previously expected this year. The IEA now sees oil demand growth of 2.2mn bl/d in 2023, some 200,000bl/d higher than its report in April, taking overall demand to 102mn bl/d, supported by China’s improving mobility. In fact, the IEA has been raising demand growth projections every month since last November. Other top forecasters, such as Goldman Sachs, have also steadily increased their demand forecasts. But the oil market needs much more convincing. “These demand upgrades reflect that strong emerging market and global services demand continue to outpace weaker developed market and manufacturing envi
Also in this section
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
3 March 2026
The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US–Israeli strikes marks the most serious escalation in the region in decades and a bigger potential threat to the oil market than the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis
2 March 2026
A potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the escalating US-Iran conflict risks disrupting Qatari LNG exports that underpin global gas markets, exposing Asia and other markets to sharp price spikes, cargo shortages and renewed reliance on dirtier fuels






