Read The Book! The Energy Report 03/27/2026

There is that famous scene in the movie Patton where after a battle George C Scott as the general proclaimed “Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!”  Maybe Trump critics should read his book.
In the movie, Patton was tipping his hat to a rival he deeply respected, calling out Rommel as a tactical mastermind and one of the fiercest generals of the era. When Patton shouts, “I read your book!” he’s talking about Rommel’s treatise on warfare, Infantry Attacks, which laid out his battlefield strategies from World War I and set the stage for his innovative approach to tank warfare. By studying Rommel’s playbook, Patton turned the tables, predicting his opponent’s next move and beating him at his own legendary game.
Much like Patton’s respect for understanding an adversary’s strategies, President Trump has often been inspired by the iconic general for his bold, unorthodox tactics.  However, critics argue that, unlike Patton who used his enemy’s playbook to gain the upper hand, Trump sometimes falls into the “TACO” pattern—“Trump always Chickens Out”—a term coined by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong in May 2025.
This phrase is used to describe situations where Trump announces tough measures, such as aggressive tariffs, which initially rattle markets, but then backs down or delays action, leading to market recoveries. While Patton’s approach was to outmaneuver his opponent by adopting and anticipating their moves, Trump’s critics see his reversals as yielding to economic pressure rather than sticking with a calculated strategy.
Of course, those who make that charge maybe should read President Trumps’s “Art of the Deal” and maybe they would understand a method to what they see as madness.
That iconic Patton moment is really all about the age-old law of the jungle: you’ve got to know your enemy inside and out if you want to win. President Trump takes a page straight from that playbook—he studies his rivals, cranks up the heat, and forces them to tip their hand. It’s classic trump deal-making pressure that reveals true intentions every time.
For example, when President Trump issued an ultimatum on March 21-22, 2026. Trump posted on Truth Social that if Iran didn’t fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours (without threats), the US would “hit and obliterate” Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure, “starting with the biggest one first,”  Iran sung like a canary, telling Trump and the world exactly how they would respond.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf for example said that if Trump attacked “Critical infrastructure, energy, and oil facilities throughout the region would become “legitimate targets” and would be “irreversibly destroyed.” He warned this would send oil prices skyrocketing for a long time.
Funny how the rest of the world — especially Iran’s neighbors — did not take kindly to that threat that Iran would terrorize and attack them. In fact, it further solidified the opposition against this regime as it forced the world to realize that they are just a bunch of terrorists that could never have a nuclear weapon, as they have no regard for human life, civilian infrastructure, or regional stability.
Following Iran’s threats, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain—responded with intense anger and condemnation.
The prospect of attacks on energy, power, and especially desalination plants (which provide most of these desert nations’ drinking water) was viewed as a direct threat to their survival and economies.
Having already faced Iranian missile and drone attacks on oil and gas facilities during the ongoing conflict, GCC leaders saw these latest threats as escalating the crisis to an existential level.
Officials from Saudi Arabia and the UAE have become increasingly outspoken, expressing frustration and indicating they might actively back or join U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran to defend their infrastructure. The UAE and other GCC countries have strengthened air defenses, intercepted incoming attacks, and publicly denounced Iran’s moves as a “dangerous escalation” that jeopardizes global energy security and millions of lives.  The Group of Seven foreign ministers, including Marco Rubio, are scheduled to meet in France on Friday to discuss the ongoing war.
Trump’s method isn’t just about reading the playbook—it’s using pressure to help him anticipate his opponent’s next move and lets them expose their weakness, and every bluff.
He and his team can then dig into their history, their deals, their public statements, then turns up the heat with bold moves and relentless pressure. It’s not textbook war strategy—it’s street-smart, real-time maneuvering, and psychological edge that works in war as well as business.
He and his team proceed to thoroughly examine the history, transactions, and public statements of their counterparts. They then employ assertive actions and sustained pressure. This approach is not conventional military strategy; rather, it is adaptive, real-time decision-making and psychological insight that proves effective in both warfare and business contexts.
Some can see that this is sharp, tactical brilliance critics will cry TACO, chaos and ego.
But Trump’s admiration for Patton’s tough, take-no-prisoners style is no secret—he’s referenced it often.
Whether in war or business, victory goes to the one who studies the enemy and isn’t afraid to declare it with style. And the key with his aggressive style is getting the enemy to show their hand and show us who they really are.
Of course,  for those reading oil metals and stocks it can be a bit of a challenge cause some to reach either Pepto Bismol or Dramamine as yesterday it was a wild day with more twist and turns that  made a multitude of intraday  sharp reversals  driven by President Trump’s evolving comments on Iran.
In the morning, mixed signals from Trump questioning the possibility of a quick deal while ratcheting up pressure left traders uneasy about a swift resolution, sparking an early rally with Brent crude jumping about 5.7% above $108. Administration officials touting U.S. energy dominance added some firmness, though it clashed with broader supply fears from the conflict.
By mid-to-late day, sentiment shifted toward cautious relief during the cabinet meeting. Trump highlighted Iran’s “present” of allowing 10 (or 8) oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture, which eased immediate chokepoint worries and put downward pressure on prices.
He then announced another extension of the deadline to attack Iran’s energy plants or power grid—to April 6—while describing talks as “going well” and “productive.”
This offered near-term market breathing room, causing oil to pull back slightly (Brent easing toward $106) and steady or retreat modestly by close, even as underlying risks from the war lingered. Overall, it was a day of upward spikes on uncertainty followed by modest calming on signs of de-escalation.
And while the market is hoping for a ceasefire Iran is making more threats overnight and we saw weight reversal and trend from early morning weakness after a report that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards urge civilians in the region to leave areas where US forces are stationed – Iranian media also a report from Iranian Foreign Minister Aragchi tells UN Human Rights Council: Our defense shall persist as long as needed/ I am not sure if this guy is still on or off the US Israeli kill list.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that the Pentagon is considering deploying up to 10,000 additional troops to the region, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Also, several Gulf states issued alerts over possible incoming fire early Friday, with Kuwait reporting strikes on two of its ports.
So overnight Iran  attacks on its neighbors is causing another rally in oil and that may continue until we get the next headline or we get a response from the Iranians about the peace plan in the meantime volatility is high you have to be on cautious for the next headline as we can see some sharp reversals continue today.
Over the weekend the best way to play it because of the uncertainty is to be long calls and puts and try to make money on both sides that strategy worked beautifully the first weekend of the war last Sunday on the opening it was a bit more difficult because as oil prices rallied the liquidity to get out of the calls was nonexistent and some strike prices so that’s a risk for some of these options especially the shorter dated ones.  Yet it still beats the possibility of being on the wrong side of a 10 or $15 move either up or down. Let’s pray for our soldiers and for peace,
Natural gas got a bit of a surprise boost after yesterday’s Energy Information Administration storage report showed a much larger than expected drawdown in inventories, with a 54 Bcf net withdrawal for the week ending March 20, 2026—well above consensus estimates around 48 Bcf and far exceeding the five-year average withdrawal of just 21 Bcf (while last year saw a 33 Bcf injection in the comparable week).
Working gas stocks now stand at 1,829 Bcf, which is still 14 Bcf (about 1%) above the five-year average and 90 Bcf (5%) higher than the same time last year, but the stronger-than-anticipated pull provided a bullish surprise as the heating season winds down.
On the supply side, US natural gas production remains robust and on track for record levels. EIA forecasts marketed production averaging around 118–120.8 Bcf/d in 2026 (with dry gas production near 110 Bcf/d), driven largely by associated gas from the Permian along with growth in the Haynesville and Appalachia regions.
Meanwhile, LNG exports continue to act as a major demand driver, with US volumes having surged in recent years (averaging about 15 Bcf/d in 2025) and projected to rise further toward 16–18 Bcf/d or more in the coming years as additional terminal capacity comes online. This strong export pull, alongside steady domestic needs, helps support the market even as storage dynamics shift into injection season.
Overall, the larger draw helped tighten the near-term narrative despite still-comfortable inventory levels.
Still Fox Weather reports that nearly 50 million people were in the path of intense severe storms that were ramped up across parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley with significant hail, damaging wind gusts and tornado warnings, as a cold front continues to push through the region, leaving winter-like temperatures in its wake.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center increased the threat to a Level 3 out of 5 for severe thunderstorms across a corridor of central Illinois, central Indiana and central Ohio — including the Indianapolis metro area.
Will it ever end? Better download the Fox Weather ap to find out! Also stay tuned to the fox business network! Invested in you! Contact me for your trading needs at 888-264-5665 or email me at pflynn@pricegroup.com.