Oil

Saudi Arabia and Russia are considering extending the agreement to potentially cover all of next year.

Oil will trade at $50 to $60 a barrel for the ``medium term.`` the IMF said.

Imports to Japan. which announced official figures on Tuesday. were down by more than 30 percent at a bit less than 216.000 bpd.

Confidence in the oil market is evident in the way financial traders have positioned themselves.

Azar. with an extraction rate of 16%. is one of the joint fields with Iraq. along with Dehloran. West Paydar. Naft-Shahr. Azadegan and Yadavaran.

On Friday. Kurdish and Iraqi pro-government forces which had fought battles as Baghdad took over Kirkuk and other disputed areas announced a ceasefire.

Shahdaei is the Islamic Republic'.s first woman deputy oil minister.

France'.s Total signed a $4.8-billion contract in July to develop the South Pars Gas Field.

Exports to Europe are set to drop 39 percent to 510.000 bpd in October from a month earlier. Exports to the Middle East will hold at 111.000 bpd.

Total. Gazprom. Schlumberger. Pertamina and Petronas are among the oil majors studying Iran'.s hydrocarbon reservoirs.