China
News
March 19, 2021
Even as problems with Europe’s vaccine program and a slowdown in Chinese crude buying sent futures down more than 7% on Thursday, data from around the world showed a steady, albeit patchy, recovery in demand.
News
March 19, 2021
The sell-off will prove to be “transient” and this week’s decline presents a buying opportunity amid the large rally, Goldman Sachs Group analyst Damien Courvalin said in a note. There’ll still be a swift rebalancing of the market, with vaccinations driving an increase in mobility, he said. UBS Group AG also stuck with its positive outlook for Brent.
News
March 18, 2021
Futures have backtracked since Brent rallied above $71 a barrel and U.S. crude topped $67 earlier this month. China has muted its buying, touching off physical-market weakness in Asia, and a shaky Covid-19 vaccine rollout in parts of the world spells trouble for a complete demand recovery in the short term.
News
March 18, 2021
One of the fastest-growing corners of China’s energy market is facing a potentially devastating blow as Xi Jinping’s government increases scrutiny of high-emission fuels.
News
March 15, 2021
Figures from China for the first two months of the year showed a surge in industrial output, underscoring the strength of its V-shaped rebound and reinforcing expectations for increased energy demand.
News
March 11, 2021
Chinese imports of Iranian crude will hit 856,000 barrels a day in March, the most in almost two years and up 129% from last month, said Kevin Wright, a Singapore-based analyst with Kpler.
News
March 10, 2021
Oil production across American shale patches next year is expected to climb as producers take advantage of a price recovery, according to a government report.
News
March 08, 2021
Saudi Arabia said a storage tank at Ras Tanura in the country’s Gulf coast was attacked on Sunday by a drone from the sea. The terminal is capable of exporting roughly 6.5 million barrels a day -- nearly 7% of oil demand -- and as such one of the world’s most protected installations.
News
March 05, 2021
Oil rallied toward $70 a barrel after OPEC+ chose not to relax supply curbs even as the global economy pulls out of its pandemic-driven slump, confounding widespread expectations the group would loosen the taps.
News
March 05, 2021
The surprise move by OPEC+ to maintain oil supply restrictions through April, coupled with Saudi Arabia’s decision to extend voluntary curbs, has stunned the global energy market. Prices surged again on Friday, with West Texas Intermediate topping $65 a barrel, and Brent climbing above $68.
News
February 26, 2021
Last year’s crash in oil prices and China’s rapid rebound from the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic set the stage for a flurry of crude purchases. However, stockpiling has leveled off as oil prices rebounded and storage space runs out.
News
February 23, 2021
Oil has surged this year after Saudi Arabia pledged to unilaterally cut 1 million barrels a day in February and March, with Goldman Sachs Group predicting the crude rally will accelerate as demand outpaces global supply.
News
February 20, 2021
Prepayment deals are rare in the oil world and this was meant to improve Iraq’s financial situation. While the government is still struggling, its position has improved on soaring oil prices, largely thanks to the rollout of coronavirus vaccines.
News
February 10, 2021
While prices continue to surge, some of the biggest moves in the past day have come at the front of the futures curve. Brent’s nearest timespread has surged -- a key sign of market tightness -- while key swaps tied to the physical North Sea market have also increased amid frenzied trading of derivatives late Tuesday.
News
February 08, 2021
It’s another milestone in a stellar comeback from the biggest demand destruction in a generation after the pandemic forced countries to lock down, devastated economies and grounded planes. West Texas Intermediate futures increased 0.3% on Tuesday, rising every day this month and taking gains to 11%.
News
February 05, 2021
2020's economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus was the worst the petroleum industry has ever seen. Fuel demand crashed by a fifth, prices slumped below zero, and more than a billion surplus barrels poured into storage tanks worldwide. In spite of all this, oil is posting a remarkable 2021 recovery.
News
February 05, 2021
Crude prices have soared since early November on optimism Covid-19 vaccines will restore energy demand and deep supply cuts by OPEC and Russia. Yet many major economies remain in strict lockdowns and some are struggling to source enough vaccine doses.
News
February 03, 2021
Inventories capped a seventh weekly decline last week, dropping to 990 million barrels, according to market intelligence firm Kayrros.
News
February 03, 2021
Tighter crude supplies are bringing traders flocking back to the oil market. Holdings of WTI futures contracts are now at their highest level since April, having jumped by the equivalent of more than 235 million barrels so far this year.
News
February 01, 2021
“There’s a sense that normalcy will occur and it’s looking more certain,” boosting the outlook for oil demand, said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research. Meanwhile, “the Saudi production cuts start today, and people are focused on falling inventories and how the market is tightening.”
News
January 25, 2021
The cat-and-mouse games that avoid detection and sanctions include ship-to-ship transfers, shell companies and silenced satellite signals. But there’s another aspect to the dodge. It involves “doping” the oil with chemical additives and changing its name in the paperwork so it can be sold as a wholly different crude without a trace of its Venezuelan roots.
