OPEC predicted that fuel demand will remain “under pressure” during the second half of this year because of the ongoing economic fallout from the coronavirus, a day before ministers were due to assess world markets. While there will be a “gradual recovery” in the global economy, it won’t compensate for …
Read More »U.S. Shale’s Quick Response to Falling Oil Prices Is Paying Off
In brokering the end to the global oil-price war last month, the Trump administration assured leaders that America’s shale patch would throttle back production. But few expected that the cuts would run this deep — and happen so quickly. Drillers are laying down rigs and shutting in wells at a …
Read More »Word’s Biggest LNG Exporter Positioned to Risk a Harsh Battle that could Mimic Oil’s Plunge
Hemmed in by weak demand and scarce storage, the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas may soon face a stark choice: curb output or ignite a battle for market share that has the potential — just as in the oil market — to turn gas prices negative. Qatar began …
Read More »Crashing Oil Demand Drives a 17 MMbpd Global Output Cut in Q2
Consulting firm IHS Markit expects oil demand in the second quarter of 2020 to be 22 MMbpd less than a year ago.
Read More »Oil Demand Is Beginning a Slow, and Fragile, Recovery Worldwide
Few have a better watchtower over oil demand than Joe Gorder, chief executive officer of major U.S. refiner Valero Energy Corp. But this week Gorder didn’t even need his business insight to know that fuel consumption was starting to recover in America. He only needed to look at the streets …
Read More »Neptune Energy Makes Gas and Oil Discoveries in Germany
Neptune Energy announced two important hydrocarbon discoveries have been made in northwestern Germany.
Read More »Saudis Join Three Other OPEC+ Nations Cutting Output Early
Saudi Aramco began reducing oil production earlier this week ahead of the May 1 start date for OPEC+ output cuts, according to a Saudi industry official familiar with the matter. Aramco has begun to curtail production from about 12 million barrels a day to achieve the agreed level of 8.5 …
Read More »U.S. Halts Chevron in Venezuela with End to Sanctions Waivers
Chevron will be forced to effectively wind down its operations in Venezuela, dealing the Maduro regime’s crumbling oil industry another blow as U.S. President Donald Trump maneuvers for regime change in the Latin American nation. The U.S. Treasury Department will no longer allow the company to drill wells, sell and …
Read More »Trump Wants to Add 75 MMbbl to SPR, Considers Blocking Saudi Shipments
President Donald Trump said he wants to add as much as 75 million barrels of oil to the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, taking advantage of record low prices for crude, and that he’ll consider blocking imports of crude from Saudi Arabia. Oil is at “a level that’s very interesting to …
Read More »Too Late for OPEC+ Cuts to Save the Physical Oil Market
The physical oil market, where millions of barrels of real cargoes are traded each day, needed OPEC+’s historic cuts to global crude production months ago. On Sunday, producer nations pledged to limit output by an unprecedented 10% of global supply. While there’s skepticism the cuts will prove deep enough — …
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