Washington’s relationship with Riyadh has always been focused on mutually-beneficial policies, while politely ignoring considerable societal differences. There have certainly been periods of ideological conflict, but the House of Saud and the Obama Administration currently find themselves very far apart on several important issues. And while leadership in Washington thus far appears relatively unconcerned –… Keep reading →
The Saudis are pumping oil near 32-year highs – north of 10 million barrels per day – and much short-term non-Opec supply growth is expected from Brazil where technically-challenging, deepwater, subsalt projects could experience delays, investment bank Simmons & Co. said in a recent note analyzing Oct’13 IEA Oil Market Report data. “For the time… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia’s early history dates back 15,000 to 20,000 years, but the modern Kingdom, founded on this day in 1932, has since become the most powerful Opec member and the world’s most influential oil exporter. “Since King Abdulaziz Al-Saud established the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, its transformation has been astonishing…On September 23,… Keep reading →
The US energy landscape today compared with 10 years ago is virtually unrecognizable, as the script with regard to import-dependent demand has been flipped to a potential export story. The seemingly moribund US natural gas industry characterized by decreasing reserves and production is now the apple of the world’s eye, with governments and private companies… Keep reading →
Ron Wyden, Democratic Senator from Oregon and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, grilled oil market experts today on why US consumers are not benefiting from higher US oil production via lower gasoline prices at the pump. Those experts indicated that whether or not they are aware of it, US consumers… Keep reading →
Crude oil is once again showing strength. So what’s behind this sudden demand for the black gold? First of all, we have seen some positive economic numbers come out of Washington. Second, seasonal factors are keeping many oil products in high demand, especially gasoline. If fact, gas demand has increased to more than 9 million… Keep reading →
As West Texas Intermediate crude prices surge on US fundamentals, geopolitical considerations and infrastructure bottleneck alleviation, the Brent-WTI spread is now razor thin. The US benchmark’s discount to Brent fell to less than $2 per barrel for the first time since 2010 – WTI’s price climbed to 15-month highs – as crude for August delivery… Keep reading →
Financial regulators approved more rules Wednesday that they say will limit speculation in financial and commodities markets through derivative investments, to reduce the risk of another financial crisis and future taxpayer bailouts.
Among other things, the new rules determine which banks, Wall Street firms, hedge funds and energy companies will be designated swap dealers or “major swap participants” under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation. Keep reading →
China’s growing thirst for oil will leave the rest of the world scrambling for supply, oil could soon face a competitor it never expected and the US has no free market for energy. These are just a few of the provocative ideas former Shell Oil President John Hofmeister shared at a recent New York Energy Forum meeting.
Upon retiring from Shell Oil – the US subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell – in 2008, Hofmeister founded the non-profit nationwide membership association Citizens for Affordable Energy. The group is dedicated to promoting sound US energy security solutions that include a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improvements, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policies and public energy issue education. Keep reading →
President Obama ratcheted up the pressure on Iran Friday, deciding to implement previously announced sanctions that will be the toughest to date.
The decision declares that world oil markets can be adequately supplied even if a significant portion of Iran’s 2.2 million barrels a day in oil exports is taken off the table. Keep reading →
