Hedge funds are pulling out of bets that crude oil prices will rise in the short to medium term. With the market currently well supplied, investors are increasingly taking futures and options positions that could be profitable if oil prices decline further. “Money managers cut net-long positions, or wagers on rising prices, for benchmark West… Keep reading →
By: Sri Jegarajah U.S. crude futures are on course for their fifth weekly loss, reflecting a build-up of domestic stockpiles while Brent crude may gain on concern of continued export disruptions from OPEC member Libya, CNBC’s latest market survey of traders, analysts and strategists showed. Broadly, two-thirds of the respondents in CNBC’s latest poll of… Keep reading →
The spread between benchmark crude oil prices for WTI and Brent recently widened to over $10 per barrel after reaching parity this past summer, and signals indicate this is partially due to an oversupplied US Gulf Coast refining center. It also suggests that equity investors might want to be wary of US Exploration & Production… Keep reading →
The US became a net-exporter of oil products like gasoline and diesel fuel in 2011 for the first time since 1949 and oil product exports have steadily increased since that point. US refiners found a new lease on life – after several East Coast refinery closures – by purchasing Bakken crude at a discount to… Keep reading →
As new infrastructure is constructed to move oil in and out of the US storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, the volume and quality of the crude stored at any given time is becoming increasingly difficult to calculate, confounding traders of benchmark WTI. [Reuters] Former EPA chief Lisa Jackson took a job promoting energy efficiency at… Keep reading →
India’s fuel subsidies are forcing domestic oil marketing companies to sell fuel below cost, costing three domestic retailers $76.6 million per day. “India imports more than 80% of the crude oil it requires, and with the rupee falling and crude prices rising, the cost of subsidized fuel is now threatening India’s efforts to rein in trade and… Keep reading →
Investment bank Simmons & Co is forecasting a tightening of the spread between the price of US crude benchmark West Texas Intermediate and global benchmark Brent over the course of the next year, lifted by a robust pace of infrastructure development that can for efficiently move domestically produced oil to market. And with production challenges… Keep reading →
Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July! Here’s what’s happening in energy news. West Texas Intermediate crude is trading near a 14-month high, spurred by unrest in Egypt and a sunny outlook for US economic growth. [Bloomberg] And Brent hit a three-month high today after Egypt’s army declared a state of emergency in areas… Keep reading →
Today the International Energy Agency released a World Energy Outlook special report: Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map, which highlights the need for intensive action before 2020. The analysts suggest 4 policy measures that can limit global temperature increase with no net economic cost. The US carbon market shows signs of life, with carbon credit prices hitting… Keep reading →
Where are Oil Prices Headed on Syria News?
By Jared AndersonGlobal benchmark oil prices crept up to two-year highs over the past week or so as tensions in the Middle East and North Africa flare. US intervention in Syria currently awaits a congressional vote, so what will that decision likely mean for near-term price trajectory? It appears the geopolitical risk premium is mostly factored in… Keep reading →