The Futures Rundown 70: Let's Talk About Brent

The global energy landscape is shifting, and WTI isn't the only story in town. In this episode of The Futures Rundown, host Mark Longo breaks down the massive divergence in the energy complex as the Brent-to-WTI spread hits its widest level in over 11 years.

With Middle East tensions impacting the Strait of Hormuz, we move beyond the headlines to analyze the contract specs, volume trends, and risk profiles that every futures trader needs to understand in 2026.

Inside the Trading Pit:

• Energy Dominance: Why Brent Crude and Heating Oil are leading the year-to-date leaderboard (up 68% and 85%, respectively).

• The "Shiny Stuff" Slump: Analyzing the surprising 6-7% weekly sell-off in Gold, Silver, and Palladium.

• Equity Rotation: Small caps (Russell 2000) finally turn green for the year—is the move out of large-cap tech permanent?

• Contract Specs 101: A deep dive into ICE Brent Crude—contract sizes, tick values ($10 vs. $5), and the reality of cash settlement vs. physical delivery.

Futures Free-for-All: We tackle your questions on Crypto futures (BTC/ETH pullbacks) and the big debate: Will the Fed actually cut rates in 2026?

Resources & Links:

• Analyze markets with tastytrade: tastytrade.com/podcasts

• Get more options and futures insight: TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro

• Follow the network on X: @Options