China has accelerated crude oil imports in March and April, but the increased purchases this spring aren’t necessarily a sign of recovering fuel demand in the world’s biggest crude importer. It’s more likely that Chinese refiners are aggressively stockpiling cheaper crude amid uncertainties about sanctioned barrels going forward, analysts say. …
Read More »EV Battery Giant Eyes $4 Billion in Hong Kong Share Issue
China’s CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker is scheduled to issue new shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange, eyeing proceeds of as much as $4 billion. This will make its issue the largest this year in Hong Kong, the Financial Times reported, citing a prospectus filed with …
Read More »Oil Prices Surge as U.S. and China Agree to Tariff Cuts
Oil jumped by 3% early on Monday after the United States and China agreed to slash tariffs on each other, easing concerns about global trade and the economy. As of 6:52 a.m. on Monday, the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, was up by 3.13% at $62.93. The international benchmark, Brent Crude, …
Read More »Oil Prices On Track for Weekly Gain as Market Expects U.S.-China Trade Talks
Oil prices are on track to post a weekly gain amid expectations that the first U.S. trade deal post-tariffs, with the UK, could be a good sign of thaw in the tense trade relations ahead of the U.S.-China talks this weekend. As of 9:45 a.m. EDT on Friday, the front-month …
Read More »The Trade War is already Hurting Oil Demand
Signs have emerged that the U.S.-China trade war is already hitting oil demand in the shipping and aviation sectors, and this weakness could soon move into the U.S. trucking business and reduce diesel demand. Container traffic from China to the United States is plummeting, while U.S. airlines warn of a …
Read More »Europe’s Natural Gas Prices Rise as China Hints at U.S. Trade Talks
European benchmark natural gas prices rose on Friday amid signals from China that it considers engaging in trade talks with the United States. A de-escalation of the tensions drove markets higher at the end of the week as traders and analysts weigh the possibility of less disruptive trade and lower …
Read More »China’s Solar Firms Struggle as Trade War Adds to Headwinds
As if China’s solar panels and equipment companies haven’t already been reeling from low product prices and overcapacity, the U.S.-China trade war and the triple-digit tariffs are adding insult to injury to the profitability of the Chinese solar manufacturing industry. All top Chinese solar equipment producers booked losses for the …
Read More »China’s Refiners and Coal Miners Struggle with Weak Demand and Overcapacity
Chinese coal producers and oil refiners are struggling with weaker profits compared to other industrial earnings amid an oversupply of coal and refined products in a weak demand environment. Demand for these commodities, as well as for steel, could be further dampened in the months ahead in the U.S.-China trade …
Read More »China Hits Oil Output Record
In January, China’s National Energy Administration said it was eyeing stable oil production of over 200 million tons in 2025. Two months later, oil production in the world’s largest importer of the commodity hit an all-time high of 4.6 million barrels daily, per official data. China is taking “Drill, baby, …
Read More »Sinopec Resumes Russian Crude Oil Purchases after Pause
Chinese state-controlled refining giant Sinopec has returned to buying Russian crude oil after halting purchases last month due to concerns about the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil trade and shadow tanker fleet imposed in January, trade sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Sinopec, the biggest refiner in Asia by processing capacity, …
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