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China, the world's top oil importer, has continued buying Russian oil despite Western sanctions, after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched what they called a no-limit partnership before the war in Ukraine. The sources said a fifth supertanker, or very large crude carrier (VLCC), was shipping crude to India, which like China has continued buying Russian oil sold at a discount as many Western buyers turn to other suppliers. All five shipments were scheduled between Dec. 22 and Jan. 23, according to the sources and Eikon ship tracking data. The G7 price cap introduced in December allows countries outside the European Union to import seaborne Russian oil but it prohibits shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling Russian crude cargoes unless sold for below the $60 cap. Industry sources say Indian refiners are securing a discount of $15-$20 per barrel on Russian oil on a delivered basis compared to Brent.

The government's $1.1 billion share of oil revenue was up sharply from a combined $409 million in profit and royalties in 2021. Guyana is producing about 360,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and aims to raise output to 1.64 million bpd by end of the decade. Guyana's exports averaged 265,693 bpd last year, more than double the 100,645 bpd in 2021, according to shipping data from Refinitiv Eikon. Crude exports from Latin America's newest oil producer almost tripled in 2022, encouraged by rising production and solid demand in Europe in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion. Total exports represented over $8 billion in gross oil revenue, based on Reuters calculations.

It is likely to affect most of the bank's major divisions, with its investment banking arm facing the deepest cuts, a source told Reuters this month. "We know this is a difficult time for people leaving the firm," a Goldman Sachs statement on Wednesday said. Last year was challenging across groups including credit, equities, and investment banking broadly, said Paul Sorbera, president of Wall Street recruitment firm Alliance Consulting. [1/3] A trader works at the Goldman Sachs stall on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, April 16, 2012. Shares of Goldman Sachs have partially recovered from a 10% fall last year.

☆ Cryptoverse: Bitcoin digs in for a bumpy new year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Lisa Pauline Mattackal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Bitcoin are seen in this illustration picture taken September 27, 2017. The overall global crypto market cap has risen 5% to $871 billion since Jan. 1, but it's still down over 57% from this time last year. Bitcoin itself has gained 4.3% since the start of 2023, though stuck in a narrow range between $16,500 and $17,300. For some market players, though, subdued sounds pretty good after the bitcoin bloodbath of 2022. Reuters GraphicsTHE BULL'S TALEMarcus Sotiriou, analyst at digital asset broker GlobalBlock, pointed to tightening Bollinger bands - a technical indicator tracking price and volatility - on bitcoin charts.

Companies Chevron Corp FollowHOUSTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp's (CVX.N) first cargo of Venezuelan crude under a U.S. license received in November has departed from a ship-to-ship transfer hub near Aruba to its Pascagoula, Mississippi refinery, according to shipping data seen by Reuters on Tuesday. State-run oil company PDVSA allocated Chevron the first crude cargo this month, which was loaded at Venezuela's Jose terminal last week, according to shipping data and documents. Chevron's tanker Caribbean Voyager this week transferred the 500,000-barrel cargo of Hamaca heavy crude it had loaded in Venezuela to Malta-flagged vessel Sealeo at a ship-to-ship hub near the Caribbean island of Aruba, Refinitiv Eikon tanker monitoring data showed. The Sealeo is scheduled to arrive in Chevron's Pascagoula refinery on Jan. 15, according to the Eikon data. A separate Venezuelan crude cargo chartered by Chevron on tanker Kerala was on Tuesday at Maracaibo Lake's navigation channel, where lack of dredging and a stranded vessel are creating limitations for ship transit.

[1/2] The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S., November 22, 2019. U.S. natural gas tumbled about 18% in the first week of January, the biggest slide on record to start a year, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The 12% drop in distillate futures , was the biggest dive to start a year since 1991. In natural gas, U.S. futures fell further on Friday, dropping 5% to $3.52 per million British thermal units during the session, its lowest since July 2021. This week, it forecast U.S. natural gas prices would drop to $4.00-$4.20 per million British thermal units in the second quarter through third quarter.

Summary Oil prices edge higher after steep lossesU.S. manufacturing contracts, prices decline in Dec -ISMChina COVID data shows under-reported deaths, WHO saysJan 5 (Reuters) - Oil prices rebounded on Thursday after opening the year down more than 9%, the worst yearly start in over three decades, as investors took advantage of the decline to buy futures on expectations long-term fuel demand will remain steady. Brent crude futures gained 59 cents to $78.43 a barrel at 0136 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 69 cents to $73.53 a barrel. U.S. crude oil inventories rose by 3.3 million barrels last week along with gasoline stocks jumping 1.2 million barrels, while distillate stocks fell, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures. Concerns about the economic disruptions as COVID-19 works its way through China, the world's biggest oil importer, have added to the pessimism around crude prices. The Chinese government increased export quotas for refined oil products in the first batch for 2023, signaling expectations of poor domestic demand.

☆ With big bets on Musk, these funds may have a Tesla problem in '23
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Those funds dropped by an average of 42.1% last year, more than double the average 17% decline among U.S. stock funds, according to Morningstar. The $6 billion Baron Partners Retail fund, which leads all US mutual funds with about 52% of its assets in Tesla shares, fell nearly 43% last year, while the $54 million Zevenbergen Genea Institutional fund, which has 13% of its assets in Tesla, fell nearly 59%. Tesla fell about 65% last year, with declines accelerating after Musk decided to buy social media network Twitter, which some investors see as a distraction to the chief executive. His net worth has fallen by more than $100 billion, according to Forbes, bumping him from the position of world's richest person. The fund fell 67% last year, putting it near the bottom of all U.S. equity funds.

But a plan to move heavy oil quickly from inventories at the Petroboscan joint venture with state-run company PDVSA is facing delays because of lack of dredging at Maracaibo Lake's navigation channel, the people said. Petroboscan has instructed vessels since to limit their draft after loading at the Bajo Grande oil terminal. That means about 250,000 barrels of Boscan heavy crude can move at a time through the channel linking Bajo Grande to the Caribbean Sea. In a sign that Chevron expects to expand operations quickly, the oil producer has begun advertising for Venezuelan contract administrators and cargo schedulers. The company wants to assemble a trading team to market oil from Venezuela and expand its role in the four projects.

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) stock market value fell sharply on Tuesday following its steep drop last year, putting it on track to end below $2 trillion for the first time since June 2021. The sell-off comes a year after the iPhone maker became the first company to reach the $3 trillion market capitalization milestone. At Apple's current stock price, the company is worth $1.98 trillion, just ahead of Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), currently valued at $1.78 trillion. The combined stock market value of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O) now accounts for about 18% of the S&P 500, down from as much as 24% in 2020. Apple vs the S&P 500 since the iPhone's introductionEven after its 27% drop last year, Apple has provided stellar returns to long-term shareholders.

☆ Chevron to send 500,000-barrel cargo of Venezuelan oil to its Pascagoula refinery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HOUSTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - U.S. oil producer Chevron Corp (CVX.N) plans to export this month its first cargo of Venezuelan crude to its Pascagoula, Mississippi refinery following a U.S. license granted last year, according to shipping documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The 500,000-barrel cargo of Hamaca heavy crude, to be loaded at state-run PDVSA's Jose port, comes from the Petropiar oil joint venture operated by both companies. As of Tuesday, the tanker scheduled to carry the shipment, the Bahamas-flagged Caribbean Voyager, was waiting to load near Jose, Refinitiv Eikon data showed. Chevron declined to comment on Tuesday and PDVSA did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Washington had previously authorized Italy's Eni (ENI.MI) and Spain's Repsol (REP.MC) to recoup pending debts in Venezuela by taking Venezuelan crude for refining in Europe.

Companies Chevron Corp FollowHOUSTON, Dec 30 (Reuters) - U.S. oil company Chevron Corp (CVX.N) is sending two oil tankers to Venezuela, one of which will load the first cargo of crude destined for the United States in nearly four years, according to a person familiar with the matter and shipping data. On Friday, a Chevron-chartered vessel approached the South American country's waters to pick up a cargo of Venezuelan crude. A second tanker carrying a cargo of diluents to a Chevron oil joint venture is due to arrive in the country early next month, the person said. The U.S. last month issued a 6-month license to Chevron authorizing it to take an expanded role at four Venezuelan oil joint ventures that produce, process and export oil, and to bring their oil to the United States. Washington officials have said further easing of Venezuelan oil sanctions could come with a reinstatement of excluded political candidates and election observers.

Elon Musk’s will-they-or-won’t-they Twitter debacle kept readers on tenterhooks via Refinitiv’s platforms and our two websites, Breakingviews.com and Reuters.com. Another piece posing the hard-hitting question, “What is Morgan Stanley (MS.N) smoking in Twitter LBO?”, garnered plenty of clicks on Breakingviews.com and via Refinitiv. Almost a third of the best-read lists tackled the outbreak of war in Europe, and its terrible ramifications. Views on the rouble and the prospect of the country’s economic collapse demanded attention. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

LONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Capricorn Energy's (CNE.L) third-biggest shareholder, Palliser Capital, has called for a general meeting to set a vote on removing seven Capricorn directors from supervisory roles including the CEO, according to documents seen by Reuters. "We have requisitioned the board of Capricorn Energy ... to convene a general meeting (the "EGM") of the Company," Palliser Chief Investment Officer James Smith said in a Dec. 19 letter to Capricorn shareholders. "The EGM will enable shareholders to vote on resolutions to effect the removal of seven current Capricorn directors and the appointment of six independent, highly-qualified replacement candidates." The directors that Palliser wants to remove include Capricorn Chief Executive Officer Simon Thomson and its chief financial officer, also named James Smith, who both hold executive and supervisory roles. The shareholder meeting to vote on Palliser's resolutions has to take place by Jan. 30, Palliser said.

☆ Payments company Wise suspends Ghana cedi transfers amid volatility
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Cooper Inveen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ACCRA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Cross-border payments company Wise (WISEa.L) has suspended transfers in Ghana's cedi currency after a rapid appreciation against the dollar this week made it costlier to move money to the West African country, a Wise spokesperson told Reuters on Friday. Ghana, once considered a rising star among emerging market economies, is today facing a generational debt crisis. A spokesperson for London-based Wise said that cedi functions, which were suspended Thursday, would be restored "as soon as the situation has stabilised" and that only a small number of transfers were affected. "That said... we’ve seen the central bank buy dollars from the open market to shore up its reserves," Akoto said. Reporting by Cooper Inveen; Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Louise Heavens and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India to remain top buyer of Russia's Urals crude in Dec -sources, data
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 16 (Reuters) - India is taking most of Russia's Urals crude oil loading in December as it remains top buyer for a second month in a row, according to traders and Refinitiv data. India is buying the Urals crude at deeper discounts this month well below $60, four market sources said. Bulgaria, which was excluded from EU oil ban, may become the second largest destination for Urals crude in December with shipments of up to 800,000 tonnes. Urals loadings bound for China remain low with only one Urals cargo of 140,000 tonnes sent as of Dec. 16, but traders expect more Urals supply to China to emerge this month. Turkey, which actively bought Russian oil in 2022, has taken just one December cargo of 140,000 tonnes.

[1/2] Volkswagen logo is pictured at the 2022 New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidSummarySummary Companies Volkswagen shareholders to vote on special dividend payout from Porsche listingCarmaker on "solid footing" - CEODecision on battery plant site in Eastern Europe "soon" - CEOBERLIN, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) shareholders gathered in Berlin on Friday to vote at an extraordinary general meeting on the payout of a special dividend of 19.06 euros ($20.28) per share from the proceeds of the listing of Porsche AG (P911_p.DE). A total of 9.6 billion euros, or 49% of the proceeds of the listing, will be paid out in January if shareholders vote in favour, as is widely expected. But through this it has also become clear that the current valuation of Volkswagen is imbalanced. ($1 = 0.9398 euros)Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Jan Schwartz; editing by Rachel More and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: Russian oil sold to India below price cap in buyers' market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Also on Dec. 5, the Group of Seven leading economies implemented a $60 price cap on Russian seaborne oil to try to limit Moscow's ability to finance its war in Ukraine. The Western actions have left Russian producers in fierce competition with each other and with suppliers from Asia, Europe and the Middle East, meaning their best hope of finding buyers is to lower prices, two traders said. Russian oil suppliers are trying to handle Urals oil transport to India themselves using their own vessels and shipping partners, which can reduce transport costs, traders said. But many oil producers still rely on trading firms, which means they have to share any profits they have. India, the second largest consumer of oil in Asia, is better located to buy Urals than China because of a shorter transport route, and its refineries are well-suited to processing Russian oil.

☆ Azerbaijan's SOCAR halts Russian crude supplies to Turkish refinery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON/MOSCOW, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The trading arm of Azerbaijan's state oil firm SOCAR has paused purchases of Russian crude oil for its Turkish refinery as the industry grapples with EU sanctions on shipping and crude, sources familiar with the matter said. Turkish refineries, including SOCAR's STAR plant, had increased purchases of Russian crude after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian flows to Turkey had already dropped last month to their lowest since February, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, and a source said SOCAR was reviewing the situation in order to remain compliant with Western sanctions. Reporting by Reuters reporters, Rowena Edwards and Julia Payne in London; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil gives up earlier gains
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brent crude lost 50 cents, or 0.7%, to $76.67 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude shed 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $71.85. Oil prices rose after the company announced the closure, which occurred at about 8 p.m. CT Wednesday (0200 GMT Thursday), but market sentiment has since shifted. While U.S. crude inventories fell last week, gasoline and distillate inventories surged, adding to concern about easing demand. Both Brent and U.S. crude hit 2022 lows on Wednesday, unwinding all the gains made after Russia's invasion of Ukraine exacerbated the worst global energy supply crisis in decades and sent oil close to its all-time high of $147. The queues suggest that "available supply from the Black Sea is already affected by the punitive measure," said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM.

☆ UK tries to shore up energy supply with US deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN Business —Britain has agreed a new energy partnership with the United States that aims to end its reliance on Russia and lower soaring energy costs. He said the aim was to double the amount of liquified natural gas (LNG) the United States exports to Britain compared to 2021 levels. The initiative with the United Kingdom comes nine months after the United States agreed a deal with the European Union to increase LNG shipments to Europe. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the United States became the world’s largest exporter of LNG in the first half of this year. Under the new partnership, the United States will aim to export “at least” 9-10 billion cubic meters of LNG via UK terminals.

☆ U.S., Britain launch energy partnership to boost supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File PhotoLONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The United States and Britain announced on Wednesday an energy partnership aimed at sustaining a higher level of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Britain and collaborating on ways to increase energy efficiency. Britain and other European countries have turned to the United States as they try to reduce their reliance on Russian energy supplies following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine begun in February. "This partnership will bring down prices for British consumers and help end Europe's dependence on Russian energy," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement. The "UK-US Energy Security and Affordability Partnership" will also aim to drive investment in clean energy and exchange ideas on energy efficiency and reducing demand for gas. The G7 - which includes Britain and the United States - has agreed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil.

LONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The market for old oil tankers is booming, and it's all down to efforts by Western nations to curb trade in Russian crude. The European Union banned all seaborne Russian crude imports from Dec. 5, with a fuel import ban to follow in February. PRICE SURGEMajor Western oil companies typically stop using tankers when they are about 15 years old, and many would be scrapped. More tankers are now being used for voyages taking weeks, shipping Russian oil from the Baltic and Black Sea to Asia, whereas Russian oil was mainly sold in Europe previously and the voyages only took a few days. Ship broker Braemar also said that some of the vessels involved in shipping Iranian and Venezuelan oil were shifting to transporting Russian oil.

Exports also benefited from the restart of a PDVSA-Chevron crude upgrader at their Petropiar joint venture in the Orinoco Belt. Nearby, one of Petrolera Sinovensa's two crude blending plants operated by PDVSA and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) also resumed work. Venezuelan PDVSA's crude processing facilities restarted operations after outages and a lack of diluents, leading to a sale increase in November. PDVSA also sent about 38,000 bpd of crude, fuel oil and gasoline blend stock to key political ally Cuba. Another Iran-flagged tanker in Venezuela, the Huge, is also expected to navigate back carrying fuel oil for NICO this month as part of an oil swap with PDVSA, according to the documents.

☆ BlockFi sues a Bankman-Fried company to recover Robinhood shares
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 28 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi Inc has sued a holding company for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, seeking to recover shares in Robinhood Markets Inc (HOOD.O) pledged as collateral three weeks ago, before BlockFi and FTX filed for bankruptcy protection. BlockFi in a complaint filed on Monday in New Jersey bankruptcy court said Emergent Fidelity Technologies Ltd has defaulted on its obligations under a Nov. 9 pledge agreement. Emergent guaranteed the repayment of obligations of Alameda Research Ltd, the crypto hedge fund affiliated with FTX, according to court documents. Emergent holds a 7.42% share of Robinhood, according to Eikon data. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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