Core Viewpoint - The shipping rates have been rising continuously since August, indicating an early exit from the off-season, with a significant divergence from the same period in 2023 and 2024, suggesting a preemptive turning point [1][2] Group 1: Recent VLCC Freight Rate Increase - The increase in VLCC freight rates is attributed to macroeconomic factors, including expectations of a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, which has improved demand expectations for commodities and transportation prices [1][2] - The price differential between WTI crude oil and Middle Eastern crude has widened, opening up arbitrage opportunities that have led to increased long-distance transportation and tighter shipping capacity in the Middle East [1][2] - The Suezmax tanker rates have also been strong, reaching up to $60,000 per day, with some demand spilling over into the VLCC market [1] Group 2: Supply and Demand Dynamics - Recent supply reductions from Iran, Russia, and Venezuela are expected to increase future compliant crude oil demand, with Iranian exports dropping from 1.7-1.9 million barrels per day to around 1.3-1.4 million barrels per day, and Russian exports decreasing from 3.5 million barrels per day to approximately 3.1-3.2 million barrels per day [2] - Middle Eastern production increases are anticipated to gradually ramp up during the peak demand season from September to December, further supporting strong freight rates in Q4 [2] Group 3: China's Stable Demand and Global Inventory Trends - China's crude oil imports from January to July 2025 increased by 4.6% year-on-year, with a 5.3% increase in imports excluding Iranian, Venezuelan, and Russian crude, primarily sourced from West Africa, Brazil, and Canada [3] - The overall demand in China remains stable, entering a phase of proactive inventory replenishment, with current storage capacity still having room compared to historical highs [3] Group 4: VLCC Market Outlook - The aging fleet is leading to a decline in effective shipping capacity, with expected VLCC effective capacity growth rates of -4.1%, -0.3%, and +1.8% from 2025 to 2027 [4] - Demand growth from oil-producing countries is expected to continue driving trade volumes, with projected demand growth rates of 2.3%, 1.4%, and 1% for the same period [4] Group 5: Stock Market Performance and Potential Upside - The stock of China Merchants Energy Shipping is currently trading at 0.84 times its net asset value, compared to 1.16 times for FRO and 1.06 times for DHT, indicating significant potential for price correction [5] - A $10,000 per day increase in freight rates could lead to an increase of approximately 1.53 billion in pre-tax profits for China Merchants Energy Shipping's VLCC fleet [5]

Report Summary 1. Investment Rating - The short - term outlook for oil prices is a strong and volatile trend, while the medium - term suggests a bearish allocation [3] 2. Core View - The recent strengthening of the WTI monthly spread and the increase in the premium of WTI Cushing over WTI Midland and WTI MEH indicate a tight fundamental situation in Cushing. This is mainly due to the reduction of Canadian light crude components flowing south to Cushing for blending, caused by wildfires and oil sands refinery maintenance. However, this only represents a local issue in the Midwest crude oil market. Usually, after the Canadian oil sands refinery maintenance ends in June, the situation will recover, and the current price difference will drive more Midland crude to flow to Cushing, suppressing the structural strengthening trend of Cushing [2] 3. Summary by Related Catalogs Market News and Important Data - The price of light crude oil futures for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 31 cents to $64.98 per barrel, a decrease of 0.47%. The price of Brent crude oil futures for August delivery fell 17 cents to $66.87 per barrel, a decrease of 0.25%. The SC crude oil main contract rose 0.54% to 482 yuan per barrel [1] - The EIA Short - Term Energy Outlook Report predicts that the average prices of WTI crude oil in the next two years will be $62.33 per barrel and $55.58 per barrel respectively (previously $61.81 per barrel and $55.24 per barrel), and the average prices of Brent crude oil will be $65.97 per barrel and $59.24 per barrel respectively (previously $65.85 per barrel and $59.24 per barrel). It is also predicted that the average daily output of US crude oil this year will be about 13.4 million barrels, and it will drop to about 13.37 million barrels next year [1] - The EU plans to lower the price cap on Russian oil from $60 per barrel to $45 per barrel in a new round of sanctions and ban the use of energy infrastructure including the "Nord Stream" pipeline. In response, Russian President Putin extended the ban on oil sales to buyers who comply with the crude oil price cap [1] - OPEC Secretary - General Al - Ghais said that oil demand will maintain strong growth in the next 25 years. OPEC expects that global energy demand will increase by 24% from now to 2050, and during this period, oil demand will exceed 120 million barrels per day [1] - In the week ending June 6 in the US, the API crude oil inventory was - 370,000 barrels (expected 100,000 barrels, previous value - 3.3 million barrels); the Cushing crude oil inventory was - 728,000 barrels (previous value 952,000 barrels); crude oil imports were - 117,000 barrels (previous value 141,000 barrels); gasoline inventory was 2.969 million barrels (expected 1.177 million barrels, previous value 4.7 million barrels); the volume of crude oil put into production was 152,000 barrels per day (previous value 316,000 barrels per day) [1] Strategy - Short - term: The oil price will be in a strong and volatile state. Medium - term: Bearish allocation [3] Risks - Downside risks: The Iran nuclear deal is reached, and there are macro black swan events [3] - Upside risks: Supply of sanctioned oil (from Russia, Iran, Venezuela) tightens, and large - scale supply disruptions occur due to Middle East conflicts [4]

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