Central Asia

The Kazakhstani economy minister announced on Wednesday that a price freeze would be in effect until "at least next spring". He said that this was due to the rising fuel prices in Russia - Kazakhstan's main trading partner and neighbour. Serik Jumangarin said to reporters in Astana: "What is important now for us is to wait. At least until next Spring." We must wait until the neighbouring countries stabilise." He said: "The situation has to do with the events that are unfolding because of the conflict between Russia, Ukraine and other countries. The petroleum prices in this country have been...

Kazakhstan's Government announced on Thursday that it would freeze the price of some diesel and petrol as well as suspend utility tariff increases until 2026. This is due to the double-digit inflation rate continuing to increase. In a Telegram statement, the government announced that price freezes for diesel and AI92 gasoline will remain in effect until inflation stabilizes. It also said it would increase funding for the domestic agriculture to help prevent any price increases on what it called "socially important" food products. The government also claimed that it would reduce the tax revenue collected by small businesses, and make...

The energy ministry announced on Tuesday that Kazakhstan, which is one of the fastest-growing oil producing countries in the world plans to increase its fuel exports into China, India, and Central Asia. It hopes to capitalize on the growing demand for fuel in these regions. The government has approved a long-term strategy for the development of the oil refining sector between 2025 and 2040. Currently, the country has export restrictions for gasoline and diesel. After modernisation, the country now has three large oil production plants in Pavlodar, Shymkent, and Atyrau, with a combined annual output of 17 million metric tonnes...

RIA News Agency reported that Alexander Novak, the Russian prime minister, said on Monday morning that the OPEC+ grouping of major oil producers had not yet discussed raising output by another 411,000 barley per day before its meeting. On May 28, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies led by Russia will host an online ministerial conference. Novak told RIA that he expected the two to discuss the current market conditions, forecasts, and "adjustments". Eight OPEC+ nations will meet separately, who had committed to voluntary extra cuts in oil production. Three OPEC+ source told us earlier...

Goldman Sachs said on Friday that it expects OPEC+ will announce a second consecutive supply increase for June on July 1 due to the modest compliance of Kazakhstan, lower than expected OECD inventory levels, and Saudi Arabia’s ability to deal with lower oil prices. The Wall Street bank expects the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) to announce a 410,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) increase in supply for June in its meeting on Saturday, from its prior estimate of 140,000 bpd, according to a note. Three sources said on Friday that the OPEC+ summit was moved from Monday to...

Kassym Jomart Tokayev, the Kazakh president, said that he has instructed his government urgently to complete work on a new plan to protect Central Asia from global economic shocks. Kazahstan, the only Central Asian country targeted by President Donald Trump, was subjected to additional tariffs of 27 percent earlier this month. Despite Trump's Wednesday reversal of many of the heavy duties, the countries still face a tariff of 10%. Kazakhstan is also vulnerable to falling oil prices, as the U.S. continues to put pressure on China. Kazakhstan is among the top 10 oil producing countries in the world. According to...

Four sources said that OPEC+ would likely stick with its plan to increase oil production for a second month in a row in May. This is despite the steady price of oil and plans to make some members reduce their pumping to compensate past overproduction. OPEC+, a group consisting of OPEC producers and allies led by Russia and pumping over 40% of world oil. The group plans to increase its output by 135,000 barges per day in the month of May. This would be the second increase in a plan that aims to undo some of the millions barrels per...

Sources said that as OPEC+ debated if they should keep oil production steady because of weak global demand, or increase it in response to pressure from the U.S. president Donald Trump and internal pressure, a record output from Kazakhstan helped sway their decision. OPEC, along with its allies, including Russia, a collective known as OPEC+ decided to increase production for the first since 2022. It stated that its decision was based on a healthy market and positive market prospects, without mentioning Kazakhstan. The group plans to increase production by 138,000 barrels a day starting in April. This is the first...

Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kazakhstan stressed on Wednesday the significance of complete dedication to the voluntary oil production cuts concurred by the Company of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, the Saudi state news agency reported. OPEC+ members are discussing an additional hold-up to a prepared oil output trek that was due to start in January, 2 sources from the producer group told Reuters on Tuesday, ahead of Sunday's meeting to decide policy for the early months of 2025. The remarks follow a meeting on phone held by Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Kazakh Energy Minister...

5 years ago, Chevron CEO Michael Wirth won Wall Street honor as the No. 2 U.S. oil business quickly attained a market value larger than Exxon Mobil's after he refused to get into a bidding war with Occidental Petroleum over a rival. He was ahead of the game when the pandemic hit oil and gas need, requiring competitors to make deep cutbacks that Wirth had already taken on at Chevron. Its shares had actually outshined rivals for five years till 2022. Fast forward to 2024 and Wirth's legacy is in threat. Chevron's falling earnings no longer cover its dividends and...

OPEC has actually received upgraded output settlement strategies from Iraq and Kazakhstan, mentioning that they aim to offset their overproduction in the first seven months of this year by September 2025, the producer group said on Thursday. OPEC and other producers including Russia, called OPEC+,. have executed a series of output cuts given that late 2022 to. support the market, most of which remain in place up until completion of. 2025. Iraq's cumulative overproduction in between January and July. was 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) and Kazakhstan's was. 699,000 bpd, OPEC said. Iraq's oil ministry verified on Thursday it...

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are going over increasing the transit of Kazakh oil through Azerbaijan to 57 million tonnes, an official at Azerbaijan's. stateowned oil business SOCAR said on Thursday. Kazakhstan is attempting to decrease reliance on Russia with. regard to its energy exports, as most of Kazakhstan's flow of. 1.5 million barrels daily or 1.5% of worldwide supply go by means of. various Russian pipelines. We are presently performing negotiations with the Kazakh. side about increasing oil transit from this country to 5-7. million tonnes, stated Zaur Gakhramanov, an advisor to SOCAR's. president. Azerbaijan plans to open an oil terminal...

Solidcore Resources, a Kazakh gold miner, expects that high gold prices will offset a large part of the production decline due to sanctions related disruptions in concentrate shipments into Russia. The gold price has risen by about 40% in the past year. It reached a record-high of $3,673.95 per ounce, last week, on expectations that the U.S. will soon cut interest rates. Solidcore, previously Polymetal International sold its Russian assets after the U.S. imposed sanctions on its business in Russia. However, it continues to send gold concentrator to Russia to be processed with U.S. approval. The company's profit nearly doubled...

Kazakh gold miner Solidcore said Monday that high gold prices and growth in sales have almost doubled their net profit by 2024. However, they warned of the impact sanctions on concentrate delivery to Russia will have on first-quarter revenues. Solidcore (formerly Polymetal International) is the second largest gold miner in Kazakhstan. It expects to produce 487,000 gold equivalent ounces by 2025. In 2024, the company sold off its Russian assets after U.S. sanctions were imposed on its business in Russia in response to Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine. About 70% of the group's output and 50% of its core earnings...

Britain's Serious Scams Office has actually settled a suit brought by Kazakh mining group ENRC, which accused the firm of dripping info about a corruption probe to journalists. ENRC took legal action against the SFO, the agency's former case controller for the ENRC probe and a former employee over declared leakages throughout a. decade-long criminal investigation into supposed bribery by the. previous FTSE 100 business. The SFO had denied the claims. The SFO confirmed on Tuesday that the suit at London's. High Court had actually been settled, stating: Throughout this case we. robustly protected the claims. A confidential settlement has...

L Catterton, the private equity company backed by luxury items huge LVMH, on Wednesday clinched an offer to obtain a majority stake in pilates studio operator Solidcore from its existing owners. The deal values Solidcore at between $600 million and $700. million, according to an individual familiar with the matter. L. Catterton will own Solidcore through its Flagship Fund. The business, known for its difficult 50-minute exercise. classes on its sweatlana reformer makers, had actually been checking out. a sale with financial investment banks North Point and Piper Sandler,. Reuters reported in May. Consumers comprehend that motion is medicine, with...

Germany is interested in broadening trade with Kazakhstan while likewise guaranteeing such trade is not utilized to prevent EU sanctions on Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated on a check out to the Central Asian country. I am grateful for the trusting dialogue in between us, through which we want to avoid trade between us from being misused to prevent sanctions, Scholz stated. After Russian forces attacked Ukraine in February 2022, the West enforced sweeping sanctions on Russia, triggering Moscow to seek circuitous routes for importing innovation and items. Sources have told Reuters that Russian companies seeking goods prohibited by the...

Gold manufacturer Solidcore, formerly known as Polymetal International, plans to increase earnings in 2024 thanks to higher gold costs, CEO Vitaly Nesis stated on Friday. The Kazakhstan-based company posted a 73% year-on-year dive in adjusted EBITDA to $346 million for the very first half of 2024, driven by greater sales volumes and higher gold costs. Profits increased 79% to $704 million and its average realised gold price was up 17%. Gold costs powered greater on Friday, setting records, on expectations of U.S. rate of interest cuts. The cost of gold is substantially higher this year than last year. Therefore, we...

Glencore has developed 25,000 metric lots of unsold zinc due to the fact that of the growth and rampup of its Zhairem operation, part of its Kazzinc company in Kazakhstan, the business stated on Wednesday throughout a briefing call. We've had an accumulation in some stock, particularly in Kazakhstan in our zinc organization, so we've produced about 25,000 tonnes more than we offered ... Stocks will remain around the 25,000 level, said Glencore's primary monetary officer, Steven Kalmin. ( Zhairem) remains in quite a remote location and it's quite a. range from the processing centers, he said. A few of...

Azeri BTC unrefined differentials reduced on Friday after an offer in the afternoon trading window, while CPC Blend remains under pressure, as oil need in Mediterranean remains weak, traders said. * Any Danish relocate to limit the flexibility of navigation of Russian ships in the Baltic straits will be viewed as a hostile act and draw retaliation, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday. PLATTS WINDOW * SOCAR offered to Eni 650,000 barrels of Azeri BTC from Ceyhan over May 21-25 at dated Brent plus $1.55 per barrel. That was down by some 30 cents from the current...

Kazakh miner Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has rejected accusations it attempted to bypass Democratic Republic of Congo's subcontracting laws designed to increase local ownership in the mining sector, job creation, and benefits to the nation's economy. In a declaration released last week, Congo's federal government accused ERG of passing off 9 subcontracting companies as majority partners with fictitious shares in order to circumvent legislation requiring that Congolese investors own 50% of subcontracting shares. The Regulatory Authority for Farming Out in the Personal Sector, a government body, stated that more than $535 million in sales had actually incorrectly gone to foreign-owned...

The European Union and the United States will fail to reach a vital minerals agreement at a meeting of leading authorities today, but will release a joint push to create collaborations with resourcerich nations. Brussels has been eager to protect a handle Washington that would enable vital minerals mined or processed in Europe to qualify for U.S. clean automobile tax breaks. A senior European Commission authorities stated a deal was not. predicted by the time the two-day Trade and Innovation Council. concluded on Friday, but a joint statement would say that the. two sides will work towards reaching a contract....

Urals crude differentials to dated Brent were the same on Wednesday, while premiums for Azeri BTC oil alleviated further. * Premiums for Azeri BTC oil continued to compromise amid lower demand for April barrels due to seasonal refinery maintenance in Mediterranean area, traders stated. * Oil loadings from Russia's western ports from March 20-31 are anticipated to exceed 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) and hit the greatest level since April 2022, according to market and trading sources, along with estimations. * India's Dependence Industries, operator of the world's biggest refining complex, will not buy Russian oil packed on tankers...

Urals crude differentials to dated Brent were steady on Tuesday, while Russia's Lukoil NORSI refinery was knocked out in a significant Ukrainian drone attack. * Industry sources informed on condition of privacy that the main crude distillation system (AVT-6) at NORSI was damaged in the attack, which implies that at least half of the refinery's production is stopped. Lukoil declined to comment. * The NORSI refinery blackout might cause additions to the March loading plan for Russia's western ports, but no additional packing slots have been announced so far, traders said. * The United States is trying to help India...