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☆ ExxonMobil, Chevron's big cash shows cheap gas isn’t coming back
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Big oil sees political pushback on buybacksFuel prices at a Chevron gas station in Menlo Park, California, on Thursday, June 9, 2022. In the market, and at the oil companies headquarters, it seems the opinions issued from the White House aren't much of a factor in setting financial priorities. The benchmark now is to spend roughly a third of operating cash flow on capital investment, a third on dividends and a third on stock buybacks. Exxon made $76.8 billion in operating cash flow, invested $18 billion back into the business, spent $14.9 billion on dividends and $15.2 billion in stock purchases, according to its cash flow statement. Oil production is increasing

☆ Premarket stocks: Is this the beginning of the end for Big Oil's windfall?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Brutally high oil and gas prices were the talk of the town and one of the largest contributing factors to sky-high inflation. That was bad news for drivers, but ended up being great for the energy industry as oil prices and energy stocks are closely interlinked. As markets fell under the pressures of economic uncertainty, geopolitical chaos, elevated inflation and a hawkish Fed, the energy sector thrived. The S&P ended 2022 down nearly 20%, while the energy sector grew by about 60%. But analysts say US oil companies can’t keep winning for much longer.

☆ India's sunoil imports rise to record as Russia-Ukraine fight for market share
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 27 (Reuters) - India's January sunflower oil imports are set to surge to a record 473,000 tonnes, nearly triple average monthly imports as top exporters Russia and Ukraine seek to reduce stockpiles, industry officials told Reuters. The import surge will help key Black Sea producing countries in reducing their stocks, but could dampen India's palm oil imports and weigh on Malaysian palm oil prices . The deal allowed exporters to move stuck stockpiles and sign new contracts as well, said Sandeep Bajoria, president of the International Sunflower Oil Association. India's monthly sunoil imports averaged around 161,000 tonnes in 2021/22 marketing year ended on Oct. 31. "Sunflower imports would reduce palm oil purchases this quarter.

☆ Oil slips as U.S. inventory rise offsets China hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The price of crude has rallied this year on the ending of China's COVID controls and hopes that the rise in U.S. interest rates will soon taper off. Still, some analysts said the speed of China's actual demand rebound looks uncertain. "Whether or not oil prices can resume their march higher will depend on how quickly China's crude demand bounces back this quarter," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. An OPEC+ panel is likely to endorse the group's current policy at a Feb. 1 meeting, five OPEC+ sources said on Tuesday. OPEC+ in October decided to trim output by 2 million barrels per day from November through 2023 on a weaker economic outlook.

[1/2] Logo of British Petrol BP is seen e at petrol station in Pienkow, Poland, June 8, 2022. Reuters GraphicsWINDFALL WOESBut the bumper profits could revive calls on governments around the world to further hike windfall taxes on the sector as economies struggle with high energy prices. They benefited the most from high energy prices, rewarded by a fossil-focused cash generation strategy that contrasted with European majors' bet on renewables. Banks including HSBC and J.P. Morgan predict more upside potential for European stocks this year after U.S. oil majors led in share performance and profits in 2022. "The European majors appear much more attractively valued than the U.S. majors on our estimates," HSBC said in a note.

☆ Bulgaria clears way to take control of Lukoil oil refinery if needed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The 196,000 barrel per day refinery, the biggest fuel producer in Bulgaria, has switched to processing only Russian crude after the country was granted an exemption from the European Union's ban on imports of Russian oil over the invasion of Ukraine. Under the exemption to the end of 2024, the refinery cannot export fuels or oil products from Feb. 5 - with exception of deliveries to Ukraine. The refinery can also export by-products that cannot be safely stored in Bulgaria and could pose an environmental hazard. Lukoil Neftochim has previously said it could be forced to shut down if it cannot export its output. A special representative can also be appointed if the refinery breaches competition rules or European Union sanctions.

Indonesia, producer of more than half of global palm oil supplies, also tightened trade rules this year, allowing exporters to ship just six times their domestic palm oil sales volume, less than a fourth-quarter 2022 ratio of eight times. "Indonesian palm oil export definitely will drop, as output will decline, domestic consumption will increase," Fadhil Hasan, an Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) official, told Reuters. Indonesia produced 51.3 million tonnes of palm oil in 2022 and exported 33.7 million tonnes, GAPKI estimated. In 2023, palm oil output is expected at 50.82 million tonnes and exports at 26.42 million tonnes, it said. "But India's strong demand for palm oil will continue as it is still the cheapest edible oil."

Brent crude was up $1.29, or 1.6%, at $79.80 a barrel by 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 GMT). "The gradual reopening of the Chinese economy will provide an additional and immeasurable layer of price support," said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM. The rally followed a drop last week of more than 8% for both oil benchmarks, their biggest weekly declines at the start of a year since 2016. As part of a "new phase" in the fight against COVID-19, China opened its borders over the weekend for the first time in three years. "The NY Fed data should be supportive for oil prices, as it suggests that inflation is peaking," said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures group.

☆ Oil jumps 3% on demand optimism as China borders reopen
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"If recession is avoided, global oil demand and demand growth will remain resilient," said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM, adding that developments in China were the main reason for Monday's gains. "The gradual reopening of the Chinese economy will provide an additional and immeasurable layer of price support," he said. The rally followed a drop last week of more than 8% for both oil benchmarks, their biggest weekly declines at the start of a year since 2016. As part of a "new phase" in the fight against COVID-19, China opened its borders over the weekend for the first time in three years. ,Reporting by Alex Lawler Additional reporting by Florence Tan and Jeslyn Lerh Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Against a backdrop of slowing economic activity and demand, these "base effects" strongly suggest broader inflation has peaked and could fall rapidly in the coming months. Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, reckons that these disinflationary dynamics will intensify, so much so that headline U.S. consumer price inflation may fall below 2% by the end of this year. Brent oil is below $80 a barrel, and on Wednesday its year-on-year price differential turned negative for the first time in two years. This trend is likely to continue due to base effects - Brent hit a 14-year peak around $130/bbl last March and was above $100/bbl as recently as July. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the non-seasonally adjusted average monthly rate of consumer price inflation in the first half of last year was 1%.

We're buying 25 shares of Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) at roughly $223 each. Following Wednesday's trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 175 shares of PXD, increasing its weighting in the portfolio to 1.39% from 1.2%. We're adding to Pioneer Natural Resources because it has some of the best oil assets in the Permian Basin, located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico. At a more normalized level of $80 per barrel, Pioneer thinks the annual payout will be $19 per share, offering an annual yield of about 8.5%. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Oil prices bounce as China demand hopes offset recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Reopening of Chinese economy buoys demand hopesRising interest rates and recession fears weighU.S. to begin purchases for strategic reserveLONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday after tumbling by more than $2 a barrel in the previous session as optimism over the Chinese economy outweighed concern over a global recession. China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Despite a surge in COVID cases, optimism over the reopening of the Chinese economy and its accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook, said CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng. The U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank raised interest rates last week and promised more. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the New Year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

China, the world's top crude oil importer and No. 2 oil consumer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions. "Despite a surge in COVID cases, the reopening optimism and accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook," CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said. An announcement by the U.S. Energy Department on Friday that it will begin repurchasing crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for delivery in February next year also supported the outlook for stronger prices. This will be the United States' first purchase since this year's record 180 million barrel release from the stockpile.

☆ Oil climbs on optimism over China's demand recovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowSINGAPORE, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices reclaimed ground on Monday after tumbling more than $2 a barrel in the previous session as optimism from China's reopening and oil demand recovery outweighed concerns of a global recession. China, the world's top crude oil importer and No. 2 oil consumer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions. "Despite a surge in COVID cases, the reopening optimism and accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook," CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said. An announcement by the U.S. Energy Department on Friday that it will begin repurchasing crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve also supported outlook for stronger prices.

☆ TSX posts biggest weekly decline since September as oil tumbles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Art Deco facade of the original Toronto Stock Exchange building is seen on Bay Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada January 23, 2019. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE) ended down 22.12 points, or 0.1%, at 19,947.07, its lowest closing level since Nov. 17. For the week, the index was down 2.6%, its biggest weekly decline since September. The Toronto market's energy sector fell 0.7% as U.S. crude oil futures settled 0.6% lower at $71.02 a barrel. Reporting by Fergal Smith; Additional reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Here is why:DEPRESSED DEMAND FOR FUELSChina is the world's largest crude importer and second- largest oil consuming nation, second only to the United States. But in 2022, strict government intervention to contain coronavirus cases starkly reduced industrial and economic output as well as demand for travel. China's measures depressed oil demand by as much as 30% to 40% in China, according to analyst estimates. Overall economic activity also declined across the globe, most notably in China but also in the United States. The market's rally was also built in part on fears that a series of sanctions imposed on Russia by European nations and the United States would throttle that nation's supply.

China, Russia's top oil buyer, has not agreed to the price cap. The light sweet crude is favoured by Chinese refiners due to their proximity and the oil's high middle-distillates yield. At current Brent levels, the $6 discount implies a price of $68 a barrel including freight and insurance costs. "They (independent plants) don't really care about the price cap. With the price cap in place, China, India and Turkey could have more bargaining power, the analysts added.

☆ Oil from questionable origins with a 40% discount is being offered to US energy traders, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US energy traders are receiving pitches for steeply discounted crude with unclear origins, Bloomberg reported. One middleman offered up to 200,000 barrels of heavy-sour crude at a $30 markdown vs. West Texas Intermediate, per the report. Those three nations combined may be exporting over 4 million barrels a day of discounted oil, according to Bloomberg and EIA data. Moscow has denounced the West's price cap measure and sanction measures, and is still working on a response to the restrictions, a Kremlin spokesperson said Wednesday. Possible counters to the price cap may include banning oil sales to certain nations or setting a maximum price discount for its flagship Urals crude against Brent.

[1/5] Striking South Korean unionised tank drivers Lee Geum-sang and Ham Sang-jun pose in front of tank trucks as they participate in a nationwide walkout in front of a major oil storage facility in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, December 1, 2022. But these drivers, and tens of thousands of others striking across the country, say their calls for stronger minimum pay protections are all that stand between them and poverty. He earns about 3 million won ($2,300) per month, far less than last year because diesel prices have nearly doubled. Ham, the father of two teens, earns about 3 million to 4 million won a month working 12 hours a day, five days a week, often overnight and weekends. That is 2 million won less than last year because of fuel costs.

☆ OPEC+ agrees to roll over existing oil output policy - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Urals oil discount widens as freight rates for Russian oil jump - traders, Reuters calculations, article with imageMarkets category · December 2, 2022Russian Urals oil's discount to dated Brent have widened significantly, under pressure from record high freight rates for tankers carrying Russian oil and sending sellers' revenues well below an agreed EU price cap, two traders said on Friday and Reuters calculations showed.

☆ Apple is accelerating plans to move production out of China as protests and riots intensify in response to zero-Covid policies, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple is increasing its efforts to shift production outside of China, according to the Wall Street Journal. Production at factories like Foxconn has taken a massive hit amid riots over zero-Covid policies. Shifting production will likely be difficult in the current global economic climate, sources told WSJ. In November, the area known as "iPhone City" erupted into violent protests among employees over withheld pay and strict zero-Covid policies that prompted a lockdown in Zhengzhou. The protests, which coincided with the start of the holiday shopping season in the US, have led to significant supply chain issues and shortages of Apple iPhone products.

☆ Urals oil discount widens as freight rates for Russian oil jump - traders, Reuters calculations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Russian Urals oil's discount to dated Brent have widened significantly, under pressure from record high freight rates for tankers carrying Russian oil and sending sellers' revenues well below an agreed EU price cap, two traders said on Friday and Reuters calculations showed. EU governments on Friday agreed to a price cap of $60 per barrel for the Russian crude. Therefore, freight cost for this voyages went up to some $20 per barrel for India and $25 per barrel for China, according to Reuters calculations. Fearing to disrupt a yet-to-be-established mechanism, many shipowners have refrained from handling Russian oil, reducing tanker availability and driving up shipping costs on key Urals export routes. Freight rates for 80,000 Aframax class tankers on routes from Black Sea's Novorossiysk to Augusta were at the highest level since March - 475 Worldscale points.

☆ Exclusive: EU embargo diverts Lukoil's Caspian oil to CPC link
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A European Union embargo from Dec. 5 is set to ban European buyers from purchasing and transporting Russian oil. As a major route for Kazakhstan's oil, CPC oil exports are excluded from the ban. "Russian oil is leaving BTC, the reason is sanctions, BTC doesn't let Russian oil in," - one of the sources said. CPC Blend exported via the CPC pipeline currently trades at a significant discount to Azeri BTC oil, which is supplied via BTC. The main exporters of the Azeri BTC oil are Azerbaijan's SOCAR and BP, as well as Hungarian company MOL, Exxon (XOM.N) and Turkey's TPAO.

We're buying 100 shares of Devon Energy (DVN) at roughly $67.41 each. Following Monday's trade, the Trust will own 400 shares of DVN, increasing its weighting in the portfolio to 0.93% from 0.7%. But we're going to be small buyers of the dip, choosing to add to our position in exploration and production company Devon Energy . As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

☆ Charts suggest the ‘mother of all buying opportunities’ for oil is coming next month, Cramer says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer said Tuesday that investors should gear up to buy oil next month, relying on charts analysis from Carley Garner. "She thinks there could be one last washout from this week, possibly early through December, and that washout could take crude down to the low $70s, or even the mid-$60s. Once we get there, she believes that could be the mother of all buying opportunities," he said. WTI crude futures settled at $80.95 a barrel on Tuesday. To explain Garner's analysis, Cramer first examined a chart of the seasonal pattern in WTI crude.

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