CRUDE IN SIGHT

Crude extends slide as Ukraine peace push gathers pace - Nov. 21, 2025

  • Crude futures were under a stronger downward momentum early Friday after settling marginally lower as the US-led diplomatic push on Ukraine gathered pace.
  • US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and a senior Pentagon delegation met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday to discuss Washington’s new 28-point peace framework. Ukrainian and US teams would now “work on the provisions of the plan,” Zelensky said after the talks.
  • Reliance Industries has stopped importing Russian crude into its 770,000 b/d export-oriented refinery in Jamnagar’s Special Economic Zone with effect from November 20.

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OIL VIEWSLETTER

Crude tumbles as market bets on Ukraine peace plan - Nov. 21, 2025

  • Brent slides towards bottom of range: Trump’s renewed Ukraine peace push dented the Russia risk premium this week, but Brent remained oscillating within a tight $61-65/b band.
  • Sanctions + drones = peak pressure on Moscow: The late-October US/EU sanctions and Ukraine’s stepped-up drone attacks on Russian refineries and ports have put Moscow under its greatest pressure since the war began, but not yet brought Putin to the table.
  • Trump’s “threaten-negotiate-deal” playbook: The new 28-point US peace framework presented in Kyiv would force major Ukrainian concessions on territory, NATO and force levels, prompting EU warnings against “peace through capitulation” and leaving a wide gap with both Kyiv’s and Moscow’s red lines.
  • Russian crude under double strain: Russian prices are being hit by buyer retreat in China, India and Turkey, while around 40% of refining capacity and all three key oil ports have been affected by Ukrainian drones -- turning the usual supply-disruption bullish impulse into a double-whammy for Moscow.
  • Diesel market fragmentation risk: The EU’s Jan 21 ban on products made from Russian crude, ICE’s new delivery rules and pre-emptive moves by refiners such as Reliance are further fragmenting the diesel market, even as European cracks hold near $38-40/barrel and any price spikes there still ripple globally.
  • Flows to Asia at risk of a sharp drop: Russian crude loadings to China, India and Turkey have already fallen by almost 25% MoM in November, and December deliveries to these markets could slump by up to 50% versus October as sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil bite.
  • Big picture for traders: With a highly financialised crude market trading ~60 paper barrels for every physical barrel, headline-driven swings are masking deep uncertainty over the war’s trajectory; keeping a 30,000-foot view on end-games and red lines is key to avoiding being whipsawed by each diplomatic twist.

 

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BULLS & BEARS

Nov 2025: Mildly bearish near-term, mildly bearish second-half Nov - Oct. 31, 2025

Our reading of market sentiment after weighing all the bullish and bearish factors:

  • Near term: Mildly bearish
  • Late November: Mildly bearish

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EXECUTIVE BRIEFING NOTES

Rosneft, Lukoil sanctions: Market nervous, not panicked - Oct. 23, 2025

Brent is up ~$3/bbl (~5%) on sweeping US sanctions that now cover Russia’s last major oil exporters, but price action remains measured.

We see Trump leveraging sanctions to push de-escalation, while Chinese/Indian refiners move into precautionary mode and term buyers assess force-majeure options.

Near term, expect firmer backwardation, stronger Middle East grades, and diesel cracks leading the products complex.

OIL RADAR

OIL IN 2025: Softer crude prices but not because of oversupply - Dec. 27, 2024

Benchmark Brent crude prices averaged just under $80/barrel in 2024, about 2.7% lower versus last year.

We expect the average to dip into the $70-75/barrel band in 2025, but not because of a sizeable oversupply in the market, let alone a “glut”. 

A sombre economic outlook for 2025, bolstered by China’s uphill battle to jump-start growth and amplified by expectations of a fresh round of trade wars under Trump 2.0, has shaped a bearish narrative around oil demand. 

But we would caution against leaning too much into the gloom-and-doom scenario. 

Crude is more likely to come under pressure from an evaporating geopolitical risk premium and worries over economic stability than any severe economic downturns or recessions.

Oil demand could remain relatively resilient, helped by softer prices, leading to a largely balanced market, especially with OPEC+ remaining extra cautious and conservative in bringing back the barrels it has locked away.

What challenges our baseline views? We also bring you the contrarian perspective and wildcards!