Tag Archives: The National

Iraq’s economy shrank by 11.2 per cent last year – the country’s worst performance since 2003 – as it dealt with the twin shocks of low oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Institute of International Finance. These two factors, combined with ongoing political instability in the country, …

India’s energy demand is poised to bounce back as Asia’s third-largest economy reopens for business, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. The country’s consumption of petrol, gas oil and cooking gas in October “exceeded the figures of last year”, said Mr Pradhan during the online Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and …

Total trimmed its 2020 investment target on Friday after a sharp drop in third-quarter net profit, though the French oil and gas producer maintained its dividend. The company cut its investment target to $13 billion from $14bn and said it was keeping a lid on operating costs too, even as …

Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday as a jump in US crude inventories and surging Covid-19 cases raised fears of an oversupply of oil and weak fuel demand amid rising coronavirus cases in the US and Europe. Brent, the international benchmark for more than half of the world’s crude, slipped …

Turkey has extended until mid-September a controversial east Mediterranean gas exploration mission that has put it at odds with Greece and the rest of the EU. Ankara deployed the Oruc Reis research vessel and warships to the disputed waters on August 10 and prolonged the mission twice. Greece responded by …

OPEC notes in its August report that spot crude oil prices rose in July in the third consecutive monthly increase, averaging $43.42 per barrel. Reuters In the middle of the third quarter, investors momentarily shrugged off coronavirus fears and bumped up crude oil prices after being encouraged by rising demand …

Venezuela’s long-suffering oil industry is ramping up exports even as production continues its inexorable slide. Exports of crude oil, the commodity that bankrolls the regime of President Nicolas Maduro, are set to reach a four-month high of at least 325,000 barrels a day in August, largely because of diesel-for-crude swaps …

As lower oil prices and a coronavirus-driven downturn batter Iraq’s economy, availability of safe water is eroding and could fuel greater tensions, security experts warned on Wednesday. Hospitalisations due to worsening contamination from sewage, agricultural runoff and chemical dumping are high, especially in southern Iraq, and families now reliant on …

US futures surged past $30 per barrel for the first time in two months as OPEC+ output cuts and production shut-ins among independent producers rebalanced a market hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. West Texas Intermediate, the key US gauge, was up 4.52 per cent at $30.76 per barrel. Brent, …

World wars, depression and flu pandemics have hit oil demand before, but never has the industry faced the sudden disappearance of a fifth of its market. The suddenness and depth of the coronavirus-caused decline has gone beyond a matter of economics to one of physical reality. As the oil business …