The new year of 2026 began with two major incidents that put oil at the center of global attention. On January 3rd, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores were kidnapped. On January 6th, a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker of Chinese ownership was hijacked. The perpetrators stated their goal was to prevent oil trade with countries under Washington's sanctions. The following day, in response, U.S. Coast Guard and Army special forces boarded two oil tankers in the Atlantic Ocean, one of which was flying the Russian flag and named 'Marinera'. These events marked the start of a new year where oil has been thrust onto the front lines, potentially taking over the spotlight from gold and silver, which had been the primary focus of the market in the last three months.
