Update 1 van 1NieuwsteDag 1
20 Million Barrels Vanished. China Kept the Price From Exploding.
Up to 20 million barrels a day vanished at the April peak. Prices never exploded — because Beijing stopped buying and lived off a 1.2-billion-barrel stockpile.
Wat we eerst wisten
- Hormuz carried about 20% of global crude and refined products before closure.
- Up to 20 million barrels a day were removed at the April 2026 peak.
- China drew roughly 41 million barrels from inventories in June, per IEA July report.
- China held about 1.2 billion barrels in crude stockpile.
Toen nog open
- No confirmed size of China's total import cut or exact Middle East export loss.
- No confirmed explanation for how Chinese demand was met without disruption.
Waar we op zouden letten
- Whether customs and inventory data confirm a sustained import swing or a one-month draw.
- Whether price stability holds if Hormuz remains constrained and stockpiles thin.
