Following the horrific events that transpired in Paris last Friday evening, the world’s eyes have turned on the salient global threat of ISIS. The group’s rise to prominence has been well documented given their barbaric attacks on Westerners kidnapped in Iraq and Syria. They have also claimed responsibility for the bombing of a commercial Russian… Keep reading →
Oil and gas deals between China and Iran are set to change. Last week, several news agencies in the region, including the Iran Daily and Trend News Agency said that Iran and China have agreed that China would pay in cash for the oil and gas it buys from Iran. China is currently the biggest… Keep reading →
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has decided to maintain its production levels for at least another six months, Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told reporters Friday. The cartel maintained its collective output production level at 30 million barrels per day, which could continue to weigh on oil prices this year, as oversupply… Keep reading →
State-controlled Saudi Aramco adjusted its official crude oil selling prices in response to changing oil market dynamics. The company left Arab Light prices unchanged for Asian customers, while it increased prices for destinations in Europe and the US where demand appears to be picking up. The summer cooling season in Saudi Arabia is expected to… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, recently said again that OPEC will not take sole responsibility for supporting global oil prices. Since the collapse in oil prices this past year, OPEC has attempted to convince non-OPEC oil producers to cooperate on production and prices, but with little success. “Today the situation is hard. We tried, we… Keep reading →
What time is it? Credit: Shutterstock Many analysts agree that as US oil companies pullback capital spending, lay down rigs and drill fewer new wells, production will inevitably decline, supply and demand fundamentals will rebalance and oil prices will increase. But that’s where the agreement ends. International benchmark crude oil prices have recovered a bit… Keep reading →
With the global oil market currently oversupplied to the tune of an estimated 2 million barrels per day, oil producer group Opec has struggled to formulate an effective strategy aside from “let the market sort it out.” For decades Opec played a price-setting role by increasing production to boost supply when prices were deemed too… Keep reading →
With the global oil market in a situation where futures contract prices are higher than prevailing prices – known by traders as contango – there is an incentive to purchase crude now and hold it until oil prices recover. Indeed, the world’s largest trading houses have been chartering tankers and shares of oil tanker companies… Keep reading →
Recovery from the dramatic supply-driven oil price slide of 1986 took 5 years. Will the current cycle follow the same pattern? This piece plays a bit of Monday morning quarterback and suggests that if Saudi/Opec did more to moderate prices over the past 6 years the current supply glut could have been avoided. [Bloomberg via… Keep reading →
Oil Industry Shakes Off Bane of Gluttony by End of 2015
By Kim J. BradySix-year-low oil prices, excess supply and debt woes among U.S. producers will change the oil and gas industry, but in no certain, or short, order. To paint a clear picture of what the oil and gas industry will look like by the end of 2015 would be an exercise in futility. The only thing we… Keep reading →