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Independent UK financial coverage with full source attribution.
Brent up 20.7% in six months; Russian refining output 40% below pre-war levels
Brent closed at $78.36 (+20.7% over six months) and WTI at $73.66 (+22.1%) on 12 July 2026; gold fell 14.2% to $4,086, natural gas fell 25.2% to $2.92, and sterling closed at $1.3376. Russian refining output ran more than 40% below pre-war levels amid Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and export infrastructure.
Brent rose 20.7% over six months to $78.36 on 12 July 2026
Brent crude closed at $78.36 on 12 July 2026, up 3.1% on the day and 20.7% over six months, while WTI closed at $73.66, up 22.1% over the same period. Nigeria exported approximately 55.4 million barrels of crude in January–February 2026, with production averaging 1.46 mbpd in January and 1.31 mbpd in February.
Valdrans Market Pulse: 111 corroborated market-moving stories tracked in week of 6 July 2026
The Valdrans Market Pulse tracked 111 corroborated market-moving stories in the week of 6 July 2026 (95 market, 16 breaking-news), drawn from 1,985 source items across 14 sources.