What the Energy Market Looked Like in June 2006

Wednesday, June 4, 2026. TWENTY YEARS AGO. June 2006. WTI crude oil monthly average: $73.94/bbl. Specific WTI closing prices: June 2 $72.75, June 9 $71.64, June 16 $69.97, June 23 $70.78, June 29 $73.52. WTI stayed above $70/bbl for much of May-July 2006. Demand growth outpacing non-OPEC supply. OPEC Reference Basket May 2006 averaged $65.11/bbl, peaked $68.37 early month, volatile trading continued into June. NATURAL GAS: Henry Hub natural gas monthly average end June 2006 approximately $5.84/MMBtu, down slightly from $5.97 end May. Natural gas prices 2006 overall moderated from 2005 hurricane-driven highs. Summer levels supported by high storage but pressured by warm weather and power generation demand. CONTEXT: High oil prices driven by rapid demand growth (China booming), limited non-OPEC supply growth, earlier disruptions from Hurricane Katrina/Rita still echoing. Natural gas benefited from ample storage inventories. Retail gasoline averaged $2.70-$3.00/gallon during summer 2006, influenced by crude levels and refinery margins. THE COMPARISON: Fast forward twenty years. June 2026. WTI trading around $91-$92, up 23% from June 2006. Natural gas at $3.10-$3.18, down 46% from June 2006. Crude doubled in two decades. Gas collapsed. Why? Supply dynamics. Shale revolution. LNG exports. Oversupply in gas. Geopolitical risk premium in crude. THE LESSON: Markets evolve. Thesis changes. But fundamentals remain: supply, demand, geopolitics. Trade the data. Not the narrative.