The questions the desk actually gets.
Short, direct answers about what Intel Desk is, what it covers, how it scores data, how it compares to a financial terminal, and whether any of this counts as financial advice. It does not.
What is Intel Desk?
Intel Desk is a real-time geopolitical intelligence brief built for traders, analysts, macro researchers and defence professionals. It aggregates 130+ OSINT, wire and Telegram sources on a 30-second refresh cycle, scores headlines for sentiment and market impact, and fires critical alerts through a live desk.
Is Intel Desk financial advice?
No. Intel Desk is an intelligence aggregation tool. It surfaces publicly available information and scores it for sentiment and relevance. It does not provide financial advice, trading recommendations, or any form of regulated investment guidance. Always do your own research and consult a qualified adviser before acting on anything you read here.
How fresh is the data on Intel Desk?
Feeds refresh every thirty seconds. Market data streams in real time. From a headline being published to appearing on the desk is typically under sixty seconds, often under thirty. Telegram OSINT channels and long-form think-tank feeds poll on separate slower cycles; the specifics are in the methodology.
How is Intel Desk different from a financial terminal?
Traditional financial terminals are general-purpose data platforms. Intel Desk is purpose-built for conflict-driven energy and defence intelligence. It integrates OSINT sources, AI sentiment scoring, AIS vessel tracking and OFAC SDN screening that standard terminals do not cover out of the box.
Is Intel Desk a free Bloomberg alternative?
Yes. Intel Desk is a free Bloomberg Terminal alternative for energy traders, macro researchers and OSINT analysts. A Bloomberg Terminal runs about USD 27,660 per user per year on a two-year contract; Intel Desk is free in Early Access with every feature included , live wire, 130+ sources, AIS vessel tracking, OFAC SDN screening, military aircraft feed, watchlist alerts and tick-level market data. For a full feature-by-feature comparison see the dedicated Bloomberg alternative page.
What does Intel Desk cover?
Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, Russia–Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, NATO–Europe, and the energy, defence, sanctions and macro stories that attach to them. The live wire runs across squawk feeds, wire services, OSINT Telegram channels, specialist analysts, government releases and market data. A representative list of source categories is on the sources page.
Who is Intel Desk built for?
Energy and commodity traders with conflict-driven exposure: crude, LNG, tankers, FX, and precious metals. Also used by macro researchers, OSINT analysts, defence and sanctions specialists, and journalists covering the Middle East, Russia/Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific.
Can I add my own portfolio and watchlist?
Yes. Add your own tickers and keywords on the dashboard, and every relevant headline is auto-tagged against them. US, London and European equities, commodities, FX pairs and indices are supported. Critical alerts on watchlist instruments push email and browser notifications.
How does Intel Desk handle non-English sources?
Russian, Ukrainian, Farsi and Arabic sources are auto-translated into English before scoring, with the original text preserved on the item so the translation can be verified. Translations are intentionally literal and do not editorialise. The source is always labelled.
How does Intel Desk verify what it publishes?
Every event carries a reliability letter, A, B, or C. A means corroborated across at least two independent tiers. B means a single credible source, not yet confirmed. C is a single OSINT source worth watching but not yet standing on anything. The full verification chain is preserved on each item so you can make your own call. See methodology.
How much does Intel Desk cost?
Intel Desk is currently free in Early Access. Every feature on the desk, live wire, OSINT feeds, AIS vessel tracking, military aircraft feed, OFAC SDN screening and watchlist alerts, is included at no cost. Paid Desk and Team tiers are planned for 2026. Existing accounts will be grandfathered. Details on the pricing page.
Does Intel Desk store my trading data?
Intel Desk stores only the account data needed to run the service: your email, your watchlist, your alert preferences, and browser session tokens. It does not connect to brokerage accounts and does not store trading, brokerage or positions data. Full detail is in the privacy policy.
Who built Intel Desk?
An active energy and defence researcher who needed faster situational awareness than any terminal on the market could deliver. Intel Desk is built and run day-to-day against live markets and live conflicts, the features on the desk are the features the builder actually uses.