As global benchmark oil prices on Wednesday reached lows not seen since the wake of the economic crisis in 2009, Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali al-Naimi responded to reporters’ questions with some of his own. The world’s most important oil minister held his ground reiterating that the oil market will correct itself without Opec interference.… Keep reading →
The oil market is filled with winners and losers. When oil prices decline, refiners generally win as their feedstock is less expensive, but producers lose as they get less money for their product. This highlights the attraction of vertical integration – operating both upstream production and downstream refining – which can insulate companies from oil… Keep reading →
Oil market observers will take a break from their Turkey preparations this Thursday to see whether Opec producers decide to cut oil output in a bid to stabilize prices. The meeting being held in Vienna will be long over by the time folks in the US sit down to Thanksgiving dinner. But there is no… Keep reading →
While the current focus is on declining oil prices – which hit four-year lows yesterday – the longer-term oil market picture could feature downward supply pressure and a demand surge that forces prices right back up, according to IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook 2014. The agency cautions against allowing current supply/demand fundamentals to breed complacency.… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia’s oil minister Ali al-Naimi has not spoken publically since September 11, but when he broke his silence today, the market was left with little evidence regarding Saudi oil policy going forward. Al-Naimi did take the opportunity to shoot down speculation that Opec members were in the midst of a price war. The price… Keep reading →
Flow battery technology could soon outcompete single-cycle gas-fired turbines according to a new study. “By 2018 the cost of ViZn Energy’s 4-hour storage solution, which was selected by Energy Strategies Group as a proxy for the lowest cost multi-hour storage solutions currently being commercialized, is projected to be $974 per kW, nearly identical to that of… Keep reading →
Benchmark oil prices took a nose dive today, with both WTI and Brent shedding their recent gains. Prompt-month WTI dipped into $75 per barrel territory on a combination of weak economic outlooks and supply/demand fundamentals. The other big news impacting WTI was Saudi Aramco’s price cut to the crude oil grades it exports into the… Keep reading →
With all eyes on the global crude oil market due to recent price declines, analysts and investors are frantically searching for the bottom, with some expecting a continued plunge. While there could still be some short-term volatility and downward pressure, Barclays’ analysts see oil prices strengthening by mid to late 2015. Crude oil futures prices… Keep reading →
In one of the more honest assessments of current Saudi Arabian oil policy, Rice University’s Jim Krane said there are several plausible reasons behind the Saudis’ apparently sanguine approach to falling global oil prices, but only a few within the Kingdom really know. “If you’re somebody who looks at geopolitics and energy, you could come… Keep reading →
Alarmist media reports regarding oil’s foray into bear market territory could easily leave you thinking the oil industry is gasping its last breath. It certainly is not, as companies involved in the global oil complex are accustomed to commodity price volatility and most have experienced similar, if not worse, market corrections. In fact, over the… Keep reading →
