The appointment of Senator. Lisa Murkowski as Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will have a major impact on U.S. Energy Policy particularly in relation the Keystone XL Pipeline, hydraulic fracturing, air quality regulations and LNG Export development. Murkowski emerged victorious from the Alaska Senate race and will ensure these issues become a… 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 →
The NRDC released a report that finds Chinese bunker fuel emissions are a serious and often “overlooked” problem. “With ships allowed to burn fuel with much higher sulfur levels than permitted in on-road diesel, one container ship cruising along the coast of China emits as much diesel fuel pollution as 500,000 new Chinese trucks in… 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 →
This article reevaluates Opec’s power to control the global oil market and focuses on a political scientist’s research that suggests the cartel’s strength has been overblown for years. “But a closer look at OPEC’s real influence over the oil market suggests that we’re making a huge mistake about its global power, says Brown University political… Keep reading →
The downward trend in global oil prices that garnered so much attention – and hyperbole – over the past couple of weeks also revived interest in the US crude oil export conversation. The million dollar question with regard to US oil exports is how additional volumes of US crude on the global market would impact… Keep reading →
While oil prices have stabilized for the moment and associated doomsday scenarios have slowed, here’s a detailed analysis of the interplay between various commodity prices and some of the investment decisions petrochemical companies, producers and LNG businesses face. “Indeed, even international buyers of natural gas were aggressively pursuing hub based gas pricing contracts with view… Keep reading →
Analysts and investors are trying to figure out the point at which oil prices fall too low for Venezuela to continue servicing its debt. The country’s export revenues are 95% oil reliant. “But this week’s fall in the oil price has further fomented worries of a possible default, pushing up Venezuelan bond yields to more than 18… 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 →
