Tag: oil markets

November 9, 2018

So, U.S. sanctions on Iran were fully implemented on Monday, fully but not completely, rather as Miracle Max in “The Princess Bride” says “mostly dead is a little alive.” Waivers were granted to eight major customers of Iran that will […]

November 6, 2018

A U.S. economic sledgehammer is falling on the Islamic Republic of Iran and global energy markets couldn’t care less – at least for now. Brent crude oil futures are up a meager $0.62 from their $72.61 open – bringing the […]

August 2, 2018

Oil markets don’t need more uncertainty right now. There’s plenty of concern already about crude oil supply disruptions to make the market skittish. But looming regulations mandating the use of marine low-sulfur diesel fuel in global shipping are a coming […]

July 10, 2018

If President Donald Trump is not the most significant player in global oil markets today, he’s at least its biggest wild card. Tweets savaging OPEC, U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, and a precarious trade policy that threatens the health […]

June 28, 2018

It hasn’t even been a week, but it’s already apparent that OPEC’s recent move to increase production won’t be enough to curb oil prices from climbing higher. Global benchmark Brent is already driving toward $80 a barrel again, and $90 […]

May 14, 2018

Here are four big factors influencing the domestic oil and gas industry as the week begins: The rig count continues to escalate steadily. The DrillingInfo daily rig count sits at 1105 as of May 13, up 25 from two weeks […]

May 9, 2018

Washington’s decision to reinstate Iranian sanctions is likely to slowly cut off a chunk of the world’s crude supply—a shift that could redraw global supply lines and require Iran’s big customers to find alternative sources. The Trump administration’s move rattled […]

April 25, 2018

Sometimes a tweet is just a tweet. But with the current president of the United States, you never know. That’s why oil markets shouldn’t ignore President Trump’s recent anti-OPEC missive on Twitter. “Looks like OPEC is at it again. With […]

January 10, 2018

Oil prices hit their highest levels since 2014 on Wednesday, showing that oil production cuts by major producers are working and demand remains robust. But there are plenty of wildcards that oil markets could confront in 2018, according to a […]

January 5, 2018

A recent post talked about how the oil price might collapse this year, and what factors would cause that. In this post, the potential for a price spike and what might be behind it will be enumerated. Because, as those […]

November 16, 2017

While crude demand will grow over the long-term, vast US reserves and lower cost production will keep a lid on prices, says the International Energy Agency The need to replace existing oil reserves, if nothing else, is likely to keep […]

August 21, 2017

An oil pump jack in the oil town of Gonzales, Texas. Oil markets were stable on Monday, largely holding on to Friday’s big gains even though rising U.S. output weighed on hopes the market will tighten after a 13 percent […]

July 14, 2017

Oil markets dipped on Friday, pulled down by high fuel inventories and improving industry efficiency, but were still on track for a solid weekly gain. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were down 7 cents, or 0.1 percent, […]

June 9, 2017

An oil market that loses 4% on a day when Islamic State (IS) attacks Iran’s parliament, Tehran blames Riyadh, and Donald Trump tweets his support as Saudi Arabia tries to humiliate another Gulf state is entering unusual territory. Bears still […]

March 21, 2017

Oil experts are deeply divided in their views on the future of what is still the world’s key commodity. This divergence was on display at last week’s CERA Conference in Houston, which brought together industry executives, consultants, media, and government […]

January 31, 2017

The falls reflect a sentiment that efforts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut output by almost 1.8 barrel per day (bpd) in order to end overproduction were so far not big enough to offset […]

October 27, 2016

Short positions in West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures contracts held by producers or merchants totaled more than 540,000 contracts as of October 11, 2016, the most since 2007, according to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission […]

October 6, 2016

The global oil production picture is still highly fluid, particularly with promises for a cut to OPEC production while some OPEC members (Nigeria, Libya, Iran) could actually ramp up output. But while output figures are more difficult to pin down, […]

September 23, 2016

OPEC talked up an oil price rally in August by floating the possibility of a freeze deal, but has since all but admitted that nothing would come of the Algeria meeting, at least not right away. In any event, a […]

June 16, 2016

Some analysts are taking a brighter view of some U.S. drillers as consensus grows around the idea that supply and demand in oil markets will balance out sooner than expected. Crude prices have recovered about 85 percent to roughly $50 […]