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Sheltering From Oil Shocks
…of the global oil market, due to the near halt in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The loss of supply is having significant impacts in global markets, pushing up prices for crude oil above $100/barrel, and leading to much higher prices for some refined products – notably diesel, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Concerns are growing about the impacts of higher prices on households, businesses and the broader economy.In this report, the IEA details 10 demand-side options open to households, businesses and governments to shelter themselves from today’s oil shock and relieve the…
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Oil Market Report - May 2026
…with new trade flows emerging to compensate for lost Gulf product exports.Global observed oil inventories drew by 129 mb in March and by a further 117 mb in April, according to preliminary data. Continued disruptions to seaborne trade through the Strait of Hormuz saw on-land stocks drop by 170 mb (-5.7 mb/d) in April, while oil on water rebounded by 53 mb. OECD countries’ on-land stocks plummeted by 146 mb (-4.9 mb/d) while visible non-OECD stocks fell by 24 mb.North Sea Dated traded in an unparalleled wide range of almost $50…
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Oil Market Report - April 2026
…cracks reached all-time highs.Global observed oil inventories fell by 85 mb in March, with stocks outside of the Middle East Gulf drawn down by a significant 205 mb (-6.6 mb/d) as flows through the Strait of Hormuz were choked off. At the same time, with limited outlets after the effective closure of the Strait, floating storage of crude and oil products in the Middle East rose by 100 mb and onshore crude stocks in the region were up by 20 mb. China added 40 mb of crude to tanks.Oil prices posted their largest-ever monthly…
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Oil Market Report - March 2026
…Chinese crude stocks 15%, oil on water 25%, with the remainder in other non-OECD countries.Widespread flight cancellations in the Middle East and large-scale disruptions to LPG supplies are expected to curb global oil demand by around 1 mb/d during March and April compared to previous estimates. Higher oil prices and a more precarious outlook for the global economy pose further risks to the forecast. Global oil consumption is now set to increase by 640 kb/d y-o-y in 2026 – down 210 kb/d from last month.Oil prices have gyrated wildly since the United…
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Oil Market Report - June 2026
…mb/d, of which 2.4 mb/d for crude and 1.4 mb/d for products. OECD government inventories fell by 163 mb (-1.8 mb/d) over the same period to their lowest level since December 1990 as the pace of emergency stock releases accelerated.North Sea Dated crude oil prices collapsed by more than $40/bbl to around $82/bbl during May through mid-June, as oil demand faltered and on building speculation that the United States and Iran were getting closer to agreeing the terms of a peace deal. Investor exchange holdings slumped in parallel, as…
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Oil Market Report - February 2026
…Preliminary data show global stocks surged by a further 49 mb in January.Benchmark oil prices increased steadily in January, with North Sea Dated crude rising $10/bbl over the month. Escalating geopolitical tensions, snow storms and extreme temperatures in North America, and Kazakh supply disruptions sparked the reversal to a bullish market. At the time of writing, Dated was trading around $73/bbl, with oil markets on tenterhooks about uncertain developments in the Persian Gulf. Off balance Benchmark crude oil prices surged by $10/bbl over January as a number of supply outages tightened physical crude markets and geopolitical…
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Oil Market Report - January 2026
…halved from November’s highs.Global observed stocks surged by 75.3 mb in November 2025, or 2.5 mb/d, with crude oil accounting for 96% of the increase, mostly onshore. OECD industry stocks were up by 7.3 mb to 2 838 mb, largely in line with the five-year average level. Total observed oil inventories were 433 mb higher than at the start of 2025, increasing by 1.3 mb/d on average. Preliminary data showed global inventories rose further in December, led by builds in products.Benchmark crude oil prices jumped by about $6/bbl at…
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Gas Market Report, Q2-2026
This edition of the IEA's quarterly Gas Market Report provides a comprehensive review of developments during the 2025/26 heating season and a special spotlight on the effects of the war in the Middle East on international gas markets. Amid the major supply shock caused by the disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on regional energy infrastructure, it examines the conflict’s implications for gas supply and demand at both the regional and global levels. The report also analyses the consequences for storage, shipping and prices – providing critical insights on evolving market trends.The loss of nearly…
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Household Energy Affordability
Energy is one of the top expenses for millions of households, making energy affordability an important policy concern for governments. The impacts of the global energy crisis on consumer prices have been significantly felt in household budgets. Despite coming down from their peak in 2022, prices remain elevated compared to pre-crisis levels and households continue to grapple with higher living costs.This report sets out to identify key trends that are shaping the state of energy affordability around the world today. It explores how system drivers and household energy consumption influence the makeup of energy bills and opens a…
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Household Energy Affordability: Data and Indicators
A methodological framework for national monitoring Effective policy requires robust monitoring of household energy affordability, yet no unified methodological approach currently exists. The upcoming IEA report Household Energy Affordability: Data and Indicators, to be published in July, addresses this gap. This executive summary presents its key elements, including a robust methodological framework structured around dimensions, indicators and data to support policy discussions and national monitoring efforts.
