Latest News
-
OPEC+ production cuts might support oil rates in near term, Goldman Sachs states
Crude production from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Russia has declined in compliance with OPEC+. production cuts, supporting a modest near term advantage to Brent. rates, Goldman Sachs stated. Saudi Arabia is most likely to extend oil production cuts. because of the recent rate drop and we now believe that oil. production cuts will last till April 2025 rather of January,. the investment bank said in a note dated Tuesday. Goldman Sachs kept its typical Brent rate forecast. for 2025 at $76 per barrel. OPEC+, that includes members of the OPEC and allies such as. Russia, is going over a further hold-up to a planned oil output. trek that was due to start in January, two sources from the. group said. At its most recent meeting on Nov. 3, OPEC+ agreed. to delay a prepared December output increase by a month. Any ramp-up in OPEC+ production will be gradual and. data-driven, the bank stated. Goldman added that rising compliance with OPEC+ production. cuts suggests that the group's member countries are working. together to support oil prices. Production from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Russia decreased by 0.5. million barrels per day in November, Goldman stated. OPEC member countries are unlikely to unwind voluntary. production cuts in the short term, executives of international. product trading giants Vitol, Trafigura and Gunvor said at the. Energy Intelligence Online Forum in London. However, in spite of OPEC+'s production cuts and hold-ups to. output hikes, Brent futures have actually mainly stayed in a. $ 70-$ 80 range this year, and were trading below $74 on Tuesday. Recently, Goldman Sachs revised Brent prices to typical around. $ 80 per barrel this year, despite a 2024 deficit and. geopolitical unpredictability, citing an awaited surplus in 2025.
-
Repsol Gets $440K Fine for Halting NEO’s Production at Flyndre Field
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has issued its highest-ever fine of $440,000 (£350,000) on Repsol North Sea (RNS) for behavior that led to a shut-in at the Flyndre field and hampered economic recovery of petroleum.The Fulmar facility in the Central North Sea, operated by RNS, ceased production in 2018, but continued to be used for the transportation of oil and gas by the Flyndre, Auk and Clyde fields.Auk and Clyde were owned and operated by Repsol Resources UK. Flyndre was owned and operated by TotalEnergies, before being taken over by NEO from July 2020.Before NEO took control of Flyndre, RNS told TotalEnergies that it intended to increase transportation charges through Fulmar and, when TotalEnergies questioned the hike, RNS issued a Termination Notice saying that the agreement would end on August 6.RNS refused TotalEnergies’ request for further talks and the provision of information and on August 6, the transportation agreement ended and, as a result the Fulmar facility – which was undergoing maintenance - did not reopen on August 8 as planned.Flyndre remained shut-in until August 13, when a temporary agreement was reached which allowed transport of oil and gas from Flyndre to resume.Long-term agreement was never reached, and the situation was only resolved when RNS took ownership of the Flyndre field in November 2021.The NSTA’s investigation – which was undertaken under the then MER UK Strategy - found that RNS failed to take the steps necessary to secure the maximum value of economically recoverable petroleum as required by the MER UK Strategy.It also found that RNS did not operate Fulmar in a way that facilitated the maximum value of economically recoverable petroleum from the region in which it was situated and failed to ensure that it was used by or for the benefit of others within the region.RNS applied undue pressure on TotalEnergies and NEO in renegotiating agreements which caused Flyndre to be shut-in for five days. They also set an unrealistic timetable, failed to provide timely information, did not justify the proposed rise in charges, and used the Termination Notice to pressurize negotiations and gain a commercial advantage, NSTA found.The company’s failure to collaborate and to demonstrate the required actions and behaviours under the MER UK Strategy could have a negative impact on investment in the North Sea so it has, therefore, been sanctioned accordingly, according to NSTA.“The North Sea needs to play a key role in progressing the energy transition and energy security in the UK and, in order to do that, operators must follow the Strategy and collaborate and cooperate with each other.“The NSTA will continue to work with industry to help operators meet the required standards of behaviour; and this action shows that we will not hesitate to take action when an operator falls short,” said Jane de Lozey, NSTA Director of Regulation.Separately, the NSTA has also fined ONE-Dyas $94,000 (£75,000) for failing to comply with a condition of its offshore licence.The company plugged and abandoned a well only sending an application for consent to do so on June 9, 2023 – two days after the work had been completed.
-
ABL to Oversee Offshore Installation Works for Iberdrola’s German OW Farm
Energy and marine consultancy ABL, a subsidiary of ABL Group ASA, has been awarded a sizeable contract to provide marine warranty survey (MWS) services to support the offshore construction of Iberdrola’s 315 MW Windanker offshore wind farm, offshore Germany.Hamburg-based ABL Germany will provide MWS services to support the offshore transportation and installation (T&I) campaign relating to the foundations, inter-array cables and wind turbine generators (WTGs).Its scope of work includes the provision of expert technical review and approval of documents, operations and vessels relating to the warranted assets.ABL did not disclose the exact value of the contract, but the company defines a sizeable contract to be between $1 million and $3 million.The Windanker project is a major offshore wind farm in Germany located in the Baltic Sea, located about 25 kilometers offshore.It consists of 21 15MW offshore wind turbines, with a combined capacity of 315MW. The installation activities are scheduled for 2025 and 2026, with project commissioning expected by the end of 2026.“We are pleased to support Iberdrola in their construction of Germany’s all-important Windanker offshore wind farm. This follows on from ABL’s previous collaboration with Iberdrola in Germany on the Baltic Eagle project – reflecting our successful working relationship and the value we are able to bring to Germany’s growing offshore wind market,” said Reuben Segal, CEO of ABL Group.Iberdrola Gives Go-Ahead for Its Third Offshore Wind Farm in GermanyHavfram to Install Wind Turbines at Iberdrola’s Windanker ProjectVan Oord Gets Windanker Monopiles and Cables Installation Job
-
Copper trades in narrow range with traders eyeing fresh catalyst
Copper costs edged up on Wednesday supported by a softer dollar but were restricted to a narrow range with market individuals considering more cues. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME). increased 0.2% to $9,021 per metric lot by 0349 GMT, while. the most-traded January copper contract on the Shanghai Futures. Exchange (SHFE) was almost flat at 73,870 yuan. ($ 10,180.12) a heap. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday released details. of his scheduled tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, in which he. vowed to add an extra 10% tariff on all Chinese products. Rates fell previously in the week, but ultimately bounced. back, as the tariffs on China have actually up until now been less than. previously anticipated. The devil is very much in the information on all these. statements. It's all headlines and no information right now, stated. Guy Wolf, Global Head of Market Analytics at broker Marex. Helping to support costs on Wednesday was a softer dollar. which makes greenback-priced metals more affordable to holders of other. currencies. LME aluminium rose 0.1% to $2,614 a ton, nickel. edged up 0.2% at $16,020, tin dropped 2.6% to. $ 28,150, zinc increased 0.6% to $3,094.50 and lead. innovative 0.5% to $2,031. SHFE aluminium fell 0.4% to 20,520 yuan a lot,. nickel decreased 1.6% to 126,250 yuan, tin. dropped 3.2% to 234,710 yuan, while zinc increased 2% to. 25,610 yuan and lead increased 0.2% to 17,225 yuan. China's October industrial revenues narrowed their earlier. declines, assisted by a low base the previous year, official data. revealed on Wednesday, but headwinds on revenues stay stiff with. the economy still fighting weak demand and deflation pressures. Market individuals have actually been expecting China to launch. more stimulus measures to support the economy, which could increase. metal usage. For the leading stories in metals and other news, click. or
-
Iron ore increases as firmer steel output offsets soft China information
Rates of iron ore futures edged greater for the 3rd straight session on Wednesday, as stronger steel production exceeded a raft of weaker financial information in top consumer China. The most-traded January iron ore agreement on China's Dalian Product Exchange (DCE) was up 0.38% at 786.5 yuan ($ 108.40) a metric load, since 0233 GMT. The benchmark December iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 0.48% greater at $103.05 a lot. Iron ore markets once again significant time above $100 with the boost in Chinese steel production supporting costs, Westpac analysts said in a note. China's steel output remains well above typical rates for this time of year, with production over the last 3 weeks up 9.5% versus the average for the very same duration in the last 3 years, Westpac stated, pointing out data from the China Iron and Steel Association. China is both the world's leading customer and producer of the metal. Still, the country's commercial revenues fell once again in October. Demand stays soft in the crisis-hit economy, with customer rates at a four-month low while commercial output continues to pattern downward and October brand-new home costs fell at their fastest rate in nine years. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities alerted that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's promise to enforce substantial tariffs on products from China would damage the economies of all involved, cause inflation to increase and harm task markets. Trump's plans concerning China remained unclear as he had previously pointed out enforcing tariffs of 60% or higher. However, on Monday, he just referred to an extra 10% tariff, above any additional tariffs, on all of their many items coming into the U.S. . Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE lost ground, with coking coal and coke down 2.04% and 1.22%,. respectively. Steel standards on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were. weaker. Rebar dipped 0.27%, hot-rolled coil. edged 0.2% lower, wire rod shed about 1.2% and. stainless steel dropped 1.14%.
-
Gold sells tight range ahead of United States inflation information
Gold costs swept within a narrow variety on Wednesday as investors awaited crucial U.S. inflation information for insights into the prospective scale of a Federal Reserve rate cut next month. Area gold was stable at $2,635.56 per ounce, as of 0222 GMT, moving mostly within a slim $9 variety during the session. Bullion struck over one-week low on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures increased 0.6% to $2,635.80. There's the geopolitical component to all of this, which is to state that some selling pressure has actually emerged since of the ceasefire arrangement with Israel and Lebanon, stated Kyle Rodda, financial market analyst at Capital.com. U.S.-France brokered ceasefire in between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah worked at 0200 GMT on Wednesday. Gold is typically considered a safe-haven financial investment during durations of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, including trade wars and other conflicts. In the long run, I believe Trump's trade-war may be positive for gold because of higher financial obligation loads and a touch of dedollarisation, Rodda included. Financiers digested a handful of financial data on Tuesday showing the economy remained on solid footing. Federal Reserve officials were divided on additional rate cuts at their conference previously this month, but accepted limit assistance on the future direction of U.S. financial policy. Markets presently sees a 63% opportunities of a 25-basis-point rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve in December, according to the CME group's FedWatch tool. Traders will closely monitor core PCE figures, preliminary out of work claims and GDP (first revision), set for release later on in the day. In other places, China's net gold imports via Hong Kong in October fell from September and were down 43% from the previous year, information showed. Area silver edged 0.1% lower to $30.39 per ounce, platinum was flat at $927.45 and palladium was down by 0.4% to $973.50.
-
Oil rates steady amid concentrate on Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, OPEC+ policy
Oil costs steadied in early trade on Wednesday, with markets examining the possible effect of a ceasefire offer in between Israel and Hezbollah, and ahead of Sunday's OPEC+ conference. Brent crude futures fell 2 cents to $72.79 a barrel by 0114 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $68.73 a barrel, down 4 cents, or 0.1%. Both standards settled lower on Tuesday after Israel agreed to a ceasefire handle Lebanon's Hezbollah. A ceasefire in between Israel and Hezbollah will take effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted a contract brokered by the United States and France, U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Tuesday. The accord cleared the method for an end to a conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border that has actually killed thousands of individuals considering that it was fired up by the Gaza war last year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was prepared to implement a ceasefire handle Lebanon and would react. powerfully to any infraction by Hezbollah. Market participants are evaluating whether the ceasefire. will be observed, stated Hiroyuki Kikukawa, president of NS. Trading, a system of Nissan Securities. We expect WTI to trade within the series of $65-$ 70 a. barrel, factoring in weather conditions during the Northern. Hemisphere's winter season, a potential boost in shale oil and gas. production under the inbound Donald Trump administration in the. U.S., and need trends in China, he said. OPEC+, the Company of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. ( OPEC) and allies led by Russia, are discussing a further hold-up. to a planned oil output hike that was due to begin in January,. two sources from the producer group stated on Tuesday, ahead of a. conference on Dec. 1 to choose policy for early 2025. The group pumps about half the world's oil and had actually prepared. to slowly roll back oil-production cuts with small increases. over many months in 2024 and 2025. However a slowdown in Chinese and. international demand, and increasing output outside the group, have put a. dampener on that strategy. In the U.S., President-elect Donald Trump stated he would. impose a 25% tariff on all products entering the U.S. from. Mexico and Canada. Crude oil would not be exempt from the trade. charges, two sources familiar with the plan told Reuters on. Tuesday. Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil stocks fell while fuel inventories. rose recently, market sources stated, pointing out API figures on. Tuesday. Unrefined stocks fell by 5.94 million barrels in the week ended. Nov. 22, surpassing analysts' projection of a drop of about 600,000. barrels.
-
Putin to talk energy ties on check out to Kazakhstan, Kremlin states
Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss energy ties on a check out to Kazakhstan today, the Kremlin stated on Tuesday, a trip that comes in the middle of trade tensions with the Main Asian nation, which exports most of its oil through Russia. Kazakhstan, which has tried to distance itself from Moscow's. war in Ukraine, remains extremely depending on Russia for exporting. oil to Western partners and for imports of food, electricity and. fine-tuned oil items. Our countries are ... constructively working together in the oil. and gas sector, Putin composed in a short article Russia-- Kazakhstan:. a union demanded by life and seeking to the future for the. Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper and published on the Kremlin's. website late on Tuesday. Putin's post came after Kazakhstan's energy minister on. Monday stated his nation might greatly increase its petroleum. exports out of Turkey's port of Ceyhan, a move that would reduce. the share of streams it presently sends via Russia. Underscoring that more than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil is. exported to foreign markets through Russia, Putin, who begins. his see to Kazakhstan on Wednesday, stated he and President. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev always concentrate on a particular result in. their talks. Kremlin diplomacy aide Yuri Ushakov informed journalists on. Tuesday, without offering additional detail, that Putin and. Tokayev will sign a protocol on extending an agreement on oil. products to Kazakhstan. Putin also said in his post that Russia's state nuclear. corporation Rosatom - currently associated with some projects in. Kazakhstan - is ready for new large-scale jobs. In October, Kazakhstan, a country of 20 million, enacted. favour of building its very first nuclear power plant, under a. Tokayev-backed plan that faced public criticism and concerns. that Russia would be associated with the project. Putin's visit likewise comes amid agricultural trade stress. following a Russian restriction on imports of grain, fruit and other. farm products from Kazakhstan in October. Moscow enforced the ban after Kazakhstan refused to join. BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies which Putin wishes to develop. as an effective counterweight to the West in worldwide politics and. trade.
Oil up on geopolitical tension, gains capped by fading Fed rate-cut hopes
Oil rates settled higher on Tuesday as geopolitical stress continued in the Middle East and eastern Europe, however gains were reduced as investors reined in expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.
Brent futures settled 77 cents higher or 0.94% at $ 82.77 a barrel at 2:30 p.m. EST (19:32 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) unrefined settled 95 cents higher, or 1.24%, at $77.87 a barrel.
On Monday, oil costs were near flat after gaining 6% last week, with the conflict in the Middle East keeping prices raised.
The U.S. turned down Russian President Vladimir Putin's. recommendation of a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to sources.
The rejection punctuates that there is not truly an end. video game in terms of a peace or a ceasefire offer up until Ukraine gets. what it desires, said John Kilduff, partner at New York-based. Again Capital. U.S. sanctions are finally beginning to bite as. well, and we are seeing various countries backing away from. taking Russian products.
Fears of additional escalation of the war in the Middle East. Stoked concerns about the oil supply outlook.
Talks including the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar on a Gaza. truce ended without an advancement as calls grew for Israel to. keep back on a prepared assault on the southern end of the. enclave, crammed with over a million displaced individuals.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have actually kept up attacks in the Red. Sea, declaring uniformity with Palestinians and striking vessels. with industrial ties to the U.S., Britain and Israel.
Suggesting tighter supply, the premium of the WTI. front-month over the seventh month and 13th month held at a. three-month high. The premium of the Brent front-month over the. seventh month was at its greatest in more than 2 months.
A U.S. government report revealed customer inflation remained. elevated last month. Fed policymakers are now expected to wait. longer before cutting interest rates. This might moisten economic. growth and oil demand, and it likewise enhanced the dollar to. three-month peaks, which minimizes need for oil among purchasers. paying in other currencies.
U.S. petroleum inventories increased recently, while fuel. stockpiles fell, according to market sources citing American. Petroleum Institute figures launched late on Tuesday.
The API data revealed unrefined stocks rose 8.52 million. barrels in the week ended Feb. 9, the sources said on condition. of privacy. Gasoline inventories fell 7.23 million barrels,. and extract stocks fell by 4.02 million barrels.
OPEC adhered to its forecast for fairly strong development in. international oil need in 2024 and 2025, and raised its economic. growth forecasts for both years. The producer group and allies. including Russia, known as OPEC+, will decide in March whether. to extend oil production cuts.
Our balance sheet suggests that the market will be in. surplus in the second quarter of 2024 if the group stops working to roll. over part of these cuts, ING analysts stated in a note.
(source: Reuters)