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Oil Ground Up

Oil Ground Up

Oil Ground Up 63 episodes Latest May 29, 2026

Rory Johnston navigates listeners through the financial market dynamics of the world's oil and gas sector. Get the latest fundamentals behind the price action and hear from industry experts from the field and from the corporate offices of the world's leading energy producers.

Episodes

Bob McNally on Hormuz, Oil Prices, and the End of Energy Security Assumptions May 29, 2026 01:04:11 Rory Johnston welcomes legendary energy analyst Bob McNally to Oil Ground Up for a sweeping conversation on the Strait of Hormuz crisis, global oil supply disruptions, and the fragile state of today’s energy markets. Bob reflects on decades of experience spanning the White House, hedge funds, and energy consulting while explaining why the closure of Hormuz represents a historic shift in how the wo
How Iran Weaponized the World’s Most Important Oil Chokepoint May 22, 2026 01:07:32 Edward Fishman joins Rory for a sweeping conversation on the evolution of modern economic warfare, the origins of U.S. sanctions strategy against Iran, and how today’s Strait of Hormuz crisis is reshaping global energy markets in real time. Drawing from his book Choke Points, Fishman explains how sanctions, secondary sanctions, and financial pressure campaigns evolved from quiet Treasury Departmen
Energy Stocks Are Still Cheap? Eric Nuttall Explains the Opportunity May 7, 2026 01:01:46 Eric Nuttall joins the Oil Ground Up podcast to discuss what he believes is the largest energy supply shock in modern history following the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He explains why markets remain dangerously complacent despite massive global inventory drawdowns, rising geopolitical risks, and the potential for structurally higher oil prices well into the future. The conversation
Tracking Tankers Through Chaos: Shadow Fleets, Blockades, and the New Oil War Apr 29, 2026 00:54:48 Maritime intelligence expert Michelle Bockmann joins the Oil Ground Up podcast to unpack the unprecedented disruption in global oil flows following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. She explains how Iran’s shadow fleet has continued operating under the radar while broader tanker traffic has collapsed, with U.S. enforcement sharply curtailing exports and reshaping global supply routes.
Amena Bakr on the Market Blindness to the 13 Million Barrel Shock Apr 24, 2026 01:05:11 Amena Bakr, the Head of Middle East Research at Kpler, joins Rory to provide an inside look at the functional closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where daily traffic has collapsed from 170 vessels to just 5% of its pre-war levels. The sources indicate that even with an optimistic base case for normalization in August, clearing the backlog of 800+ trapped ships will likely take at least two additional
Paper vs Physical: Inside Oil’s $30 Backwardation Shock with Veteran Trader Adi Imsirovic Apr 17, 2026 00:46:24 Adi Imsirovic, a veteran oil trader and former academic, returns to the podcast to break down the mechanics of the Brent market at a moment of historic disruption. With more than 13 million barrels per day of supply offline and extreme volatility across the curve, Imsirovic explains how oil pricing actually works beneath the surface—distinguishing between physical “dated” Brent and financial futur
Record Backwardation: Understanding the Economic Return of USO in the Midst of a Global Supply Loss Apr 9, 2026 00:56:34 John Love, the CEO of USCF Investments, joins the podcast to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the United States Oil Fund (USO), which was the third commodity ETF ever launched. He explains that unlike physical gold funds, USO provides investors with access to the oil market by holding futures contracts, effectively "equitizing" a complex asset class that would otherwise require managing
Brutal Barrel Math: The Destruction of 10+ Million Barrels a Day Demand Apr 2, 2026 00:58:08 Karim Fawaz joins the Oil Ground Up podcast to analyze the relentless four-week closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global energy balances. The conversation explores why futures markets are "grievously underpricing" the current physical loss of 12 to 13 million barrels per day, a shock Fawaz describes as orders of magnitude more severe than any recent crisis. Unlike the man
An End to the Carter Doctrine? - What it would Mean if US Left the War While the Strait is Still Shut? Mar 31, 2026 00:52:53 Gregory Brew of Eurasia Group joins Rory to discuss the potential collapse of the Carter Doctrine following a provocative social media post by President Trump regarding the security of the Persian Gulf. The discussion centers on the 1980 policy that committed the U.S. to using military force to protect the flow of oil, a guarantee that now appears to be evaporating as Trump signals an end to U.S.
Why There is No Off-Ramp for Trump’s Gulf War Mar 19, 2026 00:57:21 Matt Reed, Vice President at Foreign Reports, joins the Oil Ground Up Podcast to analyze the unprecedented and total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crisis that has now entered its third week with no clear off-ramp in sight. The conversation explores how a prolonged blockage represents more than a recessionary risk, threatening a "global depressionary event" that could fundamentally b
View from the Gulf: Nader Itayim on Iran’s "Existential War" and the 8 Million Barrel Shutdown Mar 13, 2026 01:04:25 Nader Itayim of Argus Media joins the Oil Ground Up podcast to analyze the unprecedented escalation of the direct conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States and its devastating impact on global energy markets. The discussion explores how Iran has transitioned from decades of "proxy warfare" to what leadership now describes as an "existential war," abandoning its tradi
From Economic to Kinetic Statecraft: Enforcing US Oil Sanctions Feb 27, 2026 01:08:02 In this episode of the Oil Ground Up Podcast, guest Rachel Ziemba joins host Rory Johnston to provide an update on the rapidly shifting landscape of U.S. economic statecraft and its impact on Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. The discussion explores the unprecedented transition in Venezuela, where the U.S. has moved from an aggressive naval blockade to a tightly managed stabilization effort following t

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