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☆ Shell company stock hijacker Mark Miller sentenced to year in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Lengeling told Doty it "felt like we got punched in the gut, quite frankly" when he recently learned prosecutors were asking that Miller spend a year in prison for the penny stock scheme. In addition to his prison term, which Miller is expected to start serving in August, Doty sentenced Miller to two years of supervised release after he completes his time locked up. Miller and Jaberian, as well as an unidentified person related to Miller, became the nominal CEOs and presidents of the targeted companies, prosecutors say. Miller voluntarily dropped a suit related to efforts to take over New World Gold soon after CNBC reported his involvement with that company. Doty sentenced him on May 10 to two years of probation.

☆ Brazil environment agency rejects Petrobras' request to drill at Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, May 17 (Reuters) - The Brazilian environmental protection agency Ibama said on Wednesday it had rejected a request from state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) to drill a well at the mouth of the Amazon river. The much-awaited decision follows a technical recommendation by the agency's experts to reject the proposal. A technical report from Ibama had previously advised against the request, citing discrepancies in environmental studies, inadequate measures for communicating with indigenous communities, and insufficiencies in Petrobras' plan to safeguard the region's wildlife. Petrobras had several opportunities to solve controversial points of its project, but it was still presenting "worrying inconsistencies" for the operation in a new exploratory frontier of "high socio-environmental vulnerability," Ibama said in a statement. Petrobras did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Exxon says it spent more than $900 million locally in Guyana since 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HOUSTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM.N) and its contractors spent more than $400 million locally in Guyana in 2022, and more than $900 million since the company's first oil discovery in the South American country in 2015, it said on a statement on Tuesday. The government has approved on Monday Exxon's 2023 local content plan, in which the company describes its strategies to promote local industry. Exxon and contractors had employed over 5,000 Guyanese workers by the end of 2022, the company said, representing more than 65% of the overall workforce in the local oil and gas industry. Among the 2,700 personnel supporting Exxon's operations in Guyana, over 1,300 were Guyanese, it said. Reporting by Sabrina ValleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why Some Countries Find It Hard to Move Away From Fossil Fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Clifford Krauss | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is one of the largest producers of fossil fuels in the Western Hemisphere, and more than a century of drilling has left its mark. The major highways on the main island are clogged by traffic and lined with industrial warehouses. If Trinidad seems to be zigging and zagging on climate change policy, it is hardly the only one. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are also building large solar farms while exploring for new oil gushers. Industrialized countries are still producers and users of fossil fuels and have failed to put up the $100 billion a year they had pledged to a green fund for poor nations starting in 2020.

Exxon "engaged in a disingenuous attempt" to dilute its obligations under its environmental permit for Liza One, the project that inaugurated Guyana's oil production in 2019, High Court Justice Sandil Kissoon said in the ruling. Guyana's Environmental Protection Agency and the energy ministry so far has approved five offshore oil and gas projects submitted by the group. According to Kissoon's ruling, Exxon must furnish Guyanese authorities with a liability agreement from an insurance company by June 10, or the Liza One environmental permit will be suspended. The company "engaged in a course of action made permissible only by the omissions of a derelict, pliant, and submissive Environmental Protection Agency," the judge wrote. Exxon is reviewing the court decision and evaluating next steps, a company spokesperson said.

☆ Opinion | My Mother Knew How to Celebrate a Royal Event
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( David Lammy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When that happens, I know I’m going to miss my mother. I know my mother would have looked for it. My mother felt the monarchy folded her and other immigrants into Britishness. She loved the pomp and ceremony of royal events, and her shelves were filled with cheerful memorabilia from the weddings and jubilees. We’d crowd around the television to watch the latest event and she’d serve her divine Caribbean cooking on royal cake trays.

☆ China’s Midea regains outbound deal appetite
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Midea (000333.SZ), a $58 billion Chinese white goods champion, made waves in Europe in 2016 when it bought German robot maker Kuka for nearly $5 billion. Seven years later, the company is eyeing Sweden’s home appliance brand Electrolux (ELUXb.ST), a complementary asset currently worth around $7 billion including debt. A successful tilt could mark the beginning of a revival in outbound M&A by Chinese firms after offshore deals touched a historic low of $29 billion in 2022, per EY estimates. To close the Kuka acquisition, Midea offered a 36% price premium and generous guarantees including leaving management in place until 2023. Nevertheless, it seems likely that more cash-rich Chinese companies like Midea, seeking to hedge weak domestic demand with overseas customers, will gingerly test cross-border M&A markets this year.

☆ BP’s strategy risks pleasing no one
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Investors had cheered its February decision to walk back previously targeted 2030 oil and gas production cuts: BP’s shares rose 12% from Feb. 6 to Friday, compared with Shell’s (SHEL.L) 2%. BP’s shares subsequently fell 5% on Tuesday morning, wiping $6 billion off its market value, despite otherwise rosy earnings. Chief Financial Officer Murray Auchincloss pointed out that the decision was consistent with BP’s commitment to allocate 60% of 2023 surplus cash flow to share buybacks. CEO Bernard Looney is getting heat from both sides, with some investors pushing for faster decarbonisation and others willing him to pump more oil. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ DBS' safe profit haven nears its peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Top Singapore-based bank DBS (DBSM.SI) on Tuesday released first-quarter numbers that will make rivals envious. Expenses fell, meaning the bank used just 38% of its revenue to cover costs compared to 59% at JPMorgan (JPM.N). Net interest income already fell 1% last quarter from December. Meanwhile, as much as DBS still touts its status as a safe haven for those – especially rich Chinese people – who want to shield their money from trouble elsewhere, that advantage is also dimming. Absent other such calamities or Gupta being wrong about interest rates, this might be as good as it gets for DBS for now.

☆ The end of cheap credit could hurry Japanese M&A
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Diversifying abroad looks attractive to many Japanese companies given weak home markets. The country's third-largest drugmaker by sales is paying a modest-looking 22% premium to Iveric's share price before the announcement. Analysts at Jefferies reckon those sales could top $85 million in its first year and peak at $2.4 billion annually by 2034. Regardless, even Warren Buffett has taken advantage of Japanese rates to funds deals inside Japan; domestic corporations looking abroad will as well. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Tech groupthink could hinder AI competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, May 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Everyone wants a piece of OpenAI, the startup behind artificial intelligence-powered chatbot ChatGPT. Now that OpenAI has the support of venture capital’s biggest names, that norm will make life harder for smaller challengers - especially given the steep costs of training AI models and how stretched venture funding is now. Rivals could look to the other tech goliaths; competitor Anthropic, backed by Microsoft nemesis Google, recently completed a similarly sized fundraise. By planting its flag in Silicon Valley early, OpenAI may have won a lasting edge in the AI race. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Exxon Mobil not quitting exploration in Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Exxon Mobil Corp FollowHOUSTON, May 1 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) is not giving up on oil exploration in Brazil, the company's country chief Alberto Ferrin said on Monday during the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston. "I would say very crystal clear that Exxon Mobil is not quitting exploration in Brazil at all," Ferrin said, disputing a U.S. newspaper report published last month. Brazil's government, regulators and the company's exploration partners are aware it has no intentions of leaving. Exxon is searching for exploration opportunities such as the one it encountered in Guyana, where it has had an 89% success rate, Ferrin said. "Brazil offers those exploration success enablers that we look for globally, no doubt about that.

☆ Petrobras awaits government OK to drill at mouth of Amazon River
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, April 29 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) said on Saturday that it is awaiting the government's stance on its request to drill a well at the mouth of the Amazon River Basin, following a technical recommendation by the country's environmental agency to reject the proposal. "We're technically ready, waiting for the official position on our drilling campaign in the region," he added. But a technical report from Brazil's environmental agency Ibama has advised against the request, citing discrepancies in environmental studies, inadequate measures for communicating with indigenous communities, and insufficiencies in Petrobras' plan to safeguard the region's wildlife. The technical report will serve as the basis for the environmental agency's ultimate determination on whether or not to authorize activities in the area. Reporting by Marta Nogueira, Writing by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil agency recommends barring Petrobras from drilling in Amazon's mouth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Marta Nogueira | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Signed last week by several environmental analysts from Ibama, the report also recommended the agency stop processing environmental licenses for the block. The oil block, FZA-M-59, was auctioned off by oil regulator ANP to Petrobras in 2013. According to Ibama's report, Petrobras' environmental studies still have "inconsistencies" even after a series of reviews. Petrobras and Ibama did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Another document seen by Reuters showed Werneck Sanchez Basseres, Ibama's environmental licensing coordinator for offshore oil and gas exploration, said he agreed with the report's assessment.

☆ Cool investors buy time for First Republic fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - If investors are worried that stresses at First Republic Bank (FRC.N) will hurt other lenders, they aren’t showing it. Stocks of regional U.S. banks are generally faring well despite fears that the San Francisco-based lender might fail. As the government and the private sector mull a rescue, the market’s composure buys precious time for reaching a deal. The difference between now and March, when Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank crumpled, is marked. Regional Bank exchange-traded fund (IAT.P) closed with a 0.7% gain.

☆ Exxon delivers a record first-quarter profit on higher output
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported a record first-quarter profit that was more than double from a year ago and topped Wall Street estimates as rising oil and gas output overcame a pullback in energy prices from high levels. Oil companies are riding that wave of relatively higher oil and gas prices with earnings benefiting from strong demand and cost-cutting tied to efforts to counter Covid-19 lockdowns three years ago. "We delivered a first-quarter record despite the fact that energy prices and refining margins are softening a bit," Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Mikells said in an interview. Its oil and gas production rose by nearly 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) compared to year-ago levels excluding asset sales and its exit from Russia. Higher volumes partially offset a 16% drop in oil prices from a year ago.

☆ Exxon burns brighter on Permian and Guyana
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) burned brighter in the first quarter, thanks to the Permian Basin and Guyana. The $485 billion oil giant earned $11.4 billion, or twice as much as it did the same period a year ago. The first gusher came from Texas, where Exxon pumped 615,000 barrels a day from the shale basin. Last quarter, Exxon took 375,000 barrels a day from offshore, and it has a target capacity of 1.2 million barrels by 2027, 20% more than the Permian. Shale wells quickly deplete, so the company may need to eventually top up in the Permian.

☆ Exxon delivers record first-quarter profit on higher output
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Exxon doubled profits from the same quarter last year as higher output more than compensated for lower energy prices. Shares rose 2.3% to a record high of $119.52 per share after Exxon reported its results on Friday. "We delivered a first-quarter record despite the fact that energy prices and refining margins are softening a bit," Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Mikells said in an interview. Exxon's oil and gas output rose to the highest level in almost four years. Exxon's oil and gas production rose to the most since 2019 to 3.83 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), up by 160,000 boed from the previous quarter.

April 26 (Reuters) - Oil and gas producer Hess Corp (HES.N) on Wednesday topped Wall Street's first-quarter profit estimates and disclosed its consortium with Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) made a new discovery off the coast of Guyana. Hess holds a 30% stake in the consortium, and said the discovery may help justify a new oil project. Production from Hess' share of output in Guyana was 12% above estimates at 112,000 boepd. The company expects current quarter production of between 105,000 boepd and 110,000 boepd due to planned maintenance at the Liza phase 2 platform. On a per share basis, the company reported a profit of $1.13 for the first quarter and an adjusted profit of $1.30.

HOUSTON/NEW DELHI, April 21 (Reuters) - South America's fastest growing oil producer has turned down the Indian government's request for discounted crude oil purchases during trade discussions, Guyana Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday. Guyana's oil production in total has tripled from a year ago to about 380,000 barrels of oil per day. "Any sale of our crude will have to be on commercial terms, not a discounted terms," Jagdeo said at a briefing. Indian buyers have sought a discount to compensate for high freight costs to send its oil to the Asian country, Jagdeo said. "Guyana crude is costly for us because of high freight.

Total non-OPEC liquid fuels production is expected to grow by 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2023 and by 1 million bpd in 2024, the EIA said in its Short Term Energy Outlook. OPEC output will fall by 500,000 bpd in 2023, then rise by 1 million bpd in 2024, after the group's output agreement expires, EIA forecast. U.S. crude production set to rise 5.5% to 12.54 million bpd this year and another 1.7%, to 12.75 million bpd, in 2024. Liquid fuels consumption will rise by 1.4 million bpd in 2023 and by 1.8 million bpd in 2024, EIA said. U.S petroleum and other liquid fuels consumption would tick up 0.5% to 20.4 million bpd in 2023 and rise 1.6% to 20.7 million bpd in 2024, EIA added.

☆ Saudi Arabia-Led Oil Cuts Run Into Gusher of Alternative Supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Joe Wallace | Anna Hirtenstein | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nigeria remains vulnerable to outages despite its recent increase in oil production. A burst of supply from a grab bag of smaller oil-producing countries threatens to undermine efforts by Saudi Arabia and its allies to keep prices high. Iran, Guyana, Norway, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Nigeria have pumped more oil since the fall, boosting the world’s supplies even as some of the biggest producers throttled back. Nigeria in particular has seen output bounce, with help from armed guards protecting barges in the vast creeks and waterways of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

☆ World Court says it can rule on Guyana-Venezuela border dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

THE HAGUE, April 6 (Reuters) - Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday ruled they had jurisdiction over a long-running border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela, which could determine which country has rights to offshore oil and gas fields. Guyana asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, in 2018 to confirm that the border was laid down in an 1899 arbitration between Venezuela and the then-colony of British Guiana. The court "by 14 votes to 1, rejects the preliminary objection raised by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," said presiding judge Joan Donoghue, while reading the decision. Venezuela does not want the ICJ to rule and instead insists on a bilateral negotiated solution to determine the course of the land border, which may ultimately determine which country has rights to certain offshore oil and gas fields. Offshore oil discoveries in recent years have given Guyana, which has no history of oil production, the potential to become one of the largest producers in Latin America.

☆ Exxon quits drilling in Brazil after failing to find oil - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Exxon Mobil Corp FollowApril 5 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) has ended a major campaign to find oil in Brazil, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. However, the company has not ruled out future projects in the country, the report added, citing sources. Exxon had bet billions of dollars on offshore drilling in Brazil, and the country was one of the three geographic areas the company was counting on for most of its future production. The other two - Guyana and U.S. shale country - are performing well, but Exxon is yet to make a major oil discovery as an operator in Brazil's water. The reported news comes less than a day after Exxon signalled that its first-quarter operating profits dropped about 25% from last year's record levels on easing oil and gas prices.

☆ Crude oil at $100 could soon become the new normal, top energy analyst Paul Sankey predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Natalie Zhang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The new normal for crude oil could be $100 a barrel, according to leading energy analyst Paul Sankey. 1 by Institutional Investor for energy independent research in 2023, sees OPEC+'s surprise production cut paired with supply drivers as major catalysts. "Global oil production capacity really has a problem. The move comes after crude prices dropped to a 15-month low in mid-March. A CNBC PRO screen found that Schlumberger was also typically the best performer during past oil spikes.

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