Myles McCormick

Myles McCormick focuses on how upheaval in global energy markets filters through to balance sheets and household budgets, using business reporting to connect geopolitical shocks, corporate strategy and the price of fuel. He writes for the Financial Times on energy as a business story, treating oil, gas and power not just as commodities but as forces that reshape industries and everyday costs.

Energy prices and the cost of conflict

McCormick’s coverage frequently starts from a geopolitical flashpoint and follows it through to what it means at the pump, on utility bills and in company results. In his reporting on the financial fallout from conflict involving Iran, for example, he shows how disrupted supply, risk premiums and market panic cumulate into a multibillion-dollar fuel bill for US consumers, quantifying the impact rather than relying on vague talk of “higher prices”. He uses concrete numbers, comparisons over time and clear causal links between events in oil-producing regions and movements in benchmark prices. That framing distinguishes his work from more generic political or security coverage by keeping the focus on economic consequences and the mechanics of energy markets.

He tends to treat each flare-up in the Middle East or other producing regions as a test case for how resilient the energy system really is. His stories examine how sanctions, shipping risks, production cuts or infrastructure attacks ripple through spot markets and futures curves, and how quickly those market moves show up in what drivers pay for gasoline or what businesses pay for diesel and jet fuel. Throughout, he writes in plain terms about complex dynamics such as risk premiums, refining bottlenecks and inventory levels, making it clear how they interact without slipping into technical jargon.

Oil majors, shale producers and corporate strategy

Alongside geopolitics, McCormick closely follows the business decisions of oil majors, independent producers and refiners. His pieces chart how large integrated companies, US shale operators and national oil companies respond to price swings and policy pressure with changes in spending plans, dealmaking and portfolio strategy. He gives sustained attention to capital discipline, shareholder returns and boardroom debates over whether to prioritise production growth, dividends or debt reduction, treating these as central storylines rather than background detail.

He often uses corporate earnings seasons and major transactions as hooks to explore deeper questions about the sector’s direction. Coverage of acquisitions, asset sales or consolidation in shale fields, for instance, is linked to underlying cost structures, break-even price assumptions and investor sentiment. Interviews and quotes from senior executives, traders and analysts are woven into these pieces to illuminate why companies are making specific bets and how those bets might look if prices or policy move against them. The result is a strand of reporting that gives communications and strategy teams a clear view of how the industry’s internal arguments are being presented to a global business audience.

Fossil fuels under climate and policy pressure

McCormick also reports on the collision between fossil fuel business models and the politics of climate and energy transition. His stories track how emissions targets, net zero commitments and environmental regulation are reshaping investment decisions, from long-lived oil and gas projects to shorter-cycle shale drilling. He pays attention to how companies justify continued hydrocarbon spending while promising to cut their carbon footprints, and how investors, activists and policymakers react to those explanations.

Rather than treating climate policy as a separate “green” beat, he embeds it in core business coverage: describing how carbon prices, methane rules, permitting reforms or subsidies influence the economics of different fuels and technologies. He highlights the tensions between calls for more supply to keep energy affordable and calls for rapid emissions cuts, and he shows how this tension plays out in project approvals, shareholder votes and strategic pivots into areas such as liquefied natural gas, carbon capture or renewables. This gives his energy transition reporting a strongly financial and operational flavour.

Explanatory, data‑driven business reporting

Across these themes, McCormick writes in an explanatory register that assumes readers care about the “how” and “how much” as much as the headline event. His stories foreground price moves, production data, trade flows and cost estimates, using them to anchor broader narratives about security of supply, corporate risk and consumer pain. He is comfortable moving between short, timely market updates and longer analytical pieces that step back to explain structural shifts in the energy system.

Structurally, his work often blends on-the-record perspectives from executives, policymakers and analysts with close reading of financial filings and market reports. He summarises complex debates — over OPEC+ strategy, refinery capacity, strategic stockpiles or the outlook for demand — in tight, direct prose that keeps business implications front and centre. That combination of market literacy, policy awareness and focus on real-world costs defines his approach to the business of energy and separates it from more generic corporate or macroeconomic reporting.