Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again: Are Fed Rate Hikes Back on the Table?

Chinese Refiners Pay Record Premiums For Russian ESPO Crude

Chinese Refiners Pay Record Premiums For Russian ESPO Crude Authored by Irina Slav via OilPrice.com, Chinese refiners are paying a hefty premium for Russia's ESPO crude to replace Iranian crude that independent refiners were importing before the U.S. installed its naval blockade on the country. East Siberia-Pacific Ocean crude, or ESPO, for delivery in November is trading at a premium of over $7 per barrel, with offers reaching as high as $10 per barrel over Brent crude, Bloomberg reported today, citing traders. The blend is loaded from Russia's Far East coast and can reach the buyers in China in less than a week, the publication noted. China is the biggest buyer of ESPO crude, with a market share of 83% for the first seven months of the year. However, this share is down from 88% a year earlier. The change came amid stronger ESPO buying from Indian refiners, whose market share for the Far Eastern Russian crude blend went up from 12% to 16% for the first

China-Linked Hackers Hid In Cisco Routers, Stole Administrator Credentials: Report

China-Linked Hackers Hid In Cisco Routers, Stole Administrator Credentials: Report Authored by Arthur Zhang via The Epoch Times, A China-linked cyberespionage group compromised Cisco routers and hid its activity from the network administrators who managed them, cybersecurity firm Sygnia said in an Aug. 27 report. The Cisco logo is displayed in front of Cisco headquarters in San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2024. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The group also recorded traffic moving through the devices and used them to probe other high-value networks, according to the report. The hackers compromised systems that verify whether network administrators are authorized to log in to routers and other equipment, allowing them to capture administrator credentials, Sygnia said. Sygnia tracks the group as Fire Ant and describes it as China-nexus. The firm has not

Democrats Cry Foul As DHS Launches Voter Fraud Probe In 9 States

Democrats Cry Foul As DHS Launches Voter Fraud Probe In 9 States The Department of Homeland Security opened a coordinated voter fraud investigation across nine states this week, and Democratic election officials are not taking the news well... CNN reported that internal federal guidance directs Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to build criminal cases against people suspected of illegally registering or voting. The effort is described as a "coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative" and will run from early September through mid-October. Agents began work Tuesday in Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York and Connecticut. The operation targets noncitizens who registered or cast ballots, including immigrants accused of voting before they naturalized. DHS has directed investigators to coordinate w

Asian LNG Prices Surge To Highest Since 2022 As Iran War Escalates

Asian LNG Prices Surge To Highest Since 2022 As Iran War Escalates Authored by Irina Slav via OilPrice.com, Spot LNG prices for Asian buyers went up to almost $26 per million British thermal units yesterday for a 5% weekly gain following the resumption of strikes between the United States and Iran. Spot LNG for Asia traded at $25.908 per mmBtu late on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed traders, after President Donald Trump said "We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz - some defensive, some offensive ... It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want." Prices in both Asia and Europe had jumped at the end of last week after Qatar's state-owned firm QatarEnergy extended the force majeure on its LNG deliveries into November am

1,000 Days Of Milei

The Spread between 10-Year Treasury Yield & 30-Year Mortgage Rate Has Been Stuck at 2 Percentage Points despite Fannie & Freddie MBS Buybacks: Some Thoughts