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☆ Russia saw its oil revenue double in April despite Western sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's oil revenue soared by 90% in April compared to the previous year, Bloomberg reported. The rise comes as sanctions have struggled to curb Russian energy flows since the war in Ukraine began. AdvertisementThe major funding sources for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine — the country's oil and gas revenues —doubled in April despite sanctions. Bloomberg data also indicates Moscow will see approximately $126 billion in oil and gas tax revenue in 2024. That said, Bloomberg reported that April's oil and gas revenue to Russia's budget still dropped by about 6.4% compared to March, primarily due to substantial subsidies to the nation's fuel producers.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Bloomberg Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Russia's Federal Tax Service, Bloomberg Economics Locations: Ukraine, Russia's, Russia, Moscow, China, India, Persian

☆ Oil prices edge down as Russia lifts supplies, jet fuel demand stirs caution
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices edged down early on Tuesday after gaining in the previous trading session, due in part to the prospect of rising supply from Russia as well as the possibility of slower-than-expected downstream demand in sectors such as jet fuel. The Brent crude oil futures contract for May delivery slipped 16 cents to $86.73 a barrel as at 0300 GMT, whereas that for U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 13 cents to $82.03. Regarding Russia, supply concern stemming from increased exports following Ukrainian attacks on the country's oil infrastructure continued to pressure prices downward. Global jet fuel prices are likely to be "higher by 5.4% over our previous forecast to USD111/bbl as soft demand is expected to give way to peak summer travel and stronger prices", BMI analysts wrote in a client note. "However, a global economic slowdown will temper consumption of air travel and weigh on jet fuel prices limiting price upside," they added.

Persons: JP Morgan Organizations: Brent, U.S . West Texas, U.S ., Global, bbl, BMI Locations: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, China

☆ How Russia has avoided bankrupting itself after 2 years of waging war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

1: By waging war outside its own bordersOne critical reason Russia's economy is still ticking is because of the location of the war. AdvertisementConsider the impact of the war on the economies of both Russia and Ukraine. In 2022, the first year of the war, Russia's economy contracted 1.2%, according to official statistics. Russia was facing a demographic crisis with a declining population and falling fertility rate even before its war with Ukraine. 4: By stimulating and steadying its economy with subsidies and policiesGovernment subsidies, spending, and policies are also propping up Russia's economy.

Persons: —, Hassan Malik, Loomis Sayles, it's, Malik, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Guriev, Malik isn't, Alex Isakov, Putin, Alexandra Prokopenko Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, US, Exchange, European Bank for Reconstruction, Bloomberg Economics, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies Locations: Russia, Moscow, Boston, Crimea, Ukraine, Russian, China, India, Austrian

☆ World's largest sovereign wealth fund posts record $213 billion profit, boosted by tech stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Norway's giant sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday reported record profit of 2.22 trillion kroner ($213 billion) in 2023, supported by robust returns on its investments in technology stocks. "Despite high inflation and geopolitical turmoil, the equity market in 2023 was very strong, compared to a weak year in 2022," Nicolai Tangen, chief executive of Norges Bank Investment Management, said in a statement. Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of the country's oil and gas sector. Last year, Norges Bank Investment Management said its return on equity investments was 21.3%, its return on fixed income investments came in at 6.1%, while investments in unlisted real estate returned -12.4%. The fund said a negative year for its unlisted real estate investments was due to rising interest rates and subdued demand.

Persons: Nicolai Tangen, Norges Bank Investment Management's Tangen Organizations: Fund, Norges Bank Investment Management, Technology, Norges Bank Investment Locations: America, China

☆ How Guyana's big oil boom turned it into the world's fastest-growing economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Anuz Thapa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Guyana, a tiny South American nation home to more than 800,000 people, made big headlines in December. "What has happened is that it's been exacerbated by the discovery of oil (in Guyana)," said Dr. Terrence Blackman, founder and CEO at Guyana Business Journal. The 2015 oil discovery made Guyana the world's fastest-growing economy, recording the world's highest real GDP growth rate in 2022 and 2023. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, but that hasn't stopped its economy from collapsing since Maduro took power in 2013. Watch the video above to dive deep into Guyana's oil economy, its ongoing escalation with Venezuela, what the country's oil means for the U.S. and more.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, it's, Terrence Blackman, hasn't, Maduro, Venezuela doesn't, Valerie Marcel, Gregory Brew Organizations: Guyana Business, New Producers Group, Eurasia Group, U.S Locations: Guyana, American, Venezuela, Essequibo, United States, South America

☆ Russia has burned through almost half of the liquid reserves in its national wealth fund as it bleeds money amid the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewThe stash of liquid assets in Russia's national wealth fund has fallen over 44% since Moscow invaded Ukraine, according to a Bloomberg report of Russian finance ministry data on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the national wealth fund's total holdings tumbled 12% over the same period. The massive slump in the national wealth fund's liquid assets came as its holdings in Russian companies and in infrastructure bonds surged by 2 trillion rubles, per Bloomberg calculations. AdvertisementRussia's finance ministry also used around 3 trillion rubles from the fund to cover its budget deficit in 2023 after it doubled defense spending in the same period. Alex Isakov, an economist at Bloomberg Economics, said Russia's national wealth fund's liquid assets will last for another year or two if the country's oil export prices fall below $50 a barrel.

Persons: —, Alex Isakov Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Business, National, Bloomberg Economics Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Russia's, Israel

☆ Israel-linked hackers claim cyberattack that hit 70% of Iran's gas stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Iranian state TV cited the country's Oil Minister Javad Owji saying that outside interference was a possible cause after 70% of Iran's gas stations were hit by service disruptions, according to Reuters. "We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran. Gonjeshke Darande has claimed responsibility for previous cyberattacks on Iran, including on one of the country's major steel companies in June 2022. These cyber-attacks [are] being carried out carefully to protect innocent individuals," Gonjeshke Darande wrote in a Telegram post at the time. As for the Monday hit to Iran's gas stations, the country's civil defense agency said an investigation was underway and that it was still examining all possible causes for the disruption.

Persons: Hossein Beris, HOSSEIN BERIS, that's, Javad Owji, Gonjeshke, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Darande, Gonjeshke Darande Organizations: Getty, country's Oil, Reuters, Islamic, Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Tehran, Iran, Israel, Persian, Islamic Republic

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - OPEC+ is looking at deepening oil production cuts despite its policy meeting being postponed to this Thursday amid a quota disagreement between some producers, an OPEC+ source said on Monday. An OPEC+ source said he expected there to be an option for a "collective further reduction" on Thursday, without providing details. OPEC+ sources earlier this month said the group was set to consider additional cuts. OPEC member Kuwait is committed to any decisions issued by OPEC, especially those that concern market quotas and oil production, the country's oil ministry said in a post on social media platform X. This will be followed at 1400 GMT by a meeting of the full policy-making group of OPEC+ ministers, the agenda showed.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger, Ahmad Ghaddar, Alex Lawler, Louise Heavens, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Christina Fincher Organizations: Organization, REUTERS, of, Petroleum, Reuters, OPEC, Thomson Locations: OPEC's, Vienna, Austria, OPEC, Russia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

Washington in mid-October issued a general license lifting through April sanctions on the country's oil production and exports. POLICY SHIFTThe U.S. imposed sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry to try to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whose 2018 re-election it considers a sham. In the last three weeks, PDVSA has signed new term deals to sell products, including fuel oil and asphalt cement with little known firms. LINING UPShortly after sanctions were eased last month, Trafigura chartered a vessel to pick up a fuel oil cargo at a Venezuelan port. The firm that won the offer is Romania-registered Ke Lo Ke Mgmt, PDVSA documents seen by Reuters showed.

Persons: Marco Bello, Nicolas Maduro's, PDVSA, Nicolas Maduro, Joe Biden's, Trafigura, Lo, Ke Lo Ke, Gunvor, Marianna Parraga, Gary McWilliams, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Gunvor, Reuters, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, HOUSTON, Washington, U.S, Venezuela, PDVSA, Venezuelan, Romania

Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. Brent crude futures closed below $84 a barrel for the first time since Hamas Islamists' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. A recovery in oil exports from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries also added to the pressure on oil prices, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said. On the demand side, China's crude oil imports in October showed robust growth but its total exports of goods and services contracted at a quicker pace than expected. "There are concerns in the oil markets about both rising supply and sliding demand," said Mizuho analyst Robert Yawger.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Powell, Craig Erlam, Giovanni Staunovo, Staunovo, Brent, Fiona Cincotta, Neel Kashkari, Jerome Powell, Robert Yawger, It's, Shariq Khan, Trixie Yap, Yuka Obayashi, David Gregorio, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, bbl, BENGALURU, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Traders, Organization of Petroleum, UBS, U.S . Energy Information Administration, ., Minneapolis Federal, Investors, Thomson Locations: Midland , Texas, Israel, U.S, Bengaluru, Singapore, Tokyo

☆ World’s largest sovereign wealth fund loses $34 billion as all asset classes fall in third quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Norway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, on Tuesday reported losses of 2.1% in the third quarter, as all asset classes fell in value. The fund last reported a quarterly loss one year ago. "The stock market saw a weaker quarter compared to the two previous quarters," Trond Grande, deputy chief executive of Norges Bank Investment Management, said in a statement. Norway's gigantic sovereign wealth fund was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of the country's oil and gas sector. The fund reported a quarterly loss of 3.3% on its investments in unlisted real estate, while the third-quarter loss on its renewable energy infrastructure investments came in at 2.4%.

Persons: Trond Grande Organizations: Fund Global, Norges Bank Investment Management

☆ Oil spikes as Middle East strife heightens supply concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub, appearing to run out of space to contain a historic supply glut that has hammered prices, in Cushing, Oklahoma, March 24, 2016. Brent crude futures were up $1.33, or about 1.5%, to $91.23 a barrel at 1231 GMT. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) futures were up $1.28, or roughly 1.5%, at $87.94 a barrel. "This turn of diplomatic fortunes again garners fear of conflict spread and therefore the leap in oil," said John Evans of oil broker PVM. Elsewhere in the Saudi city of Jeddah, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian urged members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to impose an oil embargo on Israel.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Brent, Jordan, Biden, Joe Biden, John Evans, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Vivek Dhar, Harry Murphy Cruise, Natalie Grover, Arathy, Muyu Xu, Lincoln, Jason Neely, Elaine Hardcastle, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, West Texas, U.S, Hamas, Iranian, of Islamic Cooperation, Reuters, Israel Hamas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, American Petroleum Institute, Golden, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, Iran, Israel, OPEC, U.S, Gaza, Gaza City, Saudi, Jeddah

Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub, appearing to run out of space to contain a historic supply glut that has hammered prices, in Cushing, Oklahoma, March 24, 2016. In earlier trade, both benchmarks gained more than $2 to touch their highest levels in two weeks. Jordan then cancelled a summit it was to host with U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian and Palestinian leaders. "A long occupation looms as the scenario that pushes Brent oil futures above $US100/bbl because it raises the risk that the Israel Hamas conflict expands and potentially draws in Iran directly," Dhar said. Also supporting oil prices, U.S. crude stocks fell by about 4.4 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 13, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Jordan, Joe Biden, Biden, Vivek Dhar, Dhar, Harry Murphy Cruise, Arathy Somesekhar, Muyu Xu, Sonali Paul, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, West Texas, U.S, Israel Hamas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Israel, Hamas, American Petroleum Institute, Golden, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, Iran, China

Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub, appearing to run out of space to contain a historic supply glut that has hammered prices, in Cushing, Oklahoma, March 24, 2016. Jordan then cancelled a summit it was to host with U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian and Palestinian leaders. "A long occupation looms as the scenario that pushes Brent oil futures above $US100/bbl because it raises the risk that the Israel Hamas conflict expands and potentially draws in Iran directly," Dhar said. Also supporting oil prices, U.S. crude stocks fell by about 4.4 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 13, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Interest rate hikes to curb inflation can slow economic growth and reduce oil demand.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Jordan, Joe Biden, Biden, Vivek Dhar, Dhar, Harry Murphy Cruise, Arathy Somesekhar, Muyu Xu, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, West Texas, U.S, Israel Hamas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Israel, Hamas, American Petroleum Institute, Golden, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, Iran, China

WASHINGTON (AP) — In response to Venezuela’s government and a faction of its opposition formally agreeing to work together to reach a series of basic conditions for the next presidential election, the U.S. agreed Wednesday to temporarily suspend some sanctions on the country's oil, gas and gold sectors. Tuesday's agreement between President Nicolás Maduro’s administration and the Unitary Platform came just days before the opposition holds a primary to pick its candidate for the 2024 presidential election. The ban on trading in the primary Venezuelan bond market remains in place, Treasury says. We stand with the Venezuelan people and support Venezuelan democracy,” he said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. and the international community “will closely follow implementation of the electoral roadmap, and the U.S. government will take action if commitments under the electoral roadmap and with respect to political prisoners are not met.”

Persons: Nicolás, Minerven, Brian E, Nelson, ”, Antony Blinken Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Treasury, U.S Locations: U.S, Treasury's, United States, Venezuela, Venezuelan

☆ Oil falls more that $1 a barrel on Venezuela deal hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"The reported deal ... would help to raise the country's oil output from very depressed levels," said William Jackson, chief emerging markets economist for Capital Economics. Monday's falling prices appeared to "a breather to take in events in the Middle East" as opposed to expected production increases in Venezuela, said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates. "Negotiations with Venezuela could lead to a surge in exports of crude oil that is already in inventory," Lipow said. "It's more of the same on Monday in terms of the conflict in the Middle East being contained from affecting crude oil supplies," said John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital LLC. Heightened tensions in the Middle East may have compounded other risk factors to push prices higher last week, market sources said.

Persons: William Jackson, Jackson, Andrew Lipow, Lipow, John Kilduff, Vladimir Putin, Putin, John Evans Organizations: U.S . West Texas, Capital Economics, Brent, Lipow Oil Associates, Traders, Hamas, LLC, U.S Locations: U.S, Venezuela, Israel, Venezuelan, Gaza, Russia, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Moscow, Russian, Saudi

Reuters reported in July that Indian refiners began using yuan to pay for some oil from Russian sellers, while continuing to use dollars and dirhams to settle most of their Russian oil purchases. Indian refiners buy most of their Russian oil from traders, while making some direct purchases from Russian entities. State-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), the country's top refiner, has used yuan and other currencies to pay for Russian oil, Reuters reported previously. Private Indian refiners have continued to pay in yuan and other currencies for Russian oil imports, sources said, with most Indian purchases of Russian oil paid in dirham. Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL and the country's oil and finance ministries did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments.

Persons: Tatiana Meel, Nidhi Verma, Tony Munroe, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Reuters, Gazprom Neft, Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Nakhodka Bay, Nakhodka, Russia, DELHI, India, Moscow, Ukraine, United States, dirhams, Gazprom, dirham, Hong Kong, China

Exxon Mobil logo and stock graph are seen through a magnifier displayed in this illustration taken September 4, 2022. Exxon shares were down 1.6%Friday's gains leave the stock short of the offer, as it is possible that the two companies will not reach an agreement. If the negotiations conclude successfully, an agreement between Exxon and Pioneer could be reached in the coming days, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing three sources. "Pioneer is the Permian's largest operator at 9% of gross production while Exxon is No. Combined amounts to 15% of operated Permian production, but only 6% of total US production.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Andrew Dittmar, Enverus, Scott Hanold, Bill Smead, Mrinalika Roy, Sourasis Bose, Arunima Kumar, Sabrina Valle, Sriraj Organizations: Exxon Mobil, REUTERS, Natural Resources, Mobil, Reuters Graphics, Exxon, Pioneer, Reuters, RBC Capital, Smead Capital Management, Thomson, & $ Locations: Bengaluru, Houston

☆ Why the volatile South Caucasus is important for oil and gas supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The region is criss-crossed with oil and gas pipelines, though none are in close proximity to Karabakh itself. OIL- Azerbaijan's primary route for oil exports is the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which accounts for around 80% of country's oil exports and runs via Georgia and on to the Turkish Mediterranean coast. - Azerbaijan's total oil exports in January-July 2023 were 23.1 million tons (800,000 bpd), of which 76.3% flowed through the BTC. NATURAL GAS- Azerbaijan has plans to increase natural gas exports to Europe. Azerbaijan exported 6.6 bcm of natural gas to Europe in January-July.

Persons: Deniz, Vladimir Soldatkin, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: BTC, BP, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, South Caucasus, Armenia, Baku, Tbilisi, Ceyhan, Georgia, Turkish, Russia, Supsa, Europe, Azeri

☆ Cocaine is about surpass oil as Colombia's top export as revenues near $20 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cocaine is set to become Colombia's top export this year, edging out oil products, according to a note from Bloomberg Economics. Revenue derived from Colombia's cocaine business is nearing $20 billion, ahead of the country's $19.1 billion in 2022 oil exports. Cocaine production in Colombia is at its highest level since 1991 amid lenient policies from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Fast forward to 2022, and Colombia's cocaine industry generated an estimated $18.2 billion in export revenues, just behind oil export revenue of $19.1 billion. With the country's oil exports dropping 30% in the first half of this year, and its cocaine industry still growing steadily, Bloomberg estimates that 2023 will be the year when Colombia's cocaine revenues outpace revenues from oil.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Felpi Hernandez, That's, Hernandez Organizations: Bloomberg Economics, Get, Service, Bloomberg Locations: Colombia, Colombian, Wall, Silicon

☆ Egypt's new gas discovery will need more than $1.5 billion in investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEgypt will need $1.5 billion in investments to develop new gas well discoveries, says ministerEgyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla discusses exploration and development plans to keep the country's oil and gas production at an "acceptable level," and talks about the investments needed for the discovery of new gas wells.

Persons: Tarek El Molla Organizations: Egyptian Petroleum

☆ India will buy oil from anyone who offers the 'lowest possible prices' - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Gary McWilliams/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - India will buy oil from all sources that offer it at the "lowest possible prices", the country's oil minister told broadcaster ET Now on Wednesday. "We are very clear in our minds that we will buy oil from wherever we can get it as long as it is delivered to our point of importation at our ports at the lowest possible price," Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, gets more than 80% of its oil from overseas. Asked about rupee trade with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the minister said that the transactions in the oil sector were "very minimum". "We have a rupee-dirham arrangement with the UAE but the transactions in the oil sector are very minimum," he said.

Persons: Singh Puri, Gary McWilliams, Hardeep Singh Puri, Sakshi Dayal, Kim Coghill Organizations: Petroleum, Natural Gas, REUTERS, DELHI, Oil, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, U.S, India, Russia, Ukraine, UAE

☆ Oil heads for weekly fall on demand worries, dollar strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices fell slightly in early Asian trade on Friday, on track for a weekly decline as weak manufacturing activity hurt the global demand outlook and the dollar remained buoyant. Brent crude fell 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $83.20 a barrel by 0013 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.91 a barrel. A strong dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies, denting demand. Oil fell for much of the week as global economies reported shrinking factory activity. India's oil consumption growth has also slowed in recent months on high inflation and slowing global trade.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Brent, Jerome Powell Organizations: U.S, West Texas, Federal Locations: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Japan, Saudi Arabia

Brent crude rose 15 cents, or 0.2%, to $83.36 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $79.05 a barrel. Prices traded lower for the majority of the session, before pushing higher in the last half hour of trading. Investor caution on the eve of his remarks lifted the safe-haven dollar, which makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies, denting demand. Euro zone business activity also declined more than expected and Britain's economy looked set to shrink in the current quarter. On the supply side, Iran's crude oil output will reach 3.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of September, the country's oil minister was quoted as saying by state media, even though U.S. sanctions remain in place.

Persons: Brent, Giovanni Staunovo, Jackson, Jerome Powell, Craig Erlam, Erlam, Shariq Khan, Ahmad Ghaddar, Mohi Narayan, Kim Coghill, David Evans, David Gregorio, Deepa Babington Organizations: cnsphoto, REUTERS, bbl, U.S, Fed, West Texas, UBS, U.S . Federal, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, BENGALURU, Europe, New York, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, U.S ., Japan, Venezuela, American

Brent crude fell 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $83.05 a barrel by 11:41 a.m. EDT (1541 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 12 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.77 a barrel. "Disappointing data and nerves that the Federal Reserve could reinforce a hawkish stance are weighing on oil," said Fiona Cincotta, analyst at City Index. On the supply side, Iran's crude oil output will reach 3.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of September, the country's oil minister was quoted as saying by state media, even though U.S. sanctions remain in place. U.S. crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) fell by 6.1 million barrels in the week to Aug. 18 to 433.5 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.8 million-barrel drop.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Brent, Fiona Cincotta, Jackson, Powell, Shariq Khan, Ahmad Ghaddar, Mohi Narayan, Kim Coghill, David Evans, David Gregorio Our Organizations: cnsphoto, REUTERS, Fed, U.S . Federal, . West Texas, Federal, Wednesday Japan, Federal Reserve, Organization of, Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, BENGALURU, U.S, American, Saudi Arabia

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