Author: omc_admin
(Investing) – LONDON – Dozens of commercial ships have dropped anchor at a distance outside Iran’s port limits in recent days, according to data and shipping sources, as tensions with the United States grow. Such movements were precautionary given the tensions amid ongoing protests in Iran, the shipping sources said. Port limits are significant because they run a higher risk of collateral damage in the event of air strikes on nearby infrastructure. The U.S. is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned its neighbours…
(WO) – Oil-Royalties has released an overview outlining how its Virtual Auction Marketplace is changing how buyers evaluate and acquire U.S. oil and gas royalty interests, as investors increasingly seek more transparent and standardized transaction processes. The platform, operated by Oil-Royalties, uses a rules-based, fully digital auction model designed to reduce information gaps that have historically characterized royalty transactions. All assets listed on the marketplace are presented using standardized data formats, consistent valuation inputs and uniform bidding rules, according to the company. Founder and Chief Executive Ronald Achs said the model addresses long-standing challenges in royalty acquisitions, including inconsistent disclosures…
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, released in April 2024, marks the brand’s first entry into the smart ring market, offering a slim titanium design, solid battery life, and seamless integration with the Galaxy ecosystem.After wearing it for two months, I can attest that it’s a comfortable, minimalist, well-made ring that nails the basics and has a few clever touches. However, when it comes to health insights and fitness tracking, it feels more like a companion to the Galaxy Watch than a true rival to category leaders like the Oura Ring 4.Here’s everything the Galaxy Ring gets right and where it falls short.…
(World Oil) – Energy Workforce & Technology Council said U.S. oilfield services employment edged lower in December 2025, closing out a year marked by workforce adjustment and market uncertainty. Energy services employment totaled 629,372 jobs in December, down 184 positions from November, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and EWTC analysis. The December figures cap a year in which employment peaked at just over 640,000 jobs in April before trending lower through the second half of 2025. By year-end, oilfield services employment was roughly 11,000 jobs below its spring high, representing a year-over-year decline of about 2.3% compared with…
As backlash intensifies against data centers nationwide, Microsoft says it has a plan.”We’ll pay our way to ensure our datacenters don’t increase your electricity prices,” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, wrote in a blog post one day after President Trump said in a Truth Social post that he does not want Americans to “pick up the tab” for data center electricity costs. Microsoft, he said, was “first up.”The announcement comes amid an unprecedented data center construction boom across the US. Developers filed permits for 1,240 data centers in the US as of 2024 — roughly quadruple the level in 2010, according…
Oil fell after the close, wiping out a day of gains after US President Donald Trump said he had been assured that Iran would stop killing protesters, signaling he could hold off on a threatened military response to the repression of widespread demonstrations in the nation. West Texas Intermediate was down as much as 3% after settlement on Wednesday, dropping to around $59 a barrel in a rapid reversal before paring some of those losses. Prices had settled on Wednesday at $62.02. Oil had gained in each of the last five sessions as traders awaited the US response to political…
(Oil Price) – China is expected to see a plunge in imports of oil from Venezuela in February as the now month-long U.S. blockade has prevented many China-bound cargoes from leaving Venezuelan waters. The deliveries of crude and fuel oil from Venezuela to China in February are estimated at just 166,000 barrels per day, as just 5 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and fuel oil have managed to leave the South American country in recent weeks, analysts and traders tell Reuters. To compare, Venezuela’s exports of combined crude and fuel oil to China averaged about 642,000 bpd in 2025, as per internal…
US President Donald Trump looks on before signing a bill in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 14, 2026.Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty ImagesOil prices fell more than 1% Wednesday after President Donald Trump signaled he might not attack Iran.U.S. crude oil fell 95 cents, or 1.55%, to $60.20 per barrel by 4:17 p.m. ET. Global benchmark Brent was down 93 cents, or 1.42%, to $64.54. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “we’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping. It’s stopped. It’s stopping and there’s no plan for…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Rams practiced in 82-degree sunshine Wednesday at their Woodland Hills training complex, making the most of a beautiful week even by Los Angeles’ pleasant winter standards.The playoff game for which they’re preparing will be played at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sunday night in temperatures unlikely to get above 20 degrees, along with potential snow and whipping winds that could make it feel colder than zero.Yet the Rams (13-5) all say the daunting weekend weather on Lake Michigan is no challenge compared to the task of beating the resilient Bears (12-6) when these teams meet for…
Shell Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp. canceled a proposed deal to sell natural gas assets in the North Sea to upstart firm Viaro Energy. Shell said in a statement that the oil majors couldn’t complete the transaction to sell the strategic Bacton onshore gas terminal and 11 offshore facilities to oil tycoon Francesco Mazzagatti’s Viaro. The ending of the transaction follows a protracted regulatory review by the North Sea Transition Authority, which said it had needed further information from Viaro before any decision. “The parties have worked hard and in close alignment to try and complete this transaction over many…