LNG

The Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for roughly 20% of global LNG supply, will reopen to shipping on Friday, June 19, after the US and Iran formally sign a peace deal to end the war, US President Donald Trump confirmed. Brent crude futures fell 4.1% in early trading on Monday on the news.

China is preparing to take a symbolic step by launching LNG futures denominated in yuan, rather than US Dollars. Such a listing would give Chinese buyers a domestic pricing and hedging tool at a time when energy markets remain highly exposed to geopolitical risk.

Intercontinental Exchange (IEC) is preparing to extend trading hours for European gas and power futures to match the 22-hour cycles of US and Asian markets. The move enables seamless LNG cross-basin trade and hedging between TTF, Henry Hub, and JKM benchmarks in aligned hours and US$ pricing.

Heatwaves in the eastern part of the U.S. have sent Henry Hub futures soaring as gas-burn stays high at 49.3 bcf/d through July 25, while financial flow risk is skewed to the upside, Energy Aspects finds.