This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Vitol Group has moved to steady lender confidence after a volatile start to the year, indicating it generated roughly $2 billion in profit for the first quarter, based on informal discussions with banks over the past week. The figure was described as indicative and could still change as the company finalizes its accounts. The update comes as the world’s largest independent energy trader navigates losses in parts of its derivatives business, which were impacted by sharp price swings following the Iran war, prompting the firm to reorganize its derivatives team and unwind some positions while keeping others in place.
The disruption in early March reshaped global energy flows, with oil and gas prices surging and some of Vitol’s cargoes becoming stuck in the Persian Gulf. While those initial moves weighed on derivatives trading, the company has since indicated that some losses have been offset, and that other parts of the business were highly profitable, supporting overall performance and liquidity. Vitol has communicated to lenders that it remains financially strong, even as ongoing volatility continues to create both potential gains and losses across its trading positions in future periods.
For investors, the broader setup may look familiar. Large-scale dislocations in commodity markets have historically created opportunities for trading houses, and Vitol generated $37 billion in profit across 2022 to 2024 during the energy crisis linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Even though its full-year profit reportedly declined by about 30% to 50% last year from $8.7 billion in 2024, that outcome could still represent one of its stronger years on record. At the same time, peers including Gunvor Group and trading divisions at BP (NYSE:BP), Shell (NYSE:SHEL), and TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) have also pointed to strong gains tied to the Iran war, reinforcing the view that ongoing market volatility could continue to support trading performance.