Market Insider

Diesel prices reached record highs across most major economies this fall, prompting emergency stock releases and efforts to restore Russian diesel exports. At home, a major refinery planned for Brownsville, Texas, is not yet producing fuel. How much relief can emergency measures provide, and where does replacement fuel come from when refining falls short? Securing more crude oil alone does not put more fuel on the market. That depends on how quickly domestic refineries or imports can add supply. Skip York, chief energy strategist at Turner, Mason & Company, examines what the current measures can cover and what he watches to judge whether supply is recovering. Engineer Ronald Stein, founder of PTS Advance, uses California’s recent refinery closures to discuss where replacement supplies could come from and whether closed plants could return. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Market Insider Show

Years of sanctions and Ukrainian strikes on refineries inside Russia have put pressure on its economy. Yet Russia remains able to keep fighting. What actually sets the limit on how long it can sustain this war? Paying for a war and producing for it are separate requirements, and assessing one does not settle the other. The war’s duration also matters for Europe’s funding commitments to Ukraine, and refinery damage puts pressure on fuel supplies and prices inside Russia. Andrei Illarionov, former chief economic adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior analyst for Russian and European affairs at the Center for Security Policy, examines the money available to fund the war. Pavel Luzin, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation who studies Russia’s defense industry, looks at its production capacity and what refinery strikes could affect outside the fuel market. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Market Insider Show

China’s exports are growing strongly this year, but demand at home remains weak. Fixed-asset investment fell 7.2 percent in the first eight months of 2026, and retail sales rose just 0.4 percent in August. Why aren’t strong exports translating into stronger spending and investment? This weakness is also reaching parts of the economy that usually cushion a slowdown. For businesses around the world that sell into China, that split matters as much as the export figures themselves. Charlene Chu, senior analyst at Autonomous Research, has spent years tracking China’s economy and financial system. She examines what the export numbers leave out about conditions inside China. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Market Insider Show

Higher borrowing costs are putting pressure on new home construction and apartment buildings financed at lower rates. What does that mean for how much housing actually gets built? Builders and apartment owners face different constraints. Builders are deciding how many new homes to construct, while apartment owners carry financing costs on buildings already completed. Advertised prices and rents tell only part of that story. Jim Righeimer, CEO and co-founder of Arbor Capital Partners, develops land and sells finished lots to some of the country’s largest publicly traded home builders. His work in land development and commercial property refinancing gives him a direct view of both sides. He explains what builder commitments and apartment refinancing reveal about current housing conditions, and what that could mean for future construction. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Market Insider Show

Trucks hauling steel and other heavy materials for large industrial projects are in demand, while the everyday goods people buy are moving in smaller volumes. For many households, the economy already feels a little off. What is this pattern saying that the usual numbers might miss? Spending figures and shipment volumes measure different things. What consumers spend does not, on its own, show how much they are buying. Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of FreightWaves, has spent his entire life around the trucking industry. His company tracks how goods move and what it costs to move them. He joins us to explain what falling grocery volumes are signaling about American consumers. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Market Insider Show