As militants spilling over from Syria advance toward Baghdad, oil traders are jittery and market observers are trying to evaluate the level of risk posed to Iraq’s main southern oil export facilities. Analyst Michael Lynch proposed potential oil price scenarios that range from relatively minor geopolitical risk premiums to more severe spikes that could see… Keep reading →
Analysts and traders have their eyes trained on Iraq, where an Al Qaeda splinter group known as the Islamic State in Iraq in the Levant seized control of Mosul – the country’s second largest city – and have reportedly made advancements toward a strategic oil refining center. The main oil production export centers do not… Keep reading →
The US could run afoul of the WTO if LNG export approvals are not more quickly granted. “In a report commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers, he [James Bacchus] wrote, ‘The tables may be turned on the United States directly in the WTO, but also through other countries walking away from core principles that… Keep reading →
The US Department of Energy is conducting a test sale of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Five million barrels of sour crude are being offered for April, 2014 delivery from the West Hackberry and Big Hill sites on the US Gulf Coast. The sale is reportedly timed to coincide with US refiners’ annual… Keep reading →
The Saudis threatened to block fellow GCC member Qatar’s land and sea borders unless it cuts all Muslim Brotherhood ties, shuts down Al Jazeera and expels think tanks Brookings Doha Centre and the Rand Qatar Policy Institute. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha last week to protest Qatar’s Muslim Brotherhood support,… Keep reading →
Continental Resources’ Chariman and Chief Executive Harold Hamm will not lose his controlling interest in the company as a result of divorce proceedings, according to an Oklahoma District Court judge. Continental is one of the largest oil producers operating in the Bakken Shale and Hamm’s roughly 124 million shares in the company are estimated to… Keep reading →
The International Energy Agency’s December Oil Market Report considers the market reaction to last month’s interim agreement signed by Iran and the P5+1 nations. The OECD oil market watchdog says the oil market mostly took the deal in stride and numerous other factors are exerting greater pressure on oil price behavior than the six-month agreement… Keep reading →
The global oil market is a strange place indeed and the surge in US crude production coupled with outdated regulations are creating counterintuitive trade dynamics. A majority of US crude imports come from Canada – 2.5 million barrels per day in September according to EIA data – but now the US also exports more crude… Keep reading →
Four oil traders are claiming in a lawsuit that they can prove that BP, Statoil and Shell conspired with Morgan Stanley and trading firms such as Vitol to manipulate Brent crude prices. The traders say that the three oil companies placed orders to move markets, rather than buy crude. “Platts’ methodology ‘can be easily gamed… Keep reading →
Opinion: Lifting the Crude Export Ban; Real Discourse Gains Traction
By Chris FaulknerThe possibility of the Obama administration lifting the crude oil export embargo, to allow U.S. energy companies access to the world market, is finally a reality. Alaska Republican, and head of the Senate energy committee, Lisa Murkowski, drove the discussion this month when she called the ban “antiquated, and at times, absurd.” I couldn’t agree… Keep reading →