James Sahota

About

James Sahota

I study mathematics and economics at the University of Chicago. I write about energy markets, focusing on the physical constraints behind prices.

  1. Milan
  2. London
  3. Singapore
  4. Chicago

I co-founded 6:05 Markets, a student-led research group at the University of Chicago, and have been co-president since April 2026. We publish weekly research on commodities, macroeconomics and policy. I co-lead the group’s research and editorial work: I set the standards our analysts work to, built our report templates and publication process, and write about oil and gas.

The name refers to the moment five minutes after a headline, when the first reaction has begun to settle. That’s when I want to ask what has changed, what is already reflected in prices and what still needs to be understood.

Before co-founding 6:05 Markets, I led the energy team at UChicago Commodities. In the summer of 2026, I interned in wealth management at HBL Bank UK in London, writing cross-asset market outlooks and working on fee benchmarking and tax analysis. Since October 2026, I have been a research contributor at Energy Flux, developing independently authored work on the US natural gas market for publication.

The questions that interest me most link physical constraints to prices: a shipping strait, a canal, a refinery outage or a pipeline running at capacity.

How I approach research

04

Examples from my September 2026 report on the oil supply shock.

  1. 01

    Start with the physical system

    I begin with flows, capacity and inventories. Prices depend on barrels and cargoes that can actually move, so I establish the physical limits before drawing a market conclusion.

    Where spare capacity can reach the market

  2. 02

    Separate data, estimates and assumptions

    I check each source’s definitions and reporting periods, and look for overlapping constraints before combining figures.

    Separating supply measures and assumptions

  3. 03

    Use scenarios and ranges

    I prefer ranges tied to stated physical conditions to point forecasts that suggest more precision than the evidence supports.

    Three Brent scenarios and their assumptions

  4. 04

    Say what would change the view

    In longer reports, I set out the evidence that would strengthen or weaken a thesis before the outcome is known.

    Conditions that would challenge the view

Beyond work

I was born in Milan, attended St Paul’s School in London and moved to Singapore in 2025. I now study at the University of Chicago, where I’m president of the Italian Student Association and vice president of the Judo Club.

I studied philosophy at A-level and served as co-chief editor of my school’s philosophy magazine. I’m particularly interested in existentialism, and my favourite book is No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. I’ve trained and competed at a high level in aikido, judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, including at international tournaments. My other interests include MMA, snowsports and motorsport.