Oil & Gas

Valero Mexico announced on Friday that the tax authority of the country had informed it that they were "momentarily suspended" from the list of motor fuel importers. However, Valero Mexico stated that it is cooperating in an investigation. Valero Mexico, one of Mexico's largest private importers and exporters of gasoline and diesel said that the permit is valid until 2038. Mexico, a major crude oil producer, imports gasoline and diesel in order to meet its national motor fuel demand. This is because the state-owned Pemex company struggles to refine the heavy sour refined crude that it pumps. Mexico's tax authority...

His press secretary warned reporters Friday, ahead of Saturday's talks between U.S.-Iran delegations. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump's "ultimate goal is to ensure that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapons" and that Trump believed in diplomacy. However, she added that "all options" are available if diplomatic attempts fail. "He's made it clear to the Iranians and his team of national security will do the same, that all options were on the table and Iran had a choice. The president believes that if you don't agree with President Trump's demands, there will be hell to pay. Leavitt...

Venezuela's National Assembly passed on Thursday a decree by the government of President Nicolas Maduro to declare an economic emergency as a response to U.S. tariffs and sanctions. In March, Donald Trump's administration began to suspend authorizations of oil companies that work with Venezuelan state-owned PDVSA. They also imposed secondary tariffs against crude oil and natural gas exports. Maduro issued the decree on February 2, citing constitutional authority to declare states or exceptions, suspend constitutional protections, and impose an alarm state during national emergencies. Delcy Rodriguez, Vice President and Minister of Oil during the presentation of this document, stated that...

Rasmus Errboe, the CEO of Orsted in Denmark, told the Financial Times that President Donald Trump's tariffs would have "a meaningful impact" on its U.S. projects. Errboe said in the newspaper that the new tariffs would affect Orsted's large wind projects, Sunrise Wind and Revolution Wind, located in the U.S. Orsted published a piece in the FT that called on European capitals for a consistent support of the offshore wind industry every year to help meet targets and reverse costs. Orsted didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. Trump announced earlier Wednesday that he would lower temporarily the heavy...

The oil price dropped to its lowest level in over four years on the back of a rising demand outlook, fueled by a escalating trade war between China and the U.S., the two largest economies on the planet, as well as a looming supply outlook. Brent futures fell $2.38 or 3.79% to $60.44 per barrel at 0423 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures dropped $2.46 or 4.13% to $57.12. Both contracts reached their lowest levels since February 2021. Brent spreads over six months The spread fell to 79 cents - its lowest level since the middle of November -...

Early trade on Wednesday saw oil prices drop to their lowest level in over four years, due to a looming supply concern, fueled by escalating tensions between the U.S., China and other major economies. Brent futures fell $2.13 or 3.39% to $60.69 per barrel at 0108 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures dropped $2.36 or 3.96% to $57.22. Brent crude oil reached its lowest level since March 2021, and WTI touched its lowest level since February 2021. Both benchmarks have fallen over five consecutive sessions after U.S. president Donald Trump announced sweeping duties on most imports, sparking fears of...

Two sources with knowledge of the matter reported that a U.S. biofuel and U.S. coalition has recommended the Environmental Protection Agency to propose federal mandates on biomass diesel blending in 2026, at 5.25 billion gallon, which is a significant increase over previous mandates. Sources said that the coalition recommended a total federal mandate for biofuel blend mandates of 25 billion gallons by 2026. The coalition led by the American Petroleum Institute (API), a major U.S. oil industry trade group, gave the figures to EPA at a recent meeting. EPA will release a proposal covering 2026 and 2027. This was previously...

Sources close to the company's operations on Tuesday said that Venezuela's PDVSA, a state-owned oil company, is restarting the fluid catalytic cracked (FCC) at its El Palito refinery, which was shut down for 11 months. This will partially offset a suspension of key refinery units due to an electrical blackout. PDVSA is increasing domestic refining in order to avoid a fuel crisis. The U.S. government has tightened sanctions against the energy sector of the country, which prevents it from importing replacement parts and equipment necessary to maintain and upgrade its refining units. Venezuela's largest refinery, the 645,000-barrel-per-day Amuay, has been...

Seven & i Holdings, a Japanese retailer, is expected to report a 24% decline in its quarterly profit on March 28, as the underperformance of its convenience stores hampers its ability fend off a Canadian takeover bid by Alimentation CoucheTard. Seven & i will likely book an operating profit of 94.45 trillion yen (US$639.52 millions) for the period December-February. This is according to a LSEG average of eight analyst predictions. This compares to 124.23 bn yen for the same period last year. 7-Eleven's profits have fallen in recent quarters, as its domestic convenience stores underperformed their competitors. Its North American...

South Sudan stated on Monday that the U.S. decided to revoke visas for South Sudanese nationals because Juba refused to accept a deportee of another nationality. The U.S. announced on Saturday that it will cancel all visas for South Sudanese passport-holders because South Sudan has refused to accept its repatriated citizen's return. Juba's Foreign Ministry said that the deportee from the Democratic Republic of Congo was denied entry to South Sudan by South Sudanese officials. He claimed in an interview with immigration at the Juba Airport that he had been forced there. "Comprehensive Verification Processes confirmed that this individual was...

A survey revealed that OPEC's oil production fell in March, ahead of a planned increase, as Nigeria cut deliveries to its domestic refineries, and Iranian and Venezuelan supplies dropped due to renewed U.S. efforts to reduce the flow. According to a survey released on Monday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pumped 26,63 million barrels of oil per day in February, a decrease of 110,000 bpd compared to the total for the month of February. The largest declines were recorded by Nigeria, Iran, and Venezuela. OPEC+, a grouping of OPEC, its allies, and Russia, has begun to unwind...

South Sudan has refused to accept its repatriated nationals. Many in Africa are concerned that the country may return to civil conflict. The Trump administration in the United States has taken aggressive steps to increase immigration enforcement. This includes repatriating people who are deemed to have entered the U.S. unlawfully. The Administration has warned countries who do not quickly return their citizens to face sanctions, such as visa restrictions or tariffs. South Sudan failed to adhere to the principle of? South Sudan had failed to respect the principle that? ? Rubio stated that the United States Department of State will...

The International Energy Agency has cut its projection for global oil demand growth this year. It cited escalating tensions in trade, a day following a similar move by the producer group OPEC. The move by the IEA - which advises industrialised nations - is the latest indicator that oil demand is weakening as a result of U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs on trade, which has already caused a steep drop in oil prices in this month. The IEA reported in a report that the world oil demand will increase by 730,000 barrels a day this year, a significant drop from...

On Sunday, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the president of Syria, will make his second trip to the United Arab Emirates as president. The islamist leaders are trying to assure foreign partners that their country will have a democratic political system. Sharaa is accompanied by Assad al Shibani, the UAE's foreign minister who visited earlier this year. The SANA news agency, which does not give any details, reported that they are expected to discuss topics of mutual interest. In February, Sharaa made his first trip abroad since taking office as president in January. His visit to the UAE coincides with the new Syrian...

A person familiar with this matter said that Abu Dhabi's state-owned oil company ADNOC was in the initial stages of evaluating a bid to purchase the U.S. Natural Gas assets owned by investment firm Aethon. ADNOC made a series of acquisitions, including in the fields of gas and chemicals. Along with LNG and renewables, it sees these as the pillars that will support its future growth. The energy giant purchased a stake and a supply contract for 20 years in NextDecade’s liquefied gas export project located in Texas. Source: Other parties are also involved in the discussions regarding the assets...

The major Gulf stock markets rose early on Tuesday following gains in Asian stocks, recovering from a global selling off on hopes that the United States would be willing to negotiate its high import tariffs. Saudi Arabia's benchmark Index advanced 2% on track to extend gains made in the previous session. This was led by Al Rajhi Bank's 2.3% increase and Saudi National Bank's 2.1% rise. Saudi Aramco, the oil giant, rose by 1.2%. The Saudi index fell 6.8% on Sunday, its largest one-day drop since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. A survey revealed that the non-oil...

OMV, Austria's oil and gas group, said that it expects its first-quarter results to be boosted by the merger of Borealis and Borouge with ADNOC. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and OMV agreed last month to merge their polyolefin business to create Borouge Group International. The new company will have a $60 billion enterprise valuation. Vienna-based company stated that the positive impact of its clean operating results would be a mid-double digit million euro range for the first quarter compared to the final three months in 2024. Clean operating results are based on current costs of supply and exclude...

Libya's central banks announced on Sunday a 13.3% drop in the value of its dinar currency, putting the rate at 5,5677 dollars to the dinar. This is the first devaluation official since the bank agreed on a devalued rate of 4,48 dinars per dollar in 2020. The current parallel market exchange rate for dinars is 7.20 dinars per dollar. The black market for the dinar fell against the dollar in September of last year due to a crisis involving the central bank, which slashed the oil production and exports. Later in September, the crisis was resolved following an agreement between...

Two delegates said that the top OPEC+ Ministers meeting on Saturday will not make any new changes to oil output policy. This is after this week's unexpected decision by the group to increase production further sent prices to pandemic levels. At 1200 GMT, a joint ministerial monitor committee (JMMC), or Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus allies, led by Russia will be held online. The JMMC is a group of oil ministers that includes Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other major producers. It meets about every two months, and it can make policy recommendations. On Saturday, two sources stated that...

India's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that India and the United Arab Emirates had agreed to build an energy hub in Sri Lanka. This comes as New Delhi's rivalry with China in the Indian Ocean Island nation grows. The three nations signed a pact to create the hub during Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka. This was the first time a world leader visited Sri Lanka since Anura Kumara dissanayake became president in September. New Delhi and Colombo are working to strengthen their ties, as India's southern neighbor recovers from the severe financial crisis that was triggered in...

The state news agency reported that the Iraqi Oil Ministry requested an urgent meeting on Friday with the relevant parties in order to resume negotiations regarding the export of Kurdistan Regional Oil. Iraq's Oil Ministry also stated that it had taken serious measures to demonstrate goodwill in the negotiations to ensure a resumption exports. It added that unrealistic demands outside of legal frameworks hindered reaching a final deal. The Ministry said that it was working to ensure the proper implementation of amendments to the budget laws approved on February 2 so that exports via Iraq-Turkey can resume as quickly as...

A survey released on Friday showed that growth in the UAE’s non-oil sector slowed in March. This is a sign of a softerening in demand in the most diversified economy in the Gulf. The S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index slipped from 55.0 to 54.0 in February. This is the lowest growth rate since September. The new order index fell to 56.3 from 57.3 in the previous month. This is the lowest reading since October. David Owen, S&P Global Market Intelligence's senior economist, said that some firms may be having difficulty meeting their sales goals. In spite of the slowdown, companies...

Eight OPEC+ nations agreed Thursday to increase oil production by 411,000 barrels a day in May. This unexpected decision caused oil prices to extend their earlier losses. Brent crude, which had already fallen over 5% after U.S. president Donald Trump announced tariffs against trading partners, continued to fall over 5% as OPEC released a statement updating its plans. Brent crude fell over 5% toward $70 a barrel. In May, eight members of OPEC+ (which includes the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and its allies, led by Russia) were scheduled to increase their output by 135,000 barrels a day as part...

The Gulf stock markets fell on Thursday morning, amid concerns that the U.S.'s reciprocal tariffs could worsen trade tensions globally and tip the world towards recession. On Wednesday, U.S. president Donald Trump announced a 10% tariff as a baseline on all imports and increased duties on dozens countries, including its largest trading partners. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index fell by 0.4% after the return to trading following a four-session Eid holiday. Saudi National Bank, the country's largest lender, fell 1.5%. Saudi Aramco, the oil giant in Saudi Arabia was down by 0.8%. Oil prices, which are a major factor in...