Daily Update — April 15, 2026
Scramble for Diesel; AI to Optimize Energy Output; Geopolitical Impact of the Middle East War
Today is Wednesday, April 15, 2026, and here’s your curated selection of Essential Intelligence on global markets from S&P Global. Subscribe to be notified of each new Daily Update.
Global Trade
Listen: Hormuz chokepoint: Global scramble for diesel supply
Oil and product flows remain constrained even as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowly resumes, leading buyers to seek alternatives to Middle East barrels and lock in reliable diesel supply. With nearly 6 million barrels/day of Middle East refining capacity at stake, and roughly 4 million b/d of refined products flows, diesel prices have soared, opening export opportunities. Where are buyers turning for diesel, and what policy tools are governments using to soften price shocks?
In this episode of the “Oil Markets” podcast, S&P Global Energy experts Renato Rostas, Aaron Tucker and Sheky Espejo unpack these issues with host Jeff Mower.
Artificial Intelligence
Shell India taps AI to optimize energy output, productivity
Shell is rapidly integrating AI for predictive analytics, process optimization and cost reduction across its energy assets in India to optimize supply chains and expedite the delivery of lower-carbon energy, Mansi Madan Tripathy, chairperson of Shell Group of Cos. India, said in an exclusive interview with Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. Tripathy said AI is increasingly becoming an enabler across energy systems, driving advancements across exploration, manufacturing, trading and customer solutions.
"In India, this shift is particularly transformative. AI and advanced digital technologies are becoming powerful drivers of productivity and competitiveness, accelerating electrification and energy use even as the world advances through the energy transition," she said. "The opportunity is to ensure that digital growth and the energy transition strengthen each other."
Economy
Global PMI: tracking the sectors hit hardest by the Middle East war
Global Purchasing Managers’ Index survey data provides timely insights into changing economic trends at the sector level, helping policymakers and investors analyze the impact of events in near real time. The data in March provided the first insights into which sectors were most affected by the war in the Middle East, showing that the conflict’s economic impact was widespread, though consumer services — tourism and recreation companies, in particular — were most affected.
Survey data underscored how the war in the Middle East has already had a material impact on global economic growth. Growth slowed worldwide to its lowest level since April 2025, cooling sharply across both manufacturing and services in March, according to the Purchasing Managers’ Index numbers produced by S&P Global on behalf of J.P. Morgan, hinting at a broad-based slowdown. Factory production growth hit a three-month low while the service sector reported its slowest rise in activity since November 2023.
In case you missed it
- Panama Canal congestion intensified in early April, with LNG carriers booking up eastbound slots and some vessels facing waiting times of up to five weeks, according to regional port agents and brokers.
- Global pork trade in 2026 is being reshaped by animal disease outbreaks and shifting demand patterns, with the EU emerging as a key player, the US Agriculture Department’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported.
- Myanmar's 5% broken white rice prices reached their highest level in over nine months on April 10, supported by strong demand from the Philippines and sustained high local production costs linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Upcoming events
- Closing the Gap: Insurance-adjusted climate risk intelligence | April 16 (Webinar)
- Banking the Grid: Financing Power Demand, Climate Resilience & Utility Affordability | April 16 (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Of Fire on Water: The Asia-Pacific Offshore Oil and Gas Supply Chain in the Wake of the Middle East War Webinar | April 22 (Webinar)