Crude Oil

Goldman Sachs has raised their Brent and 'West Texas Intermediate crude' forecasts for the fourth quarter 2026 by $6 each, to $60 and $56 respectively, citing lower than expected OECD stocks. However, it still assumes that there will be no disruption in supply due to Iran and continues to maintain its view on a 2026 excess. In a Sunday note, the 'bank stated that it expected OPEC+ would begin to gradually increase?production during the second quarter 2026 due to the fact that OECD inventories had not yet built. The bank's 2026 forecast of a surplus of 2.3 million barrels a...

Wall Street futures, and the dollar, fell in Asia on Monday as confusion over U.S. Tariffs revived "sell America", while the tech-diva Nvidia's results this week will test the confidence of the AI sector. Gold prices rose and oil prices eased as the world prepares for another round of negotiations between the United States and Iran, which will take place in Geneva on Friday. The risk of U.S. strikes remains if no deal is reached. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump's emergency duties, uncertainty loomed. He announced a new rate of 10% on the rest, but...

Oil prices fell?1%?on Monday as the U.S., Iran, and other countries headed to a third round nuclear talks. This eased concerns over a possible conflict. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's new tariffs created uncertainty about global growth and fuel consumption. Brent crude futures fell 75?cents or 1.05% to $71.01 a barge by 0055 GMT, while U.S. West Texas intermediate crude?futures dropped 74?cents or 1.11%, and were now at $65.74 a barge. Trump announced on Saturday that he will increase a temporary tariff on U.S. Imports from All Countries from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed by law. This is after the...

Investors waited on Monday for clarity about U.S. Tariffs. Meanwhile, the tech-diva Nvidia's results this week will test the confidence of the AI industry. The oil prices fell ahead of the next round of "talks" between the United States of America and Iran, which are scheduled to take place in Geneva on the Thursday. If a deal cannot be reached, the United States could launch military strikes. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump's emergency duties, confusion grew. He announced a new 10% tariff on the rest, but then raised it to 15%. Rodrigo Catril is a...

Workers at the facilities reported that the Venezuelan refining system is running 'at around 35% of its capacity installed of 1.29 million barrels a day. This is higher than the 20% to 25% of last year but still a small volume for securing enough fuel to satisfy the rising domestic demand. Refineries in South America, run by the state-owned energy company PDVSA are often hit by power failures and malfunctions, which limit fuel supplies to homes, power plants, and vehicles. Venezuela was forced to ration cooking gas, gasoline and diesel in the past. According to sources, Amuay Cardon?El Palito Puerto...

Oil prices rose by around 2% to their highest level since six months on Thursday, as traders were concerned about escalating tensions in the Middle East, where the United States and Iran have increased military activity. Brent crude futures closed up $1.31 or 1.9% to $71.66 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas intermediate crude closed up $1.24 or 1.9% to $66.43. Brent closed Wednesday at its highest level since July 31 while WTI closed its highest level since August 1. Andrew Lipow, President of Lipow Oil Associates, said that oil prices were boosted by "geopolitical turmoil and the fear that...

U.S. Futures and European Stocks fell on Thursday as investors focused on company earnings. Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the United States kept markets on edge and supported gold and oil prices. The STOXX 600 Index in Europe fell 0.6% as shares of planemaker Airbus, and miner Rio Tinto dropped after their disappointing earnings reports. The index reached a new record on the previous day, as investors were able to shake off concerns about artificial intelligence disrupting businesses with a rally of banking and defence shares. The volatility caused by fears of disruptions from A.I. continued to drive the price...

Rae Wee gives a look at what the European and global market will be like on Friday. Asian markets were relatively calm on Thursday, with many parts of the region still on holiday for Lunar New Year. However, investors remain on edge over the possibility that tensions between the U.S. Both nations have been at odds over Iranian nuclear activities for years. The U.S. accuses Iran of military ambitions, while Iran insists its goals are pacifist. The White House said that while the two nations made progress in Geneva during this week's talks, there was still distance on certain issues....

According to sources familiar with these efforts, U.S. refiners 'Phillips 66' and 'Citgo Petroleum" are looking to purchase heavy crude from Venezuelan oil company PDVSA directly starting in April, to maximize profits. They do not want to buy through trading houses or U.S. oil giant Chevron. Trafigura, Vitol and other trading houses secured the first U.S. licenses for exporting Venezuelan oil in January as part of an agreement between Washington and Caracas worth $2 billion. Chevron holds an authorization to ship and operate in Venezuela since last year. Refiners have purchased cargoes of oil from these three companies in the...

HF Sinclair CEO Tim Go will take a 'voluntary leave' amid a 'disclosure review. The U.S. refinery announced this?on a Wednesday. Its shares plummeted despite a higher-than expected fourth-quarter profit. Dallas-based refiner Go said he has requested an internal review of the company's disclosure processes. Franklin Myers, the board chair, has been appointed interim CEO. The shares of the refiner dropped 14% during the morning trading after the company announced that the audit committee was evaluating the disclosure processes. Myers said during a conference called that the company is working to finish this review as quickly as possible. He said...

According to sources who are familiar with these efforts, Phillips 66, Citgo Petroleum, and other U.S. refiners want to purchase heavy crude oil directly from Venezuelan oil giant PDVSA in order to maximize their profits. They do not plan to use trading houses or the U.S. oil giant Chevron. Trafigura Trading and Vitol secured the first U.S. export licenses for Venezuelan oil in January as part of a $2 Billion deal between Caracas & Washington. Chevron holds an authorization to ship and operate in Venezuela since last year. Refiners have purchased cargos from these three companies in the U.S. as...

The Asian stock markets rose?on Wednesday, despite renewed concerns about artificial intelligence that gripped international markets. Oil prices fluctuated as Iran announced progress in its?nuclear talks with the United States. New Zealand dollar fell after central bank stated that monetary policy?needs?to remain accommodative to support economic recovery. The Nikkei 225, the benchmark index of Japan, rose by 1.4% after a three-day decline. Australia's S&P/ASX200 also gained 0.5%. Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore were all closed during the Lunar New Year holiday. Stock futures in Europe pointed to a slight gain at the opening. Euro Stoxx futures rose 0.07%. German...

Wall Street futures in Asia and the dollar fell on Monday, as confusion about U.S. trade tariffs prompted the "sell America's" trade. Meanwhile, the tech-diva Nvidia is set to release its results this week. This will test the confidence of the AI sector. Gold prices dropped and gold grew ahead of the next round of talks between the United States and Iran, which will take place in Geneva on Friday. The risk of U.S. strikes remains if there is no agreement. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump's emergency duties, uncertainty grew. He announced a new rate...

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like today. The weekend was a huddled-down one for traders, with threats flying between Iran and the U.S., and nerves raging through the markets due to listed private equity funds. PMI surveys, ?U.S. PCE and GDP data, corporate earnings and a few other items headlined the calendar. However, politics and war risk seemed to dominate investors' minds. The dollar was heading for its biggest weekly increase in four months. U.S. president Donald?Trump set Iran a 10- to 15-day deadline to reach a nuclear deal or...

European stocks fell from a record-high on Thursday, and U.S. Futures?flatlined? as fears of AI disruption abated. However, tensions between Iran and the United States kept markets 'on edge' and supported oil and gold prices. The U.S. dollar found its footing overnight after the minutes of the Federal Reserve meeting revealed that policymakers are not in a hurry to reduce rates. The STOXX 600 Index in Europe fell 0.24% after Airbus and Rio Tinto reported their earnings. The index reached a new record on the previous day, as investors were able to shake off concerns about AI disrupting businesses with...

Rocky Swift gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Investors are still focusing on geopolitical tensions, as well as signs of cooling in the hot tech sector. This is affecting price movements on commodities, currencies and stocks. Asian shares climbed a little higher, after a slight gain on Wall Street, amid concerns about artificial intelligence's impact on the economy and?valuations?linked to it. Many markets in Asia remained closed due to Lunar New Year. The Nikkei jumped more than 1% in Japan on the expectation that the country's tech companies will benefit from the...

The Asian financial markets treaded carefully in Tuesday's holiday-thinned trade, but oil prices rose as U.S.?and Iran nuclear negotiations in Geneva were due to start later that day. The markets in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and Taiwan were closed Tuesday to celebrate Lunar New Year. Monday,?U.S. markets were closed for Presidents' Day. The Nikkei fell 0.5% and the Topix, which is a broader index, dropped 0.2%. The S&P/ASX200 index in Australia was almost 0.5% higher. The 10-year Treasury yields fell 1 basis point on Tuesday to 4,044%, the lowest since December. Japan's 5-year yield dropped...

The world's shares were steady on Monday, after Friday's plunge triggered by AI concerns. In Asia, the Lunar New Year holiday was in place and in the U.S. President's Day. China, South Korea and Taiwan were among the markets closed. MSCI's broadest global index of shares rose 0.1% as currencies, bonds, and world shares steadied. Stock futures continue to be traded, but the U.S. bond and stock markets will not open. European shares opened higher on Monday, boosted by a recovery in the banking sector. The heavyweight sector was hit last weekend when AI-related concerns spilled over into the financials....

The Asian stock market quietly consolidated recent gains as the holidays led to thin trading and disappointing economic data from Japan cooled down that booming sector. China, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States are among the centers that were off, leaving?currencies and commodities, as well as bonds, all in a state of calm. The most important data for this week will not be released until Friday, when the U.S. releases its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the fourth quarter and surveys of global manufacturing are released. Median predictions are for an annualised growth rate of 3.0%. This is down...

Axios, citing U.S. officials who were briefed about the issue, reported that President Donald 'Trump' and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed at a White House meeting on Wednesday to work towards reducing Iran’s oil exports. Axios quoted a senior U.S. government official as saying, "We agreed that we would go full force and exert maximum pressure on Iran, such as regarding Iranian oil sales to China." China's Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Sunday, which was the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday. China is responsible for over 80% of Iran’s...

Asian shares fell from record highs Friday, as investors rushed to safe-haven bonds in anticipation of U.S. inflation data. Wall Street's technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell?2%? after Cisco Systems reported a quarterly adjusted gross margin that was below expectations due to the rising costs of memory chip. This drove Cisco's shares down by 12%, wiping out $40 billion from its market capitalization. The selling spilled into the tech giants, like Apple. Apple fell 5% on a daily basis in April of last year after President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day tariffs" spooked the markets. Transport companies were also affected by the fear...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. Investors will be focusing on a slate of European earnings after the U.S. jobs report surprised many with its strength. This has led to expectations that the Federal Reserve would likely keep rates steady at least until the second half. The future of policy is dependent on the labour market and consumer price trends. Investors are reducing their bets on a Fed move in the near future, and the focus is now shifted to Friday's inflation data. The U.S. employment data presented a...

Petrobras, the state-owned oil company in Brazil, posted record exports Tuesday of 1.2 million barrels per day?of crude oil and derivatives for its 'fourth quarter. This is an increase of 79% over the same period last year. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that the record was achieved as oil production in Brazil increased by about 20% during the same time period, to 2.5 million bpd. This allowed the state-run firm to send more oil overseas. The company had announced previously that it had exceeded its own production guidance for the year. Petrobras also...

Asian stocks rose?for the second day on early Tuesday trading, led by a rally in Tokyo’s?benchmark following Prime Minister Takaichi’s decisive victory in the Japanese election over weekend. The broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan, MSCI, rose 0.4%. Nikkei's 225, however, jumped by 2.1%. It was the third day in a row that Nikkei has reached a new record high. After a two day rally, U.S. equity e-minis have cooled down, with S&P500 e-minis down by 0.1%. This partially reverses gains made on Wall Street over night. S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% on Monday as technology stocks...