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☆ Falling US gasoline stockpiles signal a repeat of last summer's high prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Exxon Mobil Corp FollowMarch 22 (Reuters) - U.S. motorists face a repeat of last summer's high gasoline prices, analysts warned on Wednesday, with fuel stockpiles heading towards multi-year lows ahead of the peak summer driving season that begins in two months. Retail gasoline prices, now averaging $3.44 a gallon nationwide, hit a record $5.02 a gallon last June as crude oil prices jumped on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the waning of COVID-19 travel curbs unleashed pent up travel demand. Vehicle travel in the U.S. started the year 5.6% higher than last year, leading to a drop in gasoline stockpiles for five straight weeks. Rising travel coupled with declining inventories could lift retail prices again this year, said Yawger, with last summer's $5 a gallon a possibility again. When fully operating this month, it will be able to process 250,000 additional barrels of crude daily into gasoline and diesel.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 64 cents, or 0.9%, to $70.31. The U.S. dollar fell to its lowest level since Feb. 3 against a basket of other currencies, supporting oil demand by making crude cheaper for buyers using other currencies. "The big story here is that build ... in crude, which is enough to get us to the 22-month high in crude oil storage. We just have a lot of crude oil in storage and it's not going to go away anytime soon," said Bob Yawger at Mizuho, a bank. An emergency rescue of Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S) over the weekend helped revive oil prices.

☆ Oil drops 3% as high inflation risks stoke demand worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brent crude futures for April delivery were down $2.33, or 2.8%, to $80.72 a barrel at 2:20 p.m. EST (1920 GMT), while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped by $2.31, or 3%, to $74.05 a barrel. "While better U.S. economic data should mean better oil demand, the concern is that this forces the Fed to overtighten monetary policy to bring inflation under control," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. Other U.S. economic reports, however, showed some troubling signs for the world's biggest oil consumer. According to a preliminary Reuters poll on Tuesday, analysts forecast a rise in U.S. crude inventories, feeding demand worries. Morgan Stanley raised its global oil demand growth estimate for this year by about 36%, citing growing momentum in China's reopening and a recovery in aviation.

☆ Oil falls on fuel demand woes ahead of U.S. Fed comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Higher interest rates tend to lift the dollar, making dollar-denominated oil more expensive for holders of other currencies and reducing demand. Other economic reports from the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, showed some troubling signs however. A preliminary Reuters analyst poll on Tuesday also showed a rise in U.S. crude inventories, exacerbating the demand worries. Analysts expect China's oil imports to hit a record high in 2023 to meet increased demand for transportation fuel and as new refineries come on stream. Morgan Stanley has raised its global oil demand growth estimate for this year by about 36%, citing growing momentum in China's reopening and a recovery in aviation, but flagged higher supply from Russia as an offseting factor.

☆ Oil steadies as investors await U.S. Fed Reserve comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brent crude futures for April delivery were up 2 cents to $83.07 a barrel by 0242 GMT after falling 1.2% on Tuesday. read moreOther economic reports from the U.S., the world's biggest oil consumer, showed some troubling signs however. "Further rate hikes could dampen oil demand." Higher interest rates tend to lift dollar prices, making dollar-denominated oil more expensive for holders of other currencies. Expectations of tighter global supplies and rising demand from China have recently lent support to oil prices.

The company already has a presence in both continents through stakes in projects in Mozambique, Brazil and Venezuela among others. "It's better to invest in bigger hot spots where you can get larger discoveries... Africa and Latin America still hold a lot of potential. Some of the hydrocarbon assets in Africa and Latin America hold large volumes, he said, adding his company is also looking for assets in southeast Asia and Middle East. OVL currently has a stake in 32 oil & gas projects in 15 countries, spanning projects in various phases, including exploration, development, producing and pipelines. Gupta said current production at Sakhalin 1 is about 150,000 barrels per day and the production would rise to 200,000 bpd by June.

After Russia slashed piped supply to Europe following its invasion of Ukraine, gas prices hit new highs and Europe bought record volumes of LNG. Prices for both Europe's benchmark gas and Asian spot LNG hit milestone highs. LONG-TERM DEALS SOUGHTIndustry executives and governments have touted gas as a crucial transition fuel while switching to renewable energy sources, but last year's high prices had kept many buyers priced out. So the need is to have long-term contracts, a good mix of long-term, short-term and medium-term contracts," said Akshay Kumar Singh, CEO of India's Petronet LNG (PLNG.NS). "Long-term contracts and the increase in domestic (gas) production during this crisis have definitely helped our country," he said.

☆ Tellurian woos Indian investors for its Driftwood LNG project
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Tellurian Inc is continuing discussions with the Indian government and oil companies for investments in its Driftwood liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana, its chief executive told Reuters on Tuesday. "The only way India and Indian companies can supply LNG at the lowest possible cost is if they invest equity in a project that allows them to lift the LNG at cost. We offer that, so obviously, it is very, very attractive to the Indian companies and the Indian government," Simoes said. Houston, Texas-based Tellurian resumed talks with Indian oil and gas companies for investments in Driftwood LNG late last year. No other competing project is under construction," Simoes said.

[1/2] A VLCC oil tanker is seen at a crude oil terminal in Ningbo Zhoushan port, Zhejiang province, China May 16, 2017. REUTERS/StringerBENGALURU, India, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Oil producers may have to reconsider their output policies following a demand recovery in China, the world's second-largest oil consumer, the International Energy Agency's Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Sunday. "We expect about half of the growth in global oil demand this year will come from China," Birol told Reuters on the sidelines of the India Energy Week conference. He added that China's jet fuel demand is exploding, putting upward pressure on demand. OPEC+ rolled over the group's current output policy at a meeting on Wednesday, leaving production cuts agreed last year in place.

Jet fuel this year will be the largest source of oil demand growth, says the International Energy Agency, which monitors energy consumption. In Singapore, jet fuel is trading around $122.30 per barrel, up 14% in the last two weeks. "Overall, we expect jet demand to increase significantly this year," he told an earnings call on Thursday, as air travel continues to rise. U.S. jet fuel inventories ended last year at 34 million barrels, the lowest since 1990, according to U.S. government data. Total jet fuel supplied, a proxy for demand, stood at 1.56 million barrels per day in 2022, the highest since 2019.

☆ Oil prices steady after smaller-than-expected U.S. crude build
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Smaller-than-expected build in U.S. crude stocksBroader markets weighed by economic slowdown concernsU.S. business activity contracts in JanuaryOPEC+ unlikely to tweak oil policy at Feb. 1 meetingBENGALURU, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Oil prices were largely unchanged on Wednesday, after government data showed a smaller-than-anticipated build in U.S. crude inventories, countering weak economic data from Tuesday. Brent crude was up 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $86.38 a barrel by 1:41 p.m. EST (1841 GMT) after declining 2.3% in the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 49 cents, or 0.6%, to $80.62 a barrel, after a 1.8% drop on Tuesday. "If we look at crude, the increase in stocks was much smaller-than-anticipated, and that is raising concerns about tightness in supply. On Wednesday, oil prices and broader financial markets were weighed down by data published on Tuesday showing U.S. business activity contracted in January for the seventh-straight month, raising concerns about an economic slowdown.

☆ U.S. oil refining margins hit 3-month high as plant outages rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. oil refining margins on Tuesday hit a three-month high and are likely headed higher, analysts said, as unplanned refinery outages weigh on already-tight fuel supplies. The outages have pushed up gasoline prices in Texas and Oklahoma this year ahead of what is expected to be a heavier than usual turnaround season for refineries. The rising prices and margins are unusual for this time of year, when travel falls. Average gasoline prices in Texas hit about $3.07 a gallon on Tuesday, up almost 44 cents from a month ago, according to the AAA motor group. A diesel producing unit at PBF Energy's (PBF.N) Chalmette, Louisiana, refinery was shut following a fire on Saturday.

☆ Oil edges up after less-than-expected U.S. inventories rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 39 cents, or 0.5%, to $80.52 a barrel, after a 1.8% drop on Tuesday. U.S. crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) rose by 533,000 barrels in the last week to 448.5 million barrels, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday. "If we look at crude, the increase in stocks was much smaller-than-anticipated, and that is raising concerns about tightness in supply. An OPEC+ panel is likely to endorse the group's current policy at a Feb. 1 meeting, 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.

Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake has been trying to divest its entire South Texas operations to focus on natural gas-producing acreage in other parts of the United States. The deal it has clinched falls short of meeting the demands of activist investor Kimmeridge Energy Management, that is among the 15 largest Chesapeake shareholders, to exit South Texas entirely. Chesapeake is continuing with efforts to divest them, though it's unclear if it will do so until market conditions change, according to the sources. Chesapeake and WildFire did not respond to comment requests. Since then, it has built a position in the Eagle Ford producing upwards of 16,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per day, according to its website.

Jan 4 (Reuters) - A unit of Tokyo Gas Co Ltd (9531.T) is in advanced talks to buy U.S. natural gas producer Rockcliff Energy from private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners for about $4.6 billion, including debt, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Castleton Commodities International (CCI) owns the rest of TG Natural Resources. Rockcliff and TG Natural Resources did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tokyo Gas could not be reached for comment outside regular business hours. In October, Tokyo Gas agreed to sell its stakes in a portfolio of four Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects for $2.15 billion to a unit of U.S. investment firm EIG.

☆ Oil weakens on China uncertainty; U.S. demand keeps losses in check
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Conflicting headlines about demand from top oil importer China have buffeted traders in recent weeks. Brent crude futures for February delivery fell by $1.06, or 1.3%, to $82.20 a barrel by 11:52 a.m. EST [1652 GMT]. A weaker dollar makes oil cheaper for holders of other currencies and can boost demand. Oil prices also gained some support after inventories update for last week from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Despite a surprise build in crude oil stocks, the report itself was positive, said Giovanni Staunovo of Swiss bank UBS, adding it showed a solid rebound in implied oil demand, resulting in large draws of refined products last week.

☆ Oil weakens on China uncertainty, U.S. demand keeps losses in check
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Conflicting headlines about demand from top oil importer China have buffeted traders in recent weeks. Brent crude futures for February delivery fell by $1.01, or 1.2%, to $82.25 a barrel by 11:52 a.m. EST [1652 GMT]. A weaker dollar makes oil cheaper for holders of other currencies and can boost demand. Oil prices also gained some support after inventories update for last week from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Despite a surprise build in crude oil stocks, the report itself was positive, said Giovanni Staunovo of Swiss bank UBS, adding it showed a solid rebound in implied oil demand, resulting in large draws of refined products last week.

☆ Oil drops on China uncertainty; U.S. demand limits decline
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brent crude futures for February delivery fell by a dollar to settle at $82.26, down 1.2%. U.S. crude oil inventories rose unexpectedly last week as imports climbed and exports fell, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Thursday. Despite the surprise build in crude oil stocks, the report itself was "positive" and showed a "solid rebound" in implied oil demand, resulting in large draws of refined products, said Giovanni Staunovo of Swiss bank UBS. A weaker dollar makes oil cheaper for holders of other currencies. Shutdown of the line hit supplies in the U.S. and briefly lifted oil prices, although there was little change to either benchmark after settlement.

☆ Oil settles lower in light trading on China demand concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China has said it will stop requiring inbound travellers to quarantine from Jan. 8, a major step towards relaxing stringent curbs on its borders. Market participants noted that trading volumes this week are expected to be lighter than usual as the end of the year approaches, creating more volatility in oil prices. "My sense is the general risk-off mood has weighed on the oil prices, in a market with thin liquidity," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. "Next year brings immense uncertainty and plenty of potential upside risk for prices from the China reopening to lower Russian output and further OPEC+ cuts," Erlam said. U.S. crude oil inventories fell last week while gasoline and distillate stocks rose surprisingly, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Wednesday.

☆ Oil rises $3/bbl after Russia signals output cut due to price cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brent crude settled at $83.92, up by $2.94 or 3.6%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled at $79.56 a barrel, up $2.07, or 2.7%. Russia may cut oil output by 5% to 7% in early 2023 as it responds to price caps, the RIA news agency cited Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying on Friday. "The potential cut from Russia could be giving the bulls more fuel," said Eli Tesfaye, senior market strategist at RJO Futures. Both crude oil demand and output could slump over the next few days due to shut-ins from a massive winter storm that cascaded across a broad swath of the United States. Several of the largest U.S. refineries shut down due to the extreme cold while output shut in Texas and North Dakota.

☆ Major oil pipeline outage to hit U.S. stockpiles, refinery supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HOUSTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - An outage on the largest oil pipeline to the United States from Canada could affect inventories at a key U.S. storage hub and cut crude supplies to two oil refining centers, analysts and traders said on Friday. TC Energy's (TRP.TO) Keystone pipeline ferries about 600,000 barrels of Canadian crude per day (bpd) to the United States. Other pipelines between Canada and the United States are at or near capacity, East Daley and data analytics firm Wood Mackenzie estimates. Gulf Coast refiners, which could suffer shortages of heavy Canadian crude, can draw on supplies from offshore Louisiana facilities and from Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador. U.S. physical crude oil grade prices were mixed on Thursday and O'Donnell at East Daley said he expects volatility to continue as long as Keystone remained offline.

☆ Keystone oil spill could tighten U.S. Gulf crude stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Keystone line is a key artery bringing more than 600,000 barrels of Canadian crude per day (bpd) to various parts of the United States. It was shut late Wednesday after leaking more than 14,000 barrels of oil into a creek in Kansas, making it the largest crude spill in the United States in nearly a decade. While TC Energy is yet to give details on when it will restart the pipeline, a previous Keystone spill had caused the pipeline to remain shut for about two weeks. The spill in Kansas took place downstream from a key junction in Steele City, Nebraska, where Keystone splits to run into Illinois. By contrast, Gulf Coast refiners can draw on more sources for crude, both from offshore Louisiana facilities and from countries like Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador.

Crude inventories (USOILC=ECI) fell by 5.2 million barrels in the week to Dec. 2 to 413.9 million barrels, a decline that far exceeded analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 3.3 million-barrel drop. Meanwhile, U.S. crude production rose to 12.2 million barrels per day, highest since August. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub (USOICC=ECI) fell by 373,000 barrels in the last week, EIA said. Refinery crude runs (USOICR=ECI) fell by 53,000 barrels per day in the last week, EIA said. Net U.S. crude imports (USOICI=ECI) rose by 1.49 million barrels per day, EIA said.

CNOOC has hired JPMorgan to advise it on a potential exit from its interests in U.S. shale gas assets, which could raise around $2 billion, the sources familiar with the matter said. The sources cautioned that a sale was not guaranteed, and CNOOC could still retain these interests if it did not receive suitable offers or political situations changed swiftly. In the Eagle Ford basin of south Texas, CNOOC's stake is in oil and gas assets owned by U.S. shale driller Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK.O). While Chesapeake has itself put those assets up for sale, any decision there is not expected to impact CNOOC's plans, one of the sources said. Norway's Equinor (EQNR.OL) is said to be considering buying the stakes in a deal valued between 20 billion and 30 billion Norwegian crowns ($2-3 billion).

☆ Saudi Arabia's Dar Al Arkan signs deal with Trump family for Oman project
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | Shariq Khan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian real estate developer Dar Al Arkan said it signed an agreement with former U.S. President Donald Trump's company to use the Trump Brand for its $4 billion project in the Gulf state of Oman that includes a golf course, hotel and villas. The regulatory statement issued on Sunday did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement with the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world. The Aida project, a joint venture with Oman Tourism Development Company, will include Trump residential villas, a hotel and a golf course built near Muscat and would take over a decade to complete, the Dar Al Arkan filing said. The Trump Organization has two golf properties in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, the Middle East's financial and tourism hub, in partnership with property developer Damac. ($1 = 3.7580 riyals)Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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