EMD095 - Strategic Positioning: Post-EIA Week

Welcome to Energy Markets Daily. Thursday, January 8, 2026 — Strategic Positioning. **CRUDE OIL:** WTI at $57.41, flat on the day. Brent at $60.85. EIA weekly showed crude inventories up 1.2 million barrels (vs -1.5M expected). Gasoline down 2.1 million. Refinery utilization 93.2%. The build confirms oversupply—IEA's 3.8 million bpd surplus thesis intact. OPEC+ Q1 freeze holding firm. Non-OPEC machine rolls on. Position: Short crude, $55 WTI target in sight. **NATURAL GAS:** $3.12, up 1.2%. EIA storage withdrawal -62 Bcf (vs -75 consensus). Inventories 2.1% above 5-year average. Warm Jan 8-14 forecast caps upside, but LNG exports smashed record 20.1 Bcf/d. Production 110.2 Bcf/d. EIA holds $4.00 2026 average. Position: Long gas—weather dip is the entry. **CHINA UPDATE:** Services PMI 52.0 confirmed slowdown, but stimulus pipeline active. 15th Five-Year Plan infrastructure spend watch. **CATALYST WATCH:** Fed minutes today. Late Jan cold potential. OPEC+ compliance Feb 1. **THE BOTTOM LINE:** EIA confirms crude glut. Gas storage beat supports structure. Decoupling sharpens—short crude, long gas. Trade data. **FINAL WORD:** Energy project needs capital? Connect to institutional/family office networks. [email protected]. Subject: Energy Capital. This is Energy Markets Daily. Friday: Weekly Recap.